Fallout-Related Post: The Brotherhood of Steel

 "Democracy is: Non Negotiable."

I wanted to do a lot of talking about Fallout coming up. I've been enjoying the game and have a lot to say about it. Not to bury the lede but it's a great game and I think it deserves praise people usually reserve for New Vegas. That game's got its problems too, so it's only fair to forgive Fallout 4 as much as we do NV. So, I've been taking notes while playing in preparation for doing this. 

Then I ran into a problem. It wasn't a slow realization: Talking to Paladin Danse made me realize this pretty quickly this time around. We need to talk about the nature of the Brotherhood of Steel. I think most people who aren't the deluded "NO POLITICS" type would say they're certainly not good guys, outside of Fallout 3's ill-advised attempt to turn them into wasteland paladins with Lyons. I think it's (somehow) easy for some players to miss how bad they really are, though. 

A ground rule, before I begin, is that I'm going to assume that anything in the game is deliberately written as it is and I'm only going to declare something is poorly written as a last resort. This is because I ran into quite a few things I didn't understand until my current play-through and I want to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. For as bad as the main story of the game is, they're going to need it. I'm also doing the best research I can, but keep in mind I may get some facts wrong. Fallout 4 is a big, big game. 

I've done enough beating around the bush. What I'm doing today is going over Umberto Eco's fourteen tenets of Fascism and seeing exactly how well the Brotherhood of Steel fits into the model. I've long considered them a "bad guy" in the series, but Fallout 4 swings very strongly into the direction of them being a fascist organization. I think it only gets to perpetuate itself because of the cut content surrounding Maxson. I'm not sure of the specifics but I often hear it was surrounding the Lone Wanderer relieving Maxson of command for being a crazypants. I'm not sure if this changes the nature of the BoS "ending" to the game, though, and that ending is ultimately a large part of why the BoS are villains. Some of these tenets will have to be adapted to a world that has notably different races like Synths and Super Mutants, but that's fine. 

Spoilers for Fallout Four and a small one for Fallout: New Vegas ahead.

"The Cult of Tradition", characterized by cultural syncretism, even at the risk of internal contradiction. When all truth has already been revealed by Tradition, no new learning can occur, only further interpretation and refinement.

The Brotherhood of Steel certainly are dogmatic and unwilling to learn. In Fallout Four, you either agree with them that the synths need to be wiped out...or you end up having to blow up the Prydwyn. In the Minutemen ending(which is just a catch-all route in case you pissed everybody off anyway), you either work with the Brotherhood of Steel, thus wiping out the synths, or you have to kill them. 

"The Rejection of modernism", which views the rationalistic development of Western culture since the Enlightenment as a descent into depravity. Eco distinguishes this from a rejection of superficial technological advancement, as many fascist regimes cite their industrial potency as proof of the vitality of their system.

WELP. We didn't get far in before we hit a "Ha Ha Ha, oh WOW" moment. Yeah you can say the Brotherhood reject modernity all right, in that they both rule over the whole concept of technology(for our "protection") and also obviously feel like they're superior to the modern post-apocalyptic society at large. I would be shocked if the phrase "Descent into depravity" didn't literally appear in the Brotherhood dialogue somewhere.

"The Cult of Action for Action's Sake", which dictates that action is of value in itself, and should be taken without intellectual reflection. This, says Eco, is connected with anti-intellectualism and irrationalism, and often manifests in attacks on modern culture and science.

Wow. I probably don't have to elaborate on this one, right? Right after the Prydwyn arrives in the Commonwealth, you're given a flurry of excuses by BoS members that decisive action is necessary and good. Danse glibly refers to pre-emptive war as "Kicking down the door" and also makes veiled references to Blitzkrieg. Maxson is repeatedly described as "not the diplomacy type". 

"Disagreement Is Treason" – Fascism devalues intellectual discourse and critical reasoning as barriers to action, as well as out of fear that such analysis will expose the contradictions embodied in a syncretistic faith.

The Brotherhood is incredibly militaristic. They are, in fact, a military. However, the idea of obeying orders without question comes up so incredibly, ridiculously often in the BoS storyline that I feel strongly that they embody this facet as well. I don't even feel like I need to give you many examples: Literally the first time you meet Maxson he's praising his crew for their total, blind obedience.

"Fear of Difference", which fascism seeks to exploit and exacerbate, often in the form of racism or an appeal against foreigners and immigrants.

