On Fascist “Thought”
Part of the animus behind being anti-fascist is that we despise the facile and callow nature of fascist “thinking.” On the one hand, anti-fascism is rooted in the more-than-rational: We understand that empathy and compassion are crucial aspects of being human and that we degrade these instincts at our peril. But beyond that, we are offended and, ultimately, enraged at the fraudulent nature of the fascist “thinker.” As charlatans, they are pure. Whether it is the aggrieved eternally adolescent men in their chat rooms and on their message boards or their vanguard “leaders” and “theorists” like Richard Spencer, David Duke, Mussolini, Franco, A. Hitler, ad nauseum, the fascist is always running the same con. They say, “We are the smart guys who’ve discovered the secret and ugly truths which we must now pursue because, well, we’re just rigorous thinkers and noble gentlemen and aw, shucks, ma’am. So, trust us and put your faith in us.”
Problem is, there never is any rigorous thinking. There is only pseudo-thinking. As Robert Jay Lifton has demonstrated, before any social or political crime can be committed, there must be a “claim to virtue.” The fascist impulse is rooted in weakness, resentment and sadistic urges. The “theorizing” and “thinking” is the cover, the “claim to virtue.” It is thinking that claims to be more critical and fearless than the thinking of the “sheeple,” but a basic examination reveals it to be the opposite. It only has coherence if you accept an entire fantasy world of presuppositions — about history, art, aesthetics, science and more — and if you deny much of your own personal experience.
One must accept a list of mad and grim distortions and elisions about everybody who does not present as a straight white male before fascist “thinking” even takes place. And one must accept an equally farcical list of distortions about those presenting a straight white males. Most of all, before fascist “thinking” can occur, the budding Nazi must accept a list of lies about fascism itself. Namely, that it has not, historically, always become a death cult. This explains what at first glance is so puzzling: Fascists simultaneously say that Adolf was right to pursue the elimination of Jews, queers, the disabled, Gypsies and communists in Europe, but then say that Holocaust didn’t really happen. It is a puzzling contradiction, but as an exposure of what fascist thought is, it is perfect. The fascist embraces genocidal hatred, but then claims that it does not result in genocide.
