From Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, fascism and totalitarianism have resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent lives. Regardless of the kinds of rhetoric these rulers adopted, it is clear that they were dictators who desired control and power with little respect for human life or human rights. To compare such horrific, monstrous regimes with ordinary students who believe strongly in democracy is perverse. All fascists must be recognized for what they are so they can be stopped, whether they rule a nation with an iron fist or burn crosses wearing white robes. These different movements - the students and the fascists - have nearly opposite purposes.
The United States is not led by a dictator, much less a fascist dictator. But because of great inequality in this country, liberty is not shared proportionately by all Americans. But through much of our lives we hear that all Americans are equal at the same time that we see material and social inequality. Some of us often accept that the two realities can coexist. But they cannot. Free speech, for instance, is important because people can influence others and their own lives. But to do this effectively you need education, time and money. You can't advertise, lobby congressmen, publish books or travel around the country on speaking tours without these valuable assets. This is why we have to begin to look at rights in the context of an unequal society.
So when activists say they want to "decrease inequality," we have to look at the broader meaning of these words. They don't simply mean that more people will have access to health care and education, or that traditionally marginalized groups, like women and racial minorities, will have the same opportunities as everyone else. They also mean that more people can utilize and enjoy the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is what the student movement for affirmative action is about. It is the opposite of everything fascism stands for. It stands for a society more democratic than our own.
Open dialogue, debate and a free exchange of ideas are vital to these activists. Since these ideals do not exist in U.S. politics at large, some activists are forced to employ alternate means to effectively create such an exchange. They don't care if an opposing opinion is discussed in the "marketplace of ideas," but they recognize that the "marketplace" favors some over others not on the merit of their ideas but on the size of their pocketbook (or their collaborators' pocketbooks).
So, when that opposing opinion leads to material effects and starts to dominate others, it is necessary to counter in a more forceful way. But the pro-equality students are confident in their opinions. Though they may heckle someone grandstanding about merit and colorblindness, they would relish a debate. In stark contrast, fascists and totalitarians wish to crush all opposition and therefore suppress the free exchange of ideas. They do not want to face challengers; they do not tolerate opposition of any kind.
Since the protests in Massachusetts, there have been more disruptions across the country. At the University of California-Berkeley students have occupied buildings in recent weeks to protest the rollback of ethnic studies programs there. Some may say these students are impeding the right to come and go as one chooses. I say those protesters were defending liberty for all people. If we do not recognize the difference between this and fascism, then there is little hope for the attainment of real equality and real democracy.
Villarreal is a sociology senior
