World War II (WWII) Gave Us Good Movies and
Bad Propaganda: Knowledge of Ignorance
The events in Charlottesville, VA, tragic as they were, have so inflamed and polarized the political process in America that the only creed that appeals to people is the knowledge of ignorance. Americans have abrogated the correct definition of terms for propagandist definitions that have little relationship with the original use of the terms. The purpose: to quash perceived opposition with righteous indignation {self-imposed religion}.
Though this does not affect only Americans, Americans are betraying their very foundations with the acceptance of various groups that claim to seek the righteous high ground through the lowest, meanest means possible.
Fascism, a term coined by Mussolini, was a political philosophy that sought to define a type of socialism inclusive of nationalism as contrasted with socialism that glorified international globalization at the expense of nationalism. The key term common to both is: socialism. At its core socialism sought to restore strong central government which was being threatened by republicanism encouraged by the new found wealth for the common people through industrialization. The Old World order of the few governing the masses was coming to an end because of the growing prosperity of the masses who were gaining suffrage and expressing their political will.
Republicanism morphed into democracy, leaderless masses without proper understanding of political-historical terms chasing every new fad of philosophy. Decentralized government slowly morphed into strong central governments that used democracy to tie the masses willingly to the central government through a series of “benefits” acquired via progressive taxation; this became socialism. Socialism quickly grew throughout Western culture seeking the goal of creating a single global society for the betterment of mankind based on the ideas of a few leaders. America was not in the vanguard of socialism but was a progressive leader in globalization through President Wilson’s “League of Nations” and FDR’s reforms during the Great Depression. Then came WWII.
WWII was fought for many reasons but at its core was the unspoken struggle between national socialism and international socialism (globalization). Mussolini was an international socialist who decided for national socialism and sought a means to communicate his ideas to the Italian people. He did this through the image of the fasces, bundle of sticks and axe, symbol of the old Roman Empire; thus, the terms fascism and fascist were born. Hitler never accepted or used the terms in reference to Germany or his goals; yet, he was tarred with this because he also proposed a type of nationalistic socialism for Germany. This was not a new idea but an extension of Bismarck’s series of social programs in 19th century Germany to keep republicanism at bay to maintain a strong central government without the people revolting. Hitler never used the terms nazi or nazism either, these terms were used by his enemies as a means of arousing the people against Germany and Italy during WWII. Almost from the beginning these terms were misdefined and used for propaganda purposes. This continued after the end of the war.
Fascism today is defined as a Right-Wing
Conservative Movement Against Modern Thinking
The modern political world has used the terms Left and Right since the French Revolution {though misdefining these terms also making them meaningless compared to their original meanings}. The Left identified itself with Progressivism and modern forward thinking {think globalization}. The Right became identified with Conservatism seeking to remain entrenched in the old political structures. In reality, these terms have no true meaning and obfuscate the truth of what is occurring in our political process. Instead, the Right is more identified with national socialism while the Left is identified with globalization socialism {look familiar?}. Since the election of President Trump there has grown up a political movement calling itself Antifa {Anti-Fascists}. They have staged violent protests to quash hate speech defined as any speech that does not agree with their values. They define those whom they protest against as Fascists and claim that these Fascists are seeking to prohibit free speech. To no surprise, anyone who voted for President Trump, who disagrees with them and who self-identifies as Conservative or Right-wing is defined as a Fascist. They position themselves as freedom fighters. The problem: they are they ones who prohibit free speech.
Neo-nazis are various groups that teach white supremacy claiming to continue Hitler’s legacy when actually they only seek to justify their own avant guard lifestyle on the fringes of society. They claim to promote nationalism but in truth only support their own ill-defined goals via violence. They also prohibit free speech though they claim to support “American freedoms”. They are no more associated with Hitler’s Nazism which promoted healthy life styles, return to nature programs and German nationalism through centralized planning. There is no excuse for Hitler’s treatment of the Jews just as there is no excuse for Neo-nazi’s white supremacy philosophy.
The tragic incident in Charlottesville, Neo-nazi attendee used a vehicle as a weapon to injure and kill Antifa protesters is inexcusable. First, it was a failure of the civil local government to keep these groups separated. This was either complete ignorance of both the police and the elected officials or planned incompetence hoping for a spontaneous incident to use for political purposes. The incident has been used at nearly all levels for political purposes. The Democrats {globalization socialists} have used this to demonize President Trump and those who voted for him as haters who must be purged from society {anti-free speech}. The Republicans {national socialists} in their usual inept fashion have only denied any responsibility but have not brought any clarity to the discussion, as usual. Thus, the violence will continue since both sides see themselves in a noble, self-righteous struggle against evil.
How does this affect the Christian? “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Ro 14:8).” We are to recognize that both sides of this coin are sinful and do not seek the Lord’s truth. Their covetousness only begets violence indicative of those who have rejected the truth of God. Evangelical Christianity aligned with the Conservative Republican movement in the late 20th century which inhibited the spread of the Gospel. Christianity was demonized by the Progressive Left movements which made communication of the Gospel to those most in need more difficult. However, this had a more insidious effect that will become increasingly more obvious: the suppression of the Gospel and true Christianity. As one group overcomes the other until both blend together there will remain only one true enemy – Christianity which will be obfuscated with Fascism. This will give the remaining factions the legitimacy to conflate Christian love with hate legitimizing legal and illegal efforts to eradicate the Gospel message and those who cling to Christ. There can be no good outcome for the Christian who takes sides as both sides despise God’s truth and those who claim to be His. Compare their observed goals against God’s word for these are also false prophets seeking to turn you from the pure word of God; these are the everyday antichrists John warned about in his epistle (1Jo 4:1-3). Do not be ignorant brethren but heed the warning!
