Soldiers on leave now govt’s marketing agents, by order of Army HQ!

Last week, media reports said that the Indian Army had passed an order to all its soldiers going on leave – soldiers are authorised 60 days of annual leave – to spend time doing “social service” to enhance “nation-building efforts”. What are they supposed to do? The Army HQ’s list of suggestions: Talk to the local community about Modi government schemes. Sushant Singh writes.

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/soldiers-on-leave-now-govts-marketing-agents-by-order-of-army-hq-2680096

#IndianArmy #IndianNavy #IndianAirForce #BJP #NarendraModi #propaganda #GovtSchemes #IAF #hindutva #nationalism #HinduNationalism #labour #elections2024 #india

Review Symposium of The Human Right to Citizenship: Situating the Right to Citizenship within International and Regional Human Rights Law by Barbara von Rütte https://globalcit.eu/globalcit-review-symposium-of-the-human-right-to-citizenship-situating-the-right-to-citizenship-within-international-and-regional-human-rights-law-by-barbara-von-rutte/ #citizenship #nationalism #migration

Måste Ukraina vara perfekt?
Vissa vänstermänniskor klarar inte av att rakryggat ta ställning mot den ryska imperialismen. Trots Rysslands oprovocerade anfall mot Ukraina. Trots dess inhumana terror mot civila mål. Trots dess annektering av sydöstra Ukraina. Trots dess förryskningspolitik i de ockuperade områdena.
https://blog.zaramis.se/2023/08/31/maste-ukraina-vara-perfekt/
#Diktatur #Fascism #Imperialism #Krig #Nationalism #Ryssland #Ukraina #Vnstern #Hitler #Putin #Solidaritet

Une bonne chose qui est normale aux États-Unis et qui semble presque impensable pour beaucoup de gens en France : un formulaire de réinscription au vote postal, imprimé en anglais, en français et en créole haïtien.

#nationalism #multilingualism #linguistics #France

Today in Labor History August 26, 1942: At Chortkiv, the Ukrainian police and German Schutzpolizei deport two thousand Jews to Bełżec extermination camp. Five hundred of the sick and children were murdered on the spot. This continued until the next day. Prior to this, Chortkiv had a large Jewish community. Overall, an estimated 900,000-1.6 million Ukrainian Jews were executed during the Holocaust, with the collaboration of the Ukrainian military. According to German historian Dieter Pohl, roughly 100,000 Ukrainians joined police forces that participated in Nazi atrocities. Many participated in mass shootings of Jews, as well. Ivan the Terrible was a Ukrainian who served as a guard at the Treblinka death camp. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), founded in 1929, is an ultra-right, racist and nationalist organization that, during the WWII era, boasted tens of thousands of members, and which also collaborated with Nazi atrocities, including the Lviv pogroms of 1941, in which up to 6,000 Jews were massacred. During the Cold War, and despite their fascistic and antisemitic tendencies, the CIA and other western intelligence agencies funded and supported the OUN because of their anti-communist ideology. The organization, which still exists today, helped to popularize the nationalistic slogan “Slava Ukraini!” in the 1930s, though the slogan first appeared during the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917-1921). The OUN was active in the 1914 Euromaidan protests, and they are one of numerous far right nationalist organizations participating in the current war against Russia.

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #holocaust #jewish #nazis #fascism #antisemitism #Nationalism #ukraine #russia #cia #communism

White #ChristianNationalism is the biggest #threat to the safety and #security of the #UnitedStates. It is a morally and intellectually #bankrupt, minority movement that threatens the very foundation of our country. #Christian #Nationalism is directly contrary to the principles #America was founded on, and cannot exist alongside the #Constitution. We can have democracy or we can have #ethnoTheocracy. We cannot have both.

#Christofascism

https://www.alternet.org/amp/christian-nationalism-2664349531-2664349531

OPINION: Word of advice for the American Christians opposed to Christian nationalism.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/us-christian-nationalism-witness-chrissy-stroop/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=newsie_social

#US #Christian #Nationalism #Religion

#Green is the new patriotic #Nationalism.

