Some of today’s politicians have learned propaganda tricks from 1930s fascists, says Yale professor
^^^^^^
I just came across this interview, which deals with democracy, fascism and propaganda in a particularly insightful manner.
see what you make of it (10 minutes, but worth it)
I don't think that propaganda tricks will necessarily always have the same result; a lot of it is dependent upon context, time, and place.
It seems to me that the most effective way to prevent fascism (or communism, for that matter) is for the ruling faction(s) to do whatever is necessary to refrain from creating conditions which lead to widespread suffering and deprivation.
For example, whichever rocket scientist in the Weimar government decided that it would be a wonderful idea to start charging people a billion marks for a loaf of bread - that person did more to enable fascism in Germany than a thousand propagandists could have done.
When people are made to languish and suffer like that, then it isn't that difficult to figure out that eventually they'll become angry and resentful, making them more susceptible to politicians who echo that anger and resentment.
Smart politicians will find ways of addressing the grievances of the masses while reducing the power of the radicals and taking the wind out of their sails. That's what we did in the U.S. with FDR, who made far-reaching permanent reforms without turning the whole country upside-down. That same trend continued through the 50s and 60s, leading to the reformed liberal democratic system which many people see as one of America's greatest virtues.
It didn't necessarily prevent a lot of "fascistic" things from happening in the US, such as with McCarthy, Hoover, Nixon, and the "national security state" which came about due to the Cold War. But the checks and balances worked slowly but surely to quash or ameliorate some of the more egregious elements.
Unfortunately, I think that politicians have forgotten about this in recent decades. They think that it's all about "propaganda" and nothing else. That kind of propaganda doesn't work if the people are happy. It only works when things are allowed to fester and deteriorate, where the cries of the suffering and disadvantaged are routinely ignored or cavalierly dismissed.
I don't think we've really gotten to that point here in America, at least not yet. We could be headed in that direction, but I think we should heed the warning signs just the same.
However, I think it's erroneous to believe that just addressing or eliminating the "propaganda" will somehow prevent fascism or some other extremist-driven upheaval. The needs of the people will still need to be addressed, one way or the other.
One point the professor raised was the idea of "powerlessness," and how the masses are often made to feel that way. That's also another pervasive feeling throughout society, and that can also have some consequences. Hitler didn't tell the German people that they were powerless. Quite the contrary, his message was just the opposite, and that's what resonated with the masses. He told the Germans that they were powerful, they were special, nature's chosen rulers. When people feel powerless and destitute, someone coming along and saying "you are powerful" can be quite alluring and seductive.
Another thing that can weaken a democracy (which the U.S. may be suffering long-term damage) can also come from the strange bedfellows we've had on the international scene. We allied ourselves with regimes which were clearly not practitioners of freedom and democracy, yet they somehow managed to serve our interests just the same.
That reveals the uglier but not so secret flaw about our economic and political system. We practice "freedom" and "democracy" on our own soil (more or less), but we have proxies and puppets around the world to do our dirty work. Our national wealth and comfort is the result of sticking it to somebody, but if we can keep it off our own soil, then we can say we're clean.
That's been a significant weakness in our structure that has taken a toll on the national consciousness and political culture. It's often referred to as "imperialism" and some say it's a consequence of American exceptionalism, which might share some overlap with fascism - but also with significant differences.
We still have some semblance of checks and balances; we haven't gotten to the point where most people accept the notion of
Führerprinzip or swearing an oath directly to an individual (as opposed to the Constitution).
What we should watch for is when things go out of balance and realize that whatever imbalances exist in the government today might be a consequence of giving the government far more power than they're ever been held responsible for. The apparatus has been in place for a long time, but the problem has been certain level of inertia and complacency about things in general. There's also a great deal of apathy and selfishness. Society doesn't matter, the world doesn't matter, nothing else matters, it's all about "me, me, me."
Democracy is supposed to be a cooperative process, where citizens should be able to get together and discuss their shared needs and wants, while amicably discussing their disagreements and differences of opinion. I realize it's not that simple, and it's certainly not at all very amicable. But still, it requires the people as a whole to put a bit more effort into it.
