chapulin_enojado , 3 months ago

@rbreich
Let's see, using Umberto Eco's typical elements of fascism, Trump and today's Republican Party hit them all.

Trump is a fascist.

The Republican Party is a fascist political party.

1. A syncretic cult of tradition (think Q-anon)
2. Rejection of the modern world
3. Cult of action for action's sake (thinking is effeminate and weak)
4. Disagreement is treason (no analytical criticism allowed)
5. Fear of difference (racist by definition)
6. Appeal to social frustration
7. Obsession with plots & conspiracies
8. The enemy is both weak and strong (humiliated by enemies' wealth & power, but convinced they can be destroyed)
9. Pacifism or compromise is treason; life is permanent warfare
10. Contempt for the weak
11. Everyone is educated to become a hero, and heroes crave death
12. Machismo (transfer of will to power to sexual matters), disdain for women, intolerance of nonstandard sexual habits
13. Selective populism (individuals have no rights; The Leader interprets the "will" of the people)
14. Newspeak (Lingua Tertii Imperii); an impoverished vocabulary and elementary syntax

See: https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wp-content/uploads/sites/226/2015/12/Eco-urfascism.pdf