Fascism is one of those words that gets jostled around a lot, but is often misused. One wonders if Orwell would be surprised:

Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. – “Politics and the English Language”


Wiki might give us a glimpse into what fascism has come to mean in modern parlance:

Fascism is a government, faction or political philosophy that raises nationalism, and frequently race, above the individual and is characterized by a centralized autocratic state governed by a dictatorial head, stringent organization of the economy and society, and aggressive repression of opposition. In addition to placing the interests of the individual as subordinate to that of the nation or race, fascism seeks to achieve a national rebirth by promoting cults of unity, energy and purity.

Fascists promote a type of national unity that is usually based on (but not limited to) ethnic, cultural, national, racial, and/or religious attributes. Various scholars attribute different characteristics to fascism, but the following elements are usually seen as its integral parts: patriotism, nationalism, statism, militarism, totalitarianism, anti-communism, economic planning (including corporatism and autarky), populism, collectivism, autocracy and anti-liberalism (i.e., opposition to political and economic liberalism).

Some authors reject broad usage of the term or exclude certain parties and regimes. Following the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II, there have been few self-proclaimed fascist groups and individuals. In contemporary political discourse, the term fascist is often used by adherents of some ideologies as a pejorative description of their opponents. [link]

In contrast to Wiki’s exoteric generalization, Wilhelm Reich’s studies into the psychology of fascism indicate a foundation within individuals, not societies:

Drawing on his medical experiences with men and women of various classes, races, nations, and religious beliefs, Reich refutes the still generally held notion that fascism is a specific characteristic of certain nationalities or a political party ideology that is imposed on innocent people by means of force or political manneuvers. “Fascism is only the organized political expression of the structure of the average man’s character. It is the basic emotional civilization and its mechanistic-mystical conception of life.” [link]

Reich argued that authoritarian relationships, societies and economies are manifestations of psychopathology. Later on, he literally screamed out to all the little people, but he was ignored. In keeping with Reich’s research, people actually seem to want subjugation under fascism.

Contemporary citizens often balk at the suggestion that we are slaves, but they deceive themselves.

Fascism is generally framed within a political context and the psychological pretexts are ignored. The psychological motivations for nationalism, centralized autocracies, militarism, and all those other aspects Wiki lists are secondary manifestations of an underlying psychpathology rooted in fear and worthlessness. This keeps us enslaved within prisons of our own construction and makes populations easier to manipulate. So long as the slaves feel powerless, they are powerless.

Occasionally the implicit hegemony within modern society comes to our awareness, but for the most part we’re systematically desensitized to the concepts of intimacy, altruism, gnothi seauton, and are generally incapable of creating or maintaining conscious relationships. We’re indoctrinated within a ruthlessly misanthropic paradigm — but it hasn’t always been this way. I’m not waxing nostalgic (well, maybe I am… a little), but this level of consolidated control didn’t arise over night. Over the decades a great war has been fought behind the scenes, and there’s a great deal of continuity among the major trends. Modern examples of false flag operations are just that – modern. Thanks to the deliberate dumbing down of America, we’re a civilization with amnesia. We may be literally inundated with the keys to our liberation (i.e., via the Internet), but we choose not to look, get wrapped up in our own lives, and waste our time with masturbatory rituals like voting and spectator sports. We are, on the whole, numb. We merely want to be left alone. Sure, we’d like to be philanthropic or humanitarian, but if it comes down to actually making substantial sacrifices, most of us can’t be bothered. [I'm not convinced asking people to make sacrifices is the way to go, as this seems to be more of that archaic 'age of scarcity' BS the fascists love.] Many of us fall somewhere else on the rubric of activism, doing what we feel we can to provoke something better, but you and I aren’t anything like the ruling elite, and they’re all fascists (perpetuating the dichotomy of a person in their individual and institutional roles). They don’t have any problem with sacrifices. They understand how to play a winning game of chess – sometimes you have to sacrifice pieces to win. But what if that corresponded with the sacrifice of the president of the United States? What if fascists decided – for the good of the country – the president had to be sacrificed?

