Roger Waters Is Not A Fascist (But His Attackers May Be)
I don’t speak about Palestinians often, and if I’m being honest it’s because I think doing so would be the surest way of me getting banned from social media and being labelled as an antisemite for all time. It sounds cowardly, I know, but it’s true. My thinking is that there are so many other related issues I can write about that, in the end, support causes that indirectly support the rights of Palestinians. As an example, if I work to promote government and politicians that are not bought by special interest groups, this will help diminish the impact of Israeli PACs.
Another reason I seldom speak about the plight of Palestinians is that I am far from an expert on the subject and would surely be made to look like a fool by those who earn their living propagandizing for Israel. I mean, it’s obvious to me when reading of a Palestinian journalist being shot and killed by police, when watching those carrying her coffin being beaten with clubs, that Israel is to Palestinians what South African once was to people of color. But having what seems like the obvious truth on one’s side doesn’t always translate to victory in the real world. Should I ever find myself in the crosshairs of those whose job it is to defend Israel from any and all criticism, I know it won’t be a fair argument.
But when it comes to the large-scale smear campaign that’s currently underway against Roger Waters, I feel the need to speak up. Moreso, I feel confident of winning the argument no matter how unhinged the smear merchants are. Their very heavy handedness betrays their bias and ugliness.
Scroll through Twitter and you will see dozens, hundreds, of accusations that Roger Waters is an open fascist. They use as proof an image or a short clip of him indeed dressed as a fascist. It looks damning without knowing anything about the man, and why would anyone speak an easily disproven lie like this, right? This is low-level propaganda aimed at the most unthinking of us. In other words, the attack against Roger Waters’ character is something that might be done by supporters of a fascist regime. It is shameful and it is inexcusable. Apologies are in order.
Roger Waters is a humanist. Any exploration of his artistic work of the last 50+ years would make that obvious. Humanism is the opposite of fascism. The short clip used to defame Waters is a visual moment from the album and movie The Wall. The concept of The Wall is that our fear of being our legitimate selves causes us to build a defensive wall around ourselves as a sort of protection, and in so doing we make ourselves cold and unfeeling to the outside world. The main character, Pink, in constructing his own personal wall, ends up isolating himself from everybody he loves, even his audience. Unable to solve his isolation, unable to confront his fears, he becomes a terrible and alienated human being. In short, he becomes a fascist (a simplistic summary but one that will suffice for the argument at hand).
Fascists are not born but made, by authoritarian systems in which fascist-minded people who are unable to express real human feelings pass their fears and cruelty onto others. The cold mother, the sadistic teacher, anyone capable of acquiring and abusing power. All of us, to one degree or another, have constructed a wall.
The movie The Wall more explicitly shows the institutions and societies that not only build walls around the hearts of its people but build physical walls of separation that protect one portion of the people while imprisoning others. It has been suggested that the movie had themes relating to Apartheid South Africa, which was most definitely authoritarian towards certain groups and definitely racist. While fascism is difficult to define, authoritarian and racist goes a long way towards describing it. It’s hard not to see the same comparison applying to Israel, which is why Israel’s staunchest supporters have a problem with Waters’ work. But let it be clear that Waters is not the fascist here but a defender of the victims of those who build walls.
The attack against Roger Waters is ugly and unfair. It is blatantly untrue and the truth of the matter can be easily obtained by anyone with an open mind. But the attack against Roger Waters is not appealing to those with an open mind, it is done with the intent of closing minds against the truth. Such tactics are perhaps not exclusive to fascists, but they are certainly essential elements of a fascist’s toolbox.
Do not let this great artist be silenced. Above all else, do not let the great work he has created be tarnished by the unfair allegations of propagandists. As a great lyricist wrote:
Don’t help them to bury the light
Don’t give in without a fight