The politics of remaining ‘non-political’

The demonisation of the word "politics" began right after Independence and, over a period of time, became a part of popular culture and consciousness.

#politics #nationalism #citizenship #democracy #accountability #BJP #hindutva #india

https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/dissenters-corner-the-politics-of-remaining-non-political

@benfulton "One of the staffers we spoke to openly told us that it’s hard to sell foreign learning to the American public" #nationalism

The Ballad of the Little Man

"He was doing fine in '39
Thank God he did not win
He kept playing on his fiddle
As he watched old Rome cave in
He sold love away from his children's hearts
And told them it was sin
Now we're all at the mercy, we're all at the mercy
Of that little man within

Now he's sitting in the gardens
As the acid rain comes in
He got it covered full of rhino heads
And boots of leopard skin
He got the means, he make the harvest high
But you can count those hungry people die
We're all at the mercy
Of the greedy man within

So if you're feeling lonely, baby
If you're feeling blue
If you listen to your little friend
You know he'll tell you what to do
But if you hear his words and you get confused
Start believing they're all true
Then you have just been fooled again
Who said we won't get fooled again?
By the little man within"

- #KarlWallinger, #WorldParty, 1986

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATGSSXJEvzs

#Fascism #RabidRight #Nationalism #Environmental #ClimateChange #80sMusic #Activism #Antifa

Lawrence W. Britt: 14 Characteristics of #Fascism

"Historian Lawrence Britt studied the fascist regimes of #Hitler (Germany), #Mussolini (Italy), #Franco (Spain), #Suharto (Indonesia), and #Pinochet (Chile) and found they had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism.

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.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of #HumanRights
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, and long incarcerations of prisoners.

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…

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 service are glamorized.

5. Rampant #Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional #gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is #homophobia and anti-#gay legislation.

6. Controlled #MassMedia
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government #censorship and #secrecy especially in war time, are very common.

7. Obsession with #NationalSecurity
Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. #Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments 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.

9. Protection of #Corporate Power
The #industrial and business #aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Suppression of #Labor Power
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor #unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

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.

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.

14. #Fraudulent #Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by #SmearCampaigns against or even assassination 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 post is a summary of Fascism, Anyone? by Lawrence W. Britt published in 2003 by Free Inquiry magazine."

https://voxpopulisphere.com/2017/08/23/lawrence-britt-14-characteristics-of-fascism/

How #fascism works, and how to stop it: #Dehumanizing people is the first and last step in a fascist society

By Dave Gamrath | June 8, 2022

"#Fascist politicians typically come to power through a democratic election, but after being elected, the new leader rules society absolutely, demanding loyalty to him and to his ethnic identity. This authoritarian leader speaks on behalf of the country and aims to separate society into 'us' versus 'them.'

"'We' are everything virtuous. We are the makers: hardworking, industrious and exceptional. 'They' are lazy, exploiting government handouts; they are the takers. They are lazy criminals on whom freedom would be wasted. They take our hard-earned money and threaten our traditions. They believe in liberalism and #SocialJustice, both of which will destroy our culture.

"Fascist politics includes many strategies, including the creation of a mythical past. This mythical past includes purity of religion, race and/or culture. It was a time of glory, lost due to 'humiliation brought on by globalism and liberal cosmopolitanism.' Values such as equality made the nation weak. Inventing a glorious past requires deleting inconvenient realities. Past sins are erased. History is cherry-picked.

"Propaganda is an important tool of fascist politics. 'Political propaganda uses the language of virtuous ideals to unite people behind otherwise objectionable ends,' Stanley writes. The term 'draining the swamp' is a common theme in fascist movements; the false charges of corruption hide that the party is, at the same time, engaging in even greater corruption. Propaganda works best when confined to a few points brought out in slogans and simple language. It generates anger and resentment and gets people to the polls.

"Anti-intellectualism is a common theme of fascist politicians, who attack and devalue education and expertise to undermine public discourse. They denounce teaching perspectives that don’t fully support their culture. On his radio program, Rush Limbaugh once famously stated, 'The four corners of deceit are government, academia, science and media,' and he continued, 'Science has become a home for displaced socialists and communists.' Fascist leaders are 'men of action' with no use for deliberation or consultation. Hmmm.

