One thing in this book that always stuck with me was Parenti's description of how Italian neofascists campaigned in order to achieve the goals of fascism within the confines of liberal democracy: using upbeat crowd-pleasers that draw the attention of the media, vaguely attacking "the system" while supporting the strengthening of its repressive aspects, blaming immigrants and minorities, attacking social services, etc. He wrote this decades ago but he might as well be describing any modern far right figurehead, they all follow this exact same playbook.
Also important to remember that Mussolini was basically "that guy" in the socialist circles. Good at organizing, but also very self centered.
He was recruited by the capitalists for a reason and fascism is basically the purest form of "cult of personality". I remember reading Debord and thinking it was odd that he focused on Stalin being the big "cult of personality" guy and the first big example of the concentrated spectacule while totally ignoring and downplaying Mussolini and Hitler as basically the model for everything that came after.
I really like Debord's theory of spectacle and I think the concept of "integrated spectacle" is incredibly useful, especially in the internet age, but his anti-sovietism is tiring and pointless at times.
Like the concept of "concentrated spectacle" being a cult of personality, an ideological control mechanism focused on a single individual and "diffuse spectacle", a control mechanism that permeates the social order with no direct human face (advertisment) being the big separation between fascism and capitalism makes sense. But he never really makes that conclusion. He only ever sees the concentrated spectacle in the USSR under Stalin.
The integrated spectacle, if you see concentrated spectacle as a symptom of fascism, suddenly has much more meaning. It's the encroachment of fascism on the diffuse capitalist status quo. It's the creation of "great men" by which the dominant ideology flows into society and re-enforces capitalist social relations. The integrated spectacle is the creation of a million little Hitler's and Mussolini's to serve as control mechanisms over the awakening proletariat.
![[Book Club | Part 1 Discussion] Blackshirts and Reds](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/0AZOoJgwYG.png){kind=link}
One thing in this book that always stuck with me was Parenti's description of how Italian neofascists campaigned in order to achieve the goals of fascism within the confines of liberal democracy: using upbeat crowd-pleasers that draw the attention of the media, vaguely attacking "the system" while supporting the strengthening of its repressive aspects, blaming immigrants and minorities, attacking social services, etc. He wrote this decades ago but he might as well be describing any modern far right figurehead, they all follow this exact same playbook.
Also important to remember that Mussolini was basically "that guy" in the socialist circles. Good at organizing, but also very self centered.
He was recruited by the capitalists for a reason and fascism is basically the purest form of "cult of personality". I remember reading Debord and thinking it was odd that he focused on Stalin being the big "cult of personality" guy and the first big example of the concentrated spectacule while totally ignoring and downplaying Mussolini and Hitler as basically the model for everything that came after.
deleted by creator
I really like Debord's theory of spectacle and I think the concept of "integrated spectacle" is incredibly useful, especially in the internet age, but his anti-sovietism is tiring and pointless at times.
Like the concept of "concentrated spectacle" being a cult of personality, an ideological control mechanism focused on a single individual and "diffuse spectacle", a control mechanism that permeates the social order with no direct human face (advertisment) being the big separation between fascism and capitalism makes sense. But he never really makes that conclusion. He only ever sees the concentrated spectacle in the USSR under Stalin.
The integrated spectacle, if you see concentrated spectacle as a symptom of fascism, suddenly has much more meaning. It's the encroachment of fascism on the diffuse capitalist status quo. It's the creation of "great men" by which the dominant ideology flows into society and re-enforces capitalist social relations. The integrated spectacle is the creation of a million little Hitler's and Mussolini's to serve as control mechanisms over the awakening proletariat.
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator