# Its coming, isn't it. Fascism. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245 "2010-11-29T02:35:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/81 "2010-11-30T01:12:40Z")
I find it hilarious that warrantless wiretaps, secret detention facilities, torture, extraordinary renditions, and criminalizing the act of walking around without identification apparently merit a shrug at best, and an _AMERICA FUCK YEAH_ at worst, while detailed x-rays and a bit of precautionary sack-tapping merit OUTRAGE!!1 and threats of massive civil disobedience. And by “hilarious,” I mean “might as well say fuck it, and start sniffing airplane glue in the basement.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/82 "2010-11-30T01:36:45Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > I find it hilarious that warrantless wiretaps, secret detention facilities, torture, extraordinary renditions, and criminalizing the act of walking around without identification apparently merit a shrug at best, and an _AMERICA FUCK YEAH_ at worst, while detailed x-rays and a bit of precautionary sack-tapping merit OUTRAGE!!1 and threats of massive civil disobedience. > > And by “hilarious,” I mean “might as well say fuck it, and start sniffing airplane glue in the basement.” A lot of people were/are outraged about those other things, too, but it’s a lot harder to act on them, since we don’t have any direct contact with the people who are in charge of or enforce them. I’m still upset that none of the decision-makers were taken to task over the torture we committed, but I’m not aware of any direct action I can take to change that, whereas I can easily protest the full-body scanners by flying as little as possible and opting for the more time-consuming pat-down when I do have to fly. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/83 "2010-11-30T01:50:09Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > I was obliged to watch several episodes of Sara Palin’s Alaska this weekend. I’d rather have a root canal using lemon juice as a pain killer administered by a demented masochistic dwarf using a blunt spoon as an instrument… > > _shudder_ That’s several hours of my life I’ll NEVER get back! > > -XT [Annotation added to **XT’s** Secret Police file, subfolder “Interrogation Methods”] ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/84 "2010-11-30T08:57:58Z")
> [@Namaste\_Che](#): > > I believe it’s only time to start worrying in USA if they try to touch your gun laws like they did in Australia 15 years ago basically disarming the entire population making the IMO INEVITABLE revolutions of 10-30 years from now extremely difficult here. Bwhuh? Are you serious? Australia is the least likely place to have a revolution pretty much ever. I mean, you can’t even get us to get excited about getting rid of the Queen, for pete’s sake… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/85 "2010-11-30T09:05:50Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/86 "2010-11-30T09:29:24Z")
> [@villa](#): > > It is? How? Fascism is an inherently totalitarian philosophy . . . But Fascism is a subset of Totalitarianism. I dunno: authoritarianism, certainly; but I can imagine a cult of the strong man and the state while still tolerating diverse religions and minorities (say) as long as they paid obeisance to the central authority. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/87 "2010-11-30T09:35:10Z")
Missed edit window: you might say that’s not Fascism but simple authoritarianism. But if you’re confining your definition to Fascist with a capital “F,” there’s probably too small of a sample set to really say one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/88 "2010-11-30T09:59:14Z")
I’ll give you that politicians and parties and governments within democracies can exhibit fascistic tendencies and policies. Such as the witch Thatcher, for example. But that doesn’t make them fascists. ---
**Author:** ![Namaste\_Che](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Namaste\_Che](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namaste_Che)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/89 "2010-11-30T11:25:14Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > Bwhuh? Are you serious? Australia is the least likely place to have a revolution pretty much ever. I mean, you can’t even get us to get excited about getting rid of the Queen, for pete’s sake… Serious, well no, not entirely. Though if food or mass transportation of food fails, you may be surprised what starving(aussie read:no beer) people(armed) are capable of. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245/90 "2010-11-30T15:18:33Z")
You guys really should get rid of the Queen, though. Monarchies are so passé. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coming-isnt-it-fascism/562245.md?page=4)