I’ve lived in the US for over 70 years, and the past 40+ of those years have seen surging super-capitalism and the rise of the ‘surveillance state.’ Over the past 25 years — since the 9/11 attacks in 2001 — the oppressive and intrusive powers of our federal government have been greatly expanded, starting with the Patriot Act.
Then, over the past decade especially (coinciding with the ‘reign’ of Donald Trump), we’ve seen the Executive branch seizing more and more power, while Congress abdicates its responsibilities as a coequal branch of government. Simultaneously, we’ve seen the rise of the billionaire class and the advent of a dark oligarchy of the mega-wealthy in the US.
All of these changes and anti-democratic trends are interlinked, and they support or intensify each other. They all have something sinister in common: namely, they are ALL moving the US inexorably toward authoritarianism and fascism.
Yet the American people have generally gone along with or even embraced all these harmful developments. Why?
That is the question I’ll explore in this essay.
Predatory capitalism steals our freedom
The most obvious ‘explanation,’ to me, arises from the fact that Americans are heavily conditioned to accept abusive/coercive systems, both in the realm of politics and economics. Capitalism, at its core, is a coercive system based on ‘winners’ and ‘losers,’ in which the winners hold all the economic cards and have free rein to control and abuse the hapless losers. In the US, the winners are the CEOs and the mega-wealthy, while the losers — the vast majority — are workers, administrators, the unemployed, families, children, and the poor.
The form of capitalism embraced by the US is inherently abusive and undemocratic. That’s because it is actually super-capitalism, a.k.a. predatory capitalism. Other, milder forms of capitalism exist and thrive in places like Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia — all of which made the sensible and humane choice to limit capitalism’s excesses and restrain the greediest bad actors.
But we wouldn’t do that in the US — we always refused — because such limits and restraints interfere with our precious (and terribly misunderstood) ‘freedom.’ Perversely, our intense attachment to unlimited ‘freedom’ has led to the US becoming one of the most controlled, divisive, and UNfree Western nations. This seeming conundrum is just a ‘logical’ result of many decades of unrestrained capitalism, however.
Oddly, the same capitalism we imagine makes us ‘free’ is also a root cause of our slide into authoritarianism and fascism. Unfortunately for us, predatory capitalism and fascism share some similar characteristics — and have much in common.
Predatory capitalism is abusive and cruel. So is fascism.
How are capitalism and fascism similar? First and foremost, they are both exclusive rather than inclusive and promote division, fear, and resentment. That is, they both idealize and support a small in-group — the ‘racially pure,’ or the ‘master race’, or the ranks of powerful CEOs, or the mega-wealthy — while oppressing, abusing, or subjugating all the ‘lesser’ humans.
And if anyone thinks that workers in the US aren’t oppressed and abused… well, I refer you to statistics about workers in the US vs. other parts of the developed world. The US lags far behind almost every other developed nation and is the only advanced nation to not have mandated vacation and sick time.
This antisocial backwardness is not a coincidence. Rather, it’s the desired, inevitable outcome of the super-capitalist system we embrace and keep expanding. Our economic system treats people like weak, expendable pawns in a vast socio-economic chess game that has many, many losers and a few ‘powerful’ winners (for example, Trump, Bezos, Musk, etc.).
Few in the US want to face it yet, but our system of predatory capitalism is highly unfair and cruel, as well as deeply undemocratic. It promotes and leads directly to some version of plutocracy or oligarchy — the rule of the wealthy or the rule of a few powerful (and wealthy) ‘titans of industry.’
A shared set of sick, unsavory goals
Yes, but what about fascism and its parallels with predatory capitalism? While I would never equate fascism and predatory capitalism, they mirror each other in many ways and easily co-exist. A prime example of this cozy co-existence is the way many American corporations continued to do thriving business with the Nazi regime before and during World War II. Similarly, many US corporations today are eagerly sucking up to Trump and seeking his favor — often through huge donations or ‘settling’ his punitive lawsuits— to secure maximum benefits for themselves and ensure a steady flow of profits.
