Dr. Jason Tebbe, assistant professor of history, talked about the meaning of fascism and its importance in upcoming elections at a recent meeting of the SFA History Club.
In his presentation, Tebbe discussed the historical misuses of the term fascism, what fascism is and how it is represented in the media and news today. He began by talking about recent distortions of the history of fascism.
According to Tebbe, Nazis are considered the "ultimate bad guys," a symbol of evil. By calling a person a Nazi or fascist out of anger or to smear that person's name, it makes those ideologies something they are not. The word "fascist" was and still is used to smear political opponents, he said.
Josef Stalin, Communist leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953, was known to call his political opponents fascists. In the 1960s, protestors called government leaders fascists.
In more recent times, FOX News anchor Glenn Beck called presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt fascists.
There are many components to fascism, including authoritarian rule, militarism and "big government," Tebbe said. These are keys to fascism, but alone, they are not considered fascist. Governments can be defined as one of these and still not be fascist.
Elements of fascism include: radical, messianic nationalism; mass mobilization; authoritarian leadership; "purification" of the nation through elimination of undesirable groups; militaristic expansion; valorization of violence and action over intellect law; and antipathy toward liberalism, democracy, Marxism, feminism and cultural modernism.
Fascism upholds the value of action and violence, with thinking and talking seen as weak. A popular fascist quote says, "When I hear the word culture, I reach for my revolver." Fascists do not believe in individual liberty, but rather that some people are born to be slaves.
Tebbe believes purification is the worst element of fascism. In Nazi Germany, there was the idea of the German Aryan race being superior. Nazis persecuted and exterminated people they considered to be diseases to the country, such as Jews, homosexuals and the disabled.
Just because a person, such as a Communist, opposes democracy, does not make them a fascist, a mistake many people in the media make. Communists and fascists are on two opposite ends of the spectrum.
"Grouping Nazis and Communists together is preposterous, revealing that Communists and Socialists were the first people Nazis put in concentration camps," Tebbe said.
According to Tebbe, it is irresponsible to call something like healthcare fascist, as people like Glenn Beck are notorious for doing. Tebbe stated fascism is a term thrown around too often and too loosely, to the point it has tragically become kitsch. "It needs to stop being used as a smear because all it does is invoke mistrust, end debate and further spread ignorance," he said.
Savannah Williamson, Plano senior and History Club president, said, "I found the lecture interesting and useful considering how the media tends to spin political goals today. If you vote, you should know what is going on and be able to see through mudslinging scams."
Students of all majors are welcome to attend lectures hosted by the SFA History Club.
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