I use ‘Fascist’ very much in terms of those phrases you mention (Plutocratic, Corporate etc). The modern day Fascism (as shaped pretty much by America PLC since the end of the second world war (in particular)) is not the same as traditional Fascism (Germany, Italy, Spain etc) but does come from the same type of place (that of an elite wealthy controlling power mostly involved in Big Arms & Big Industry etc).
I also completely agree that in effect many modern western ‘Democracies’ are pretty much not Democratic (the UK is a great example of this btw, but on balance ‘less damaging’ to the world as a whole). They are carefully balanced systems of Plutocracy/Oligarchy with media ‘on message’, not the overt brainwashing of Old Communism or Old Fascism, it is a much more sophisticated thing these days, with decades of additional physiological research put into it. The only way i can really explain why i know this, is because i find it almost impossible to listen/watch regular American media for long periods of time without feeling like i’m being subtly (or not subtle at all in the case of Fox News!) manipulated.
It’s a very uncomfortable sensation, and saddens me to be honest. The promise of America, what it could (should) have been has pretty much been subverted by these private corporate concerns over the social good it once represented, that’s how it seems at any rate from the outside looking in.
I think the reason the recent American wars of aggression have been ‘worse’ than previous ones is in part about the world we live in today compared to 50 years ago. Look if ANY nation deserves a good tar and feathering it is MINE! We pretty much (until the rise of the USA) stamped all over the globe exporting our particular brand of ‘civilisation’ (correct spelling btw! Sid!). That was mixed with a technological/Christian desire to ‘raise up’ many of the more backward societies we ran over. But it was also a huge money making exercise and that was the driver of it. So yeah we were pretty nasty to quite a lot of generally good people because it made the UK rich and powerful. But in truth we did as much harm as good and the world today is very much an imprint of those times.
So yeah i know ALL about Empire, how it works, why and who it is really for. It’s not for your personal good by the way. If you gain any personal benefit that is a fringe benefit, on the small social scale, and aimed to keep you propping up the system running the show. The concern i have for recent modern Imperialism, as expressed by the USA in particular over recent decades, is it has none (as in zero) of the social good aspect to it, at all. How’s the rebuilding going in Iraq or Afghanistan? Pretty poorly for the most powerful nation on earth. And that feeds directly into the ‘hardness’ of your society as a whole that i was talking about.
Sure (as a typical American) who cares about Iraq and Afghanistan and the people there? that is a world away and NOT in the usa so why care?
That changes as we have seen when that same ‘hardened’ attitude is applied on your own Domestic situation, as in the whole Militarization of your Police issue. You (well the Black (non white) Americans will care) may not care because their new military strategy is not targeting you personally (which is good, you really don’t want that, so behave and don’t interfere (right?)).
But besides all the specific relevant stuff, the same core principles and reasons that drive your ‘hardened’ Imperialism abroad are driving your ‘hardened’ Imperialism at home. Money, an Elite, broken democracy, an increasingly extreme and dangerous ultra rich that are driving all of this (and ‘this’ is a very broad brush from the Wars for Profits, to your internal Race War, to Man Made Climate Change and environmental destruction).
I have no specific answers to your (and all of ours) problems here. I sort of do what i can (mostly by not buying products from Corporations i can see are behind most of these issues, the theory here is that our money gives them power etc) but mostly at this stage the important thing is to be aware of the issues. Even if you vehemently disagree with them, just knowing the different perspective on the issues can help in the long run. Information and knowledge is power, and going back to the reason this age is more important in all this compared to 50 years ago, that is about information.
We all know, pretty much instantly, what is going on all around the world (well except for North Korea!), and that is a great thing for the chance to reclaim all our Democracies in the future, and stop this old world destructive cycle of Imperialism and war. I’m no super idealist, but i can see we could do so much more together rather than just pipe the tune of some elite class for their own further financial gain.
Edit: Just to nip this particular bud, i’m not talking about Conspiracy anything here. Everything i mentioned is completely overt and in public view. It is the way things are run. No Lizards, no sheeple, just the way the modern (American Corporate) world works.
