In his book “Jason Stanley details the characteristics and underpinnings of fascism. It’s an excellent book, worth reading. In it Stanley offers a thorough review of the characteristics of a fascist government. Here, culled from Jason Stanley (How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them), Hannah Arendt, (How Democracy dies), and others, is a summary of what fascism looks like. Probably there’s nothing on this list you don’t already know, but it is chilling to look at these all at once.
- Fascism relies on an idealized vision of mythical past.
- Fascism aims to create a state of unreality through fake news.
- Fascists rely on conspiracy theories that “offer the believer the satisfying sense of having special, privileged access to the truth.”
- Fascists take over not by force, but by an incremental constitutional coup, usurping the rule of law, rewriting the constitution, taking over institutions, etc.
- Truth and fact are neutralized by repeated and obvious lying. Interesting fact: Followers of demagogues see their leader as flouting norms deemed unjust by lying, and so lies are seen as a sign of his strength.
- Fascists are able to come to power because existing parties are under the mistaken belief that they can use the emerging demagogue to advance their own agenda.
- Fascism attacks genuine expertise. In the words of Hannah Arendt, fascist states “replace …first-rate talents…. with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is …the best guarantee of their loyalty.” Interesting quote: Latour calls Trump’s ‘apparatchiks’ the “obscurantist elites”.
- Fascist leaders weaponize racism in order to create a paranoia-based allegiance with the dominant group at the expense of non-dominant groups. Another interesting fact: Hitler considered America a model for Nazi Germany, in large part because of his admiration of America’s racist 1924 immigration act. Another interesting fact: that law is a favorite of Jeff Sessions.
- Fascism promotes the idea that the dominant group is hard working, Christian, and the basis of what is good about the nation. Non-dominant groups, meanwhile, are portrayed as lazy, criminal, and a threat to that nation.
- Fascists prey on sexual anxieties by portraying members of the outgroup as sexual predators who will rape and defile dominant group women while cuckolding dominant group men. A weird and interesting fact: Trump supporters are far more likely to do online searches for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, how to get girls, penis enlargement, penis size, steroids, testosterone and Viagra.
- Authoritarian leaders merge their economic interests with their state power.
- Autocrats subsume the normal operations of government into their cult of personality.”
- For demagogues checks and balances, and the slow process of democracy, feel like a straitjacket.
- Autocrats encourage violence.
- Transgenderism, homosexuality and women’s rights are attacked because they threaten the patriarchal basis of autocratic governments.
- Oh, and one last interesting fact: Hitler believed that the leader should function as the CEO of a company.
Probably there’s nothing on this list you don’t already know, but it is chilling to look at these all at once, because right now we are checking every single one of these boxes.