{"id":84067,"date":"2022-12-16T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=84067"},"modified":"2022-12-15T07:16:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T13:16:32","slug":"the-real-authoritarians-debate-part-1-defining-the-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=84067","title":{"rendered":"The Real Authoritarians Debate, Part 1: Defining The Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last week, this blog received something of a challenge: A debate on “who the fascists actually are in modern American society”. \\<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one of the key tenets of a meaningful debate is to make sure you agree on your terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…well, let’s start with the state that each side in American politics accuses one another of – “Fascism”, “Communism”, “Naziism”, “Socialism” – all of which have much in common, all of which are subtly different in some contexts and utterly indistinct in others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The left’s self-indulgent rhetoric has denuded terms like “Fascist”, “Nazi”, “Racist” and “White Supremacy” of much of their meanings, and usefulness as debate yardsticks. The right did the same with “Socialist” (although the left has played its part in sapping that term of its zing as well). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I’m going to try to settle on one of two terms to use as yardsticks; “Authoritarian” and “Totalitarian”. They are more pedestrian and academic than the list above – no mortal enemy of our nation has rallied behind either of them, so (let’s be charitable) neither side has seen fit to devalue them yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, America – or parts of America – seems to be turning into an authoritarian society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To wit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n