Subject: Read, thoughts:
Author:
Posted on: 2022-09-27 17:51:01 UTC
The mission itself felt rushed, I wish we could see more of the badfic; we only got two paragraphs.
That Sue name, though, snickers seriously, that’s got to be the most Suvian of Sue names.
Also, typo:
“not wanting to be outcast” should be “not wanting to be an outcast”
—Ls
This time, it's Sheen and Fáelán after yet another funnily-named sister of Legolas.
The mission itself felt rushed, I wish we could see more of the badfic; we only got two paragraphs.
That Sue name, though, snickers seriously, that’s got to be the most Suvian of Sue names.
Also, typo:
“not wanting to be outcast” should be “not wanting to be an outcast”
—Ls
So, Sheen believes:
-rules must exist for good reason
-people should bend to society's needs, rather than the other way around
-conforming to the larger group is the only way to be safe
Why, it's distilled fascist ideology in a can man!
Can't wait for the inevitable Very Special Episode where the Lawful Neutral action contradicts an objectively better Good action, and Sheen has to make a Choice. Or maybe he just gets told off by a Suvian someday? A Suvian making a speech in support of personal freedoms—and being right!—would be quite a thing to read.
Although Fáelán better watch his own ego, too; even if he seems the most normal of his crew, convincing oneself that one is the "least nutty" in a group can lead to mental blinders, too!
—doctorlit mails Sheen a "make Pixie Hollow great again" hat
let's not throw around the word "fascist" casually.
The root of any specific fascist ideology is the belief that in-groups and out-groups exist, and that there is safety both in conforming to the in-group and in excluding the out-group. That's pretty explicitly a major part of Sheen's mindset, and that's all I was commenting on; I didn't mean to accuse Sheen of adhering to any specific Earth-based fascist movement. (And to be even more clear, I like reading deconstructions of that kind of ideology! I wasn't upset to read it in this story.
—doctorlit
I think that the belief you're referring to is not just a fascist tendency, but a human one. People often engage in us-vs-them.
Wordnik defines fascism as “A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.”
So...not quite the same thing? I mean, it does involve what you said, but with a ton of other qualifiers.
—Ls loves dictionaries
“Fascist” is a very loaded word that can simply mean “political party/movement/whatever that I don’t like”. Not always...but sometimes.
Best not to casually throw it around, particularly in conjunction with entirely unrelated political movements.
—Ls