The "Fourteen Attributes of Fascism": A Highly Self Serving Definition by a Liberal Writer

It's difficult to find an objective definition of fascism on the web.  Most are self-serving, usually leftist screeds, designed to incorporate conservative or Republican attributes into the definition.  For example, see this rather blatant example at this link.  This website, and others, make use of a dubious list of 14 attributes of fascism.

Liberal websites rely on a fraudulent list of "fourteen attributes of fascism" that was written by a Democrat, one Laurence Britt, during the 2004 election cycle. It was never intended to be a scholarly analysis of fascism, but only a partisan political argument against the Bush Administration.  (Read more about it here.)  Nevertheless, this phony and biased "list" is widely disseminated even today by leftists and liberal writers and bloggers, as if it were real and accurate.  They usually describe it this way:

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, published research on fascism in which he examined the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each fascist State.

Note that Laurence Britt (note proper spelling) was neither a doctor nor a political scientist, and his list was not derived from any analysis of past fascistic regimes.  Here are his 14 phony attributes (with my comments in red):

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism – Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.  [So if you are patriotic and fly the flag, you might be a fascist.  According to this definition, the former Soviet Union, Red China and North Korea are fascists too.]

2. Disdain for the recognition of Human Rights – Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarceration of prisoners, etc.  [Waterboarding is allegedly torture, therefore Bush was a fascist because he used it on captured terrorists. The "long incarceration of prisoners" is probably a dig at Gitmo and its residents.]

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause – The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists; terrorists, etc.  [So any concerns over an external threat like radical Islam or Communist aggression makes you a fascist.  However, a "frenzy" over the non-existent threat of domestic, right-wing terrorists is okay, even supported by Big Sis of Homeland Security.  How about the "unifying cause" of non-existent global warming and its pending destruction of the human race?]

4. Supremacy of the Military – Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military are glamorized.  [That's why we fascist Republicans want a strong military instead of spending all that dough on transforming the ghettos into the City of Oz.]

5. Rampant sexism – The government of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.  [The last sentence describes key liberal agendas and makes the bias of the author transparently obvious.  Quite a few of the Nazi regime were blatant homosexuals (see here).  As for abortion, Although the Nazis banned abortion for Aryan women, they enthusiastically peddled and promoted abortion for non-Aryans. In fact, the Nazis mandated legalized abortion in several European countries where it had never been legal before (see here). It is utter nonsense to assert that if you oppose abortion, i.e. the extermination of the helpless unborn, you are a fascist.]

6. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.  [Hmm, I agree with this one.  It clearly describes the mainstream media and their slavish support of Democrats and Barack Obama.  As for "censorship in wartime," FDR did plenty of that and I don't disagree with it.]

7. Obsession with National security – Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.  [You mean like fear of the Tea Party?  Fear of "racists" (see the Southern Poverty Law Center)?  Fear of non-existent "right wing" domestic terrorists?]

8. Religion and Government are intertwined – Government in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.  [This is B.S., another obvious play to the liberal bias against religious conservatives.  The French Jacobins, fascists in the true sense of the word, hated religion and executed priests.  Hitler hated Christianity and Nazis were pagans, vegetarians and occultists.  Benito Mussolini was an atheist.]

9. Corporate Power is Protected – The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation are often the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.  [This is almost accurate.  In fascism, there is a strong partnership between the government and major corporations, but it is false to say the latter put the former into power.  Labor Unions probably have more power to effect elections than corporations today.  Government grants benefits and power to those corporations who support its goals, shields those corporations from competition or gives those corporations monopolies over various economic activity.  In turn, the corporations require their employees to also support government goals, memes and beliefs.  See the Wilson Administration, e.g. "We do our part."] 

10. Labor Power is suppressed – Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated, or are severely restricted.  [Another self-serving but inaccurate definition.  Hitler didn't banish labor unions, as the left has disingenuously asserted; he brought them into the Nazi movement by creating the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF), which was comprised of two primary entities, the National Socialist Factory Organization and the National Socialist Trade and Industry Organization. Benito Mussolini, leader of fascist Italy, was a union activist who was expelled from Trentino province for his union activities.]

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts – Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.  [Brazen nonsense.  Hitler originally aspired to be an artist, and the Nazis stole great art from the nations they conquered.  They used artistic displays and statuary to glorify Aryan man.  Mussolini celebrated and supported Italian artists.  It would be more accurate to say that fascism loves art, especially art that justifies, glorifies and rationalizes its political goals.  As for education, higher and otherwise, fascists supported education, particularly as a means of indoctrinating students in its goals and philosophy, much as is the case on leftist controlled campuses today.]

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment – Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.  [The first sentence is accurate, the second is liberal propaganda.  Under fascist regimes, the people do not have the option to "forego civil liberties" since they aren't given that as a choice.]

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption – Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.  [I know of no historical examples that would make cronyism a trait limited to fascists.  It is true of any and all governments, including that of Barack Obama.  As for massive governmental theft, I know of no better example than our system of taxation and "redistribution of wealth."]

14. Fraudulent Elections – Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassinations of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.  [This was probably a reference to Bush's alleged theft of the 2000 election, when the Supreme Court ruled against the Democratic Party of Florida.  In actuality, the left now controls the mainstream media to an extreme degree, and Democrat judges often overturn the results of elections that they do not approve of -- like those outlawing Sharia law or prohibiting gay marriage.]

In a later post I will attempt to provide a more concise and accurate description of what fascism really was and is.