One of the central reasons why fascism is unacceptable to civilised people is the willingness of fascists to treat people without humanity. It is a point of pride with fascists to cultivate ‘hardness’. They deem it necessary to encourage their followers to treat people without respect for their dignity as human beings. They regard human sympathy and compassion as a weakness to be suppressed.

This cold and unfeeling treatment of others is a feature of all dictatorships and totalitarian states whether of the left or the right. It is the basis for atrocities such as the Holocaust, torture and genocide. If we are to avoid such brutality in the future we need to take steps to reduce the prevalence of this inhumanity.

We need to develop a culture in which fascism will have difficulty in flourishing. Essential to this task is encouraging the human responses of respect and sympathy, critical thinking and the capacity to resist social pressure.

The human responses of respect and sympathy for others can be inhibited in a variety of ways. Authoritarian leaders have often had experiences in childhood which have suppressed these human responses. The abused then become abusers. They create experiences for their followers designed to turn them into ruthless participants in their inhumane practices. As they gain power they create circumstances in which atrocities carried out by large sections of the population become commonplace.

One of the ways authoritarian leaders mould their followers is by suppressing critical thinking. Scepticism and questioning of authority are discouraged in a variety of ways especially through intimidation and fear. Ends are said to justify means.

Associated with this attack on rationality is the weakening of the sense of personal identity. People are discouraged from taking responsibility for their actions. Any individuality is submerged. This is designed to make people succumb to authority and conform to group pressures.

To resist these totalitarian methods, people need to be encouraged to think critically. They also need to develop the strength to question immoral authority and stand up to peer pressure.
Some positive steps we can take to promote repect and sympathy are: treating people with consideration and courtesy; being polite and respectful of others; being hospitable and welcoming; being ready to offer help; showing concern for others’ feelings and situation; being ready to apologise; being ready to step over one’s pride; building the self-esteem of others by giving them recognition; listening to the point of view of others even when we disagree; learning conflict resolution and mediation; learning to negotiate so that all parties to a dispute achieve satisfaction; learning to handle one’s anger; learning social skills to resolve conflict without resorting to personal attacks and revenge.

Some actions to avoid are: humiliation and degrading treatment of others; physical attacks on others; bullying; devaluing others; using physical pain to teach or control others; making threats; spreading malicious rumours and gossip.

Critical thinking requires people to learn some basic logic so that they can spot the flaws in arguments and propaganda.

Developing the capacity to resist social pressure requires the kind of training given to children to say ‘no’ to unwanted sexual advances, and drugs.
These steps in building an antifascist culture can be taken in all aspects of our lives but are especially important in child rearing and education.

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