Thread by @GynoStar

Maybe now's a good time to talk about “eternal fascism” or “ur-fascism,” a concept coined by Umberto Eco in a 1995 essay. Eco, who grew up in Italy under Mussolini, outlined 14 essential, characteristic traits of fascism. (Thread!) 1/ nybooks.com/articles/1995/…

Fascism trait #1:The cult of tradition. Eco is referring to a weird synthesis of different mystical and occult traditions which gives fascism a feeling of ancient “primeval truth,” revealed through often contradictory messages. 2/

We see hints of this cult of tradition in the alt-right's semi-satirical “meme magic” & “cult of kek." motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/…
And many politicians have dabbled in new age spirituality, resembling the “sycnretistic” belief system Eco described: salon.com/2017/04/23/ste… 3/

Also there’s the tremendous popularity of Jordan Peterson, who interprets myths, religion and Jungian archetypes through a psuedo-sciency lens in an attempt to reveal a universal human morality. It’s the faux intellectual version of Eco’s cult of tradition. 4/

Fascism trait 2: 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.” We… don’t have to look far to see this among Trumpists. 5/

Fascism trait 3: 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.” This includes distrust of intellectualism (like Trump rejecting all expertise). 6/

Fascism trait 4: Disagreement is treason. Ur-fascism can’t withstand criticism. It’s becoming routine for right-wing media and politicians to call Trump’s critics un-American. 7/

Fascism trait 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.” I mean..? I hope I don’t have to explain how this one applies to our current moment. 8/

Trait 6: Appeal to social frustration. Historically fascism finds its audience in a middle class experiencing “feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.” 9/
economist.com/democracy-in-a…

Fascism trait 7: Obsession with a plot. Nationalism gives followers a sense of identity, but “the only ones who can provide an identity to the nation are its enemies." Hence "the appeal to xenophobia. But the plot must also come from the inside.” 10/

Obsession with a plot is on stark display right now. Believing that immigrants are trying to invade & destroy America is the very cornerstone of Trumpism. Throw in Muslims & transgender people and you’ve got no shortage enemies plotting against “real Americans.” 11/

Fascism trait 8: Enemies are simultaneously too strong and too weak “Followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of the enemies… However, the followers must be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies.” 12/

Best example of the strong/weak enemy: Liberals. They control the deep state & media, suppress free speech, even aid terrorists (see National Review excerpt below). And yet, they’re snowflakes, easily triggered babies who need safe spaces, and so forth. 13/

Fascism trait 9: Permanent warfare. “Life is lived for struggle.” The movement seeks defeat of all enemies, which is paradoxically incompatible with perpetual war. No doubt, Trump is big on belligerent rhetoric and has made some disturbing military decisions. That said... 14/

It’s hard to argue that militarism is crucial to Trumpism. OTOH we could be less literal (though it may not be what Eco was referring to) and see Trump’s trade wars as “permanent warfare.” His aggressive rhetoric on trade has always been central to his message/appeal. 15/

Trump’s ambition to blow up every treaty & trade agreement, his treatment of every other country, even (especially?) allies, as rivals to be bested… it all seem of a piece with, or in the same spirit as, ur-fascism’s permanent warfare. A perpetual struggle to defeat enemies. 16/

Trait 10: Contempt for the weak. Reactionary ideologies are fundamentally hierarchical and elitist. Each level of the hierarchy views those below it as weak and themselves as superior. This existed in America long before Trump, but he’s been successfully exploiting it. 17/

“Weak” is one of Trump’s favorite insults. 18/

Ur-fascist elitism means that even though the people (Americans) are the best people in the world and party members (Trump voters) are the best of the people, the leader must see the people as weak (because he was able to dominate them). 19/

Fascism trait 11: Everybody is educated to become a hero, impatient to die in glory. “In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death.“ Think of Trump claiming he would’ve run, unarmed, into a school building to stop a shooter… 20/

