Umberto Eco's characteristics of fascism, and how trump stacks up.

Umberto Eco's characteristics of fascism, and how Trump stacks up.

1. The cult of tradition. “One has only to look at the syllabus of every fascist movement to find the major traditionalist thinkers. The Nazi gnosis was nourished by traditionalist, syncretistic, occult elements.” 

America First, Christian holy war versus Islam, American exceptionalism, backing by KKK, neo-nazi's and nationalists. 

2. The rejection of modernism. “The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity. In this sense Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism.” 

War on science and truth, ignoring evidence of risk viz a viz terror threats 

3. The cult of action for action’s sake. “Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation.” 

Er... yeah. Chaotic executive orders without reflection. 

4. Disagreement is treason. “The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism. In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge.” 

Sacked AG because deciding something may be unconstitutional is a "betrayal", anyone who doesn't think the same can get out. 

5. Fear of difference. “The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.” 

Targets immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ, PoC.. 

6. Appeal to social frustration. “One of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.” 

Appeals to economic anxiety, plus "culture wars", plus fear and demonisation of the oppressed protesting their oppression 

7. The obsession with a plot. “The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to solve the plot is the appeal to xenophobia.” 

Hysteria over impossible Sharia takeover, the "War on Christianity", and the threat of terrorism from foreigners 

8. The enemy is both strong and weak. “By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.” 

Islam is a massive threat to the might of the US, and also the ideology of backward sub-humans. 

9. Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. “For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle.” 

Wanting to protect minorities, refugees, and asylum seekers from persecution is a betrayal of the country. 

10. Contempt for the weak. “Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology.” 

This is Trump we're talking about. He and his followers feel contempt for those they perceive as weak. 

11. Everybody is educated to become a hero. “In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death.” 

All of the above encourages people like the Quebec shooter to be a hero. Hopefully, it won't have a chance to be explicit teaching.

12. Machismo and weaponry. “Machismo implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.” 

I don't need to insult your intelligence and add anything here. 

13. Selective populism. “There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.” 

The selected group of citizens were literally targeted and gamed by big-data via Cambridge Analytics, on whose board Bannon sits. FOX now the voice of the people. 

14. Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak. “All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.” 

A creationist is now reviewing the education system, and this was already shit to begin with..

So don't fucking tell me I don't know what fascism is when I say Trump et al are fascists.