“Never argue with an idiot. They’ll drag you down to their level, and beat you with experience.” -Mark Twain
I saw a discussion thread in a Facebook group I belong to. The originator of the thread was smugly boasting about how he schooled a “Right-Wing Troll” about Nazis and Socialists. All of those commenting congratulated him on his “victory”, and clucked their tongues at the ignorance of his opponent (all of this in spite of the group rule barring political discussions).
I thought about weighing in on the conversation, but my wife reminded me of the above quote and suggested my current approach. The truth is that Nazism is not a Right-Wing philosophy, and never has been. Like Socialism and Communism, Nazism and Fascism are Leftist, Collectivist systems. All of them require large, centrally planned, activist governments controlling every aspect of the citizenry’s lives (see the current regime, but I digress).
The three pillars of Conservative (so-called Right-Wing) thought are Personal Liberty, Limited Government, and Low Taxes. I defy anyone to explain to me how these ideas taken to the extreme, lead to Nazism or Fascism. I’ve mention this before, but it bears repeating; Fascism is an actual economic philosophy. The word has been used as a pejorative for so long, people tend to forget that.
In a Fascist economy, businesses are privately owned, but the government controls the market through taxes and regulations. Businesses enjoying the regime’s favor prosper, those who don’t, are choked out of the market. Economically speaking, Nazism is a form of Fascist Socialism. In fact, “Nazi” is an acronym for the National SOCIALIST German Workers Party.
It would be nice if people would educate themselves before spouting off in forums such as this, but don’t hold your breath. This is the Internet. That magical realm where the ideal of “My opinion is just as valuable as your facts” holds sway. Whether it’s Covid, economics, or the Culture, The Narrative trumps truth, ignorance is worn like armor and disinformation or misinformation is the order of the day. Welcome to Biden’s Amerika.