I’ve
been wondering what to post about Charlottesville, if anything – there are so
many important facets to it.
I’ve
thought for some time that Trump’s candidacy was a proto-fascist one but that he
came along before the powers that be actually needed fascism. However the
events at Charlottesville are being recognized throughout the country as a step
too far, a tipping point for the country. Trump’s statements of energetic support
for the marches and actions by white Nationalists and Nazis pull off the hood, so
to speak, on his candidacy and presidency. While he has said he is opposed to
those specific groupings, still he emboldened them with his stunning and clueless
remarks about the nature of the Friday procession and the Saturday events -- as
shown by their statements, 'Thank you very much!’ So now the alt-Right, Nazis, et
al. will hold more rallies, including here in Berkeley and San Francisco,
feeling they have the backing of the pinnacle
of the US government.
How
to respond? One important issue is – Is the ACLU right to defend their right to
speak?
I
was part of and arrested in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in 1964 but even
at the time I did not think one could always stand for unqualified free speech.
What if a group’s platform is the eradication of humanity as a blight on the
planet? What if a group wants free speech to argue for the eradication of the
Jews? I thought there could be limits, depending on the circumstances - and my stepmother
called me a hypocrite for taking that position.
So
what about now? Tonight I heard Mark Bray on “Democracy Now!” He is a Dartmouth
historian who has studied the rise of fascism in Germany, Italy, Spain and
elsewhere. He has written a handbook on fascism which I plan to purchase. (And
here is a link to a Feb 2017 discussion with him.)
As
a long-time radical, NOT a liberal, I basically agree with his position. (And in
the article he discusses differences between radicals and liberals on the free
speech). The basic belief is that fascism proved so destructive to humanity
that we must prevent its ever arising again. And he notes that Germany has laws
which prevent the promotion of Nazism in public, but otherwise has healthy
dialog and discourse. And if anyone, they should know. Bray says the lesson is
not to let a tiny fascist group grow, to nip it in the bud. Elections are no guarantee that all
will be well - the Nazis used a parliamentary system to their advantage. The
long history of white supremacy in this country and the admixture of Nazism
make for a lethal combination.
In
his Democracy Now! interview, Bray concludes that fascism must be opposed and
prevented “by any means necessary”. I agree.
