As Published for the August 2019 edition of People’s Tribune
After a summer of numerous mass shootings by white supremacists across the country, the ties of racism and violence have finally arrived as a central topic in American politics. Yet, fascism is still not discussed nearly enough.
Fascism, racism, and violence go hand-in-hand. What creates fascism is corporate greed and individual power of the most wealthy individuals in the world. Racism is merely a vehicle to distract, divide and conquer the public from unifying against corporate greed and power-lust.
Repeating the history that cycles racism as a center point in our politics through modern times is no accident. We have been kept ignorant of our true American history with great purpose. Most public schools do not teach informative history, like about The Bacon Rebellion.
The Bacon Rebellion in 1676 encompassed the birth of dividing early American settlers by race, giving an excuse to enslave those of African descent. When white immigrants and African immigrants rebelled against plantation owners who refused to free them after their indentured contracts, the armed rebellion attempted and failed to unify all workers, instead bowing to wealthy landowners who gave white immigrants freedom and small plots of land while leaving African descendants who fought with them stripped of any rights to freedom.
Building on a “us versus them” narrative is essential to divide and conquer a nation into a fascist authoritarian state. There has always been a push towards authoritarian rule when wealthy capitalists wish to maintain control of unruly workers. When riots break out and unions unite, scraps of compromise and promises of equality for those willing to work with the capitalists subdue the rising tides demanding change. Those not able to join unions suffer from low wages or worse, no job opportunities at all leaving entire populations in extreme poverty.
Wealthy capitalists and politicians have always needed to control the public narrative to maintain the systematic structure built to keep them in power. This means hiding true historical facts while applying public relations campaigns that hold their brands in favor. Misinformation spreading into politics has been essential in keeping the public divided for the anonymity of wealthy lobbyists and donors. Today, the supreme court ruling for Citizens United has emboldened global political buying power, turning the United States into an open market of misinformation for powerful corporate, nonprofit and religious group interests who often tie their relationships together in unified support to maintain the status quo, power, and control.
Nonprofit organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) have had tremendous political power, spending $55 million on the 2016 elections, $30 million of which went to supporting Donald Trump’s election campaign according to abcnews.com. The NRA also spent $1.6 million lobbying against background check expansion laws during the first half of 2019 according to cnbc.com. Maintaining profit over the lives, safety and well being of the American public has become the norm.
For years the NRA had its own TV streaming service called NRATV, provided by PR firm Ackerman McQueen. The service published video clips on social media that brought controversy and political angst into the forefront of political discussion. Some of the topics included statements calling to, “take back this nation from socialists who are out to destroy it, who are out to lie to you,” said Grant Stinchfield on Twitter Feb 13, 2018, showing that their political views go far beyond gun control into attacking those who politically believe in supporting social safety nets. NRATV has just recently discontinued the service due to a lack of paying the PR firm, according to rollingstone.com.
When it comes to gun violence, many politicians have kept silent as they networked with gun lobbyists. Now that there is more outspoken public demand for solutions on gun violence, it is still not enough to fix the root issues of why there are violent mass shootings. It does not address the overwhelming number of suicide deaths by guns, or domestic violence. Background checks will not help an individual who has never committed a crime yet suddenly loses everything and has easier access to a gun than therapy. Red flag warning laws may give a spotlight to those preparing for extreme actions of public violence, but it can also leave already marginalized people further abused by dysfunction and corrupt justice system.
The strategy of spreading misinformation and targeting misguided individuals remains the same, but the tactics have been modernized. A new generation of young white men have been radicalized online and politicians, as well as the media, have, for the most part, been silent regarding the uprising movement for years.
Three mass shooting attackers over a six-month span posted their plans on a site called 8Chan, including the Christchurch New Zealand shooter, Poway, CA synagogue shooter, and the El Paso, TX Walmart shooter, according to theguardian.com. Organizing white nationalist views on websites like 8Chan and 4Chan have worked well to recruit young white men for years who are often isolated and do not have other forms of social encouragement and support.
Western chauvinist groups like Proud Boys have committed countless acts of political violence against anti-fascists in cities like Portland, OR and Berkeley, CA while advocating messages on t-shirts they sell to “throw commies out of helicopters,” using messages like “Pinot did nothing wrong,” with graphics showing a person being thrown out of a helicopter. President Trump’s previous campaign advisor, Roger Stone, has close ties with the Proud Boys. Stone has even appeared at a press conference with the Proud Boys after a court appearance in Washington, D.C, on Jan 29, according to rollingstone.com.
As the demand for social equity and equality strengthens, so does the desperate extreme measures of fascist groups. While young people find guidance, acceptance and a place to belong online, they are acceptable to falling into fascism, racism and extreme violence when they feel they have nothing else to live for.
When the mass public is informed of how history affects our present and how our present will shape our future, that is one step into breaking the cycles of repeating history. Another step is realizing that we have formed a culture of individualism, consumerism and shallow populism. We showcase what we purchase, how we look, and what we achieve online more than we celebrate hard work, education and community accomplishments. We leave individuals without support systems, without outlets to grieve when their life turns upside down. We look down on public emotional expression, and therapy as if it is only for that deemed mentally ill. We divide ourselves into categories, instead of embracing our differences as diverse unified strength. We must vote and support politicians who will fight for the American public rather than wealthy lobbyists, but we also must build a culture that reflects what we want this country to be, When we become strong as a nation, fascism will never take hold and racism will, at last, become powerless and irrelevant.
