"x x x.
From the basic reading I have done on the subject, I have culled 10 indicators of a mindset that is hospitable to fascism:
The demonization of an imagined enemy. Not being human, the enemy is deemed not entitled to any rights or the respect appropriate to a human being. Such was the attitude cultivated by the Nazis toward the Jews and Communists in Germany. Such is the way some of our officials talk about drug addicts and pushers in our midst.
The belief that the liberal state, with its democratic institutions and legal processes, is ill-equipped to deal with the urgent threat posed by the enemy. In our country, that threat is known as the the narco state.
The perception that only a ruthless leader who does not hesitate to kill can effectively stop the enemy.
The belief that ordinary citizens need not fear falling victim to state violence because it is reserved only for the enemies of the state.
The belief that if ordinary people cannot be part of the solution, they should strive not to be part of the problem. In short, they should let the government do what it must do. To protest against its efforts is to coddle the enemy.
The belief that the threat posed by the enemy lies at the heart of the country’s basic problems — poverty, corruption, crime, and underdevelopment. Therefore, getting rid of the enemy is the first step toward the comprehensive cleansing of society.
The belief in the capacity of every society to purify and regenerate itself by a willful act that involves the violent elimination of destructive parasites.
The belief in violence as a harsh necessity, and in the efficacy of final solutions as represented by massive bloodletting.
The belief that existing institutions and other centers of power and influence must give way to the vision of the leader, instead of checking it.
The belief that national unity is obligatory, and that the only choice we face today is that between a dictatorship and a narco state.
Is our current thinking beginning to resemble any of these? If it is, we should not have to wait for a future truth commission to call us to account for what we did or failed to do. There’s still time to rethink our views.
x x x."
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