This handy book by a Yale philosopher outlines how fascism works. It is obvious that it is working out well in Trump's America.
When exactly WAS America great in the eyes of Trump and his cult? When slavery was legal? When Jim Crow was legal? Before the modern civil rights movement?
Has the time ever been more ripe for fascism than now? Perhaps not.
The most telling characteristic of fascist politics is division. It aims to separate the populace into "us" and "them." Under Trump Democrats and Republicans clearly see each other as us and them. P. XVI
Fascism creates a mythic past as in make America great again invoking a mythic past when this country was supposedly great. P. XVI
Eventually fascism creates an atmosphere of unreality. When reality dissolves, false beliefs and conspiracies proliferate. P. XVII
Hitler was inspired by the Confederacy and Jim Crow laws. P. XVIII
The fascist mythical past is intentionally mythically. P. 5
The mythical past exists to change the present. P. 6
A central part of the fascist mythical past is the dominance of patriarchy. P. 12
The controversy over Confederate monuments fits into the fascist picture, but I must admit I am not personally exercised over this issue.
"Erasing the real past legitimates the vision of an ethnically pure, virtuous past nation. P. 15
The history of the South is consistently mythologized to whitewash slavery and practice racial discrimination. History becomes propaganda. P. 21-23
False charges of corruption while practicing corruption is class fascism. P. 25
Fascist cultists turn a blind eye to the corruption of their own. P. 27
Fascist states focus on dismantling the rule of law. P. 27
Historically many fascist leaders have to come to power thru democratic means. P. 30
Dictatorship after a democratic election. P. 31
In Book 8 of his Republic Plato says that democracy thru free speech leaders inevitably leads to a leader who end democracy. Therefore, democracy is self-undermanning. P. 32
Fascist politics seeks to undermine pubic discourse by attacking and devaluing education, expertise, and language. P. 37
Which leaves only power and tribal identity. P. 37
In fascism the function of education is to glorify the mythical past. P. 47
Fascist politics degrades political language. P. 53
Replace reasoned arguments in the public sphere with irrational fears and passions. P. 55
Impoverish our vocabulary. P. 56
A fascist leader can replace truth with power, ultimately lying without consequence. P. 57
The fascist power of conspiracy myths. P. 64
Irrational becomes ration in the improper context. P. 66.
Mill on liberty. P. 67
In politics language is used not to present facts but to elicit emotion. P. 68
Fascist politics at its best presents the leader as the singular truth teller. P. 70
Hierarchy replaces equality. P. 77
Nature imposes hierarchy. P. 79
Empires in decline are especially susceptible to fascism because of the sense of loss. P. 90.
Americans wildly overestimate racial progress over the last 50 years. P. 93
Fascists exalt the nationalist of domination. P. 97.
Rectifying injustices to minorities will aways be seen by some as oppression to majorities. P. 98
Fascism capitalizes on perceived oppression of dominant classes. P. 99
A mythical patriarchal past. P. 101
Nationalism is at the core of fascism. P. 106
Painting minorities as threats to law and order. P. 111
They are criminals; we make mistakes. P. 115
The traditional patriarchal family is at the heart of fascism. P. 127
Denunciation of large cities is fundamental fascism. P. 143
Fascist ideology looks to something superficially like the libertarian's ideal of self-sufficiency and freedom from the "state." P. 152
In fascist politics minorities are lazy and the only cure is hard labor. P. 155
Fascism cannot be comprehended without understanding its hatred of labor unions. P. 171
Fascism is most effect under conditions of start economic inequality. P. 172
Fear and resentment leads to uncertainty and setting one citizen against another. P. 173
The fascist leader operates like a company CEO. P. 181
The pull of fascist politics is powerful. It simplifies life. Us and them is easy. P. 183
Fascism normalizes the previously unthinkable. We are seeing this fact in action now. P. 189
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