Theory: or, What the Hell?
Countless animal species, humans included, are known to kill off members of their own species, including newborns, for reasons that are not fully known. It has been theorized that perceived differences are interpreted as signs of weakness, which in the case of animals who engage in herding behavior smells of danger for the group. Therefore the different / weak are eliminated for the sake of the herd, and to – in terms of natural selection – allow the species to keep propagating itself in the manner that has served it thus far. The human expression of fascism can be seen to have its roots firmly planted in our ancient animal nature, as well as the experiences of our ancestral past that is, possibly and theoretically, genetically encoded in the oldest parts of our brains. This remains theoretical.
The expansion of coercion and political domination that invariably comes with any fascist movement is a function of its desire to stamp out all differences (a hygienic cleansing run amok; an immune system turning against all organs in the body it is designed to protect, destroying the basis of its own existence in the process) Fascists can easily purge their own group by unleashing lawless police terror against the people already within the reach of their control. It cannot stop there, however, for their fear (and subsequent drive for power) knows no boundaries. Expansion of coercion becomes necessary to eradicate the external enemies that will have to be fought and destroyed eventually anyway…so that the group can “survive”.
The fascist mentality grows from a profound paranoia - a world of all-against-all, kill or be killed, conquer or be conquered. Safety can be found only in power, and power can be had only in groups. One’s group must be purified of enemy influence, and only then will it be strong enough to defeat and destroy those hostile groups that are always out to undermine its purity and rob it of its right to exist. One group must predominate, or die. If “our” group does not, another one will. Multiculturalism only brings perpetual warfare and suffering. Peace and prosperity will only be had when one herd wins! - When one herd, one culture, one mind prevails over all others.
On a purely speculative note, it is common knowledge that fear produces bombastic displays of power meant to intimidate perceived opponents; a “sabre-rattling” that can often lead to actual violence fuelled by rage, itself a by-product of fear. So, power can be a mask for fear. Are there ever any cases where fear is a mask for power, meaning the acquisition of more power? Governments are always seizing more and more power under the auspices of fear, and those individuals who run governments are always gobbling up more authority in the name of protecting people. To what extent is the use of fear symptomatic of a power drive? Or would not a deeper underlying insecurity still be present behind the cynical use of fear and danger? Perhaps fascist leaders are more fundamentally frightened of something other than what they claim to be for political purposes? Perhaps their true motives remain mostly unconscious? If so, they wear a mask for themselves, which gives them psychological strength by allowing them to be fanatical “true believers” in their own cause.
Current studies indicate a definite link between the type of egomaniacal behavior that demands its own way at all costs (the will to dominate) and alcoholism. Considering the alcoholism and drug addictions of a multitude of historical leaders and tyrants, and the pandemic alcoholism and drug addiction of the world population from the early days to the present, this is a definite area of study for new and intrepid students of human psychology as it pertains to fascism, for power is a drug among many others. The human mind, which invented rationality, cannot use it when it is intoxicated and dependant on a daily basis.
Humankind has always lived in a hostile world, and has always found its safety and strength in numbers, provided those numbers trusted each other as members of a single unified culture. Early tribes did not have the luxury of subtlety (a subtlety that is almost nearly as impossible for our world today in spite of how many individuals are capable of it) when survival was at stake. Differences led to mistrust. Mistrust and doubt amongst members may very well have doomed the tribe to extinction. Just like today, one’s land, food, freedom, and life was always up for grabs when an opposing tribe from just over the horizon might swoop down at any moment and take them. To have unity in the group - a unity expressed in rigid customs and ceremonies - and to be able to dominate and control the surrounding countryside meant success, safety, and survival for the tribe.
Archeological evidence shows that distinguishable cultures thrived in certain locations for specific periods of time only to vanish in the wake of the invasion of another group with its own distinguishable culture. Whether thru war, murder, disease, exodus, or slavery and assimilation, the ways of a people were extinguished by the ways of another. Such remorseless facts of human nature might easily offend the sensibilities of many people today, yet in light of historical trends these sensibilities may go the way of ballroom dancing and clean humor, which still exist but only as a rather refined taste not shared by the masses. Despite all of our intellectual and technological advancement, humans remain animals, and fascism is an emotional response to the fear that arises with historically inevitable “bear troughs” of mass psychology. Fascism is an all too predictable eruption of irrationality that, paradoxically, stretches its roots back to a not so distant rationality of the past.
)ANTS: Or, what do we do without a Queen?
It has recently been pointed out to me that the Japanese word for ANT involves a combination of two characters, one meaning “insect” and the other “loyalty”. Ants are very faithful and altruistic to their own colonies, for they are always ready to fight, kill, and lay down their own lives for it. They do it all the time, every day.
Fascism is an emotional and intellectualized human expression of the same biological impulse that motivates ants (another famously warlike species that finds its strength in numbers) to employ aggression for their own colonies against other colonies. It is important to note, however, that ants do not utilize Weapons of Mass Destruction. If they did, none of us would be here.
At one time the fascist impulse had a firm rationale in the development of the human species. The destructive power of modern states and its weaponry now transforms any rationality to be found in the fascist impulse into the irrationality of self-destruction. The catastrophe of the Nazi experiment proved this amply, as does the never-ending cycle of violence we see in our own times. Fascism wages war against all, and threatens the freedom of its own people as it threatens the freedom of the entire world. The old patterns must die for life to continue. Too many super-tribes have the power to destroy the planet, and those that do not are desperately trying to acquire it. An evolutionary strategy to survive by banding together, eliminating all differences, and expanding the reach of the authority of one’s own herd may now prove our ultimate undoing…if our reliance on a petroleum based economy does not get us first!
