No doubt that they do. I’m just not sure if it’s productive to say that this is an inherent characteristic to fascist propaganda, or if that’s trivializing the issue, since many intelligent and educated people are also drawn to it. Minor point of distinction though, I grant you that.
Absolutely it’s productive, and important. Also maybe I have the barest semblance of standards but it’s essentially a requirement to be at least a little fucking stupid in order to support right-wing policies.
Also, if you go off about how having a university degree and/or having specialized knowledge in one or a couple things is equal to general intelligence and the kind which enables solid critical thinking skills then I have bad news about which side you may likely fall on. I know many people good at their little tasks who are ultimately not people I fully trust to make good decisions on their own.
We’re talking about intelligence here, a concept that comes with a lot of baggage, so I agree that it’s good to be precise. Critical thinking skills and good decision-making is definitely part of what I meant when I posted my comment.
In my opinion, your use of the term is in danger of
essentializing intelligence: “This fascist may have a good education and specialized skills, but they are not in and of themselves intelligent.” I think it’s better to think of intelligence as a contingent and situational social effect rather than as an inherent property of a person.
becoming a tautology: “Intelligent people could never support this, therefore I know that all fascists are stupid.” This type of argument just dosn’t hold.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that fascism appeals to the uneducated and unintelligent, but it would be a mistake to reduce it to a function of intellect, or an “ideology of the stupid”. There’s plenty of dangerous, sincere fascists who are quite intelligent in all useful meanings of the word.
Also maybe I have the barest semblance of standards but it’s essentially a requirement to be at least a little fucking stupid in order to support right-wing policies.
Hypothetically, I think it’s possible for a person to support right-wing policies (in a nutshell: policies that enforce social hierarchies) without being even a little fucking stupid, if (a) they actually are at the top of said hierarchy (in actual reality, not their own delusion), and (b) they’re an absolute psychopath.
No doubt that they do. I’m just not sure if it’s productive to say that this is an inherent characteristic to fascist propaganda, or if that’s trivializing the issue, since many intelligent and educated people are also drawn to it. Minor point of distinction though, I grant you that.
Absolutely it’s productive, and important. Also maybe I have the barest semblance of standards but it’s essentially a requirement to be at least a little fucking stupid in order to support right-wing policies.
Also, if you go off about how having a university degree and/or having specialized knowledge in one or a couple things is equal to general intelligence and the kind which enables solid critical thinking skills then I have bad news about which side you may likely fall on. I know many people good at their little tasks who are ultimately not people I fully trust to make good decisions on their own.
We’re talking about intelligence here, a concept that comes with a lot of baggage, so I agree that it’s good to be precise. Critical thinking skills and good decision-making is definitely part of what I meant when I posted my comment.
In my opinion, your use of the term is in danger of
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that fascism appeals to the uneducated and unintelligent, but it would be a mistake to reduce it to a function of intellect, or an “ideology of the stupid”. There’s plenty of dangerous, sincere fascists who are quite intelligent in all useful meanings of the word.
Hypothetically, I think it’s possible for a person to support right-wing policies (in a nutshell: policies that enforce social hierarchies) without being even a little fucking stupid, if (a) they actually are at the top of said hierarchy (in actual reality, not their own delusion), and (b) they’re an absolute psychopath.
Yea I meant to add that on at the end and just didn’t.