disagreement is treason

[incandescens]

"In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge. For Ur-Fascism, disagreement is treason."

From Umberto Eco's Eternal Fascism: 14 Ways Of Looking At A Blackshirt, written in 1995.

Comments

[adders.livejournal.com]

Bingo.

Nice quote.

[zamiel.livejournal.com]

Except, of course, when disagreement is suicide by any other name. I'm perfectly happy to let you cut your own throat, but not if doing so will detonate your suitcase nuke next to me.

[nojojojo.livejournal.com]

My mind jumps immediately to the fannish implications of this. Not that the political/social/economic implications don't interest me -- anyone who's seen the reworking of "patriotism" in America since 9/11 can see a living application of the stuff this article is talking about. But because I have to live it, I don't want to think about it when I'm dicking around at work until the next commuter rail. =P

Does fandom (any, but I'm specifically thinking about anime/manga and BL) qualify as an ur-fascist construct? There's a cult of relatively new tradition, which frequently grates against the newbies' desire to make their own even newer traditions. (So basically a cult of one tradition vs. a cult of another.) There's a hint of rejection of modernism in the old guard's resistance to the newbies. There's certainly an action for action's sake element -- BL grew out of a "because I can!" ethic, after all. The fear of difference may well be what caused the old monolithic mailing lists (e.g., the YSML) to fragment into a bazillion smaller MLs -- flamewars, cliquishness, etc., implies an intolerance of diversity and difference.

Leaving aside the economic and sexual aspects of fascism, about the only characteristic that doesn't apply to fandom is contempt for the weak. There are communities within fandom where such contempt exists -- SF fandom, for example -- but an equal number of communities which welcome and nurture the weak. (A male-female thing, maybe.) So that one doesn't fit.

But the rest does. Therefore I declare fandom an ur-fascist construct!!

...I'm really, really bored today.

[incandescens]

In that case, we need a Leader to arise from the masses, or at least an oligarchy of some sort. ;)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

about the only characteristic that doesn't apply to fandom is contempt for the weak.

Uhh- guh- uhh, *what* did you say? No contempt for the weak? What ethos lies behind fic_bitches and any other venue where people's fic (ostensibly) and they themselves (in actual fact) get ripped to shreds? Or indeed the ljs of certain Tourette's sufferers (like your own little psycho) who shriek filthy abuse at people- usually total strangers- they happen to disagree with, and are then outraged when their targets feel hurt and attacked. You haven't listened to this sort of person talking enough- nor do I blame you, because it makes for revolting reading.

But their rationalization for being fat-faced bullies is always some variation on 'life is a mean cruel place and if you're wimp enough to mind being publicly slaughtered then by god you deserve to be publicly slaughtered hit her again!' often followed by the usual reminiscent 'I was in a writing class and the instructor ripped me a new one with every story and of course it hurt but you didn't hear me whining no indeed it was the best thing that ever happened to me I just can't stand these people who moan and bitch about how people aren't being nice to them.'

I call that pack mentality, I certainly call it contempt for the weak, and I maintain it's rampant in online fandom.