From: pchaston (pchaston@supanet.com)
Date: Thu Feb 07 2002 - 15:37:08 MST
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Lee Daniel Crocker
> Sent: 07 February 2002 20:06
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Re: Ashcroft Antics
>
>
> On Wed, 6 Feb 2002, Mike Lorrey wrote:
>
> > > Samantha,
> > > Please forgive me but in your original post you had
> also used the
> > > phrase "crypto-Fascist country." Could you please define that term?
> >
> > Crypto-fascist is a made up word created by left-wingers to describe
> > anyone who is not openly for socialism, or else anyone who is not openly
> > against any sort of system where individual responsibility, liberty, and
> > accomplishment are of paramount importance. Anyone who pursues and
> > extolls excellence rather than mediocrity is a crypto-fascist (which
> > explains so succinctly why there continues to be political strife among
> > transhumanists).
>
> Lee Daniel Crocker wrote
>
> I think you're giving its users too much credit. It's just a
> meaningless buzzword tossed around for emotional impact; to assign
> sinister motives implies that one is operating rationally to
> achieve some goal, rather than just reacting.
>
> snip
Crypto-fascist is a term often used by marginalised political movements to
argue that those in power have a hidden agenda of undermining democratic
government and supporting an agenda of authoritarianism and nationalism.
Crypto = hidden, as these "faceless fascists" do not wish to publicise their
long-term goal of an authoritarian, nationalist state after overturning
democracy. After all, fascists are the revolutionaries.
The description is not very useful as it can be compared to the use of the
term 'Communist' during the 1950s which functioned as a slur to undermine
the public reputation of many liberals as well as identifying communists.
You could toy with the clumsy term illiberal for Ashcroft although it has a
different sense for an American audience due to the pejorative connotations
of the term 'liberal'. Authoritarian is probably a sufficient descriptive
for his actions as he intends to extend the power and authority of the
Federal Government in an emergency situation at the expense of civil
liberties and percieved traditional freedoms.
Philip Chaston
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