The Mass Psychology of Fascism

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Re: As a dog will show it's belly in submission

Postby robertdreed » Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:11 am

blanc, I thnk that W. Reich was examining the personality vulnerabilities and behavior of the loyal followers of authoritarian political systems, rather than that of the leaders. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby yesferatu » Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:24 pm

Upon reading this thread, I decided to put off reading the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes, and read some some Reich first. I could tru and read both, but my head is only so big.<br>I will get to Jaynes soon enough. <p></p><i></i>
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opportunity

Postby blanc » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:04 am

"people behave like fascists if they suddenly get the opportunity"<br>No, no , not question of opportunity, question of desire - they desire to behave that way. not everyone does. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby terryintacoma » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:54 am

The Preface to the 3rd ed. above was written in 1942 btw.<br><br>I have read more about Reich by other authors than actually by him.<br><br>His work was unveiled to me in piecemeal through the years first learning of his studies in "orgone" energy, cancer cures, orgone energy accumulators, crossing state lines with them, prison and death, and of course the burning of his books by our gov.<br><br>Reich was renown for his work in psychoanalysis, attributing most (if not all) of mankind's ills to the suppression of the sexual drive creating what he termed the "emotional plague".<br>He found much of our psychosis and neurosis lodged in the muscles of our bodies and called this "armoring", and preferred to work directly with the muscles and skip alot of the endless talking that usually went along with psychoanalysis.<br><br>I was surprised when he stated in the preface above that the second layer below the armoring "consists exclusively of cruel, sadistic, lascivious...impulses." Exclusively, eh? Didn't know that. (although it could explain some of the behavior that shows up online, since very little armoring is required behind a computer screen.)<br><br>Anyway, he is going to (I think) somehow relate the blocking of this primal impulse (and calling it evil) and replacing it with mysticism/religion as a way governments can, more or less neutered us, made us powerless and in need of an authority/fatherlike figure.<br><br>idk, I'm getting sleepy again. lol<br><br>It seems to me, Reich was remaining scientific in his studies when he discovered the role this cosmic energy in life where Jung turned it into mysticism.<br><br>Ouish gave us a link above, where you can read Reich's "Listen Little Man" (on the excerpts from... link) which is, or was to me, a frightening rant about the emotional plague.<br><br>I also read "The Murder of Christ" and Reich went way off the deep end there. Scary fellow this Reich. O.o<br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: opportunity

Postby Joe Hillshoist » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:22 am

blanc, I think fascismn is a far suntler thing than people give it credit for, in that it worms its way into peoples psyche's, often forms after exposure to power and doesn't necessarily begin with visions of jackboots, or "swastikas in (my) head, plans for every(one).<br><br>Perhaps it is a question of desire, but that desire is probably to do more with the consequences of suffering power, in that ... <p></p><i></i>
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Re: The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby Joe Hillshoist » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:51 am

...emotional armouring, or what causes it, is what causes the ugliness in the second layer of personality Reich talks about.<br><br>I dunno about the exclusivity of that second layer, that's why the bit above tabout it being a perversion of something.<br><br>I dunno if you have noticed about muscle memory? It learns, riding a bicycle is probably a good example. When I was young I did heaps of hurdling, and now, even tho I haven't done it for over 15 years, I can still hurdle things almost as well, well about 60 % what I could do. I did hours of training tho. Same thing applies to martial arts, probably, I can talk about the memory aspect with confidence about hurdling tho cos its been years and yet I was stuffing around the other day, and could still do it.<br><br>Now think about anger and frustration, and how your body reacts to those and similar feelings, also think about ordinary pain, the physical kind, and how that can also be stored in your body. That clenching feeling in the muscles around the shoulders and often the jaw, well with me anyway. There's a certain rigidity that goes with such feelings, it probably mirrors the rigidity of fascism.<br><br>I think there is a mechanism for fascism in everyone and it accessed via frustration and anger (coming from pain, physical and other). More a malfunction than a mechanism, actually.<br><br>Reich's armouring metaphor is a good one for the process cos it sums up a few aspects of it. It puts it in a context. Armouring, emotional armouring, but the emotions are part of, indeed centred in the body, so the body becomes armoured too. At some point the natural process of armouring (gird your loins, or cos I like quoting Micheal Franti "If a policeman come, and try an break up the party tonight, that I would <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>stand firm</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> with you. And we would <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>brace</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> ourselves for the fight.)<br><br>Rightly or wrongly humans have evolved to the point where thats something males have had to face throughout time and across the earth. The possibility of violence, and therefore necessity of developing the ability to use it.<br><br>This process is anchored in body energy, or chi, and chi should flow with the chi of the universe, but armouring blocks chi flow and holds it in place. if it isn't released or used in it can be extremely detrimental to a persons health and to their state of mind.<br><br>Not everyone gets trapped by that process tho blanc, thats why we are not all fascists.<br><br>Maybe fascism is just what happens when the body politic's chi flow has a major blockage.<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :p --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":p"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Thats what I was getting at, that everyone has a potential for fascism, and it could be located in body tension and stress.<br><br>And some things that feed of that. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby Gouda » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:20 am

