Emergence of Democratic Fascism

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The term ‘Fascist’, once reserved for the likes of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Juan Peron, and Francisco Franco, is in vogue these days. Heads of governments, political leaders, social activists, prominent intellectuals, and even performing artistes are now called fascists with ease.

President Vladimir Putin calls the Ukrainians fascists. President Putin himself is labeled a fascist by several commentators and politicians. A well-known Indian poet and lyricist calls his Prime Minister a fascist. Paul Krugman insists President Donald Trump is a fascist. Meanwhile, President Trump refers to the protesters and activists as a form of ‘new far-left fascism’. These are only a handful of examples.

Such claims cannot be ignored as random ramblings, given compelling arguments about the personalities, their proclamations, actions, and considered inaction. Is fascism returning in a new avatar?

Fascism is ‘a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition’(Merriam-Webster). This definition today resonates with many democratically elected governments around the world.    

Philippines President Duterte imposed martial law and publicly threatened anyone who dared to challenge his decision, “… you ask me to lift it? I will arrest you and put you behind bars”. He told his security apparatus, ‘You can arrest any person, search any house…If you happen to have raped three women, I will own up to it.’ President Trump relentlessly rubbished the fourth estate known as a pillar of democracy. Turkish President Erdogan arrested over 50,000 citizens and sacked or suspended 150,000 people from jobs post a failed coup attempt. In an increasingly intolerant India, people may get cornered on suspicion of eating a specific kind of food, jailed for caricaturing politicians, beaten up for criticizing religion, and threatened for trivial acts in stand-up comedy shows while the top leadership maintains an eerie silence. Rather than inspiring democratic joie de vivre, such events remind us of the first half of the twentieth century.

Demagoguery, centralization of power, disregard for traditional institutions, push for a monolithic society, majoritarian mindset, ultra-nationalist propaganda, and branding of contradicting opinions as anti-national seems to be a new normal even in matured democracies. Their leaders enjoy a cult-like following. The electorate returns them to power despite telltale signs of dictatorial traits. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent triumph in Hungary is the latest example of this phenomenon. Why do leaders with proven disregard for democratic principles get democratically reelected, often with a bigger majority?

Frustrated with the elected representatives’ chronic failure to deliver, the voters are losing faith in classic democracy. They want sustainable peace, security, and prosperity and are willing to look the other way when charismatic leaders trample on egalitarian fundamentals. The stage is set for a new order. We have disillusioned electorates happy to compromise their freedom for a better existence. And we have a new crop of rightist leaders with magnetic personalities, hypnotic oratory skills, arrogance, well-disguised mercilessness, disdain for democratic practices, and belief in societal homogeneity. A new form of governance emerges. These leaders lead establishments that exhibit fascist traits – ‘far-right ultra-nationalism, strong regulation of the society, supremacist beliefs, a relentless exaltation of past national glory, the myth of decadence, majoritarianism et. el. But they are not fascist because they rise to power, remain in control, and execute their policies using democratic platforms. They abuse institutions to harass the opposition but do not openly intimidate or eliminate them. The civic institutions are not shut but controlled within the available legal framework. These leaders look like democrats; behave like fascists. The majority who elected them to power applaud by the ringside. The rest do not matter. Their votes aren’t required for the leaders to return to power.

It is Democratic Fascism. Love it or hate it, this is another form of governance gaining strength across the world, from Brazil to The Philippines and in other beacons of democracies in between.  

This trend is likely to continue till we unwittingly find ourselves in the grips of benevolently authoritarian rules shaved off the garb of democracy. But the leaders will degenerate, slowly but surely, into oppressive dictators. The people will then realize the costly trade-off. A déjà vu – a renewed struggle for freedom, democracy, socialism, and justice – shall follow.

For now, stand by to witness more democratic fascists emerge around the globe!

 Love colors for what they are - the bounty of colors!

