- cross-posted to:
- leftymemes@lemmy.dbzer0.com
- i_love_FFT ( @i_love_FFT@lemmy.ml ) 22•1 year ago
The “bundle of sticks” analogy has historically been used a lot by fascists. If someone used it to try to convince me, you can be sure it would backfire!
- Kichae ( @Kichae@lemmy.ca ) 16•1 year ago
"Well, you see, a single stick can easiky be broken in two, but a bundle of sticks will stand to almost anything!
Now, imagine if you will, that one of those sticks was actually an axe handle…"
- i_love_FFT ( @i_love_FFT@lemmy.ml ) 13•1 year ago
“… used to prosecute minorities.”
- Chariotwheel ( @Chariotwheel@kbin.social ) 10•1 year ago
Funnily the term “fascism” originated from a bundle of sticks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces
- IWantToFuckSpez ( @IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social ) 4•1 year ago
So fascists are faggots https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/faggot
- Malgas ( @Malgas@beehaw.org ) English8•1 year ago
In fact it’s literally the origin of the word fascism: from the Latin fascis, meaning “bundle”.
- irmoz ( @irmoz@reddthat.com ) 5•1 year ago
Yeah, the faggot analogy is great but too wrapped up in fascism
- chicken ( @chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 1•1 year ago
I’m not sure it is great, to me it seems to handily encapsulate the bad parts of authoritarian ideologies. It’s a demand to follow the will of the group, and to prioritize your group identity in order to accumulate power for that group. Whether that group is race, nationality, or economic class, to think of yourself primarily as an instrumental component of it is an abdication of responsibility to have and apply your own unique perspective and thoughts, and leads naturally to abuses by whoever happens to be doing the thinking for all these people who have chosen loyalty over agency.
Which isn’t to say that cooperation isn’t important and necessary to accomplishing any goal, but if this sort of group unity is the core idea it seems extremely dangerous and malignant.
- irmoz ( @irmoz@reddthat.com ) 2•1 year ago
I’m not sure it is great, to me it seems to handily encapsulate the bad parts of authoritarian ideologies.
What’s authoritarian about strength in numbers?
It’s a demand to follow the will of the group, and to prioritize your group identity in order to accumulate power for that group.
Um… is it?
Whether that group is race, nationality, or economic class, to think of yourself primarily as an instrumental component of it is an abdication of responsibility to have and apply your own unique perspective and thoughts, and leads naturally to abuses by whoever happens to be doing the thinking for all these people who have chosen loyalty over agency.
Yeah, you just made all that up.
Which isn’t to say that cooperation isn’t important and necessary to accomplishing any goal, but if this sort of group unity is the core idea it seems extremely dangerous and malignant.
You are adding “group unity” yourself. “Ape together strong” just means groups are stronger than individuals.
- chicken ( @chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 2•1 year ago
“Ape together strong” just means groups are stronger than individuals.
I’m talking more about the bundle of sticks metaphor than the apes thing
- irmoz ( @irmoz@reddthat.com ) 1•1 year ago
Yes, groups are stronger than individuals
- chicken ( @chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 1•1 year ago
So what? What I’m saying is that it’s toxic to make that power itself the core message (I have already explained why), and anyone would be right to deeply distrust someone using that sort of iconography as such in a political context. As a metaphor it is very directly evocative of falling into line for instrumental strength.
- irmoz ( @irmoz@reddthat.com ) 1•1 year ago
No, that’s specifically the fascist interpretation, and is a false collectivism. Fascism is individualism dressed up in collectivism.
Fascists say the individual is the core of society, and has its place only to serve the “collective” (the state).
True collectivism says the collective should serve every individual.
The difference may sound subtle, but trust me, it really isn’t.
Saying groups are stronger than individuals is a reminder that those in power only have power because we let them, and we can easily remove them if we work together. That is not the message of fascism.
- trailing9 ( @trailing9@lemmy.ml ) 14•1 year ago
That works with all groups. Use scary words and everybody reacts emotionally. That’s where new euphemisms are created.
- trailing9 ( @trailing9@lemmy.ml ) 3•1 year ago
Is there a lemmy community where things can be discussed while using all the scary words?
- TigrisMorte ( @TigrisMorte@kbin.social ) 4•1 year ago
It isn’t that the words are scary that they should be avoided, it is that so few People bothered to learn what any of them actually are. And based upon the childish proclamation you made, I’m including you in the can’t be bothered crowd.
- irmoz ( @irmoz@reddthat.com ) 4•1 year ago
And because they can’t be bothered to learn what they are…
… they’re scary.
- Omega_Haxors ( @Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml ) 3•1 year ago
Hmm apes together strong so like, you get a bundle of sticks and apply that to society and then we can call it fasciiiisss-… awwwww fuck…