Anyone else find that liberals are almost always closet fascists?

[Questionable]

I don't know why, but in my experience it seems that self-described liberals are always hiding fascist beliefs. Young ones, anyway. They're the type that hate overbearing Christians and are pro-gay marriage, but every bit of progressive thinking stops right there. They'll oppose any and all violent action from workers, no matter how right they might be, because "violence never solves anything." Then they'll cheer on the police that break up these riots and dote about how difficult being a policeman must be.

They'll talk about a safety net for people who get screwed by capitalism, but they'll put emphasis on how they don't want "slackers" to abuse it. Maybe I'm wrong, but one of the biggest things that fascists put forth is how they'll insure that hard-workers get what they deserve while parasites get kicked out. Aren't liberals parroting fascists on this issue?

And don't get me started on the racism. God, I haven't met a single liberal who wasn't secretly racist. Sure, they'll pay lip service to MLK and Ghandhi and other acceptable figures, but show them a single news story about a crime committed by blacks and they're mouthing off about how we need more police. Then they'll do that whole, "I'm not racist, but..." deal, or, "I hate niggers. ONLY KIDDING." then after while they'll just quit giving a damn about being thought of as racist by their friends and just say things openly.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Has anyone else had these experiences?

[MarxSchmarx]

I think what you've pointed out are largely tendencies within fascism to present a "softer" side - things like income support and progressive taxation that did exist to some degree and for some people under fascism, public education, the social welfare role of the police and how conscriptions builds solidarity, etc... In fact, some on the contemporary right use these few crumbs thrown by fascist regimes as irrefutable proof of how "left-wing" fascism was.

You have to understand, that fascism stems from the same authoritarian patriarchical world view modern conservatism stems from. Most liberalism, by contrast, stems from a more matriarchical and egalitarian vision that is shared with socialists. It doesn't take much to cajole liberals into supporting socialism - I wager most fear doing so only because of tactical and not essentially ideological reasons.

Having said that, people are not entirely one or the other and individuals can have both world views - the masogynist socialist who does jack shit around the house to help his wife for example. This isn't about liberals being fascist, however, it's liberals being human.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Fascism is the 'unacceptable' face of capitalism. There is some overlap in the social attitudes that you describe, between all sorts of capitalists, including fascists and liberals.

[Princess Luna]

I don't know why, but in my experience it seems that self-described liberals are always hiding fascist beliefs. Young ones, anyway. They're the type that hate overbearing Christians and are pro-gay marriage, but every bit of progressive thinking stops right there. They'll oppose any and all violent action from workers, no matter how right they might be, because "violence never solves anything." Then they'll cheer on the police that break up these riots and dote about how difficult being a policeman must be.

They'll talk about a safety net for people who get screwed by capitalism, but they'll put emphasis on how they don't want "slackers" to abuse it. Maybe I'm wrong, but one of the biggest things that fascists put forth is how they'll insure that hard-workers get what they deserve while parasites get kicked out. Aren't liberals parroting fascists on this issue?

And don't get me started on the racism. God, I haven't met a single liberal who wasn't secretly racist. Sure, they'll pay lip service to MLK and Ghandhi and other acceptable figures, but show them a single news story about a crime committed by blacks and they're mouthing off about how we need more police. Then they'll do that whole, "I'm not racist, but..." deal, or, "I hate niggers. ONLY KIDDING." then after while they'll just quit giving a damn about being thought of as racist by their friends and just say things openly.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Has anyone else had these experiences?

I think what you described tend to be individual flaws and not a part of liberalism itself. I don't know many liberals, must most liberal websites I frequent tend to be anti-racist and while most liberals condemn worker violence, they tend to be more sympathetic , talking about how they feel sorry for the workers but "violence is never acceptable" and the same thing is said when it comes to riots. Compare this with most right wing rhetoric that bemoans the fact police don't use live ammunition to suppress riots and/or break up strikes. Also liberals tend to be sort of...a little.....under the right conditions, anti-war. At best liberals oppose imperialism, at worst they completely ignore it, but I rarely ever see liberals heavily push for it the same way the right does.

[Sasha]

i dont think "fascists" means what you think it means....

[leftistman]

To me, it seems like liberals support fascists without realizing it. Or they will just ignore all indications that the politician they support is an authoritarian corporatist. Need an example? Every single liberal I've ever met either doesn't know that Obama expanded the Patriot Act, increased military spending, sent more troops to Afghanistan, increased funding for Guantanamo Bay, or signed the National Defense Authorization Act, or ignores those things. Another excuse they like to use is that he opposed all of those things and that Republicans chose to do those things.

Liberals are not closet fascists, they are closet fascist-supporters.

[Questionable]

To me, it seems like liberals support fascists without realizing it. Or they will just ignore all indications that the politician they support is an authoritarian corporatist. Need an example? Every single liberal I've ever met either doesn't know that Obama expanded the Patriot Act, increased military spending, sent more troops to Afghanistan, increased funding for Guantanamo Bay, or signed the National Defense Authorization Act, or ignores those things. Another excuse they like to use is that he opposed all of those things and that Republicans chose to do those things.

Liberals are not closet fascists, they are closet fascist-supporters.

Ahh yes, but Obama also said some positive things about gay marriage, so that means all his other crimes are excused![/liberal]

[L.A.P.]

I always joke half-seriously with people that all the petty bourgeois liberals will turn into Nazis once things get bad enough for them

[Sean]

Its only you, I'm afraid. The fluffy left might be a lot of things but they're not fascists and I wish you wouldn't wear an important word like that out. And if you have never ever met a single liberal who wasn't a racist then you haven't met many people at all.

[cynicles]

Fascism and liberalism are just two poles of the same damn capitalist magnet, when fascism becomes necessary and there is a serious threat to capitalism they all fall in line to the same political position, the only difference being how they justify it. Fascist have some stupid fascist excuse and liberals will say some line about ti being a necessary evil because the alternative according to them is '100billion people dying in gulags and you don't want that du [email protected]!?'

[Igor]

no all that shit doesn't mean liberals are closet fascists it means fascism isn't really some uniquely bad thing (that's pretty much just narrative to seem liberal democracies kinda ok in comparison and good guys for defeating nazism) and indeed, is pretty much just a form of capitalism and that's why they share lots of shitty opinions white other capitalism

also because this is all about personal anecdotes and shit, i know lots of liberals who're pretty genuine anti-racists and in the other hand, you don't have to browse these forums that deeply to find some pretty obvious racist comments. i personally don't really know any liberals who're into the whole "NOT RACIST BUT" kind of thing, it's really something i hear more from centrist/conservative types. liberals have dumb politics but you're being weirdly harsh on them, a lot of them are pretty genuine in their opposition of racism, sexism etc but just don't really get the system. and yeah, then you have the leftists who think mohammed cartoons are ok, muslims are so crazy for rioting all the time and are willing to go through the weirdest mental gymnastics to justify some blatant anti-worker action if it happens in a country they're sympathetic to