Bush on Foley:<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I mean, this is – you know, this is disgusting behavior when a – you know, a member of Congress betrays the trust of a – of the Congress and, you know, a family that sent a young page up to serve in the Congress," said Bush.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_blasts_study_that_estimates_655000_1011.html">www.rawstory.com/news/200..._1011.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>No mention of the kids, the victims. He feels for "the congress" and sort of throws in "the family" for good manners. I understand that many of the page families are politically-connected. Important families. Like his. The victimized kids? Not real. Not even a concept beyond that of institutional...coin. <br><br>It's like Hitler's paintings of architectural structures with malformed, tiny token human figurines scattered about the edifaces. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=gouda@rigorousintuition>Gouda</A> at: 10/12/06 5:26 am<br></i>
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Re: The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:32 pm

Finally, John Dean is giving interviews for his new book and educating people on what an authoritarian personality is, the precursor to fascism.<br><br>Searched up and found this at DemocraticUnderground.-<br>------------------------<br><br>After WWII social scientists made inquiries into how large populations could follow monsters like Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, etc. and they determined that a key psychological trait was reponsible. They called it an 'authoritarian personality.'<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.anesi.com/fscale.htm">www.anesi.com/fscale.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>(The F-Scale Questionnaire)<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://empirewatch.org/pages/_archives/fascism/pages/14_symptoms.html">empirewatch.org/pages/_ar...ptoms.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>(14 Symptoms of Fascism)<br><br>Coincidentally, the 'authoritarian personality' is common in conservatives and fundamentalist religious sects.<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/07/22_politics.shtml">www.berkeley.edu/news/med...tics.shtml</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>(What Makes A Conservative Mind)<br><br>Tying all this together is this British psychologist's assessment of Georgie W's childhood family experiences, alcoholism and religion which explains his recklessly destructive mindset and policies.<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1033904,00.html">www.guardian.co.uk/usa/st...04,00.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>(So George, How Do You Feel About Your Mom and Dad?) <p></p><i></i>
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f score

Postby blanc » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:24 am

I'm a liberal airhead, how about the rest of youse?<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Joe fascism (political drug) is the fix, which permits one to exteriorise the anger, but you have to have the desire to take it. that's where the individual choice comes - anger, present in many or all, is only part of the mechanism. its the cowards way - so they have to drag others with them. others may turn their anger to creative or self destructive channels - becoming what fascists hate - artists or degenerates (or both at same time <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> ) <p></p><i></i>
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Re: f score

Postby Joe Hillshoist » Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:58 am

I fully agree blanc,<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>that's where the individual choice comes - anger, present in many or all, is only part of the mechanism. its the cowards way - so they have to drag others with them.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Unfortunately there seem to be far too many cowards for comfort.<br><br>And lots of loud mouthed wowsers.<br><br>Bad mix.<br><br>That comment about Hitlers pictures somehow fits with that. <p></p><i></i>
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Bicameral Mind VS Mass Psychology of Fascism

Postby thurnandtaxis » Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:57 am

Yesferatu, you certainly have come upon an interesting nexus of titles. Myself having read only the former title in full and the latter in part am quite interested in how both seem to describe the advent of what feminists have termed the patriarchy, which has expressed itself in both eastern and western systems of socio-political governance and ideological religion.<br><br>Hopefully your processing of both titles will yeild more pleasant results than my current reading list of Levenda's Sinister Forces +<br>Terry's Ultimate Evil + Downard's Carnivals of Life and Death have produced for me.<br><br>Why is it that we must spend so much time in diagnosing this nightmare rather than in living it's opposite? <p></p><i></i>
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