Thread by @JulieRohrYEG

I’ve seen recent chatter on the #AbPoli feed regarding people who insinuate the UCP are using fascist tactics.

I don’t like labels OR name-calling, it’s detrimental to ongoing discussion- but SPEAKING of ongoing discussion, why don’t we take a little look at fascism here? 1/

Let’s look at this interview w Jason Stanley, who wrote “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.”

“The fact that not all fascists are like Hitler doesn't change the fact that fascist tactics are recognizable, consistent & dangerous.”
2/

nbcnews.com/think/opinion/…

Stanley talks very straightforwardly about how fascism begins. As a child of holocaust survivors himself, Stanley “has been concerned about the rise of conspiratorial fascist politics in the U.S. since at least 2011.”

3/

Incidentally, Stanley isn’t the only one concerned.

“Between 2012-2016, according to a report by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, there was a 600 percent increase in followers of American white-nationalist movements on Twitter alone” rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

But back to Stanley.

He discusses the early connections between American politics and the rise of European fascism, and talks about undermining advanced education, a common tactic with fascist regimes. 5/

Another person doing a bit of writing on this is Douglas Frantz, former assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration.
“Before we say it can’t happen in the United States or Canada, let’s look at... warning signs of impending fascism.” 6/

theglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl…

“I fear that good Americans will trust blindly in those institutions until it is too late. I also fear that our neighbours in Canada will ignore the early sign of similar trouble in their own country...” 7/

Authors who talk about fascism often cite the same warning signs.

- a divided, unhappy populace, often experiencing economic trouble
- leaders stoke this, pitting one group against another.
- they promise an economic miracle and blame “those people” for their problems.
8/

- they undermine the credibility of media; calling out “fake news” is big with fascist leaders.
- they undermine credibility of universities and other higher education, trying to silence dissent and reasonable critique of their own policies or ideas. (Scientists, anyone?) 9/

Back to Stanley, to wrap up. We may not live under a FULLY fascist government anywhere in North America. But to be unable to DISCUSS fascism itself as a force, and what that COULD look like, coming into Alberta, does all of us a disservice. We must be able to say the word- 10/

-NOT as a catch-all we use to dismiss arguments or people we disagree with, no. Throw around the word “neo-nazi” and you’ll get slapped with a $12,000 lawsuit from the rebel.

No, don’t throw the term around casually- but don’t shy away from saying WHAT fascism IS. 11/

We must be able to say it, to call it out from the very start, before it balloons into full view. It doesn’t START with murdering millions. It starts with undermining democracy. Let’s not let that happen here.

And that’s been your Saturday morning fascism thread. ✌🏻

{{{{I will add this is a very meaningful conversation for me, as my Opa fought IN Hitler’s army. FOR fascist ideals. He didn’t know- he wasn’t a higher-up, he was a German man, blinded by nationalism and patriotic propaganda. It broke him; he was a broken man after the war.

It doesn’t disrespect our ancestors or those who fought against fascism to TALK ABOUT IT, to see the warning signs right beneath our noses. I’d argue it is disrespectful to our ancestors NOT to talk about it. To remain ignorant.

I feel I am honouring the life of my Opa by preventing another person from becoming radicalized bc they were swept up in a wave of political emotion from a fascist leader. I want to PREVENT what happened to him by talking about it before it happens to another teenaged boy.}}}}