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Scientifictionist, issue 2, 1945

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philosophy of Fascism was crystallized into a working fact in Italy, Germany, Japan and all their minor satellites, who, under the very noses of the dozing democracies began carving up the world to suit themselves. Not only that, they went busily to work and started undermining the already shaky foundations of their dangerous but sleepy enemies. It almost worked, but not quite. The fascist nations had to act and act fast. The vast public works projects were petering out; giant armies and munitions plants had to be maintained and operated to prevent unemployment, and unemployment meant chaos. What could they do? Expand further internally? How? Modernize factories and build more consumer goods? But that would create more leisure time, and that means more time to think, and wonder, and think some more. No, people shouldn't think, at least the masses shouldn't. It breeds unrest and revolt. No, something else. What about mechanizing the farms? After all, Herr Hitler, one of Russia's outer provinces has more tractors than all of Germany. "But if we do that more people will move into cities where they can get together and scheme and plan in cellars and attics and perhaps someday realize they are at the bottom of a monstrous social stratification and are being kept there so a minute upper-class can live in lavish luxury. Nein. Ach mein Gott! What would happen to my Farben-Industrie, my Hermann Georing Werke, my Krupp stocks that are up so many points today? Don't let me them think."

For this is the mainspring of fascist control. Work them till they drop, until they're too tired to think. Give them just enough to keep them satisfied, but no more. Keep their bellies full, but their minds empty. Keep their eyes and ears full; Wagnerian thunder, massive parades and demonstrations, flaring torches, bookburnings, red herrings in the form of Jews, gilt harpies atop stately buildings with white marble outside and black corruption inside. Men with dark, greasy hair screaming about blond Aryan purity; men with pot bellies, and spindly legs, and club feet bleating of Kraft-durch-Freude. Give them all that but don't let them think. So, internal expansion was out. They had to expand -- let it be external expansion. Of course, that was the only answer, and luckily the rest of the world was still strong enough to fight back and eventually win. Perhaps it is just as well that Hitler attacked when he did. If he had waited five years, the indifference of depression ridden people in America and England might have made those democracies as decadent as Hitler said they really were. We would have been push-overs. We're just lucky, that's all.

And who's to blame? Well mainly the fascist nations and the forces that created them. Perhaps our own native fascists helped a little, and perhaps so did anybody who would profit by a war that kept factories running and money jingling in their pockets. Perhaps all those people who would rather hide their minds behind Lil' Abner than worry about other peoples suffering; would rather read Dick Tracey than read about what was going on in the world and doing something about it. Just read the doings of Terry and Burma, that's all the war you need. Don't think. Don't worry. It'll just give you ulcers. Well, we didn't fight very hard to prevent war. Why should we; wars are a very profitable racket in any age. This war for instance. Foreign nation wants steel, copper, lead, oil, etc. Swell, sell it to 'em. But first lend them the money to buy it with, at 6%. Profitable, no? Then foreign power declares war on us. So. Same guys who sold war materials to enemy get busy and work to make war goods for us. Very neat, very nice. You kill two birds with one stone. We get 'em coming and we get 'em going. Look at them Yankee dollahs rolling in. Goody for us! Hooray for free enterprise. (Five years ago it was private enterprise.) What's good for business is good for you! So maybe the Japs drop a Ford rear end and smash the life out of you, or riddle you with Singer sewing machine parts, or remove a couple of legs with a piece of scrap from a Los Angeles junkyard, so it's good for you, that's what. We gotta make a living, don't we? (do you?) And you'll

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philosophy of Fascism was crystallized into a working fact in Italy, Germany, Japan and all their minor satellites, who, under the very noses of the dozing democracies began carving up the world to suit themselves. Not only that, they went busily to work and started undermining the already shaky foundations of their dangerous but sleepy enemies. It almost worked, but not quite. The fascist nations had to act and act fast. The vast public works projects were petering out; giant armies and munitions plants had to be maintained and operated to prevent unemployment, and unemployment meant chaos. What could they do? Expand further internally? How? Modernize factories and build more consumer goods? But that would create more leisure time, and that means more time to think, and wonder, and think some more. No, people shouldn't think, at least the masses shouldn't. It breeds unrest and revolt. No, something else. What about mechanizing the farms? After all, Herr Hitler, one of Russia's outer provinces has more tractors than all of Germany. "But if we do that more people will move into cities where they can get together and scheme and plan in cellars and attics and perhaps someday realize they are at the bottom of a monstrous social stratification and are being kept there so a minute upper-class can live in lavish luxury. Nein. Ach mein Gott! What would happen to my Farben-Industrie, my Hermann Georing Werke, my Krupp stocks that are up so many points today? Don't let me them think." For this is the mainspring of fascist control. Work them till they drop, until they're too tired to think. Give them just enough to keep them satisfied, but no more. Keep their bellies full, but their minds empty. Keep their eyes and ears full; Wagnerian thunder, massive parades and demonstrations, flaring torches, bookburnings, red herrings in the form of Jews, gilt harpies atop stately buildings with white marble outside and black corruption inside. Men with dark, greasy hair screaming about blond Aryan purity; men with pot bellies, and spindly legs, and club feet bleating of Kraft-durch-Freude. Give them all that but don't let them think. So, internal expansion was out. They had to expand -- let it be external expansion. Of course, that was the only answer, and luckily the rest of the world was still strong enough to fight back and eventually win. Perhaps it is just as well that Hitler attacked when he did. If he had waited five years, the indifference of depression ridden people in America and England might have made those democracies as decadent as Hitler said they really were. We would have been push-overs. We're just lucky, that's all. And who's to blame? Well mainly the fascist nations and the forces that created them. Perhaps our own native fascists helped a little, and perhaps so did anybody who would profit by a war that kept factories running and money jingling in their pockets. Perhaps all those people who would rather hide their minds behind Lil' Abner than worry about other peoples suffering; would rather read Dick Tracey than read about what was going on in the world and doing something about it. Just read the doings of Terry and Burma, that's all the war you need. Don't think. Don't worry. It'll just give you ulcers. Well, we didn't fight very hard to prevent war. Why should we; wars are a very profitable racket in any age. This war for instance. Foreign nation wants steel, copper, lead, oil, etc. Swell, sell it to 'em. But first lend them the money to buy it with, at 6%. Profitable, no? Then foreign power declares war on us. So. Same guys who sold war materials to enemy get busy and work to make war goods for us. Very neat, very nice. You kill two birds with one stone. We get 'em coming and we get 'em going. Look at them Yankee dollahs rolling in. Goody for us! Hooray for free enterprise. (Five years ago it was private enterprise.) What's good for business is good for you! So maybe the Japs drop a Ford rear end and smash the life out of you, or riddle you with Singer sewing machine parts, or remove a couple of legs with a piece of scrap from a Los Angeles junkyard, so it's good for you, that's what. We gotta make a living, don't we? (do you?) And you'll page 8