Most people don’t know this, but one of the basic definitions of ‘fascism’ is this: the merger of the state and the corporate world. (It’s sometimes called ‘Corporatism.’) Fascism requires, and in many ways is based on, the total intermingling of the political state and a ruthless, endless blitz of unrestrained capitalism. Both have similar, unsavory goals:
1. Create a vivid national ‘storyline’ focused on us vs. them. Fascism pushes the idea of a ‘master race’ or group that deserves to rule over all the inferior ‘subhumans,’ while predatory capitalism pushes the idea of a wealthy, powerful upper-upper class that ‘deserves’ to dominate our economy and nation and ‘rule’ over the rest of us.
2. Fascism is inherently cruel; it lifts and glamorizes a small minority while oppressing and abusing — even killing off — hordes of ‘lesser’ humans. Predatory capitalism does the same thing in the social and economic realms — it oppresses and abuses most workers and their families, though it doesn’t (usually) end up publicly killing them.
3. Both systems are super-competitive and focus endlessly on ‘winners’ and ‘losers.’ Neither system supports or honors social cooperation and advancement for the masses — though predatory capitalism pretends to support advancement and progress (IF you kowtow and knuckle under to ruthless, inhumane capitalist ‘rules.’)
4. Neither system leads, or can lead, to a healthy, diverse social system or government. In truth, neither has the slightest interest in a progressive, egalitarian social system. None. Rather, both fully support the opposite.
5. Both systems are inherently amoral. Fascists and authoritarians will support and do anything — no matter how inhumane — to bolster their power, while predatory capitalists will support and do anything to bolster profits (and corporate power). Neither system cares about social priorities like human rights, morality, economic equity, or true social equality. Instead, they actively work to undo or overturn all these valid social needs.
American capitalism easily morphs into fascism
Now, back to the US and its intensifying slide into authoritarianism and fascism. Most Americans will never admit it, but there is an inherent and disastrous conflict of interest between democracy and predatory capitalism. We’re all heavily programmed to think that capitalism and democracy go hand-in-hand, but this is simply not true. It can be true, to some extent, IF capitalism is strongly regulated and constrained as it is in Europe.
The far milder, socially responsible form of capitalism that Europe has developed can co-exist with democracy, and in fact supports and invigorates the functioning social democracies of the EU. But that is not true of the harsh, predatory capitalism lauded and supported in the US.
The form of capitalism practiced and promoted in the US is inherently anti-social, anti-progress, and anti-democratic. It is heavily elitist and cruelly oppressive. In reality, it is both abusive and restrictive. Americans, in general, are settling for meager scraps (except for the very wealthy).
Yet Americans are IN this system, we are used to this system — and we are all programmed not to ‘see beyond’ this system. We are convinced we live in ‘the best country in the world’ and far outstrip all other nations both politically and economically. But this belief is at best a delusion, and at worst a bald-faced lie.
The US has gone totally off the rails
However … here we are. Stuck and struggling. We’re caught up in a delusional, deceptive ‘reality’ that we haughtily proclaim is “the best EVER.” What utter nonsense!
But the fact that it is ‘nonsense’ and total BS doesn’t keep us from succumbing to the horrid effects of our heartless system. The cruelty and abuse we experience merely prepare us — ‘groom us,’ to use a popular phrase — for much more intensive and complete abuse and oppression.
Scarily, that’s where the fascist takeover enters the picture. Rather, it’s already been in the picture — mainly in the background — but the last 40+ years have set the stage for the accelerating fascist takeover now spreading like wildfire and overwhelming the US.
Folks, it’s time to admit it. We Americans have been steadily and stealthily groomed for this takeover; for many decades, we’ve been groomed to accept abuse and oppression, bend over, and willingly submit. Worse, we were groomed to think we’re all gloriously ‘free’ — even as we’re increasingly abused, restricted, and oppressed.
It’s time to admit that the US has gone seriously off the rails … totally bonkers. We Americans need to wake up to what’s happening, and fast! Then, we need to band together with others in ongoing non-violent resistance — as if our lives depend on it (and they do).
Otherwise, we’ll continue to be easy pickings for the super-capitalists, abusers, and bullying fascists.
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This post was previously published on Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs.
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