The Brownshirts were a paramilitary group organized by Adolph Hitler in the early 1920’s to intimidate, threaten, and do violence against his political opponents. Many of the members of the Brownshirts were recruited from groups of right-wing thugs who already were threatening and attacking their political opponents on the left. Hitler gave them increasing legitimacy by using them to provide “security” for his rallies and encouraging them to attend the meetings of his opponents to disrupt, harass, and start fights.
Current events in Tennessee seem harrowingly similar to the early actions of the Brownshirts: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/tennessee-parents-protest-outside-school-after-board-votes-in-favor-of-masks-in-classrooms-118412357988.
But it’s not just in Tennessee and it’s not just about mask mandates in schools: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/election-officials-threats/2021/08/11/bb2cf002-f9ed-11eb-9c0e-97e29906a970_story.html
Threatening and intimidating election officials strikes at the very heart of our democracy. Yet most leaders of the Republican party stoke the outrage of their base by challenging the science behind fighting the Covid-19 pandemic (mask mandates and vaccination) and refusing to forcefully confirm the fairness and legitimacy of the 2020 election.
It is enlightening to look at the education level of those who oppose and support efforts to control the pandemic. The highest vaccination rate for adults is among those who have a bachelor’s degree or higher; 90.8%. The lowest is adults without a high school diploma; 68.6%.
A similar situation exists when looking at the education level of those who believe that the election was fraudulent. Over 70% of Republicans believe there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, while less than 5% of Democrats believe the same. Among Republicans, 75% of those without a college education believe the election was fraudulent, while 50% of those with a college education believe it.
Less educated citizens seem increasingly unwilling to accept the ideas and recommendations of more educated individuals in leadership positions. There is constant doubt of and attempts to discredit educated authorities, whether it be epidemiologists at the CDC, officials who run our elections, climatologists, foreign service officers, the FBI, or officials in the Justice Department.
The right-wing attack on “educated elites” has been going on for decades now. What has changed is that, while in the past, the disdain had largely been reserved for targets like higher education institutions, teachers, environmentalists, and leading Democrats, the targets now include scientists, medical professionals, and areas of the Federal government like foreign service, law enforcement, and even the military. The result has been a decline in respect for education and knowledge, a refusal to believe science and fact, an increased trust in instincts and “gut” feelings, and an over-emphasis on the privilege, entitlement, and individual rights for the lower educated. No one gets to tell them what to do. Regardless of what the truth is, they are entitled to make their own decisions based on what they believe, even if it comes at the expense of public safety.
The anger and resentment of the less educated, particularly less educated white males and their spouses, is inextricably tied to efforts by the Federal government to fight discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. This effort has largely been led by more educated segments of society, like higher education institutions, and increasingly accepted by other parts of society like business and the military, which formerly had been bastions of discrimination. Less educated white males and their families have seen their entitled, privileged positions in society, particularly economic, eroded and hold educated elites primarily responsible. The result is attacks and rejection of the findings and recommendations of scientists, doctors, political leaders, leaders of national law enforcement, and the military. All are seen as being corrupted by educated elites.
The erosion of the economic well-being of less educated white families has fed the increasing divisions in our country and the animosity that exists between different groups. The solution must be to improve the economic opportunity for and well-being of all less educated, lower income, middle income citizens. As I have argued in my book Capitalism, Socialism, and the Promise of Democracy, a key component of this is to lessen income and wealth inequality in the country. Income and wealth disparities are at their greatest level since the gilded age of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Reducing income and wealth inequality will result in greater economic opportunity and well-being across the board for less educated, lower income, and middle income families, including white ones. Policies to accomplish this are discussed in my book.
The rise of Brownshirt type behavior in our society threatens our democracy. To stop it, we need to increase the economic opportunity and well-being of less educated, lower income, and middle income families . This is a key component of rebuilding trust in education, knowledge, science, and government, and preserving our democracy.
