How to Recognize Fascism

 

Here's how you recognize fascism.

There is always an Other holding the nation back. Liberals, feminists, minorities, homosexuals, transgenders, immigrants. The language used to describe said groups is always hyperbolic and riddled with lies. Trump affiliated QAnon conspiracy wack-jobs accuse the Democratic Party of running a pedophile ring in order to harvest the adrenal glands of children. This is sadly ironic, considering how many Republican politicians have connections to known child abusers or are in fact child abusers themselves. Here's a list, just off the top of my head: former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (convicted pedophile), former Judge and GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore (accused of pursuing teenage girls), Congressman Matt Gaetz (currently being investigated by the FBI for sex trafficking of a minor),and Congressman Jim Jordon (refused to do anything to stop his wrestling team's doctor from molesting over 300 people while coaching at Ohio State, despite numerous allegations).

The truth is dependent on a certain point of view. Like a degenerate Obi-wan Kenobi, a fascist despises objective reasoning, science, intellectuals, and any criticism, legitimate or otherwise. Ever notice that people like Carlson and Trump constantly whine about the elites, as though they themselves are not part of the one percent? Carlson is the heir to the Swanson frozen food empire, and like Trump, he tries to depict himself as a populist. One reason why fascists constantly muddle the truth is that they aim to drown us all in a "flood of shit," to paraphrase Steve Bannon. Joe Biden had an dubious sexual assault allegation pop up during 2020, almost certainly to redirect media attention away from Trump's 26 accusers. A false equivalency is when two situations are compared as though they are equal, and it is a strategy frequently employed by fascists to equate misdeeds. Sowing doubt is the mission, and pretty soon the truth loses all meaning. It's harder to hold people in power accountable when you can't determine what the truth is.

Mindless Loyalty to a Leader. Any critic of Trump has been purged from the Republican Party. Liz Cheney lost her position as House Chair because she voted to impeach Trump for his role in encouraging the Jan. 6 riot. Anthony Gonzalez and Adam Kinzinger have retired after voting to impeach. Every Republican politician now walks on eggshells, careful not to disparage their Dear Leader, lest they lose reelection or suffer death threats from the Trumpian masses. The Right is obsessed and insecure about their masculinity, so it's pretty humorous to watch these paragons of masculine virtue cower in fear like soy boy beta cucks from the long, short-fingered arm of Donald Trump. The fascist knows that they have no honor and no true ideology. Power is their only concern, and they will do anything, no matter how debasing, in order to keep that power. Ted Cruz is perhaps the best example of this. Trump insulted his wife's looks, accused his father of killing JFK, called him "lying Ted," and Cruz became one of his most argent defenders. One only has to look at his recent humbling before Tucker Carlson to realize how pathetic he and other Republicans truly are. 

Contempt for Democracy. Republican politicians don't believe the Big Lie that 2020 election was stolen from Trump, but they'll be damned if they don't steal the next one. In 2021, 19 states enacted 33 voting laws to make it harder to vote, and you win no extra points for guessing that every single one of those states were controlled by Republicans. In wake of Democrats' 2021 victories in Georgia, state Republicans have given themselves power over local election boards, purging Democrats and black people. Their base is primed by Fox News and internet media to see the opposition as an existential threat, one worthy of using violence against, if necessary.

"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

It's best that we call it like we see it before it is too late. The Republican Party is a fascist organization. It is hostile to democracy, liberalism, science, and American values. Anyone not under the sway of Trumpism needs to wake up and realize what meager political power the American citizen has is in danger of being swept away.