American reactionaries believe they’re all Wyatt Earp. They need guns because at any minute they’ll get their chance to stop the bad guys and be heroes. As Eco suggests, their attachment to this fantasy leads to other people’s deaths by keeping America flooded with guns. 21/

Fascism trait 12: Machismo. Eco defines this as both disdain for women and intolerance of “nonstandard” sexual behavior. Hmmm I wonder how this might apply to what we're seeing today? 22/

Trait 13: Selective populism. The people a monolithic entity, not individuals. The Leader pretends to interpret their will (no large group has a single will).“Having lost their power of delegation, citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the People.” 23/

“Selective populism” describes Trumpism perfectly. Trump claims to speak for Americans even as he tells his followers what to think. He can contradict himself & pivot in his positions freely because he tells his followers what to feel, and they oblige. 24/

This bit blows my mind: “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.” We’re there, Umberto! We’re there. 25/

Also: “Wherever a politician casts doubt on the legitimacy of a parliament because it no longer represents the Voice of the People, we can smell Ur-Fascism.” Only the Leader can represent the people’s will, so duly elected representatives are rotten/corrupt. Drain the swamp! 26/

Fascism trait 14 (last one): Newspeak. Ur-fascism uses “an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.” Indeed. 27/
newsweek.com/trump-fire-and…

Trump also litters his speech with generic modifiers (“tremendous, great”), qualifying phrases, unclear pronoun referents and coded language, allowing fans to hear whatever message they want to hear. They think it’s “straight talk” but in reality it’s exactly the opposite. 28/

Umberto Eco’s overarching point (IMO) is that totalitarianism isn’t defined by regimes or ideology, but by “a way of thinking and feeling, a group of cultural habits.” It’s our responsibility to watch for the signs of ur-fascism and speak up whenever we see it. 29/

It's easy to believe our democratic institutions are too strong to be hijacked by totalitarianism. But no society is immune. Eco's analysis reminds us that in a stable, functioning democracy, staying on guard against fascism isn’t hysterical or irrational. It’s necessary. 30/30

I need to attach an addendum to this thread. This tweet from Sarah Sanders represents a relatively trivial incident - her ejection from a restaurant, her tweet about it, the ensuing public (and presidential) reaction. But IMO it's a stark example of American fascism at work. 31/

Umberto Eco wrote that fascism appeals to a frustrated middle class. It gives them a sense of social identity, which is defined by who their enemies are. Thus "the followers must feel besieged." This explain's the right's culture of grievance - their persecution complex. 32/

Followers of fascism feel threatened not only by external invaders but also by "the enemy within." Right now, that's "liberals." Republicans barely have a platform anymore. Trumpists certainly have no core beliefs. But they have a shared group identity around hating liberals. 33/

Trump, his spokespeople, Fox News & the right wing media apparatus work hard to push the idea that Trump and his followers are perpetual victims of a liberal plot to destroy them and/or their way of life. Any criticism of the Leader is part of the liberal plot. 34/

Trump makes regular Americans who aren't part of his cabal (and get nothing out of it) feel like he's on their team. They identify with him, because they share an enemy. Trump's "wins" are over their enemy. His losses are at the hands of their enemy. 35/

What makes the Trumpian persecution complex so insidious is that those claiming to be besieged control all 3 branches of government. They're incredibly powerful. Their culture of grievance & obsession with a liberal plot provide cover to abuse that considerable power. 36/

Look again at SHS's tweet. She poses as a victim taking the high road, but anyone actually taking the high road would've simply moved on from the incident. Instead, Sanders uses her enormous, powerful, official government platform to tattle on the restaurant. 37/

Sarah Sanders' cry-bully approach was successful. It reinforced conservatives' perception that they're persecuted by liberals and that Trump & his coterie are on their side. Liberals were forced to denounce or defend the restaurant. Few people noted Sanders' abuse of power. 38/

To me, this is the crux of fascism. The Party Leaders gather more power to themselves, which by definition means taking it away from the people. And their followers happily accede, fooled by their false group identity into believing it's THEIR power. 39/39