During the Great Depression, many Westerners viewed fascism as a legitimate public policy. There was a tremendous push to import the social, corporate and economic policies of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. In America, corporate interests directly funded the rise of the Nazis. Most of us have already acquainted ourselves with the legacy of Prescott Bush, the grandfather of the fascist now occupying the White House, but Prescott Bush’s treason may have gone much further than simply acting as banker for the Nazis. Grandpappy Bush might have been involved in the legendary Business Plot to overthrow the American government:

On July 23, 2007, the BBC Radio 4 series Document reported on the alleged Business Plot and the archives from the McCormack-Dickstein Committee hearings. The program mentioned Bush’s directorship of the Hamburg-America Line, a company that the committee investigated for Nazi propaganda activities, and the alleged 1933 attempt, supposedly led by Gerald MacGuire, to stage a military coup against President Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at forcing Roosevelt to resign (or, failing that, to assassinate him) and at installing a fascist dictatorship in the United States. [Ibid]


(part 2)/(part 3)

BBC Radio 4: The Whitehouse Coup

Document uncovers details of a planned coup in the USA in 1933 by right-wing American businessmen
The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.

Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American democracy.

For more on this Gen. Smedley Butler fellow, let’s turn to “The Plot to Overthrow FDR”:

One might wonder how such an important event managed to slip through the cracks of a public school education. Even history students at liberal universities graduate without ever having mentioned this ‘failed revolution’ in class. In the radio clip the journalist expresses incredulity over the lack of documentation, considering the gravity of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee hearings. Do you think all this a miraculous coincidence?

For its part, the media has been unequivocally complicit in the obscuration of content that matters. The media supports the fascist regime because it is the fascist regime. Software companies support the fascist regime because they are the fascist regime.

“You don’t need a weatherman to tell you…”

Additional Rabbit Holes -

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  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    I’m curious as to what you think of the occultist Julius Evola’s writings on politics.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    I’m curious as to what you think of the occultist Julius Evola’s writings on politics.

  • http://adayinthelife.livejournal.com/ adayinthelife

    not that you asked, but,
    it seems to me as though Evola’s idea of “traditionalism” (as expounded in Revolt Against the Modern World) is rooted in the idea that the brutal, hierarchical, male-dominated cultures of Indo-European history over the last few thousand years are the “traditional” wellspring of “proper” human organization. furthermore, it seems as though the idea of such cultures as the inspirational source of a long-standing “tradition” is extremely ill-informed, seeing as though it appears to modern anthropology and archeology that aforesaid cultures are exceedingly Johnny-come-lately in comparison to more egalitarian non-hierarchical tribal structures that exist to this day among certain remote groups.

  • http://adayinthelife.livejournal.com/ adayinthelife

    not that you asked, but,

    it seems to me as though Evola’s idea of “traditionalism” (as expounded in Revolt Against the Modern World) is rooted in the idea that the brutal, hierarchical, male-dominated cultures of Indo-European history over the last few thousand years are the “traditional” wellspring of “proper” human organization. furthermore, it seems as though the idea of such cultures as the inspirational source of a long-standing “tradition” is extremely ill-informed, seeing as though it appears to modern anthropology and archeology that aforesaid cultures are exceedingly Johnny-come-lately in comparison to more egalitarian non-hierarchical tribal structures that exist to this day among certain remote groups.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    I had a lot of fun chasing this rabbit hole. Thanks! :)
    Having never read a single one of his books, I reply with the strong caveat that these are impressions I get from a very superficial, vicarious understanding of the man and his work.
    Evola was clearly a quintessential fascist – that goes without saying. Mixing Qabalah with Reichian psychology, he was a small-minded man ruled by Qliphotic forces, and his rhetoric appealed to other small-minded men because it glorified their egos. His racism and classism aren’t really unique among historic or contemporary occultists. He parroted nationalist rhetoric to galvanize social cohesion for the purpose of deliberately oppressing others, and in that capacity, he’s no different from Bush et al.
    His drive to power seems to perfectly resonate with occult studies. An unfortunate majority of those I’ve met who study occultism are motivated by the pursuit of power. Whether they want power over themselves or power over others, most practicing occultists want control.
    Evola’s hierogamic system is especially intriguing, because it’s a complex paradoxical jumble of internal contradictions. Although he studied tantra, it seems like he never got past his prejudiced, bigoted taboos.
    Politically, I agree with his opinion that we need to look beyond the self, but his romanticization of the warrior class strikes me as vacuous. Anyone with any reasonable about of exposure to military history would realize that armies have been used for political ends since there were armies, so putting a mythic ‘noble warrior’ on a pedestal is amoral and inhumane.
    IMO, Evola presented his occult teachings as magickal, but they were actually magical. From almost any angle you take, his writings on politics and the occult appear immature, misanthropic and blasphemous, but maybe I’m missing something…?
    Namaste.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    I had a lot of fun chasing this rabbit hole. Thanks! :)

    Having never read a single one of his books, I reply with the strong caveat that these are impressions I get from a very superficial, vicarious understanding of the man and his work.

