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From: crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Starship Troopers
Message-ID: <5890@duke.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 14:00:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: duke.5890
Posted: Mon Jun  3 14:00:32 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 04:33:25 EDT
References: <147@yetti.UUCP> <1331@reed.UUCP> <168@hyper.UUCP> <701@ncoast.UUCP> <172@timeinc.UUCP>
Reply-To: crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin)
Organization: Duke University
Lines: 38
Summary: 

>
>	Well, how about fascism as glorified politics?

Look, most of these objections have been answered at some length, by
Heinlein and others (see, for example *Expanded Universe*.)  So I am
going to ignore them.

However:
(from Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, G. C. Merriam Co, 1977)
fascism: 1: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the
Fascisti) that exalts nation and race above the individual and that
stands for a certralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial
leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible
supression of opposition ...

ST has a government in which --

there is no conscription

there is no obvious suppression of individual opinion (recall that the
public was loudly arguing for the Gvt to call back the forces to defend
Earth after Buenos Aires was destroyed)

there is never once a mention of the President or whatever, or in fact
of any political figure higher than (I think) a mayor.

Doesn't even control its servicemen to the extent that they cannot
resign at will (much freer than today -- try giving your top sergeant
two-weeks notice)

Whatever ST was, it was *not* "fascist."  Except to the extent that 
"fascist" is now mapped to "anything that I think is Not A Good Thing."

Let's be a little careful out there...
-- 

			Charlie Martin
			(...mcnc!duke!crm)