The Politics of Fear: Setting the Stage for American Fascism
The United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of historic proportions. The contagion, spreading rapidly, is transforming communities into battlegrounds and pitting Americans against each other. This disease is a potent combination of fear, paranoia, and intolerance, all hallmarks of post-9/11 America.
Both left and right-wing factions are stirring up distrust and division. We are constantly fed a diet of fear: fear of terrorists, fear of illegal immigrants, fear of religious extremists, fear of the government, and the list goes on. The strategy is simple but effective: control the populace through fear and discord.
Fear can make people act irrationally. By confusing and distracting them with trivial news and entertainment, turning minor disagreements into major conflicts, and tying them up in knots over insignificant matters, the populace can be controlled. The most crucial part of this strategy is to divide the people into factions, make them see each other as the enemy, and keep them so distracted that they don't notice the encroaching police state until it's too late.
This scheme has been so effective that most Americans don't even realize they are being manipulated into an "us versus them" mindset. Instead, they are being led to pour millions of dollars and resources into political elections, militarized police, spy technology, and endless wars, all in the hope of a safety guarantee that never comes.
Meanwhile, those in power, backed by lobbyists and corporations, continue to advance their costly agendas. The average American is left with the tax bills and subjected to pat downs, police raids, and round-the-clock surveillance.
America has entered a new phase, where children are arrested in schools, military veterans are forcibly detained by government agents for their so-called "anti-government" views, and law-abiding Americans are having their movements tracked, their financial transactions documented, and their communications monitored.
These threats should not be underestimated. However, even more dangerous than these violations of our basic rights is the language in which they are framed: the language of fear. This language has given rise to a politics of fear that aims only to distract and divide us.
The government's exaggerated, prolonged wars on terrorism, drugs, violence, disease, illegal immigration, and so-called domestic extremism have been convenient excuses used to terrorize the populace into giving up more of their freedoms in exchange for elusive promises of security.
Despite crime being at an all-time low, an atmosphere of fear permeates modern America. Statistics show that you are far more likely to die from heart disease, an airplane accident, a car accident, a fall, accidental suffocation in bed, or choking on your own vomit than from a terrorist attack. In fact, those living in the American police state are eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist.
The government's constant chatter about terrorism is nothing more than propaganda—the propaganda of fear—a tactic used to terrorize, intimidate, and control the population.
The government's stranglehold on power and extreme paranoia about the citizenry as potential threats has resulted in a populace that is increasingly viewed as the government's enemies.
Fear and paranoia have become hallmarks of the modern American experience, impacting how we as a nation view the world around us, how we as citizens view each other, and most of all how our government views us.
The American people have been reduced to a herd mentality, easily manipulated by terrorists, governments, and the terror-amplifying media into allowing our country to slide towards totalitarianism and total war.
As history shows, fear and government paranoia lead to fascist, totalitarian regimes. National crises, reported terrorist attacks, and sporadic shootings keep us in a constant state of fear. Fear prevents us from thinking. The emotional panic that accompanies fear actually shuts down the rational thinking part of our brains. In other words, when we are consumed by fear, we stop thinking.
A populace that stops thinking for themselves is a populace that is easily led, easily manipulated, and easily controlled.
The following are some of the necessary ingredients for a fascist state, derived from John T. Flynn's 1944 treatise on fascism, As We Go Marching:
- The government is managed by a powerful leader.
- The government assumes it is not restrained in its power.
- The government ostensibly operates under a capitalist system while being undergirded by an immense bureaucracy.
- The government emits powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.
- The government has an obsession with national security while constantly invoking terrifying internal and external enemies.
- The government establishes a domestic and invasive surveillance system and develops a paramilitary force that is not answerable to the citizenry.
- The government and its various agencies develop an obsession with crime and punishment.
- The government becomes increasingly centralized while aligning closely with corporate powers.
- The government uses militarism as a center point of its economic and taxing structure.
- The government is increasingly imperialistic in order to maintain the military-industrial corporate forces.
The parallels to modern America are impossible to ignore.
For the final hammer of fascism to fall, it will require the most crucial ingredient: the majority of the people will have to agree that it's not only expedient but necessary.
We are at a critical crossroads in American history. Fear has been a critical tool in past fascistic regimes, and it has become the driving force behind the American police state.
All of which begs the question what we will give up in order to perpetuate the illusions of safety and security.
As we once again find ourselves faced with the prospect of voting for the lesser of two evils, "we the people" have a decision to make: do we simply participate in the collapse of the American republic as it degenerates toward a totalitarian regime, or do we take a stand and reject the pathetic excuse for government that is being fobbed off on us?
There is no easy answer, but one thing is true: the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Bottom Line
The politics of fear are undoubtedly shaping the United States. This fear is being used as a tool to control and manipulate the populace, leading to the erosion of freedoms and the rise of a potential totalitarian regime. The question remains, what are we willing to sacrifice for the illusion of safety and security? Are we willing to let our republic degenerate into a totalitarian state, or will we take a stand and reject the government being imposed upon us? The choice is ours, but remember, the lesser of two evils is still evil. What are your thoughts on this matter? Share this article with your friends and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is every day at 6pm.