    Evola was clearly a quintessential fascist – that goes without saying. Mixing Qabalah with Reichian psychology, he was a small-minded man ruled by Qliphotic forces, and his rhetoric appealed to other small-minded men because it glorified their egos. His racism and classism aren’t really unique among historic or contemporary occultists. He parroted nationalist rhetoric to galvanize social cohesion for the purpose of deliberately oppressing others, and in that capacity, he’s no different from Bush et al.

    His drive to power seems to perfectly resonate with occult studies. An unfortunate majority of those I’ve met who study occultism are motivated by the pursuit of power. Whether they want power over themselves or power over others, most practicing occultists want control.

    Evola’s hierogamic system is especially intriguing, because it’s a complex paradoxical jumble of internal contradictions. Although he studied tantra, it seems like he never got past his prejudiced, bigoted taboos.

    Politically, I agree with his opinion that we need to look beyond the self, but his romanticization of the warrior class strikes me as vacuous. Anyone with any reasonable about of exposure to military history would realize that armies have been used for political ends since there were armies, so putting a mythic ‘noble warrior’ on a pedestal is amoral and inhumane.

    IMO, Evola presented his occult teachings as magickal, but they were actually magical. From almost any angle you take, his writings on politics and the occult appear immature, misanthropic and blasphemous, but maybe I’m missing something…?

    Namaste.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    Re: not that you asked, but,
    Well, in all fairness, it’s rather anachronistic to criticize his historical theories as ‘ill-informed’, no?

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    Re: not that you asked, but,

    Well, in all fairness, it’s rather anachronistic to criticize his historical theories as ‘ill-informed’, no?

  • kwitsach_hadera

    Smeadly Butler’s book, War is a Racket, was an interesting read. Even back in his day he had a better understanding of how central banking was pushing civilizations into war than most people today. I always found it ironic that the business elite would have picked him to lead a coup. He was such a staunch vocal supporter for individual soldiers and frequently spoke out against the industries that profited from war.

  • http://kwitsach_hadera.livejournal.com/ kwitsach_hadera

    Smeadly Butler’s book, War is a Racket, was an interesting read. Even back in his day he had a better understanding of how central banking was pushing civilizations into war than most people today. I always found it ironic that the business elite would have picked him to lead a coup. He was such a staunch vocal supporter for individual soldiers and frequently spoke out against the industries that profited from war.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    Glad you enjoyed it…thought I’d direct you that way partially out of interest about what you’d say, but also because he’s a relatively unknown magician in the West, outside of europe.
    I’m curious if you could explain the difference between magickal and magical, as you perceive it. I find it an odd distinction, at least in terms of being based on what you seem to base it on, given that Crowley the coiner of the magick would probably fit into the criteria you mention above about Evola.
    As for your impressions, I’d say that in some ways you nail it on the head, and in other ways I’d suggest reading his works. His work on Tantra on for instance is a really good example of scholarly work and from what I can tell he never made a racist comment about the people or culture it originated from. Also from what I read, I don’t think he identified himself as a fascist, though he definitely fits into the right wing and does seem to believe in an elitist culture.
    his writings on hermeticism 9at least so far) are actually really good. I don’t see them as misanthrophic, beyond how he lets his political beliefs occasionally influence what is being said. I actually find his work fascinating because he hits on a lot of things other occultists of his day and later missed, including the unfortunately all too well known Crowley.
    I think you might find some of his work interesting.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    Glad you enjoyed it…thought I’d direct you that way partially out of interest about what you’d say, but also because he’s a relatively unknown magician in the West, outside of europe.

    I’m curious if you could explain the difference between magickal and magical, as you perceive it. I find it an odd distinction, at least in terms of being based on what you seem to base it on, given that Crowley the coiner of the magick would probably fit into the criteria you mention above about Evola.

    As for your impressions, I’d say that in some ways you nail it on the head, and in other ways I’d suggest reading his works. His work on Tantra on for instance is a really good example of scholarly work and from what I can tell he never made a racist comment about the people or culture it originated from. Also from what I read, I don’t think he identified himself as a fascist, though he definitely fits into the right wing and does seem to believe in an elitist culture.

    his writings on hermeticism 9at least so far) are actually really good. I don’t see them as misanthrophic, beyond how he lets his political beliefs occasionally influence what is being said. I actually find his work fascinating because he hits on a lot of things other occultists of his day and later missed, including the unfortunately all too well known Crowley.