Synths are compared to the atomic bomb in terms of destructive power, but it's never actually explained to you why. Maxson simply tells you the Synths are evil and expects that to be the end of the argument. When Danse turns out to be a Synth you're ordered to kill him flat out, and the only way to end the quest with Danse alive is to persuade Maxson yourself. Even then, Danse is exiled from the Brotherhood of Steel. To Maxson(and the rest of the BoS) they're vicious enemy spies despite any evidence to the contrary.

"Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class", fearing economic pressure from the demands and aspirations of lower social groups.

The Brotherhood constantly pays lip service to protecting the average person from threats and even has you carry out orders with that in mind. Does that count? I don't know. I don't get the impression that they see that portion of their job as very important. This is somewhat of a blind spot because they simply aren't appealing to any social group at all. They have open membership enrollment but feel no need to sway anyone of anything: Whatever they want from you, they'll happily take it by force.

"Obsession with a Plot" and the hyping-up of an enemy threat. This often combines an appeal to xenophobia with a fear of disloyalty and sabotage from marginalized groups living within the society (such as the German elite's 'fear' of the 1930s Jewish populace's businesses and well-doings; see also anti-Semitism). Eco also cites Pat Robertson's book The New World Order as a prominent example of a plot obsession.

Synths are compared to the atomic bomb in terms of destructive power and Maxson states in no uncertain terms that they "have the power to completely wipe out humanity" without actually ever explaining why. He simply states that they could "replace us" if they ever outnumbered "us". There's a lot to unpack with this plot point, so I'm continuing this thought below after we're finished with the fourteen tenets. 

Fascist societies rhetorically cast their enemies as "at the same time too strong and too weak." On the one hand, fascists play up the power of certain disfavored elites to encourage in their followers a sense of grievance and humiliation. On the other hand, fascist leaders point to the decadence of those elites as proof of their ultimate feebleness in the face of an overwhelming popular will.

While they do seem to have a low opinion of some of their "enemies" such as Super Mutants and the Institute, I haven't found a good example of this specific hypocrisy. They seem to appropriately treat their enemies as dangerous, outside of the extreme generalization problem with "Synths". 

"Pacifism is Trafficking with the Enemy" because "Life is Permanent Warfare" – there must always be an enemy to fight. Both fascist Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini worked first to organize and clean up their respective countries and then build the war machines that they later intended to and did use, despite Germany being under restrictions of the Versailles treaty to not build a military force. This principle leads to a fundamental contradiction within fascism: the incompatibility of ultimate triumph with perpetual war.

It's all but outright stated that Maxson is declaring war in part(or even solely) to strengthen the Brotherhood of Steel and maintain his leadership. The Lyons faction of the BoS required rebuilding when he took control and was on shaky ground, both in terms of social cohesion and actual tactical position. 

"Contempt for the Weak", which is uncomfortably married to a chauvinistic popular elitism, in which every member of society is superior to outsiders by virtue of belonging to the in-group. Eco sees in these attitudes the root of a deep tension in the fundamentally hierarchical structure of fascist polities, as they encourage leaders to despise their underlings, up to the ultimate Leader who holds the whole country in contempt for having allowed him to overtake it by force.

Everyone by now should be very familiar with their contempt for weakness and worship of bravery. The ridiculous notion of "Failure is not an option" is impressed upon the Lone Wanderer early upon meeting Paladin Danse. While Maxson does not openly show contempt often, he's unwavering, callous and cruel at the slightest provocation.

"Everybody is Educated to Become a Hero", which leads to the embrace of a cult of death. As Eco observes, "the Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death."

Once again, I feel like their worship of bravery is well known. In addition to that, they throw bodies and technology almost needlessly at their problems. The preliminary scouting team that was "lost" before Danse and his team arrived was six or more members wearing power armor and several scribes. For a scouting mission. Everyone in video games marches happily to their death, but the Brotherhood of Steel seems to particularly revel in it.

"Machismo", which sublimates the difficult work of permanent war and heroism into the sexual sphere. Fascists thus hold "both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality."

Unlike Caesar's Legion, there is no sexism shoehorned into the Brotherhood of Steel. Members are as likely to be male as female and the Lone Wanderer faces no indication of intolerance of nonstandard sexual habits. There is(like always) an absence of affirmation of LGBT people, but I don't feel that this can be interpreted as intolerance. 

"Selective Populism" – The People, conceived monolithically, have a Common Will, distinct from and superior to the viewpoint of any individual. As no mass of people can ever be truly unanimous, the Leader holds himself out as the interpreter of the popular will (though truly he dictates it). Fascists use this concept to delegitimize democratic institutions they accuse of "no longer represent[ing] the Voice of the People."

