The election events of 2014 are leading me to a deeper research into the causes of such a fiasco. Previous research had already caused me to be somewhat suspicious of the announced results. As reports of various problems began to reach my attention, I could see there was more to the story than the tiresome and thin story of a Republican "wave" election.
One part of the contemporary story is a redux of a very old approach of politicians -- the idea of normalcy. It seems no coincidence that the Republican slogan in 1920 was "a return to normalcy." Certainly there is nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable in the right way. But what we have now is little more than the desire to be left alone, removed and untouched by the world's problems.
Goebbels and the Nazis used this desire to good effect in the 1930's while coming to power, and later. Playing on the desire for normalcy the Nazis were able to interweave other, noxious, ideas into their propaganda program, such as extermination of the Jews. What a study of Nazi Germany demonstrates is how normal it all came to seem. As Goebbels said, We do not care what others do, but for us, we shall not tolerate anything less than the best people among us.
Anyway, a deeper looking -- beyond the surface explanations of our youth -- reveals a certain correspondence to the events of modern-day America. Others, such as Naomi Klein, have written about how capitalism uses tragedy and even chaos to advocate a return to normalcy, i.e. profit-making business at the expense of the workers.
It is a pleasure to dig into this subject further, for thereby I am gaining mental illumination. As I see nuggets of information, I look forward to passing them along here.
The Fascist Pursuit of Normalcy
One part of the contemporary story is a redux of a very old approach of politicians -- the idea of normalcy. It seems no coincidence that the Republican slogan in 1920 was "a return to normalcy." Certainly there is nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable in the right way. But what we have now is little more than the desire to be left alone, removed and untouched by the world's problems.
Goebbels and the Nazis used this desire to good effect in the 1930's while coming to power, and later. Playing on the desire for normalcy the Nazis were able to interweave other, noxious, ideas into their propaganda program, such as extermination of the Jews. What a study of Nazi Germany demonstrates is how normal it all came to seem. As Goebbels said, We do not care what others do, but for us, we shall not tolerate anything less than the best people among us.
Anyway, a deeper looking -- beyond the surface explanations of our youth -- reveals a certain correspondence to the events of modern-day America. Others, such as Naomi Klein, have written about how capitalism uses tragedy and even chaos to advocate a return to normalcy, i.e. profit-making business at the expense of the workers.
It is a pleasure to dig into this subject further, for thereby I am gaining mental illumination. As I see nuggets of information, I look forward to passing them along here.
Goebbels Family
The Fascist Pursuit of Normalcy
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