Seven years ago Yale professor Jason Stanley published a book titled “How Fascism Works,” in which he listed ten characteristics of a fascist regime. They are: (1) promotion of a mythic past; (2) heavy use of propaganda; (3) anti-intellectualism; (4) invocation of unreality; (5) promotion of a power hierarchy; (6) victimization by immigrants; (7) law and order; (8) sexual anxiety; (9) denunciation of cosmopolitan cities; and (10) a valorization of self-sufficiency.
The current Trump regime exhibits all ten. Examples:
(1) A mythic past: “Make America Great Again.”
(2) Propaganda: FoxNews, AM talk radio, Trump’s “Truth Social.”
(3) Anti-intellectualism: Trump’s attacks on universities, science, health care, journalists.
(4) Unreality: chronic lying by Trump and his surrogates.
(5) Monopoly power: Trump and his enablers in Congress, the Supreme Court, and corporate America.
(6) Victimization: Trump’s condemnation of immigrants as “dangerous.”
(7) Law and order: the heavy use of ICE and National Guard to patrol Democratic cities, with Trump claiming “We’re under invasion from within.”
(8) Sexual anxiety: Condemnation by Trump (et al.) of DEI.
(9) Denunciation of cosmopolitan cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, etc.
(10) Self-sufficiency: the heavy use of tariffs on imported goods.
So we are dealing not just with authoritarianism but with classic fascism. Acknowledging that reality is the first step in confronting it.
Tom Huckin, Salt Lake City
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