2010/01/06 Paris
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Fascism

Adolescence

The exhibition “Fellini, la Grande Parade” in Jeu de Paume in Paris is very much worth seeing.
After (or while) making his Casanova movie Fellini called Casanova “a fascist” and he added, I paraphrase, what else is fascism but prolonged adolescence?

One could argue that many of Fellini’s male characters are desperately trying to prolong their adolescence.

Perhaps we should say that fascism is prolonged adolescence but that not all prolonged adolescence is fascism.


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Ha
Ha!
said Thomas Heerma van Voss 06/01/2010 03:29 (Updated 03:29) • x
Flaubert and Fellini
When i read the quote of Flaubert you gave us yesterday i imidiately thought of facism. When youre not an artist or a not so talented artist (say a paiting veteran of WW I ) and looking for "work" this quote works for fascism. Thank you for today's quote: Violence and originality also come to mind as childish virtues you can continue as a new born adult fascist in a fight for a regular and ordinary state. A state where everything is new, is what adolescence is very much about. After a lot of progression something new for a lot of people means something regular and ordinary and isnt this thought the perfect soil for fascism?
said Careca . 06/01/2010 14:23 • x
Careca, your words remind me of a text in Adorno's "Minima Moralia" called "Extra edition":
"What is new, a blank spot of consciousness, which one awaits with closed eyes, as it were, seems to be the formula by which pleasure can be taken in horror and despair, as stimulus-value. It causes evil to flower."

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1951/mm/ch03.htm
said dries van cann 06/01/2010 15:06 • x
Narcissistic fascism
I wonder if fascism isn't related to narcissism. Of course, many adolescents are rather narcissistic.
said Carlos Dee 06/01/2010 15:48 • x
prolonged fascism
Perhaps we should call Fellini a prolonged fascist.
said david duinker 06/01/2010 17:53 • x
In that light (fascism and adolescence) I like to refer to ‘Männerphantasien’ by Klaus Theweleit and the works ofJonathan Littell ‘Le sec et l’humide’(about Leon Degrelle) and the novel ‘Les Bienviellantes’.
said Bernard f 06/01/2010 18:44 • x
I still wonder why nudeswimming was part of the training to become an SS-officer.
said Mieke Dutoit 07/01/2010 03:53 • x
Dries van Cann
Thank you for Adorno! Ive added the link to my " Favorites"
said Careca . 07/01/2010 10:50 • x
@Mieke
I am reading Heinrich Himmler by Peter Longerich now. I will remain an adolescent forever, I am afraid.

@Dries
Thanks indeed!
said Bernard f 07/01/2010 19:12 • x
Bernard
You're deep in my heart.
said Mieke Dutoit 08/01/2010 11:04 • x
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