Prolific atheist blogger and all around stand up fellow Jack Vance wrote a post yesterday entitled “Trump is Not Hitler.” I agree with the gist of that piece, but feel the need to point out that fascism is not a binary consisting of Not Hitler/Totes Hitler. When fascism once again creeps into American politics, it will not present itself so plainly as that. There are, however, a number of distinct warning signs.
Nationalism
The bedrock of fascism is a strong form of nationalism, which typically shores up national identity by designating and persecuting one or more groups which are percieved by nativists to be a foreign threat.
Read @realDonaldTrump's 900-word statement on Mexico’s drugs, disease and rapists. http://t.co/h50gRRpFh3 pic.twitter.com/vK4KVpgQLc
— Early & Often (@CSTearlyoften) July 7, 2015
GOP rivals condemn @realDonaldTrump for backing Muslim database #Election2016 (by @AP) https://t.co/xvdk5K8k0T pic.twitter.com/vmiLdSbixe
— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) November 21, 2015
After call to ban Muslims, is the GOP ready to unite against @realDonaldTrump? https://t.co/CV7XJpxuE7 pic.twitter.com/NH3YLpw1dt
— CNN (@CNN) December 8, 2015
Palingenesis
Basically, palingenesis is the call for a national rebirth, a cultural and political regeneration of the nation which serves to make it great again. Like so:
https://twitter.com/vrmeg9/status/671537752807227394
There cannot be much doubt that palingenesis is a major theme in the Trump 2016 campaign, though he would never go so far as to utter its high-faluten latinized name.
Direct Action
Fascists do not shrink from legitimizing political violence in support of their goals, especially at their rallies.
.@realDonaldTrump on #BlackLivesMatter protester: "Maybe he should have been roughed up" https://t.co/XpYDKwbiiv pic.twitter.com/Zfgmz19ZqU
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 22, 2015
Hopefully he’ll dial this bellicosity back a bit; only time will tell. If he’s looking to ramp it up, there is no shortage of willing muscle.
Totalitarianism
Trump is falling a bit short in this category, but that may be because he usually avoids providing specifics on any given question of policy. When he does go into detail, though, the solutions do tend to sound worryingly totalitarian, such as tracking citizens based on their religion or creating a religious test for potential refugees.
The most worrisome aspect of the Trump candidacy, though, has to be the “great leader” persona, and the purblind devotion that it inspires. Some significant fraction of voters have come to believe that the appearance and projection of strength is just as good as the real thing, but that isn’t how the world really works. It’s really easy to say we’re going to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, but it takes an almost religious level of ignorance and faith to believe Trump can actually make it happen.