Not only do the Brotherhood of Steel think they know what's best for the rest of humanity, it's a major plot point and the whole reason they exist. Not only do they feel technology is best safeguarded away from humanity, but humanity doesn't have a say in it. In addition, they have no qualms against using that technology for their own gain. 

I have not, however, found an example of the Brotherhood of Steel delegitimizing democratic institutions beyond the small chapter in Fallout: New Vegas refusing to deal diplomatically with the NCR. It can't really be defined as a organization-wide policy and, no offense, I'm not replaying every Fallout game looking for examples of their dealings(favorably or no) with the NCR or local governments.

"Newspeak" – Fascism employs and promotes an impoverished vocabulary in order to limit critical reasoning.

I'm pretty sure they don't embody this one at all. You're told about their motto, Ad Victoriam, but that's hardly an impoverished vocabulary or tactic to limit critical reasoning. 

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I'm gonna be honest. The Brotherhood of Steel scored lower than I thought they would. However, we're not done discussing their ties to fascism. Their nature is lampshaded several times ranging from mildly clever to anvilicious. Paladin Danse glibly refers to Maxson's disdain for diplomacy as "kicking down the door" He also describes BoS tactics as an "Overwhelming show of force", a thinly veiled reference to the Nazi Germany war tactic of Blitzkrieg. Maxson is referred to as "Emperor Maxson" in some incidental dialogue and obviously worshipped as the sort of "Strong Man" leader that fascist organizations frequently love.

I don't know if this is particularly a fascist trait but the faction's hypocrisy bears mentioning. They disdain "new" technology in particular(especially the Synths) but have no qualms about building new technological wonders of their own with the Prydwyn. They feel technology is dangerous but only "in the wrong hands", meaning inexplicably they see no problem with rebuilding and re-activating Liberty Prime and call Fat Man Launchers(actual nuclear weapons) a cornerstone of their military tactics. I could rant all day about the BoS thinking they're justified in using Liberty Prime for anything, but the fact is his ridiculous, jingoistic programming is a blind spot for them: They really don't see an issue with declaring an "other" in the way the prewar US Government villainized Communism. 

I'll discuss Synths and their role in the story with way more detail later, but I can't avoid stating this outright so we can continue with our discussion: In Fallout Four's story, Synths are an analogy for minorities in general and black people in specific. They're held in slavery, their rights and even cognitive function is up for debate, and the three general options for the end of the game can be summed up as "Free the Synths", "Keep the Synths as slaves", and "Kill all of the synths". 

Remember I said we'd get back to Maxson insisting that the Synths could destroy the human race after they outnumbered it? I can't help but think this is a reference to The Great Replacement, the absurd, white supremacist notion that "whites" will be bred out of existence by minorities. After all, the Brotherhood of Steel and their "Kill the Synths" ending fill in for one of the two racist points of view in Fallout Four. 

Are the Brotherhood of Steel a fascist organization? Yes, I think so. Are they intended to be? At least in Fallout Four, I'm sure they are. Is this a good direction for the series? I believe it is. If nothing else, the point of the Fallout franchise is that these traits shared among the old-world United States government, the Enclave, and even the Brotherhood of Steel are what led to ruin and apocalypse.

While we'll be talking about the failings of the main story at length later, I think the only major failing here is the player's ability, in the end, to "side with" the Brotherhood of Steel. Fallout Four was almost certainly shoehorned into being a "faction" story thanks to New Vegas's popularity. It presents too many opportunities to entirely miss what we've been discussing and simply feel like the big strong power armor person with the laser minigun. So Cool! Bethesda's gigantic array of Brotherhood of Steel merchandise doesn't help, and neither does some telling content being cut where you confront Maxson.

You might be wondering why I did this. Well, the first reason is that it's going to be super important that you understand the nature of the Brotherhood of Steel when we eventually talk about the plot of Fallout Four. I can predict a lot of arguing or confusion when I inevitably bring up FO4's themes and call the Brotherhood of Steel one of the game's bad guys. I can either panic and post this after discussing the game's plot, or I can just get it over with now. 

The other reason is that it kinda makes me kinda sick when someone misses the point this hard and worships an organization for being "tough" or "badass". It's a superficial read of the BoS at best and I can't help but imagine someone doing the same thing with Shadowrun's Big Eight. To me, that's the level the BoS are at and how they're intended to be judged. Bethesda selling BoS merchandise probably did a lot of damage to their intended perception. I'd say the game was too subtle, but...honestly, calling Fallout Four subtle in any way would be fucking laughable. 


If this post upset you, sorry! But it was probably meant to.