DISCO ELYSIUM POLITICAL TERMINOLOGY GUIDE #2

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FASCISM & ULTRANATIONALISM
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=== FASCISM ===

DEFINITION:
A far-right, authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology characterized by
dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, strong regimentation of
society and the economy, and aggressive nationalism. Fascism combines populist
appeals with support from traditional elites.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS (UMBERTO ECO'S 14 FEATURES):

1. Cult of tradition and rejection of modernism
2. Rejection of analytical criticism
3. Disagreement as treason
4. Fear of difference
5. Appeal to frustrated middle class
6. Obsession with conspiracy
7. Enemies simultaneously weak and strong
8. Life as permanent warfare
9. Contempt for the weak (pacifism as treason)
10. Popular elitism
11. Cult of heroic death
12. Machismo and sexual anxiety
13. Selective populism
14. Newspeak (impoverished vocabulary)

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Represented through certain dialogue options and characters like Measurehead, who
embodies racial pseudoscience. The game shows how fascist ideology can seem
appealing during times of crisis and humiliation - offering simple explanations and
scapegoats for complex problems.

Fascist dialogue options often involve nostalgic nationalism, racial theories, and
authoritarian solutions to social problems. The game critically examines these
impulses without endorsing them.

WHY NOT ALTERNATIVES:

- Liberal Democracy: "Too weak" to solve national crises decisively
- Socialism: "Jewish/foreign conspiracy" against national interests
- Conservatism: "Insufficiently radical" in defending tradition
- Authoritarianism: Fascism claims popular legitimacy, not just force

ESSENTIAL READING:
- Hannah Arendt - "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
- Umberto Eco - "Ur-Fascism" (1995)
- Robert Paxton - "The Anatomy of Fascism" (2004)
- Wilhelm Reich - "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" (1933)
- Theodor Adorno - "The Authoritarian Personality" (1950)

=== ULTRANATIONALISM ===

DEFINITION:
Extreme nationalism that promotes the interests of one nation above all others,
often involving belief in national superiority, aggressive foreign policy, and
exclusion or persecution of minorities. Goes beyond patriotism to become militant
and exclusionary.
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Belief in national superiority and destiny
- Aggressive foreign policy and militarism
- Persecution of minorities and "internal enemies"
- Cult of national unity and leader worship
- Rejection of international law and cooperation
- Mythologized national history

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Explored through Revachol's imperial past and the nostalgia for the old monarchy.
The game shows how ultranationalism emerges from national humiliation - the loss of
empire, foreign occupation, economic decline.

Certain dialogue options express ultranationalist themes: glorifying Revachol's

past, blaming foreigners for current problems, calling for national renewal through
violence.

HISTORICAL EXAMPLES:
- German Nazism (Aryan supremacy, Lebensraum)
- Italian Fascism (Roman Empire nostalgia)
- Japanese Imperial ideology (divine emperor, Greater East Asia)

=== RACIAL THEORY / SCIENTIFIC RACISM ===

DEFINITION:
Pseudoscientific attempts to justify racial hierarchies through biology,
anthropology, or other academic disciplines. Used historically to support
colonialism, slavery, genocide, and social stratification.

COMMON THEMES:
- Biological determinism (genes determine behavior/intelligence)
- Racial hierarchy with Europeans/whites at top
- Mixing of races as "degeneration"
- Linking physical traits to moral/intellectual qualities
- Social Darwinism and "survival of the fittest"

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Measurehead embodies this thinking with his "Adelaïdean" racial theories -
pseudoscientific categories that place his own group at the top of supposed racial
hierarchy. The game presents these ideas as both intellectually absurd and morally
dangerous.

Shows how racial theory appeals to insecure individuals by providing sense of

superiority and simple explanations for complex social problems.