The Politics of Fear: Setting the Stage for American Fascism
The United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of historic proportions. The contagion, spreading rapidly, is transforming communities into battlegrounds and pitting Americans against each other. This disease is a potent combination of fear, paranoia, and intolerance, all hallmarks of post-9/11 America.
Both left and right-wing factions are stirring up distrust and division. We are constantly fed a diet of fear: fear of terrorists, fear of illegal immigrants, fear of religious extremists, fear of the government, and the list goes on. The strategy is simple but effective: control the populace through fear and discord.
Fear can make people act irrationally. By confusing and distracting them with trivial news and entertainment, turning minor disagreements into major conflicts, and tying them up in knots over insignificant matters, the populace can be controlled. The most crucial part of this strategy is to divide the people into factions, make them see each other as the enemy, and keep them so distracted that they don't notice the encroaching police state until it's too late.
This scheme has been so effective that most Americans don't even realize they are being manipulated into an "us versus them" mindset. Instead, they are being led to pour millions of dollars and resources into political elections, militarized police, spy technology, and endless wars, all in the hope of a safety guarantee that never comes.
Meanwhile, those in power, backed by lobbyists and corporations, continue to advance their costly agendas. The average American is left with the tax bills and subjected to pat downs, police raids, and round-the-clock surveillance.
America has entered a new phase, where children are arrested in schools, military veterans are forcibly detained by government agents for their so-called "anti-government" views, and law-abiding Americans are having their movements tracked, their financial transactions documented, and their communications monitored.
These threats should not be underestimated. However, even more dangerous than these violations of our basic rights is the language in which they are framed: the language of fear. This language has given rise to a politics of fear that aims only to distract and divide us.
The government's exaggerated, prolonged wars on terrorism, drugs, violence, disease, illegal immigration, and so-called domestic extremism have been convenient excuses used to terrorize the populace into giving up more of their freedoms in exchange for elusive promises of security.
Despite crime being at an all-time low, an atmosphere of fear permeates modern America. Statistics show that you are far more likely to die from heart disease, an airplane accident, a car accident, a fall, accidental suffocation in bed, or choking on your own vomit than from a terrorist attack. In fact, those living in the American police state are eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist.
The government's constant chatter about terrorism is nothing more than propaganda—the propaganda of fear—a tactic used to terrorize, intimidate, and control the population.
The government's stranglehold on power and extreme paranoia about the citizenry as potential threats has resulted in a populace that is increasingly viewed as the government's enemies.
Fear and paranoia have become hallmarks of the modern American experience, impacting how we as a nation view the world around us, how we as citizens view each other, and most of all how our government views us.
The American people have been reduced to a herd mentality, easily manipulated by terrorists, governments, and the terror-amplifying media into allowing our country to slide towards totalitarianism and total war.
As history shows, fear and government paranoia lead to fascist, totalitarian regimes. National crises, reported terrorist attacks, and sporadic shootings keep us in a constant state of fear. Fear prevents us from thinking. The emotional panic that accompanies fear actually shuts down the rational thinking part of our brains. In other words, when we are consumed by fear, we stop thinking.
A populace that stops thinking for themselves is a populace that is easily led, easily manipulated, and easily controlled.
The following are some of the necessary ingredients for a fascist state, derived from John T. Flynn's 1944 treatise on fascism, As We Go Marching:
- The government is managed by a powerful leader.
- The government assumes it is not restrained in its power.
- The government ostensibly operates under a capitalist system while being undergirded by an immense bureaucracy.
- The government emits powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.
- The government has an obsession with national security while constantly invoking terrifying internal and external enemies.
- The government establishes a domestic and invasive surveillance system and develops a paramilitary force that is not answerable to the citizenry.
- The government and its various agencies develop an obsession with crime and punishment.
- The government becomes increasingly centralized while aligning closely with corporate powers.
- The government uses militarism as a center point of its economic and taxing structure.
- The government is increasingly imperialistic in order to maintain the military-industrial corporate forces.
The parallels to modern America are impossible to ignore.
For the final hammer of fascism to fall, it will require the most crucial ingredient: the majority of the people will have to agree that it's not only expedient but necessary.
We are at a critical crossroads in American history. Fear has been a critical tool in past fascistic regimes, and it has become the driving force behind the American police state.
All of which begs the question what we will give up in order to perpetuate the illusions of safety and security.
As we once again find ourselves faced with the prospect of voting for the lesser of two evils, "we the people" have a decision to make: do we simply participate in the collapse of the American republic as it degenerates toward a totalitarian regime, or do we take a stand and reject the pathetic excuse for government that is being fobbed off on us?
There is no easy answer, but one thing is true: the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Bottom Line
The politics of fear are undoubtedly shaping the United States. This fear is being used as a tool to control and manipulate the populace, leading to the erosion of freedoms and the rise of a potential totalitarian regime. The question remains, what are we willing to sacrifice for the illusion of safety and security? Are we willing to let our republic degenerate into a totalitarian state, or will we take a stand and reject the government being imposed upon us? The choice is ours, but remember, the lesser of two evils is still evil. What are your thoughts on this matter? Share this article with your friends and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is every day at 6pm.
