Opinions and Statements
Why it is stupid to buy a car like the Dodge Ram
I can see that you need a ram to properly storm a castle and smash
through its gates. And since the castle defenders then will likely hurl
rocks and missiles at you, you naturally want to dodge them, so a Dodge Ram
seems like a good solution. Even though it is clear that there are even
better vehicles these days (like tanks) for this kind of purpose, a Dodge
Ram seems like an acceptable option for the average Joe. However, there is
one fact that is totally overlooked in these considerations. How often do
you actually have to storm castles these days? For me at least, it is so rare
that I hardly remember the last time. And that is why buying a Dodge Ram (or
similar car) is a stupid idea these days!!!
About the definition of Fascism
There are a lot of people these days who call others fascist. Prominent
examples of people who are labeled fascist include Obama or the Orange Blob.
However, I have the feeling that almost all the people how use this word, do
not really know what fascism actually is. In fact the whole discussion
really only makes sense once you have a clear definition of fascism. The
best definition I have heard so far is this:
"Fascism may be defined as a form of political behavior marked by obsessive
preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victim-hood and by
compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party
of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective
collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and
pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints
goals of internal cleansing and external expansion."
This is from Robert Paxton's 2004 book (p.218). Paxton is a historian who
has studied fascism for decades, and who published the above definition
long before our current political divisions.
Therefore, just go through the points in the above definition to check how
many apply to a particular movement or person. This way you can get a good
idea who is a fascist, and who is not.