    I think you might find some of his work interesting.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    Re: not that you asked, but,
    ah, but he wrote in the 1920′s and 30′s and late forties and then fifties…so I have to question how much your cultural beliefs, etc are being used to critique his stuff, given that he lived in a different time, and culture than you did.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    Re: not that you asked, but,

    ah, but he wrote in the 1920′s and 30′s and late forties and then fifties…so I have to question how much your cultural beliefs, etc are being used to critique his stuff, given that he lived in a different time, and culture than you did.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    Upon referencing the archives, I’ve got digital copies of:

    Evola – Abraxas Knowledge the Waters
    Evola – Do We Live in a Gynæcocratic Society?
    Evola – Hitler and the Secret Societies
    Evola – Men Among the Ruins
    Evola – Race as a Builder of Leaders
    Evola – The Doctrine of Awakening
    Evola – Knowledge of the Symbol
    Evola – Opus Magicum Fire
    Report to Himmler on Julius Evola
    Rome Against Etruia
    The Active Nihilism of Friedrich Nietzsche
    The Concept of Initiation
    The Nature of Knowledge
    Varieties of Ascesis
    So, should any of those strike your fancy, see (digimob) Occult Mob’s Submissions Digest #17.
    Namaste.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    Upon referencing the archives, I’ve got digital copies of:

    • Evola – Abraxas Knowledge the Waters
    • Evola – Do We Live in a Gynæcocratic Society?
    • Evola – Hitler and the Secret Societies
    • Evola – Men Among the Ruins
    • Evola – Race as a Builder of Leaders
    • Evola – The Doctrine of Awakening
    • Evola – Knowledge of the Symbol
    • Evola – Opus Magicum Fire
    • Report to Himmler on Julius Evola
    • Rome Against Etruia
    • The Active Nihilism of Friedrich Nietzsche
    • The Concept of Initiation
    • The Nature of Knowledge
    • Varieties of Ascesis

    So, should any of those strike your fancy, see (digimob) Occult Mob’s Submissions Digest #17.

    Namaste.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    In reference to magic/magick, I’m still using the model I described at Plutonica.
    Crowley was, for the most part, an egotist, and I get a similar impression from Evola. I would suggest that egotists are more prone to working magic than magick.
    Does an omission of racist comments exempting one race somehow excuse the abundance of racist comments for others? Selectively applied tantric philosophy is poorly integrated tantric philosophy, and that’s not the type to look to for guidance.
    I’ve yet to examine his writings on hermeticism, but I’d say that anyone of a fascist persuasion is misanthropic. If his studies in hermeticism somehow failed to create collateral empathy, he failed in the most important transmutation of all.
    All that isn’t to say he shouldn’t be read. Hell, I’m a HUGE fan of the good Marquis de Sade, and he was certainly a misanthropic cunt. ;)

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    In reference to magic/magick, I’m still using the model I described at Plutonica.

    Crowley was, for the most part, an egotist, and I get a similar impression from Evola. I would suggest that egotists are more prone to working magic than magick.

    Does an omission of racist comments exempting one race somehow excuse the abundance of racist comments for others? Selectively applied tantric philosophy is poorly integrated tantric philosophy, and that’s not the type to look to for guidance.

    I’ve yet to examine his writings on hermeticism, but I’d say that anyone of a fascist persuasion is misanthropic. If his studies in hermeticism somehow failed to create collateral empathy, he failed in the most important transmutation of all.

    All that isn’t to say he shouldn’t be read. Hell, I’m a HUGE fan of the good Marquis de Sade, and he was certainly a misanthropic cunt. ;)

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    That’s an interesting interpretation and usage of magick/magic semantically.
    As for his racism or not, I can’t speak on that, having only read one and a quarter of his books to date. I do know I found his book on Tantra insightful and certainly better than the neotantric work that currently pervades the west.

  • http://teriel.livejournal.com/ teriel

    That’s an interesting interpretation and usage of magick/magic semantically.

    As for his racism or not, I can’t speak on that, having only read one and a quarter of his books to date. I do know I found his book on Tantra insightful and certainly better than the neotantric work that currently pervades the west.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    I found his book on Tantra insightful and certainly better than the neotantric work that currently pervades the west.

    Ditto.

  • http://sophrosyne.radical.r30.net/wordpress/ admin

    I found his book on Tantra insightful and certainly better than the neotantric work that currently pervades the west.

    Ditto.

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