[SeaGypsy]

In the Duterte case we have someone who has vowed to have drug users killed while saying nothing about the volume of murderers & scammers holding seats of government. People are that ignorant they will blame petty drug criminals for systemic corruption while ignoring the ill gotten gains of the entire political class.

[Sixstrings]

SG, would the new government still be aligned with the US do you think, or a bit more anti-american?

Generally, one never hears about the Philippines. I think if it took some drastic turn though (including human rights issues), then you'd start seeing more people in us gov take notice.

Strategically, Philippines is one of those places that has to be kept in US sphere, even more so with south china sea issues now. (and historical ties with the US, and all the americans living there, etc.)

[SeaGypsy]

That question is kind of why I opened more generally rather than about just the populist mass murderer Duterte. At the same time as his likely takeover Trump may be bringing some new agenda to foreign affairs. Duterte is a closet commie, of the extreme variety, making him not much different to extreme right wing fascists.

I think Trump & Duterte & Putin all have one thing in common. They bring core leftist & rightist policies together to form a populist alliance not possible a few years ago. When left & right come together with an extreme agenda, political historians get a shiver up their spine. When this movement focuses on an individual cultural figure, such as it does in these 3, the cult of personality is taking over. When these personalities can get away with joking about murder, rape, & race baiting, becoming more popular by such behaviour- there is a mass delirium in place & things are getting very dangerous.

Of these 3 Putin is the most cautious, conservative & refrained. The US is not going to have proper leadership either way, both options are not even adults let alone being capable of seeing eye to eye with a fierce genius like Putin. Meanwhile the political model which the US was for the world becomes more farcical, the reality that rich & their cronies will always have the power in any system becomes ever more evident to the 6+ billion.

Things keep getting more bizarre as time goes by & I'm pretty sure it's not just a mental state, but an emerging new reality, one which is pretty much full time mass psychosis, with that psychotic mass pushing their lizard kings up & tearing them down.

All we can do is seek, find, develop sanctuary wherever possible, then guard it with everything we have got. This isn't going to end well.

[Ibon]

I agree. The one silver lining in this increased neo fascism is that those of us who do attempt to isolate ourselves from this will be able to form more tight knit communities.

One of the strongest forces that draws a community toward good cooperation is when they stand for principals that are counter to the mainstream. Quakers and Amish come to mind. What other examples?

Disengagement quietly. The strategy like a chameleon.

[SeaGypsy]

I agree with all that but for one issue of urgency in the potential new community members. Whatever the belief system, the key belief is that each member must without question work tirelessly for the collective, to the extent required for the season. Unfortunately there seems to be a genetic link between laziness & rebellion, as preempted in the bible. We talked years ago Ibon, about the duo of couples with a gaggle of kids migrating to an idyllic island to permaculture & adapt etc only to find out a funny Vietnamese word used around them a lot was the word for crazy. That took a year, another year & they gave up, the experiment ended in two divorces & long term fringe welfare dependency, depression & in one case suicide. A whole lot of things have to confluence to make a new community really work & it is infinitely easier to discuss than to do, as you are well aware.

[ralfy]

More like neoliberalism by various means, with factions of financial elite in competition with each other.

[Ibon]

Unfortunately there seems to be a genetic link between laziness & rebellion

During the past couple of decades what spawned this laziness was the ideological nature of the rebellion. It was more concept and cerebral than anything else. I wonder coming up what forms rebellion will take when it is less about fighting ideas and more about responding to external consequences that threaten the physical essentials.

I can see how the fearful will rally around a populist fascist just like I can also see those quiet rebellions emerging draped in the stealth of chameleon camouflage of hard physical work.

[SeaGypsy]

Where that new force is going to come from, for those who would prefer to deny their existence- the intelligent working class. There actually is such a thing, they are busy mostly one way or another following the path of least resistance- working in the mainstream wherever their talents coincide with survivability. When the path disappears, these people appear. My logic on where Ibon's 'bright patch' draws it's human energy. Currently people are moving globally for every job from cleaner to engineer, chasing the bucks. Soon enough there will be nothing like that to chase. Then it's a whole new gambit.