WHY IT'S WRONG:

- Race is social construct, not biological reality
- Human genetic variation is continuous, not categorical
- Intelligence/behavior shaped by environment, not genetics
- "Scientific" racism consistently serves power, not truth

=== THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY ===

DEFINITION:
Adorno's psychological profile of individuals susceptible to fascist ideology.
Characterized by rigid thinking, submission to authority, aggression toward out-
groups, and conventional morality.
KEY TRAITS:
- Conventionalism (rigid adherence to middle-class values)
- Authoritarian submission (toward in-group authorities)
- Authoritarian aggression (toward norm violators)
- Anti-intraception (opposition to introspection/psychology)
- Superstition and stereotypy
- Power and toughness obsession
- Destructiveness and cynicism
- Projectivity (attribution of unconscious impulses to others)
- Sexual anxiety and repression

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Some dialogue options reflect authoritarian personality traits - rigid moralism,
obsession with order, projection of personal problems onto social groups, sexual
anxiety expressed as political hostility.

The game explores how personal psychological issues can manifest as political
extremism.

=== PALINGENETIC ULTRANATIONALISM ===

DEFINITION:
Roger Griffin's theory that fascism centers on myth of national rebirth after a
period of perceived decadence. The nation must be purified and renewed through
radical action, often involving violence against "corrupting" elements.

STAGES:
1. Golden Age mythology (glorious national past)
2. Period of decline and corruption
3. Crisis and awakening
4. Revolutionary renewal/rebirth
5. New golden age under fascist leadership

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Revachol's history fits this pattern - former royal glory, socialist revolution as
"corruption," current crisis under foreign control, potential for national renewal.
Fascist dialogue options often reference this cycle.

=== REVOLUTIONARY CONSERVATISM ===

DEFINITION:
Apparent contradiction in fascist ideology - using revolutionary methods to restore
imagined traditional order. Fascists present themselves as both radical
revolutionaries and guardians of authentic tradition.

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Reflects tension between nostalgia for Revachol's royal past and radical methods
needed to restore it. Shows how fascism can appeal to both revolutionary energy and
conservative values.

=== MASS PSYCHOLOGY OF FASCISM ===

DEFINITION:
Wilhelm Reich's analysis of how fascism appeals to unconscious psychological needs,
especially sexual repression and authoritarian family structures.

KEY INSIGHTS:
- Sexual repression creates psychological energy that fascism channels
- Authoritarian family produces submissive/aggressive personality
- Middle-class anxiety makes fascism appealing
- Fascist symbols have unconscious sexual significance

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Harry's sexual anxieties and relationship failures potentially connect to
authoritarian political impulses. The game explores links between personal
psychology and political ideology.

=== FASCIST AESTHETICS ===

DEFINITION:
Walter Benjamin's concept that fascism renders politics aesthetic - creating
beautiful spectacles to mask political content. Fascism aestheticizes violence,
war, and power.

ELEMENTS:
- Mass rallies and parades
- Monumental architecture
- Cult of the body and youth
- Romantic militarism
- Mythological symbolism

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
The game's visual style occasionally references fascist aesthetics (certain
clothing, architectural elements) while critically examining their appeal.

=== CORPORATISM ===

DEFINITION:
Economic system where different sectors of society are organized into corporate
groups (not modern corporations, but professional/class associations) subordinate
to the state. Fascist alternative to both capitalism and socialism.

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Some fascist dialogue options reference organizing society around professional
groups and national purposes rather than individual rights or class struggle.

=== BLOOD AND SOIL (BLUT UND BODEN) ===

DEFINITION:
Nazi ideology connecting racial identity to specific territory. Claims mystical
relationship between people, blood (race), and soil (homeland). Used to justify
territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing.

IN DISCO ELYSIUM:
Measurehead's theories echo this thinking - connecting racial characteristics to
geographic origins and claiming superior groups deserve superior territories.

CRITIQUES OF FASCISM:
- Leads inevitably to war and destruction
- Based on lies and pseudoscience
- Destroys individual liberty and human dignity
- Economically inefficient and unsustainable
- Appeals to worst human impulses

PSYCHOLOGY OF FASCIST APPEAL:

- Provides simple answers to complex problems
- Offers scapegoats for personal/social failures
- Promises restoration of lost greatness
- Appeals to masculine anxiety and sexual repression
- Provides sense of belonging and purpose

The game shows how these psychological appeals can seem attractive while
demonstrating their ultimate destructiveness and falseness.

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END OF FILE 2: FASCISM & ULTRANATIONALISM
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