ThirstyFish

Photographed at an Izmir protest.

Over the years "fascism" has become a loaded word, ambiguous to the point of meaninglessness. Historically, fascism was defined by ethnic nationalism, totalitarianism, a self-sufficient and state-controlled economic system based on a mix of private and public ownership, emphasis on direct action grounded in social Darwinism, traditional gender roles with emphasis on moral education of the youth, nationalistic palingenesis and modernism.

By that definition, fascism was just a failed political experiment in distant history. The nation that most fits the above definition today is, oddly enough, the "communist" (CINO) North Korea. So, when "we challenge fascism", unless we are challenging North Korea, we are actually challenging something other than fascism. So what is it that we are challenging?

"Fascists Fuck Off!", that appeared in an earlier post, was a clearer message. But, I don't want to play down this woman's message or her sincerity. It's difficult to pinpoint the political systems of countries like Turkey. They can be described as managed democracies where, although free and fair elections are held, citizens are kept in the dark about the activities of those who exercise real power and lack any real ability to influence the political discourse. Under a managed democracy, mass propaganda plays a vital role in keeping the majority in line, while anyone perceived as a dissident is marginalized or punished with the selective use of legalisms. These new managed democracies are subject to forces of economic globalization utilizing neoliberalism to establish and exercise clandestine power over nations. Governments take the role of facilitators. Most managed democracies are vulnerable to slip towards authoritarianism. Thus, "when we challenge fascism", we are actually challenging "managed democracies"?