From lnp3@columbia.edu  Sun Apr  6 21:44:55 1997
From: lnp3@columbia.edu (Louis N Proyect)
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 16:44:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: M-TH: Fascism
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.95.970405124332.2987L-100000@destrier.acsu.buffalo.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.95L.970406163454.23053B-100000@konichiwa.cc.columbia.edu>

On Sun, 6 Apr 1997, Brian M Ganter wrote:

> The marker of this fascism is, as we have argued its nervous deflection of 
> all conceptual practices by "style".  We published a short and accessible 
> text by  Zavarzadeh to  provide a short outline of the characteristics of
> this new fascism. We repeat (since it looks Louis Proyect and  Scott

Louis: Fascism is a social movement based on the petty-bourgeoisie in
crisis. It is financed by the big bourgeoisie as a last-ditch measure to
destroy the worker's movement. Is there a section of the bourgeoisie in
the United States that is financing fascist bands? Why would they resort
to such extreme measures when the working-class is quiescent?

We use the term fascism in a Marxian sense. I have no idea what you think
the term means, since it is put forward in the context of ideology and
ideology alone. The heart of Marxism is its class analysis. The 18th
Brumaire is a detailed study of how Bonaparte mobilized the
petty-bourgeoisie against the bourgeoisie in order to preserve the rule of
the bourgeoisie. This class analysis had a powerful influence on Trotsky
who likened Hitler's rise to some aspects of Bonapartism.

What this has to do with the United States in 1997 is anybody's guess.
What you have in common with the infantile new leftists of 30  years ago
is the totally un-Marxist use of the word fascism. George Wallace was
fascist. Spiro Agnew was fascist. Bob Hope and John Wayne were fascists.
Al Capp, the creator of Lil' Abner, was fascist.

You are adrift in cultural studies. I would spend a little less time
watching television and much more time studying unemployment statistics,
the frequency and duration of strikes, voting patterns, etc. This is what
Marxists do when they try to analyze society. If you want to make a career
as a sociology professor, then go ahead and continue watching TV.



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