"Stanley writes that 'unreality' is an important fascist goal — to cast reality into doubt. In that state, what is true cannot be agreed upon. The goal is to break down reality and remove the ability to assess arguments by a common standard. Reasoned debate is replaced by fear and anger. According to Stanley, 'regular and repeated obvious lying is part of the process by which fascist politics destroys the information space.' A common tactic is the use of conspiracy theories, which work to denigrate, delegitimize, impugn and malign their targets, to raise suspicion about credibility and decency. Conspiracy theories are the calling card of fascists, and help them delegitimize mainstream media. Reasoned debate is impossible when one side is basing their beliefs on conspiracy theories. Use of coded language becomes common. Dramatic inequality drives people’s willingness to believe conspiracy theories.

"Fascists believe that nature imposes #hierarchies that are totally inconsistent with #equality. Hierarches are standard within fascism — most importantly, 'us' over 'them.' Fascists believe that natural hierarchies of worth exist. Groups that historically have benefited from being at the top of the hierarchy can feel victimized by equality. Fascist politicians play to this.

"Stanley writes that #white Americans vastly overestimate progress toward racial equality in America over the past 50 years. Even though white men still have most of the power in America, many feel victimized. Reducing inequality often leads to those who had benefited under it now feeling persecuted for their loss of advantage. Fascist leaders exploit feelings of victimization to obscure their attempts at victimizing others. '#Nationalism is at the core of fascism. The fascist leader employs a sense of collective victimhood to create a sense of group identity.' A constant danger exists because of 'them,' including immigrants and those from other races, religions or political parties."

Read more:
https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2022/06/08/how-fascism-works-and-how-stop-it-dehumanizing-people-first-and-last-step-fascist

#talkingheads #conversation #sharedreality #nations #nationalism #ourworlds #imagination #imaginedcommunities #ournationsbeganasconversations #countriesarecognitiveconstructs #audiobook #cognitive
(Picture credit: Vanesa Fischer)

What Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán Understand About Your Brain

Why do some people who support Trump also wind up believing conspiracy theories? There’s a scientific explanation for that.

What I have found is that throughout history, speeches by dictators and autocrats have one thing in common:

they use dehumanizing metaphors to instill and propagate hatred of others.

#trump #hate #racism #nationalism #whitesupremacy

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/07/30/the-connection-between-political-lies-and-conspiracy-theories-00108378

The decay of #Yugoslavia proves, how unsuccessful #market #competition directly leads to ethno-#nationalism, #racism and turns everything into a criminal gang based civil war with #genocid.al extermination attempts.

#Capitalism per excellence.

#Zusammenbruchsnationalismus #CollapseNationalism

Why #India Is Erasing Its Own #History . #nationalism #racism https://youtu.be/ETChI0L9jNw

What’s Happening in Italy Is Scary, and It’s Spreading

Ms. Meloni’s administration has spent its first months accusing minorities of undermining the triad of God, nation and family, with dire practical consequences for migrants, nongovernmental organizations and same-sex parents.

Efforts to weaken anti-torture legislation, stack the public broadcaster with loyalists and rewrite Italy’s postwar constitution to increase executive power are troubling.

#nationalism

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/opinion/meloni-italy-washington-visit.html

Israel’s Self-Inflicted Wound

dividing line in Israel, no longer between liberals and conservatives.

It’s between liberals and illiberals.

It’s between those who believe that democracy encompasses a set of norms, values and habits that respect and enforce sharp limits on power and those who will use their majorities to do whatever they please in matters of politics so that they may eventually do whatever they please in matters of law.

#nationalism #power

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/opinion/israel-supreme-court.html

How did #rightwing #media discourses on cultural #threat, #politics, and #nationalism change in the last 20 years? In a study just published in German Politics, Leo Bauer and I analyze almost 57,000 articles published in Germany's largest right-wing newspaper, check it out: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644008.2023.2231353

@politicalscience @communicationscholars #polcom #polsci