Buried in this interesting story is a much more significant issue. That issue is the continuing quixotic crusade of many on the political right to label Marxism as fascism.
Sure, I get the parallels. But I am not the problem, the problem is the huge number of centrist voters who have much different views about fascism and communism. It is because of their uneducated stupor that ideologues on our side routinely call our Marxist opponents fascists (which they are not) and not communists (which they are).
To the LIV (low information voters) in the political middle-muddle, fascism is a very bad word that instantly brings to mind images of a holocaust, armies on the march, goose-stepping troops saluting their fuhrer.
Much the same could be said about communism but the soft and cuddly educational experience has left many with the notion that communism is a harsher form of socialism that can handle big projects and put people in space, maybe not quite what “we” want but not “all that bad.”
So when these confused people hear our side calling obvious leftists “fascists” they just figure we are making things up and scattering labels at random. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they think we are wrong-headed. This has done us almost no good and much harm. Sure, within the tent, there is rolling applause and a chorus of “hear, hear” when the Marxists are called fascists, when somebody offers a clever drawing of an Obama or a Clinton looking a bit like a Mussolini or a Hitler (instead of a lot like a Lenin or a Stalin which is the real point to be made).
Am I a dumb numbnuts as some of my contacts in Canadian conservatism think, for insisting on this clarity? After all, maybe the mud will stick. Maybe we can call an orange an apple.
I say, maybe I am a dumb numbnuts, but I don’t see any real inroads being made into the political centrist voting bloc which certainly would not want all-out communism, but has no way of discerning that that is the template of their trusted go-to progressive politicians. People tell me that communism is “boring” whereas fascism is a charge that can electrify. I suppose, but if it seems like a false charge, then what good are we doing ourselves by making it?
The structure of the problem interests me to the point where this cannot be “boring.” Communism is the exact equivalent of fascism. I have the sort of ears that hear the same sound from each word. So do the millions who escaped eastern Europe or other communist hell-holes to live in the free world. We need to do a better job, and start calling communists what they are. At least it avoids Godwin’s law.
You see fascism and communism as a linear left-right dichotomy.
Many now see it as a circle with both sides sliding into fascism.
Communism means much to eastern Europe. To the average American it means not much.
Communism is the exact equivalent of fascism.
“Communism is the exact equivalent of fascism.”
Maybe not exact, but certainly very close.
I think I get your point, but it is based on a subjective interpretation of how other people hear the words that you admit are actually quite close in practical definition.
I am not convinced that your interpretation is correct.
The big advantage of calling “progressives” fascists is that it is clearly, demonstrably true. An easy reference to show it is Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism.
It is much harder to show they are Communists.
Are LIV actually as you describe them? I am not convinced. It may be so. I know some people that are as you describe, but the much bigger split is by what media is used for information. It is control of the Media that is the big problem. The Establishment media is what is pushing the memes you are describing, or at least, leading to those results.
As for inroads in the politically centrist voting block, what more confirmation can you have than the election of Donald Trump?