On all the fascism
The world seems determined to speed run the 20th century in the first decades of the 21st. But can we...like not?
For 40 years, we've lived through neoliberal decay: privatisations, service cuts, resource plundering, wealth hoarded by a tiny elite. Life outcomes worsen for most, costs soar, and public services collapse. How do voters respond? They elect authoritarians who believe the exact same economic policies—but with waaaay more bigotry.
These leaders consistently fail to address rising poverty, stagnant wages, or crumbling infrastructure. They double down on corporate handouts, let billionaires extract every last drop of profit from workers and the planet, and then blame migrants, minorities, and activists for the continued decline.
Neoliberalism made life unaffordable. Fascism weaponises that hardship.
Instead of questioning who truly benefits from economic collapse, people are directed to blame asylum seekers, trans youth, or "woke culture." It's deceptive, it's ridiculous, it's a scam that keeps working. Meanwhile, those who caused the crisis—the mining magnates, corporate landlords, the lobbyists, the media barons, the broligarchs and the uber-rich—keep getting richer.
No matter who wins, their wealth & power remain untouched. The only change? More division, more policing, more control. As society slides into fascism, we face three responses: The apathetic masses who never engage, the centrists who claim being "less bad" than the bad guys is a valid policy agenda, and the left offering genuine solutions. Both apathy and centrism serve the right's agenda—one through silence, the other through "pragmatic" compromise with forces of destruction.
Centrists refuse to take responsibility. Instead of fighting for better, they blame the left and accept declining conditions as "what's possible." They'd rather be deadweights in this struggle than support meaningful change. Meanwhile, the apathetic majority watch democracy erode, convinced nothing can improve.
Better things are possible! But no one is coming to save us but us.
We've done it before—stronger public services, fairer wealth distribution, environmental protection. But that requires breaking free from both centrist paralysis and mass resignation. These "radical" solutions are our best hope for survival. We have to stop dismissing better futures as unrealistic and start demanding a world that works for everyone—not just the privileged few. That begins with naming what's happening and choosing to resist.
(It's fascism xoxo)
These musings are brought to you by news of the AfD (Germany's far-right neonazi party) getting more votes than the Greens and the Left combined in the German election. A cautionary tale? 🤪
Well said! So I’m thinking aloud… How to shape the views of the majority of people in this age of division into bubbles of confirmation bias is surely a key question. The big media still have some role and so is there a way to seek to acquire them, or shape the views of their boards or proprietors? The shock and awe of US politics could energise the trajectory of independents in Australian politics - but which independents is the question - Clive Palmer sees himself as an independent… that would be a horror show… Could we make great again some semblance of the French cry “Independence, Equality and Fraternity”?… I’m glad the election is delayed as along as possible as it will allow time for “an alternative to the USA” sentiment to rise up in popular priorities and so maybe shape the stated views of those seeking to lead us… one trouble here is that we also have many who thing he is doing a “great job” so maybe that won’t work. So.. maybe we have to wait to see if the economy tanks under Trump and if so then is our chance to say “well that way does not work”.