RNK
22nd March 2007, 19:47
This thread is partly to piss ShitFront off, but mostly to actually discuss the formulation of some sort of idea, or plan, to confront and defeat Fascism in the long-run.
It's fairly apparent that Fascism is on the rise -- if not numerically, than simply by virtue of their more vocal nature. And the reason for this is simple; society itself is under pressure, and, as has been repeated again and again, when a society finds itself in the midsts of turmoil and instability, radicalization occurs in some members of the population. And for the most ignorant of these "radicals" and reactionaries are, of course, fascists, and racists, and racial supremacists; those who blame their problems on barbaric racial and cultural lines.
Let's get it straight. Those fascists on SF suffer under the same system we do. Unfortunately, though, for whatever reason, their reaction to this suffering was to immediately turn it against the most obvious, most apparent, and most villainized target -- minorities. Perhaps that is the fate of the weak-minded and dumb-witted. Perhaps the reality of socialism isn't readily available to all. Perhaps some people simply lack the intellectual capability to grasp historic reality. Maybe they were dropped on their heads, or maybe their parents did drugs while they were in the womb -- who knows? Whatever the cause, the symptom is getting stronger.
The point is, it must be combated. Of course we have our duty -- and it is a duty -- to fight capitalism. But fascism has the potential to be even more brutally repressive than capitalism, and we must make sure we do not let one grow while focusing on the other; we can't destroy the capitalist state only for fascism to launch from the shadows to take over while we aren't expecting it.
So what should we do? Currently there is an extensive arbitrary "network" of anti-fascist activists who actively pursue and block attempts by fascist scholars, speakers and "intellectuals" from spreading their repressive rhetoric. But this strategy is starting to fail. In the public domain we still dominate, and they are suppressed; but as ShitFront has shown, they have gotten around that by adopting purely anonymous forums for communication on the internet.
They have adapted, and so must we. We must cast off the veils they hide behind and expose them through programs such as NaziWatch and FashWatch. When their pictures are found we must post them in their neighbourhoods and cities for all to see. We must relently pursue them and drive them further into obscurity. So I suggest the following:
Activists should continue to confront fascists whenever they rear their ugly head in public.
Activists need to step-up their efforts to identify and spread information on known fascists.
Activists need to apply this information locally to discredit and humiliate known fascits in the cities and towns they live in.
Where the situation is more dire, and fascists exhibit violence, we must reciprocate to defend their victims.
Direct action tactics must be applied to any known fascist property.
Potentially deadly violence must be avoided. We do not want to create any martyrs.
This issue is one that expands beyond our individual differences. Fascism is a direct threat to the working masses. Whether you are a Communist or an Anarchist, do not believe for one second that if given half the chance, fascists would have us all killed, and would crush the masses under the heel of their boots. We must do whatever necessary to ensure that they never get that chance. This is why we must confront them no matter where they are, no matter what avenue they take. We must combine our fight against fascism with our fight against capitalism, for both pose an immediate threat to the proletariat. Their methods are different, but they both seek to subjugate the people, the proletariat, the peasants and the poor. As in Italy, and Spain, and Germany, fascism triumphed on the heels of socialist revolutionary currents; left unchecked, it hijacked and manipulated the masses' cries for change, bribed them with power and hypnotized them with promises of freedom, while it delivered nothing but oppression. This is the same tactic fascism uses today. The world is in upheavel and they have wasted no time in taking their place at the sidelines, slowly growing, slowly waiting for the oppurtunity when they can sweep in and romance the masses.
This is why, in my opinion, fascism must be defeated as capitalism is defeated. We can not ignore one for the other.
What are everyone else's thoughts?
It's fairly apparent that Fascism is on the rise -- if not numerically, than simply by virtue of their more vocal nature. And the reason for this is simple; society itself is under pressure, and, as has been repeated again and again, when a society finds itself in the midsts of turmoil and instability, radicalization occurs in some members of the population. And for the most ignorant of these "radicals" and reactionaries are, of course, fascists, and racists, and racial supremacists; those who blame their problems on barbaric racial and cultural lines.
Let's get it straight. Those fascists on SF suffer under the same system we do. Unfortunately, though, for whatever reason, their reaction to this suffering was to immediately turn it against the most obvious, most apparent, and most villainized target -- minorities. Perhaps that is the fate of the weak-minded and dumb-witted. Perhaps the reality of socialism isn't readily available to all. Perhaps some people simply lack the intellectual capability to grasp historic reality. Maybe they were dropped on their heads, or maybe their parents did drugs while they were in the womb -- who knows? Whatever the cause, the symptom is getting stronger.
The point is, it must be combated. Of course we have our duty -- and it is a duty -- to fight capitalism. But fascism has the potential to be even more brutally repressive than capitalism, and we must make sure we do not let one grow while focusing on the other; we can't destroy the capitalist state only for fascism to launch from the shadows to take over while we aren't expecting it.
So what should we do? Currently there is an extensive arbitrary "network" of anti-fascist activists who actively pursue and block attempts by fascist scholars, speakers and "intellectuals" from spreading their repressive rhetoric. But this strategy is starting to fail. In the public domain we still dominate, and they are suppressed; but as ShitFront has shown, they have gotten around that by adopting purely anonymous forums for communication on the internet.
They have adapted, and so must we. We must cast off the veils they hide behind and expose them through programs such as NaziWatch and FashWatch. When their pictures are found we must post them in their neighbourhoods and cities for all to see. We must relently pursue them and drive them further into obscurity. So I suggest the following:
Activists should continue to confront fascists whenever they rear their ugly head in public.
Activists need to step-up their efforts to identify and spread information on known fascists.
Activists need to apply this information locally to discredit and humiliate known fascits in the cities and towns they live in.
Where the situation is more dire, and fascists exhibit violence, we must reciprocate to defend their victims.
Direct action tactics must be applied to any known fascist property.
Potentially deadly violence must be avoided. We do not want to create any martyrs.
This issue is one that expands beyond our individual differences. Fascism is a direct threat to the working masses. Whether you are a Communist or an Anarchist, do not believe for one second that if given half the chance, fascists would have us all killed, and would crush the masses under the heel of their boots. We must do whatever necessary to ensure that they never get that chance. This is why we must confront them no matter where they are, no matter what avenue they take. We must combine our fight against fascism with our fight against capitalism, for both pose an immediate threat to the proletariat. Their methods are different, but they both seek to subjugate the people, the proletariat, the peasants and the poor. As in Italy, and Spain, and Germany, fascism triumphed on the heels of socialist revolutionary currents; left unchecked, it hijacked and manipulated the masses' cries for change, bribed them with power and hypnotized them with promises of freedom, while it delivered nothing but oppression. This is the same tactic fascism uses today. The world is in upheavel and they have wasted no time in taking their place at the sidelines, slowly growing, slowly waiting for the oppurtunity when they can sweep in and romance the masses.
This is why, in my opinion, fascism must be defeated as capitalism is defeated. We can not ignore one for the other.
What are everyone else's thoughts?