Neo-fascism, neo-libertarianism - a couple of terms used to describe the current political bent of the USA. Neither term is accurate enough to describe the peculiar mix of retrograde racism, misogyny and econo-Christian elevation of exclusionary capitalism being practiced by the Republican National Committee as it promotes the secret agenda of America's ultra-right wing.
Our nation is suffering the effects of a 75 year plus program of subversion and propaganda. Instead of teaching inclusion and respect, we are being divided and steered toward internal conflict. Good people made unholy versus good people characterized as unholy. And I do mean to to use the term unholy. It has been said of the environment: There are no places that are not sacred - only the sacred and the desecrated. The opposing forces within our body politic are analogous to opposing attitudes on the environment. One point of view sees opportunity for transforming nature into monetary gain, the other sees evidence of a divine balance as the new science of ecology discovers the subtle interplay behind the scenes of our physical existence.
The unholy billionaire - some are well intentioned - but the unholy billionaire will use all manner of subterfuge, propaganda and pecuniary advantage to gain control of the resources that will advance their profit making, and taking. This is capitalism without a conscience, an ungoverned vehicle blindly racing toward destruction of the planet that nurtures us all. Zero-sum gaming and subjugation of a growing lower class are not goals, but merely consequences of this neo-fascism.
The traditional definition of fascism describes a state that has nationalized all the means of production in service of a central governance, often built around a charismatic central power figure. The all-powerful dictator controls systems previously administered by private enterprise - not content with being confined to the usual beneficial programs of government that exist to promote a common good. Services cost money and the only profit therein is elicited through graft and corruption, so the dictator will seize factories, transportation, banks - subsuming enterprise, redefining privately owned business as property of the state.
The difference with America's "neo-fascism" is that existing corporations band together behind the scenes to bend regulations, decrease their taxation (destroying a system designed to serve a citizenry that in fact supports their corporations) and thus control the means of production and generation of capital. As always, the problem is not with the system itself, the problem stems from the moral failings of the human condition.
There is no easy solution. Our current systemic inequity cannot be cured by legislation. One could design a capitalistic system with rational restraints, but however excellent the design, human beings will find a way to subvert the system for personal gain. This is why the search for a conspiracy will ultimately end in failure. Contemporary techniques for "gaming the system" exist in the mind of the gamer, and the supposed conspirators are merely a convenient collusion of like-minded amoral profiteers. In the fifties the US congress searched for an alleged crime conspiracy among Italian-Americans termed 'the Mafia,' with a code of silence called 'omerta.' One afternoon as a Congressman grilled a suspect, trying to gain an admission he was a member of this mythical crime organization, the frustrated mobster spoke out, "There's no such thing as a 'Mafia,' it's just a bunch of guys who know each other!"
And so it is - no conspiracy - just a shared attitude. "Wink-wink." As long as you "know how to play the game" you're in the club, your personal chance for financial leverage is insured. And the goal of increased personal profit, no matter the cost to others, is normalized with never a thought for any "collateral damage," to borrow a popular immoral semanticism used to disguise the evil of warfare. And warfare as practiced by the United States is nothing but an extension of capital "c" Capitalism. It's a de facto religion of profit, and the savvy clergyman will reinforce the connection that profit is next to godliness! Corrupt churches reinforce, aid and abet the impoverishment of the populace while tossing out hints of a distant scriptural salvation.
The saving grace of the planet will come from the secular, the agnostic and the atheist, and the occasional sincere church, mosque, ashram, kibbutz - anywhere individuals are exercising their own innate connection with creation, finding the "God" within. Finding the sacred in the scientific, finding the God of Einstein and Spinoza, the unity of the Buddha, this will save the planet! No political system or "ism" of any kind holds the key to our salvation as a species. Convincing our fellow humans to find the divinity within, and "wink-wink," realizing all is holy, worthy of respect and nurturing, this the task that will unite us. Then we will willingly harness the fruits of scientific knowledge, the power of the computer, to abandon destruction and work on building a sane future for our children and grandchildren.
Help ever, hurt never. Each one, teach one. Tell your friends...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment