What is fascism?
"Fascism" hasn't been much in currency since the late Sixties, when "fascist" was a sloppy epithet aimed at anyone who supported the Vietnamese misadventure or who opposed long-haired demonstrators. It was pretty clear that actual fascism was not in the offing. Now, however, I'm often afraid that it is, and I think that a good working definition is in order. I'd like to collect ideas, so please comment. We need to know what we're up against, and a liberal consensus on the subject would be very useful.
As I see it, fascism is a parapolitical reaction to secular socialism - and I think that it must be seen as a reaction; fear is a prime motivator. To its advocates, fascism is a mighty fortress where traditional values are safe and outsiders know their place. I call it "parapolitical" because it exploits the machinery of politics to achieve transpolitical aims; fascism envisions the end of politics. The president's remark about "an accountability moment" was perhaps the most purely fascist statement ever to issue from the White House. In Bush's view, an election becomes a ratification, annulling the need for further debate, or really for any kind of discussion.
Fascism harbors the dream of an apolitical democracy, where everything works harmoniously because everyone has the same outlook. "Diversity" is tolerated only to the extent that it is merely decorative. Disagreement and protest are forms of treason.
