An enlightened request
Oct. 29th, 2008 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavendersparkleThere are several words which are used the majority of the time by people who do not really understand what they mean.
Fascist is one of these words. My little dictionary which came with my MacBook says about Fascism:
The term Fascism was first used of the totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Mussolini in Italy (1922–43), and the regimes of the Nazis in Germany and Franco in Spain were also fascist. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach.
The majority of people who use the word fascist in discussion use it to mean 'bad', 'very bad', 'nasty', 'authoritarian' or 'right-wing'. It would be better if people used terms such as 'authoritarian' if that is what they mean because that would make the meaning of their statement clearer, and would make them sound less like a idiot who spews hyperbole rather than constructive discussion.
A similarly misused term is 'enlightenment'. Last night I went to a talk in which the speaker seemed to think that 'enlightenment', 'scientific', 'progressive', 'objective', 'truthful' and 'good' were essentially interchangeable concepts. My PhD involves looking at ideas from philosophy of science and this has given me a bit of an appreciation of the problems with just accepting an enlightenment world view. 'Enlightenment' worldviews have been used to justify atrocities and oppression. Enlightenment worldviews have been used to promote the interests of white, upper-class, men by labelling their attitudes as rational and objective, thereby dismissing the views of non-'white, upper-class, men' as irrational and subjective. Such issues may not be inherent in an enlightenment philosophy per se, but if you're going to refer to he enlightenment you should at least be aware of these problems.
And another thing, several times I've had the experience that I'll be discussing an issue with a man and he will either notice that I'm female or hear me say something vaguely feminist and, instead of engaging in the substantive points of my argument, they start saying things which they think will appeal to the idea they have of what feminists think. Sadly most of them seem to think that feminists are extremely stupid or poorly informed, so the things they think will appeal to feminists tend to take the form of 'group X disagree with my view and are sexist' as if they expect my little lady brain to go "Really? I never knew there was sexism in Saudi Arabia. I will now agree with everything you say so that you can protect me from teh evil Mohamedians."
Fascist is one of these words. My little dictionary which came with my MacBook says about Fascism:
The term Fascism was first used of the totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Mussolini in Italy (1922–43), and the regimes of the Nazis in Germany and Franco in Spain were also fascist. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach.
The majority of people who use the word fascist in discussion use it to mean 'bad', 'very bad', 'nasty', 'authoritarian' or 'right-wing'. It would be better if people used terms such as 'authoritarian' if that is what they mean because that would make the meaning of their statement clearer, and would make them sound less like a idiot who spews hyperbole rather than constructive discussion.
A similarly misused term is 'enlightenment'. Last night I went to a talk in which the speaker seemed to think that 'enlightenment', 'scientific', 'progressive', 'objective', 'truthful' and 'good' were essentially interchangeable concepts. My PhD involves looking at ideas from philosophy of science and this has given me a bit of an appreciation of the problems with just accepting an enlightenment world view. 'Enlightenment' worldviews have been used to justify atrocities and oppression. Enlightenment worldviews have been used to promote the interests of white, upper-class, men by labelling their attitudes as rational and objective, thereby dismissing the views of non-'white, upper-class, men' as irrational and subjective. Such issues may not be inherent in an enlightenment philosophy per se, but if you're going to refer to he enlightenment you should at least be aware of these problems.
And another thing, several times I've had the experience that I'll be discussing an issue with a man and he will either notice that I'm female or hear me say something vaguely feminist and, instead of engaging in the substantive points of my argument, they start saying things which they think will appeal to the idea they have of what feminists think. Sadly most of them seem to think that feminists are extremely stupid or poorly informed, so the things they think will appeal to feminists tend to take the form of 'group X disagree with my view and are sexist' as if they expect my little lady brain to go "Really? I never knew there was sexism in Saudi Arabia. I will now agree with everything you say so that you can protect me from teh evil Mohamedians."
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-29 01:43 pm (UTC)"Also, a person having Fascist sympathies or convictions; (loosely) a person of right-wing authoritarian views.
[...]
depreciative. In extended use (with preceding modifying word): a person who advocates a particular viewpoint or practice in a manner perceived as intolerant or authoritarian. Cf. FASCISM n., health fascist n. at HEALTH n. "
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-29 05:10 pm (UTC)I think the meaning of the term fascist should continue to be associated with its historical reality; however, lots of people labelled as 'fascists' do possess certain charateristics in common with Italians of the 1930s - viz: demogogery, refusal of democratic rights/responses to their actions and a love of silly hats.