- Werbinox
The expansion of coercion and political domination that invariably comes with any fascist movement is a function of its desire to stamp out all differences (a hygienic cleansing run amok; an immune system turning against all organs in the body it is designed to protect, destroying the basis of its own existence in the process) Fascists can easily purge their own group by unleashing lawless police terror against the people already within the reach of their control. It cannot stop there, however, for their fear (and subsequent drive for power) knows no boundaries. Expansion of coercion becomes necessary to eradicate the external enemies that will have to be fought and destroyed eventually anyway…so that the group can “survive”.
The fascist mentality grows from a profound paranoia - a world of all-against-all, kill or be killed, conquer or be conquered. Safety can be found only in power, and power can be had only in groups. One’s group must be purified of enemy influence, and only then will it be strong enough to defeat and destroy those hostile groups that are always out to undermine its purity and rob it of its right to exist. One group must predominate, or die. If “our” group does not, another one will. Multiculturalism only brings perpetual warfare and suffering. Peace and prosperity will only be had when one herd wins! - When one herd, one culture, one mind prevails over all others.
On a purely speculative note, it is common knowledge that fear produces bombastic displays of power meant to intimidate perceived opponents; a “sabre-rattling” that can often lead to actual violence fuelled by rage, itself a by-product of fear. So, power can be a mask for fear. Are there ever any cases where fear is a mask for power, meaning the acquisition of more power? Governments are always seizing more and more power under the auspices of fear, and those individuals who run governments are always gobbling up more authority in the name of protecting people. To what extent is the use of fear symptomatic of a power drive? Or would not a deeper underlying insecurity still be present behind the cynical use of fear and danger? Perhaps fascist leaders are more fundamentally frightened of something other than what they claim to be for political purposes? Perhaps their true motives remain mostly unconscious? If so, they wear a mask for themselves, which gives them psychological strength by allowing them to be fanatical “true believers” in their own cause.
Current studies indicate a definite link between the type of egomaniacal behavior that demands its own way at all costs (the will to dominate) and alcoholism. Considering the alcoholism and drug addictions of a multitude of historical leaders and tyrants, and the pandemic alcoholism and drug addiction of the world population from the early days to the present, this is a definite area of study for new and intrepid students of human psychology as it pertains to fascism, for power is a drug among many others. The human mind, which invented rationality, cannot use it when it is intoxicated and dependant on a daily basis.
Humankind has always lived in a hostile world, and has always found its safety and strength in numbers, provided those numbers trusted each other as members of a single unified culture. Early tribes did not have the luxury of subtlety (a subtlety that is almost nearly as impossible for our world today in spite of how many individuals are capable of it) when survival was at stake. Differences led to mistrust. Mistrust and doubt amongst members may very well have doomed the tribe to extinction. Just like today, one’s land, food, freedom, and life was always up for grabs when an opposing tribe from just over the horizon might swoop down at any moment and take them. To have unity in the group - a unity expressed in rigid customs and ceremonies - and to be able to dominate and control the surrounding countryside meant success, safety, and survival for the tribe.
Archeological evidence shows that distinguishable cultures thrived in certain locations for specific periods of time only to vanish in the wake of the invasion of another group with its own distinguishable culture. Whether thru war, murder, disease, exodus, or slavery and assimilation, the ways of a people were extinguished by the ways of another. Such remorseless facts of human nature might easily offend the sensibilities of many people today, yet in light of historical trends these sensibilities may go the way of ballroom dancing and clean humor, which still exist but only as a rather refined taste not shared by the masses. Despite all of our intellectual and technological advancement, humans remain animals, and fascism is an emotional response to the fear that arises with historically inevitable “bear troughs” of mass psychology. Fascism is an all too predictable eruption of irrationality that, paradoxically, stretches its roots back to a not so distant rationality of the past.
)ANTS: Or, what do we do without a Queen?
It has recently been pointed out to me that the Japanese word for ANT involves a combination of two characters, one meaning “insect” and the other “loyalty”. Ants are very faithful and altruistic to their own colonies, for they are always ready to fight, kill, and lay down their own lives for it. They do it all the time, every day.
Fascism is an emotional and intellectualized human expression of the same biological impulse that motivates ants (another famously warlike species that finds its strength in numbers) to employ aggression for their own colonies against other colonies. It is important to note, however, that ants do not utilize Weapons of Mass Destruction. If they did, none of us would be here.
At one time the fascist impulse had a firm rationale in the development of the human species. The destructive power of modern states and its weaponry now transforms any rationality to be found in the fascist impulse into the irrationality of self-destruction. The catastrophe of the Nazi experiment proved this amply, as does the never-ending cycle of violence we see in our own times. Fascism wages war against all, and threatens the freedom of its own people as it threatens the freedom of the entire world. The old patterns must die for life to continue. Too many super-tribes have the power to destroy the planet, and those that do not are desperately trying to acquire it. An evolutionary strategy to survive by banding together, eliminating all differences, and expanding the reach of the authority of one’s own herd may now prove our ultimate undoing…if our reliance on a petroleum based economy does not get us first!
- Werbinox
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