Originally published at: Revealing Peter Thiel essay on his anti-democratic beliefs | Boing Boing
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Spoiler alert: he’s a fascist
This is like giving the “spoiler” for the movie Titanic that the ship is going to sink
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wavy lines signifying a flashback
Me with a group of friends and acquaintances waiting to enter the second screening of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on opening day. As we’re waiting, the first screening’s audience is coming out, and some wag yells out, “Spoiler alert: Dracula dies at the end!”
One of my companions yells back without a pause, “He’s a vampire: he dies at the beginning!”
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The full essay is worth a read and completely justifies the quoted paragraph and the one that follows it in the essay
The man is a fascist, whether he fully admits to himself or not. He’s probably the most clearly fascist prominent figure in the U.S. today, including Trump. I suspect that he’s actually fully self-conscious about it, but knows that it would be politically counter-productive to come out as such and he probably views his ideas as some new, updated “Fascism 2.0.” In any case, we should not deceive ourselves or beat about the bush any longer.
(But this bit in the text quoted in the blog post just does not parse…
with its emphases direct management techniques
Perhaps “with its emphasis on”? I’m not going to subscribe just to point this out, but that appears to be the only way to comment or offer feedback, or contact the author.)
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He’s just realized, more clearly than his opponents often, that there’s ultimately a contradiction between the rule of capital and democracy, and the way to deal with this contradiction, as far as he’s concerned, is to do away with democracy.
Most of us recognise the contradiction exists and try to either find a balance between the two and/or push to reduce the worst effects of capitalism. What we all oppose is this vampiric fascist sugar daddy’s conclusion that it is liberal democracy that must go.
I suspect that he’s actually fully self-conscious about it, but knows that it would be politically counter-productive to come out as such and he probably views his ideas as some new, updated “Fascism 2.0.”
One in which he imagines the Know-Nothing followers won’t go after LGBTQ people like himself (at least the ones who are somehow shielded by a leadership role and/or money): a classic mistake of the willing Kapo.
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Oh, just give it about 5 more years.
/s
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Whether or not Thiel meets sufficient criteria to be considered an actual fascist is irrelevant. He’s a right-wing authoritarian and that is enough for him to be considered dangerous.
Not that left-wing authoritarianism would be acceptable either. Once you’ve started heading down that anti-democratic road, it’s time for you to go.
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In planning my next RPG campaign, I was wracking my brain for a decently evil BBEG. I settled on modeling him after Peter Thiel, because how much more evil could he get?
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Who amongst the left wing is in the same position as Peter Thiel, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, either of the two Tory leadership candidates…
We can worry about left wing authoritarianism when it looks like it is an actual threat. Currently most of the dangerous Tankies and NazBol are siding with the far right. Other than that it is just factional battles.
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Except, right now, these imagined “left wing authoritarians” are not literally trying to overthrow the government…
Literally none, of course. But the zentrum must flow… 
Both sides are just as bad, after all…
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Should he get his fascist state - he’ll be on the top of the list & they’ll just take his possessions and send him to the camps.
Hell - they might target him long before then. And I would smile.
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Himmler and Röhm got to do their own things within the fascist state (Röhm could have made it longer if he hadn’t been uncooperative). Thiel was/is doing the right things to survive within the fascist state that will otherwise persecute those like him. While Röhm was useful to the fascist state, he was permitted to live. Thiel will find ways to be useful. And he won’t make waves, say, when his marriage is criminalized.
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He’s fine until he’s no longer useful.
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You underestimate their hate.
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I’m not quite sure of your meaning. Most billionaires seem to muddle through ok without having to fund a fascist regime.
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