 

Imagine our world without colors! Imagine if the flora and fauna, our houses, the cars, and the clothes were all plain white! What if there were no rainbows? What if the captivating classics like a peacock’s brilliant plumage, the sky in twilight hours, a freshly cut piece of ripe watermelon, and the rosy pink cheeks of children in cold highlands were devoid of any colors?

Yes, the colors are central to the splendor of our world; they make this world worth living in. We have our preferences. If one likes blue, someone else loves pink. If John likes Green, Sanjana may loath it insisting only on purple. Her best friend may accept nothing but light yellow. Our chemistry with colors is not easy to explain since our perceptions and preferences vary wildly. I love blue in all its shades. A friend of mine keeps anything blue at arm’s length. I can’t understand. How can a man not like blue? Pass it on to individuality. Just the way we have our preferences for food, friends, cars, and hairstyles, let there be the personalization of colors to suit everyone.

Even deities have their preferences. If Lord Shiva prefers deep blue, the Sun loves red. While performing a religious ritual, I used to always keep aside a red Hibiscus for the ultimate offering to Surya Devta. 

However, our fixations with colors transcend fundamental personal likes and dislikes. We let them pervade the world of our feelings, emotions, and relationships. Colors start representing, symbolizing, and influencing our state of mind. This is where conventional wisdom loses; tradition and collective behavior take over.

Many years back, a close friend saw me in a restaurant dining with a stunner. He came to me and whispered, “Hey, I am all green.” I looked at him and found no trace of green in him. He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt! I thought he was out of his mind and I let it pass with a smile. I could not figure it out till someone told me later that it was a metaphor for envy! Poor green! What has the color done to earn that curse? 

I love the song titled ‘Any Day Now’ by Elvis Presley, sung by various artistes over the years. When I heard the lyrics carefully for the first time, I wondered why should ‘the blue shadow fall all over town’ when his love’s ‘restless eyes meet someone new’. I was enlightened by a friend that blue is associated with sadness. My heart cried out for my favorite color. How on earth did blue, a hue full of freshness and sobriety, get linked up with melancholy? Then why don’t we all wear blue in a funeral?

We say the man is in pink of his health! What has pink got to do with sound health? If the intention is to reflect vibrancy, youth, agility, and strength, there could have been other true representatives from the fascinating array of colors that we are blessed with.

Red does evoke a sense of aggression, power, boldness, and flamboyance. Even the bulls love it! But, why does a company go red when it loses money? Why associate despondency with a color that elsewhere symbolizes aggression and bravado? Why does it turn black when it starts making profits again? Isn’t black the color we chose to mourn? How come we celebrate black in our corporate life?

Not to forget the lovely white color; a color that is so serene, soothing, fresh, peaceful, and non-controversial! It makes a whole lot of sense that white flags symbolize truce. Warring factions use flags of this color to depute representatives for discussions and negotiations. Even in the days of Mahabharata, it was an absolute taboo to attack anyone galloping in with a white flag. Then, why do we call the vanquished whitewashed even in innocuous games between nations? Why do we say the Australians were whitewashed when they last played test cricket in India? Are we being fair to this sober color when we misuse it to depict an absolute triumph over a hapless opposition? Looking from where the vanquished stand, the white must be looking blood red!

Colors are blessings in our lives. They are best relished and celebrated for what they are. When we relate them to the complex world of the human mind, they lose their character, get confusing and lose the very purpose for which they exist. Let us enjoy the joie de vivre in each color. Let the shades of green in our paddy fields inspire us with that unique freshness without reminding us of our worst enemy, the envy. Let us enjoy the divine beauty of a clear blue sky without a trace of sadness. For all of us with corporate responsibilities, let us enjoy the boldness of red without remembering our worst professional nightmare. Let us wear black when we want without being reminded that mourning is a part of our life we can never avoid.

Let us indulge ourselves in the bounty of colors that nature has blessed us with. Let us love them for the exquisite beauty that they are. Let us not give them any other name.