Are nationalism and fascism actually the marks of lower intelligence, insufficient information, naivety and a "just go with the flow" mentality, or is there something else to them?
Whoa. I don’t know what your motivation or purpose in asking such a question is, or if you actually believe this. But if you’re asking it in this context, I can deduce that you hold Nationalists and Fascists in contempt and want to believe your premise is true.Ever heard that old adage about not underestimating your enemies?I’ve known many Nationalists and Fascists in my lifetime. I’ve read plenty of books from them. I know a few on Quora. I’m a Nationalist myself. And I’ll tell you right now, whether you want to believe it or not, that Nationalists, whether they be Fascist or from some other Nationalist philosophy, tend to be exceptionally intelligent people.In saying this, I’m not talking about those racist “white nationalists” that you see on TV, and who the talking heads in the media would have you believe are the vanguard of Nationalism. Those people aren’t intellectual, they’re just ignorant rednecks, and they’re never going to lead anything meaningful.Genuine Nationalists, such as myself, and genuine Fascists (who are authoritarian Nationalists who believe in a corporativist society and believe in the inherent potential for greatness in the Human race) are people who have taken the time to study and learn about human nature, human society, and the history of human governance. You may not agree with either group, but they make arguments that are very hard to refute, and they defend them passionately. And those who are on the other side haven’t been winning the debates, which is why Nationalism is making a massive comeback all around the world.When people tell you Nationalists are dangerous, believe it. Nationalists are dangerous because we’re right, and the Globalists and Socialists who say we’re dangerous are afraid of seeing their failed ideas swept back into the dustbin, where they belong.Every nation needs to see to its own success and greatness, based on its own traditions, culture and way of life. Nationalism in my country might take a different form than from another country, but that’s fine. What matters is that the people of the Nation decide they’re going to be great, and that no one can ever call their homeland a shithole, and so they pull together, roll up their sleeves, and get to work.John Cate's answer to Why are you a nationalist?
What do you think about the masked anti-fascists with "No Hate" shields storming in on the right wing protest in Berkeley?
This makes me sit here and think of Mark Twain. Now trust me I know that seems strange but it’s really a quote of his I circle back to.History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.While most Americans have an almost ludicrously short attention span there are still some history nerds still around. I’m one of them. There’s one point of history that I always love to go back to. I’ll add a few pictures to give everyone a hint:If you absolutely failed your American history class, or if it failed you these are images from the Spanish-American War. That’s a link to everything you never wanted to know about the war. More importantly in the second image Teddy Roosevelt is front and center.Unless you really like Teddy most people have no clue how he became president. To make this trip through American history a little shorter I’ll cut to the details.Long story short Teddy didn’t get elected, he had the Andrew Johnson and Chester A. Arthur promotion.Why do I think about this time period? Well other than reenacting it we’ve seen anarchist violence in the past. We’re seeing it again now. There’s just one thing I’m praying doesn’t repeat itself:For the sake of any decent and average people, LET’S ALL CALM DOWN.Thanks! I’m really hoping that we’ve learned our lessons from the past. White supremacy sucked, so did Anarchists. We have both roaming around. Antifa is an anarchist faction, they say as much. The Black Bloc mobs are also anarchists. Maybe we should learn from the past and try not to repeat it. Free speech is important and expressing your beliefs is key to any democracy. We also can’t bring violence into this discussion. Regardless of wherever your beliefs may lie, if we are to have any outcome that is positive violence in the streets cannot be the way to determine it. Political discourse has no room for thuggish street violence in any civilized place, at least in this century or the last one.
Why are conservatives so nice? Why are liberals so mean?
The conservatives I've met are some of the nicest, most generous, and friendly people I've ever met. (I'm referring to paleo-conservatives here; neo-cons are just vicious thugs however you slice it.) This is despite political beliefs which I consider to be repugnant: homophobia, xenophobia, racism, sexism, and so on. While conservatives seem to hate people as groups, when you deal with them on an individual basis, they are often quite kind and thoughtful. For liberals, it's often the opposite. Despite supposedly sharing many of my political beliefs concerning freedom, sharing, acceptance, and equality, as individuals liberals tend to be cold, mean, and some of the most hateful people I've known. They seem to love minorities as a group, but hate the idea of having to share a neighbourhood with them. Liberals are, in my experience, also frequently among the greediest and most selfish individuals I've ever met. I don't get it. Why do I get along better with paleo-conservatives as individuals despite having ugly politics? Why do I find liberals so vicious and callous when I agree with most of their politics?
Why do liberals fear fascism but not communism?
Dear Donald Gloudeman Pierce:The Cold War is over. Communism is not a serious threat on a global scale.Vietnam is a dictatorship, but is at least better than some others. They are not openly hostile towards the United States and are not in the position to send a nuclear warhead towards Washington, DC, should that policy changes.Cuba was an outpost of the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Union gone, Cuba is no longer a threat. Now is the time for diplomacy rather than for Donald Trump.North Korea has a long history of bluster and barbarity. Taken alone, North Korea is not a serious threat unless a nation invades. Then it will be a bitter fight.China is a world power. But China has no plans to invade the USA nor to conquer the USA. China wants respect and to have their perceived sphere of influence respected. They are not a threat, not unless provoked.And the current issue is Donald Trump, who has indicated that he wants to be the Boss of the USA. He would like to be able to pass laws by fiat and ignore the judicial system. What is worrying is the fact that his following seems to approve of this.“Fascism” is usually used as a synonym for “a ruthless dictatorship.” Donald Trump and his most extreme followers would love to have that dictatorship. They’d vote for it.It is a serious threat to the USA.Yours,Chrys JordanP.S. Here comes the boldfaced boilerplate: for this answer, the definition of “unreasonable” includes any claims that Donald Trump has solved the Korean problem. As of 6 May 2018, Trump has done nothing towards solving that problem. Unless and until that changes, making false claims on behalf of your candidate is grounds for deletion.P.P.S. Anyone who wants to prove my answer wrong should write their own answer and do so, if they can. Anyone who wants to rant about “that bastard Chrys Jordan” who is guilty of “Soviet style censorship” and so forth is free to write that in their own blog. Anyone who wonders what an unfinished sentence looks like…
Why do Cons call Obama a "Marxist" or a "Left wing radical" when his policies show him as a Centrist?
There have been many Presidents much further to the Left of Obama. To name a few - FDR, LBJ, and Carter. But Cons have lied to themselves in to believing Centrist Obama is some far left Marxist radical. The same Centrist Obama that sent 40,000 troops to Afghanistan (30,000 US troops with 10,000 non-US NATO troops. The same Centrist Obama that is deporting illegal immigrants at a higher rate under his watch, than under Bush's watch. The same Centrist Obama who is killing more terrorists with Predator Drone strikes at a higher rate under his watch, than under Bush's watch. The same Centrist Obama that extended the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest 2%. The same Centrist Obama whose watered-down Health Reform bill didn't include any Public Option or Single Payer program - but is rather Bob Dole's old Health Reform idea. The same Centrist Obama that Cons claim is in bed with the Capitalist conglomerate Goldman Sachs. Cons accuse Obama of being a Communist, and at the same time accuse him of being in bed with a private capitalist banking investment firm. Incredible.