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Why so fascist?

Fascism is more than its
reputation suggests

By Idrian Burgos,
Contributor

“Fascism” and its more familiar
variant, “fascist,” are two of
the most overused words in
political English today. That
is, if you want to shut down
another person’s arguments
without actually addressing
them. “Fascist” has been applied
to everyone from liberals
to conservatives, and even
communists. George Orwell was
right when he said, “Fascism
has now no meaning except in
so far as it signifies ‘something
not desirable.’” Given the
excess negativity the word has
accumulated over the decades
since the end of the Second
World War, “fascist” has become
a word from which persons
and organizations are active in
distancing themselves. No one
in their sane mind wants to be
labelled “fascist.”

Yet there are still those
who choose to identify with
the fascist tag, and it is easy to
recognize them. They are the
ones regularly called “racist”
on and off media. “Skinheads”
seemingly on the prowl looking

for non-white people’s heads

to bash with steel pipes.

“White power enthusiasts”

are frequently the number-one
suspects in racially motivated
attacks. Even with such people,
there are still normal people
who identify as fascists. Such a
thing might shock us, for there
appears to be no other reason
for such dangerous and foolish
identification. But it is still
important—and becoming all
the more so—to discover the
reasons behind identification by
ordinary people with fascism.
The fascism discussed here is
not of the Hitlerian, racial type,
but of the statist type associated
with Mussolini and claimed by
its adherents to be “non-racist.”
A capital F would be used

here to differentiate this statist
Fascism from the more common,
small-f “fascism.”

To be Fascist is to be
different. A Fascist can claim
correctly to differ ideologically
from the rest of society, the
excuse being that the usually
anti-establishment ideologies
of socialism, communism,
and anarchism have become
mostly acceptable; no one
considers them to be as heinous
as Fascism. Unanimous
condemnation of Fascism by
all other ideologies—perhaps
their sole common trait—helps

to underline this difference.
Everything Fascist, from
economic solutions to aesthetics,
differs from and is soundly
rejected by the rest of society—
including the ones considered
the fringes, thus making Fascists
the “fringe of the fringes.”

This combination of internal
distinctions and external
condemnation helps to highlight
the Fascist as fully and truly
different in society.

To be Fascist is the ultimate
rebellion. Given the Fascist’s
total difference in society, they
constitute the ultimate rebel.
They are against current society,
and desire to improve it. They
are against all other ideologies
which have dominated political
discussion for a long time,
while at the same time adopting
some of their ideas. They might
be accused of having double
standards concerning the latter,
but this can be interpreted as
a complete rebellion against
all conventional moral norms,
including those about double
standards.

To be Fascist is to be strong
and dominant. To be different
is to be dominant. Given the
strong and varied differences
Fascists possess from the rest
of politics and society, they
are capable of triumphing and
imposing their principles over

Annie, dont get your gun

The necessity of
gun regulation

By Natalie Serafini,
Opinions Editor

eath rarely evokes a

flippant attitude, but it
seems gun-related deaths and
injuries have become more and
more of a blasé matter. We're
inundated with a plethora of
stories about shots in the dark
and near misses; it’s as if with
the prevalence of these violent
deaths, the only way to cope is
to shrug and move on. President
Barack Obama’s recent push to
get guns away from dangerous
people will hopefully limit
the deaths that have become
so embedded in the news.
Some Americans defend their
right to bear arms based on a
constitutional amendment, and
they clutch that right as tightly
as they do their AK-47’s and

16

RPG's. For myself, I’m happy
if the Wild West becomes less
wild.

The Second Amendment
right to bear arms presents a
compelling argument, but its
persuasiveness all depends
on interpretation. The Second
Amendment states that “A
well regulated militia, being

6G

necessary to the security of

a free state, the right of the
people to keep and bear arms,
shall not be infringed.” One of
the more significant terms in
that constitutional right is the
qualification of a “well regulated
militia.” A militia is a military
force that is organized for the
purpose of ensuring the rights
of the people. It is not every

Tom, Dick, and Harry who
needs a machine gun in order
to feel safe. Not to mention that
this amendment was made ina
time when weapons were not as
efficient or dangerous.

This isn’t to say that
banning or regulating guns will
cleanse the world of violence.
Violent people cause violent

crimes. On the same day that
the gun massacre in Newtown
occurred, there was a knifing
massacre in Chengping. Yet
even with that admission, just
comparing the massacre in
Newtown to that in Chengping
shows an immense difference:
in Chengping, 23 people were
injured; in Newtown, 28 people
died. There will always be

 

Photo courtesy of www.therongolianstar.com

their enemies—or to at least
promote them fearlessly. This

is connected to the Nietzschean
concept of the “superman” who
follows solely their self-made
rules. Bound only by their own
principles that are antithetical
to wider society, themselves
repelled at the concepts held by
both establishment society and
its “anti-establishment” critics,
and confident of the correctness
of their convictions since they
come from themselves. The
Fascist isn’t shy to challenge the
social rules they aren’t bound

violence, but perhaps with gun
regulation there won't be as
many mortalities.

In the last year, a
tremendous number of places
have become synonymous with
tragedy. The names “Aurora”
and “Newtown” will most likely
remain etched in the minds of
those who heard or read news

There will always be violence, but perhaps with gun regulation
there wont be as many mortalities.

of the massacres. These deaths
are cushioned between countless
other gun-related deaths. Craig
Allen Loughrey, a seven-year-
old child who accompanied his
father to a gun store, died when
a gun went off accidentally.
New York firefighters Michael
Chiapperini and Tomasz
Kaczowka died as a result

of sniper, William Spengler.

to, and to influence society in
accordance to what they think
is right.

The most probable reason
for an ordinary person to adopt
Fascism as a creed is that it
is truly radical, against all
ideologies that are acceptable
or okay in society and have
pushed Fascism to the ultimate
margins. Its attraction comes
from its fully “anti-” nature and
the potential to be reshaped
according to individual
desire with only key concepts
remaining constant.

Over the course of one violent
October weekend in Chicago,
five people were killed and 24
were wounded because of guns.
What concerns me is that
Canada so frequently follows in
the US's footsteps. Perhaps it’s
something I’ve become more
conscious of as I’ve aged, but
it seems both sides have issues
which are gradually becoming
more and more similar. Obama's
nudge for more gun regulation
is a start, but there’s still a long
uphill battle in the States against
enthusiastic gun owners. There’s
also the fact that gunshots have
become like white noise. We
may not have a debatable right
to bear arms, but we still have
gun problems in Vancouver. I
hope—if Canada continues to
traipse after the US—that we
don’t adopt a blasé attitude
towards guns, deaths, and
violent crimes.