The following letter was published in this week’s issue of the Gazette.
To the editor:
The trendy epithet of choice these days is “racist,” which got quite a workout online here in Croton over the last few weeks. But after last week’s issue of The Gazette hit the stands, one resident commenting on social media reached into history to call one of the letter writers a “fascist.”
Using either term to shut down an opponent (or to discuss the Croton Fire Department) is both lazy and harmful to our community’s social fabric, but at least “fascist” has a link to Croton history.
Croton has a long association with radical causes. There are only three Americans buried in the Kremlin wall, and one of them is a former Croton resident. Dozens of other artists and writers living in Croton over the years were sympathetic to the communist cause.
It was during those decades when Croton was home to numerous pro-communist activists that fascism was the primary counterweight to communism in Europe. For many of those in the thick of politics, there was a mandatory choice between the two camps. This played out in the Spanish Civil War, and then with the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.
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“Lack of tolerance is common throughout human history. Dividing citizens into “us or them”—whether by nationality, political affiliation, or skin color—is effective for politicians, at least in the short run. Croton has seen some disturbing developments in the last few months with regard to expression of minority viewpoints, and it looks like the people who count in Croton are determined to accelerate that process. ”
Foreshadowing today’s “fake news” the NY Times received a Pulitzer Prize in 1931 for its glowing reporting praising Josef Stalin. The Pulitzer was accepted as the dictator murdered opponents with happy abandon and committed genocide in the Ukraine. Contrasted with Hitler’s Brownshirts and Mussolini’s Blackshirts, reds in the Ukraine seemed a lesser evil. Given the unpalatable choice, many in the US decided to stay out of the fray. But for those who believed that the fascist menace outweighed the communist, the choice was clear.
That choice would come back to haunt many Americans. With Hitler and Mussolini defeated and Franco focused within his border, communist occupation of Eastern Europe and Soviet expansionism around the world was the concern of Americans. The Red Scare swept across America, destroying many reputations and careers in its wake.
America today has many people possessed of the same moral certainty and unwillingness to tolerate dissent that marked those communists and fascists of yesteryear. Those in positions of power act to squelch speech. They use the unlimited financial resources and enforcement power of the government to limit the rights of those holding a minority viewpoint.
Throwing around words like “racist” or “commie” or “fascist” is nothing new in Croton or anywhere else for that matter. It is a classic method of exploiting partisan passions.
Benito Mussolini never tired of saying “O con noi o contro di noi” (Either with us or against us). American politicians from George Bush (“Either you are with us or with the terrorists”) to Jordan Harris (D-PA) (“Racism is not a grey area for me. You are either with us or against us”) have used the same rhetoric.
Lack of tolerance is common throughout human history. Dividing citizens into “us or them”—whether by nationality, political affiliation, or skin color—is effective for politicians, at least in the short run. Croton has seen some disturbing developments in the last few months with regard to expression of minority viewpoints, and it looks like the people who count in Croton are determined to accelerate that process.
No doubt our leaders here in Croton feel the same moral certainty and belief in the justness of their cause as every other leader has felt when silencing opposition. That does not make them bad people. But in Croton of all places, they should think carefully about where this can lead.
History shows us the dangers of elected officials and their supporters casually throwing around incendiary terms online and changing laws to silence offensive speech. But I remain optimistic and have faith that the First Amendment will prevail.
Paul Steinberg