Political Frauds and the Ghost of Totalitarianism

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Henry A. Giroux | Political Frauds and the Ghost of Totalitarianism

Tuesday, 15 September 2015 00:00
By Henry A. Giroux, Truthout | News Analysis


In the current historical moment in the United States, the emptying out of language is nourished by the assault on the civic imagination. One example of this can be found in the rise of Donald Trump on the political scene. Trump's popular appeal speaks to not just the boldness of what he says and the shock it provokes, but the inability to respond to shock with informed judgment rather than titillation. Marie Luise Knott is right in noting, "We live our lives with the help of the concepts we form of the world. They enable an author to make the transition from shock to observation to finally creating space for action - for writing and speaking. Just as laws guarantee a public space for political action, conceptual thought ensures the existence of the four walls within which judgment operates." (1) The concepts that now guide our understanding of US society are dominated by a corporate-induced linguistic and authoritarian model that brings ruin to language, politics and democracy itself.

Missing from the commentaries by most of the mainstream media regarding the current rise of Trumpism is any historical context that would offer a critical account of the ideological and political disorder plaguing US society - personified by Trump's popularity. A resurrection of historical memory in this moment could provide important lessons regarding the present crisis, particularly the long tradition of racism, white supremacy, exceptionalism, warmongering and the extended wars on youth, women and immigrants. Calling Trump a fascist is not enough. We need deeper analyses in which the seeds of totalitarianism are made visible in Trump's discourse and policy measures.

One example can be found in Steve Weissman's commentary on Trump in which he draws a relationship between Trump's casual racism and the rapidly growing neo-fascist movements across Europe that "are growing strong by hating others for their skin color, religious origin, or immigrant status." Few journalists have acknowledged the presence of white militia and white supremacists groups at Trump's rallies and almost none have acknowledged the chanting of "white power" at some of his political gatherings, which would surely signal not only Trump's connections to a racist past, but also to the formative Nazi culture that gave rise to the endgame of genocide.

Another example can be found in Glenn Greenwald's analysis of the mainstream media's treatment of Trump's attack on Jorge Ramos, an influential anchor of Univision. When Ramos stood up to question Trump's views on immigration, Trump not only refused to call on him, but also insulted him by telling him to go back to Univision. Instead of focusing on this particular lack of civility, Greenwald takes up the way many journalists scolded Ramos because he had a point of view and was committed to a political narrative. Greenwald saw this not just as a disingenuous act on the part of establishment journalists, but as a weakness that furthers the march of an authoritarian regime that does not have to be accountable to the press. Trump may be bold in his willingness to flaunt his racism and make clear that money drives politics, but this is not new and should surprise no one who is historically and civically literate. ..................(more)

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/32800-political-frauds-and-the-ghost-of-totalitarianism