Nathan Tyree: Islamo-Fascism?
Arguing with someone here I got to thinking about current trends in right wing propaganda. A favored hot button word of the moment is "Islamo-Fascist." This label gets tossed about by loutish radio hosts and Fox news talking heads on a daily basis now. I can think of no more absurd epithet than this.
Before we can understand why this construction is absurd and internally incoherent we have to understand each of its parts. First let's look at Fascism.
Fascism isn't any easy term to define. It tends toward the nebulous. However, these attempts are a good start:
"Fascism is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism."
-Wikipedia
"Fascism is a set of ideologies and practices that seeks to place the nation, defined in exclusive biological, cultural, and/or historical terms, above all other sources of loyalty, and to create a mobilized national community"
-Kevin Passmore in Fascism: A Very Short Introduction
Perhaps the best person to turn to is Fascism's creator, Benito Mussolini. Ol' Benito, before being killed in nasty ways, famously said the fascism was simply a corporate take over of the government.
Now, what is Islam? Islam is a monotheistic religion. In is part of the Abrahamic tradition (like Christianity and Judaism). Islam's main tenet is complete surrender to God. All else (country, family, community) must be subservient to religion.
So we see that in fascism the state is all important. In Islam religion is all important. This is a contradiction. It is akin to calling someone a left wing reactionary. As an insult it just doesn't make any damn sense.
Maybe Rush should learn that you can't just add "fascist" as a modifier to any term and create a good insult.
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In other news: being gay? Well, that's just as bad as Treason
Arguing with someone here I got to thinking about current trends in right wing propaganda. A favored hot button word of the moment is "Islamo-Fascist." This label gets tossed about by loutish radio hosts and Fox news talking heads on a daily basis now. I can think of no more absurd epithet than this.
Before we can understand why this construction is absurd and internally incoherent we have to understand each of its parts. First let's look at Fascism.
Fascism isn't any easy term to define. It tends toward the nebulous. However, these attempts are a good start:
"Fascism is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and anti-liberalism."
-Wikipedia
"Fascism is a set of ideologies and practices that seeks to place the nation, defined in exclusive biological, cultural, and/or historical terms, above all other sources of loyalty, and to create a mobilized national community"
-Kevin Passmore in Fascism: A Very Short Introduction
Perhaps the best person to turn to is Fascism's creator, Benito Mussolini. Ol' Benito, before being killed in nasty ways, famously said the fascism was simply a corporate take over of the government.
Now, what is Islam? Islam is a monotheistic religion. In is part of the Abrahamic tradition (like Christianity and Judaism). Islam's main tenet is complete surrender to God. All else (country, family, community) must be subservient to religion.
So we see that in fascism the state is all important. In Islam religion is all important. This is a contradiction. It is akin to calling someone a left wing reactionary. As an insult it just doesn't make any damn sense.
Maybe Rush should learn that you can't just add "fascist" as a modifier to any term and create a good insult.
************************************************************
In other news: being gay? Well, that's just as bad as Treason
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In generic use "Fascism" is the idea of authoritarian political ideologies. Not all Islam is referred to by the term islamo-fascists. Just those that want the former Islamic world to return to Sharia Law."
It wouldn't be a corporate take over of governments, just a religious one.
I doubt any of us on this blog would survive under Sharia Law
being gay? not even.
(on gay marriages, I don't think it's any of the government's business)
maybe we should coin the term "Christo-Fascist"