Fundamentalism and Fascism

I, for one, am getting sick and tired of the misuse of the term "fundamentalism." In this article in the New York Times they use the term "Hindu Fundamentalists." Now, any study of Hinduism shows the absolute absurdity of this term. There is no canon of scripture, nor of doctrine, nor of authority in Hinduism. What exactly does it mean to be a "fundamentalist?"

Similarly, we often see orthodox Catholics refered to as "fundamentalists." For the Modern Liberal any belief in an absolute (other than materialism) is fundamentalism, especially when that view departs from the Liberal notion of absolute autonomy of the individual. Certainly a term could be found for this world view, but "fundamentalism" is a precise term that refers to a specific view of Christianity. It makes no sense to talk about a fundamentalist Mohammedan. Perhaps Wahabism could be described as an analogous movement within Mohammedanism, but why not stick with "Wahabism?"

An orthodox Catholic is simply that: an orthodox Catholic. A Catholic fundamentalist, on the other hand, is a heretic, as the very notion of fundamentalism denies sacramentalism, so if the term were to refer to anything it would have to be the Dick Vosko type Catholic who wants to see liturgy stripped down to some mythological primitive state.

A similar linguistic abuse is the tendency to view any non-Communist mass movement as "fascist." Fascism is a specific ideology with a specific world view. It is not the neo-paganism of National Socialism, nor the Catholic Nationalism of the Falange, and certainly not the Free Market fetishism of Margaret Thatcher. It might be apprpopriate to describe Juan Peron as a fascist, since his ideology seems to be closely parallel to that of Mussolini. But to describe Francisco Franco as a "fascist" is simply wrong. There are some similarities, but at the core, the world view is different.

The striking common trait in the misuse of both of these terms is that they reveal a rather broad-brush approach to language on the part of people who pride themselves on their supposed appreciation of nuance. Like the misuse of the term "courage" on the part of the Hollywood Left, "fundamentalism" and "fascism" are simply badges used to identify members of the Leftist Tribe.

Not wanting, necessarily, to stoop to their level, I am going to resist the temptation to brand all Leftists as "communists." I will not, however, refrain from calling communists "communists." So Pete Seeger, in spite of his reluctance to admit his afiliation to HUAC, and Stalin's eulogist, that ham actor and minstrel singer Paul Robeson, will still be refered to as "communists" in polite discussion at Erik's Rants and Recipes and as "commie stooges" in not-so-polite discussion.