The Spectre of Fascism
“Fascism is capitalism in decay”, said Lenin. We’ve seen this before. When the traditional capitalist system is failing, there are cracks within the ruling class, and its accompanying political structures are in turmoil, a section of that class backs a strongman for its own protection. These strongmen have a populist appeal, yet they are married to the interests of big business. They do not always come to power by coup d’etat or machine gun politics. The potential for fascism is built into the capitalist system itself. Adolf Hitler, fascism’s poster boy was elected as chancellor of Germany in 1933.
Today, we see all these pieces of fascism coming together with the election of Donald Trump. This does not necessarily mean that death camps and forced labor are next, but we should be prepared for what is to come. It is pretty clear that among other things, the traditional fascist xenophobia, expansion police power, dismantling of unions and accompanying corporatism will be accelerated based on his rhetoric and his cabinet full of corporate pirates and gangsters. How will this affect our jobs and our students?
Modern Day Fascists and Education
The popular depiction of public education from the right wing is as a cesspool of liberal, quasi radical, godless teachers indoctrinating children instead of educating them, promoting homosexuality and atheism. Public education, then is at the root of the decline of America. Part of the fascist narrative is that traditional values are under attack and need to be Public Education and the Spectre of Fascism | BustED Pencils:
