Re: <nettime> The Rise of dot-communism

[Newmedia@aol.com]

Ronda (Mitchell):

I believe (since we had some off-net discussion of this) what Mitchell was
getting at is that "democracy" itself is suspect under current
circumstances. 

On multiple counts. 

One level of that suspicion stems from the inherently "simulated" nature
of so much of our lives.  "Is it real or is it Internet?" 

The expression of "popular will" -- what some think of as "democracy" --
has always been a serious issue but, with the addition of technology (i.e.
the capacity for mass-scale social "simulation"), the problem becomes much
worse. 

Dick Morris (the always-rebounding, hooker-dating political manipulator)
has just teamed up with "Dickie" Scruggs (the whip-'em up and
cash-in-yer-chips, populist Big Tobacco litigator) in their latest scheme,
www.vote.com.  They paid $250,000 for the URL (some report) and they are
going to turn "democracy" loose.  Perhaps you've heard of it. 

Is that what you mean by "democracy"? 

Bert Gross, a very interesting and well respected social historian (also
recently deceased), wrote the controversial book titled "Friendly Fascism"
in 1980.  Perhaps you know it. 

In it he paints a very bleak picture which would be useful for those who
are concerned about, let's say ICANN, to understand and incorporate. 
Maybe you should buy up the remaining copies and pass them out . . . or
negotiate for the e-publishing rights.  In any event, read it, for all our
sakes.  Then write a book review. 

The alliance between "Big Government" and "Big Business" -- or in
political-economic terms, the "corporativism", or
business-acting-as-government, which is the textbook definition of
"fascism" -- is his target.  That sounds familiar enough, in "progressive"
circles.  Right? 

But, he goes an important next step by unhooking "authoritarian" from
"fascist."  This is very important because Gross' colleagues, the Social
Psychologists, welded "authority" to "fascism" -- falsely -- following WW
II. To be precise, the Frankfurt School did the welding, in their 1948
"The Authortarian Personality."  Gross does the brave thing and breaks
that weld.  For this he deserves a medal.  Or, maybe a parade. 

This un-welding of "authority" from "fascism" is important precisely
because the "simulation" of being free and the "simulation" of being in
control are exactly the characteristics of "fascism" in our times.  This
is a mistake that is still being made every day of the week.  Falling for
the "simulation."  Fighting the old battle inside the new "simulation." 

Instead of questioning anything fundamental about the current situation --
in which you merely substitute PGOs (post-governmental organizations) for
"Big Government" and trans-nationals for "Big Business" to update Gross'
1970's pre-Internet analysis -- various "citizens" organizations are
falling right into the "democracy" trap. 

You see it in "human rights."  You see it in the fight about "genetic
engineering."  The same trap;  the same mistakes. 

You don't stop "Friendly Fascism" -- or its updated Internet version,
Cyber-Fascism -- with "democracy."  That's the old mistake of equating
"fascism" with "authority."  That's a 1930's, "modernist" version of all
this.  It's hopelessly out-of-date. 

Cyber-Fascism demands "democracy" and "liberation."  It thrives on
"friendliness" and "tolerance."  It requires "participation" and "freedom
of expresssion."  It battles "hate" and "prejudice."  Thus, the
"progressives" with their cries for "democracy" are making the situation
worse, not better.  Dick Morris and "Dickie" Scruggs are laughing all the
way to the bank.  Cyber-fascism is gaining every day. 

Leftists are still fighting the "fascism" of the 1930's.  Not the
"fascism" of the 1990's.  They are, in fact, defeating themselves.  They
are falling for the "simulation." 

Dot-Communism is Cyber-Fascism.  Which is why Barlow gets away discussing
it in front of a right-wing audience.  Acid-head Republicanism is
"Friendly Fascism."  Get it? 

What do you do? 

Well, how do you step out of the "simulation"?  Not by championing
everything that the "simulation" (aka the Internet) has given us, that's
for sure.  And, not by falling into the "democracy" trap, either.  That's
playing into Dick Morris' hands. 

Norbert Wiener, the "father" of cybernetics (and my father's mentor), knew
the problem we would be facing when he wrote his "Human Use of Human
Beings" in 1950.  He saw the coming of "Friendly Fascism", of "simulated"
everything, long before most others.  Way ahead of the game.  He spent
enormous time with many of the leading "progressives" of his day,
particularly various labor leaders, and came up empty-handed. 

Some people even try to pretend that Wiener was excited about all that
technology would bring.  They should read his last book, "God and Golem,
Inc.", published after his death in 1963, to understand the depths of his
concerns about the full-scale "simulation" of humanity.  The "Golem." 
And, its relationship to the "Inc." 

Wiener knew that you needed to go way back, before electricity, to get
some clues about all this.  Pre-simulation.  So did McLuhan, among others. 
Without a "classical" pre-simulation training, you are lost.  Your
humanity is lost, to be precise. 

And, what do you learn about "democracy", by dailing-in the situation as
it was, pre-simulation?  That "democracy" was invented by and deployed in
a slave society where women never spoke in public.  Indeed, women rarely
left the house.  "Democracy" should be suspect on many levels.  Both the
"simulated" sort and the original. 

Mitchell has raised a very important point.  Is there a danger of fooling
ourselves that the "simulation" of "democracy" will help, when it might be
the worst thing going? 

Yes, there is,

Mark Stahlman

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