We have the rejection of the value of the individual, and aggrandizement of the nation to a point of hypernationalist primacy.
We have A cult of "traditionalism", (more imagined than true) based on history revision (Texas politicians deciding to remove Thomas Jefferson from their history text books comes to mind.)
There's a A rejection of modernism (cultural, as well as technological)
A cult of distrust of intellectualism.
A framing of disagreement as treasonous
A fear of difference.
There's the appeal to a frustrated middle class — blaming economic or political pressures from both above and below.
We see the classic obsession with alleged plots and machinations of the movement’s identified enemies.
The demonizing of former leaders...(Is anything on Earth not Obama's fault?)
We witness a requirement that said enemies be simultaneously seen as both omnipotent and weak, conniving, and cowardly.
Life is framed in terms of permanent warfare.
There's the contempt for weakness and false cartoon-ish authoritarianism.
A cult of "heroism" around a "fearless leader".
There's the pretentious hypermasculinity, with warfare functioning as “an ersatz phallic exercise”.
(military hardware parades, once laughable and strongly rejected in this nation are now scheduled.)
Populism...but a selective sort of populism, relying on crass misogynist definitions of “the people” that the movement claims to speak for.
There's the heavy usage of "New-speak" — impoverished vocabulary, elementary syntax, and a resistance to complex and critical reasoning.
What we have is a particular style of politics, with its identifying characteristics related to one’s relationship to the state or particularly some autocracy within the state, and to their fellow citizens, (particularly in-group/out-group divisive dynamics).
So...Fascist much?
We must understand the framing of Fascism as stylistic politics, rather than programmatic or policy related.
One of the most important elements of European fascism in the past was it's programmatic fluidity — by that, I mean its ability to conform to local particularisms and norms.
On the other side of the Atlantic, we witness the effective fusing of American neo-Nazis with the Neoconfederate movement.
This has been a cult just waiting for it's "charismatic leader".
A dumpster, full of raw sewerage and gasoline just waiting for it's match.
Those who condone, aid, or promote this dumpster fire will be on the wrong side of history. They will become ignominious. Humanity will only remember them ONLY as pariahs.
They will be remembered much the same as we recall leaders of the fascist periods of Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia.
Enemies of decency...unmitigated evil.
Opposing Fascist movements would be so much easier, for us, if they actually appeared on the world scene with somebody saying, “I want to reopen Auschwitz, I want the Black Shirts to parade again in the Italian squares.” Life, is just not that simple.
And while fascism thrives on stupid, it; itself is not so stupid as to simply employ it's past trappings...it adapts like viruses do...it attempts to avoid recognition.
Fascism is no relic...it can come back under the most innocent of disguises.
It is our duty as members of the human race (the only "race" folks) is to uncover it and to point our finger at any of its new instances — every day, in every part of the world.
We have our work cut out for us.