[Quinny]

Not in London

[claman]

seagypsy, the muslims in sweden are not anymore going for the job. They are taking over parts of towns where no white man can go without police escort. 22 areas in swedish towns are out of reach for ambulances, firedepartments and and for the police itself without backupp.

[Newfie]

One could argue that when those hard working people congregate into communities they become rich targets for the power brokers.

Something to be said about not standing out at times.

[claman]

Newfie, If I only understood what you are writing, we might eventually agree. BUT you have to to express yourself a little more specific

[claman]

We love Thais ,viets, Chinese, south americans and what not. But for the sake of god, lets not have more muslims. They don't like us and we don't like them.
But muslims from the Balkans (former Jugoslavia) are welcome. It is basically the arabs that we don't like. And we know for sure that we don't like them.

[SeaGypsy]

Living in Melbourne Australia, one of the most multicultural in the world, the problem is more people from refugee camps in north Africa than with Muslims in general. The vast majority of mid east migrants are law abiding & good citizens, whereas the north Africans are 90% unemployed after 4 years, teenaged delinquency & serious crime, carjackings etc are becoming a problem. Seems to be the effect of people moving after 15 years in a tent on gruel to a house with free everything.

[Newfie]

Newfie, If I only understood what you are writing, we might eventually agree. BUT you have to to express yourself a little more specific

There seems to be an idea that once the fascist get into power the way to resist them is for like minded folks to calmly group together and live in peace and prosper. I think that is a nice romantic ideal, but likely to fail.

The fascist would likely point to them as massing of the enemy, as dangerous splinter groups. Because the nice sane people have aggregated into one place then they become easy to round up and "deal with."

I think it helps to remember that fasisim is a populist movement that feeds on the fea a of the majority. Fascism needs enemies to demonstrate to the people that it can be tough and make them safe and prosperous.

I don't have a good strategy for dealing with fascism other than to keep your head down and be invisible, wait for the fever to break.

[claman]

Newfie "Fascism needs enemies to demonstrate to the people that it can be tough and make them safe and prosperous."

Don't you see that islam actually is an opponent to the Christian world ?
Come to Europe and you will se for your self.
We gave them asylum when they were in a crisis - now they clame sharia -laws . I think they should go back to the place they came from, and live happily ever after with sharia.

[claman]

Newfie, "Fascism needs enemies to demonstrate to the people that it can be tough and make them safe and prosperous."
Who says that beeing against uncontrolled immigration is a fascist thought. It could be just a selfsurvival strategy for those whose jobs are at stage.

[Newfie]

Claman,
Try to not read too much into my words.

Of course all religions are competitive, all human groups are competitive. It's best for governments to understand that and react appropriately else the population will force action likely through some right wing group, and that will end well for no one.

[SeaGypsy]

Funny to hear the old warriors of Christ vs Islam argument- almost total bullcrap- the west is offended by Islam because of secularity, we love grog, porn, drugs, chicks in skimpies, so do they, but they are still busy suppressing. Most Christians are sympathetic to Moslems, reckoning they are mainly just short on Jesus, otherwise not too bad.

Funny using this argument also when it's quite clear JC would be welcoming everyone with open arms & a prayer.

[Timo]

Funny to hear the old warriors of Christ vs Islam argument- almost total bullcrap- the west is offended by Islam because of secularity, we love grog, porn, drugs, chicks in skimpies, so do they, but they are still busy suppressing. Most Christians are sympathetic to Moslems, reckoning they are mainly just short on Jesus, otherwise not too bad.

Funny using this argument also when it's quite clear JC would be welcoming everyone with open arms & a prayer.

Pope Francis, too.

Back on topic of neo-fascism, though, i'm curious about Thailand. I'm not suggesting that Thailand is in any way neo-fascist. They have a monarchy, and an elected system of government, yet they also regularly have military coups that oust the ruling party from power to restore order to their their system of government. I reference this curiosity because i'm on the opposite side of the planet from all of SE Asia, so i have no first-hand perspective on Thailand. I'm curious on perspectives of Thailand from people who are closer than myself. Thoughts?