I take it you were referring to Nazism and Fascism in your previous post. (Although contrary to what some people believe, Nazism wasn't wholly atheist, and Hitler, for example, remained a member of his church all his life.)
I was thinking of African countries and Latin American countries and the rise of dictators (the most violent manifestation of this "blotting out difference," nevermind the complexities of how these are enabled by foreign powers some times). I'm using fascism very, very broadly. But yeah definitely, Nazism fits the bill. I know only the basics of the situation in Germany then, but I remember hearing that it too was a movement that could be directly linked to a desperation over the political satus quo--only this time economic hardship was added to the mix.
Warning for EVEN MORE Thread Drift!
And you know, I don't need to look as far as the Middle East to be disturbed. That Chavez in Venezuela really, really scared me for a while. Why would you shut down the media that disagrees with you? Why would you try to end presidential term limits? Why would you give the State so much power? It all sounds like the worst case of deja vu. Thank god the National Assembly said no to those changes (even though I think the media outlet shut down was moved to Colombia, I think--not so sure).
It's a scary world.
alcyone
