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Calling Trump's politics and what happened last night 'fascism' is problematicNot that these are not necessarily fascistic, they certainly are, but resorting to this term outside of precise definitions, as is most often the case, is unhelpful and in fact counterproductive 1/
'Fascism' is one of those terms which has been used to describe many things over the years, and has at times been used as a rather careless insult, rather than to describe anything really fascistic.
What it describes, more often than not in public discourse, is rarely fascism 2/
What it describes, more often than not in public discourse, is rarely fascism 2/
Instead, it describes something evil in terms of politics, that sends us back to the interwar period and WW2. Something is thought to have been defeated by our liberal order, and of which only figments remain to haunt us
Such takes are not just simplistic, they are dangerous 3/
Such takes are not just simplistic, they are dangerous 3/
They exceptionalise fascism, rendering its politics and roots as something outside of the norm and foreign to our political traditions.
Of course, this could not be further from the truth as the history of fascism is intricately linked with that of liberalism in practice 4/
Of course, this could not be further from the truth as the history of fascism is intricately linked with that of liberalism in practice 4/
The two ideologies and their proponents have not always been at odds and opposed, and for a long time, liberals accommodated fascists in practice, particularly when it served their anti-communist agenda
But why does this matter in our current context? 5/
But why does this matter in our current context? 5/
Calling Trump a fascist exonerates those who have paved the way for his politics to become mainstream.
Trump is not a monstrosity, he is part of a bigger problem which finds its roots in our mainstream politics and media, which has for too long accommodated far right ideas 6/
Trump is not a monstrosity, he is part of a bigger problem which finds its roots in our mainstream politics and media, which has for too long accommodated far right ideas 6/
It is thus crucial not to let those who should be held responsible for our current predicament off the hook because of the grotesque violence and actions of Trump and his supporters
Trump's defeat doesn't mark the end of far right politics, only a step in the right direction 7/
Trump's defeat doesn't mark the end of far right politics, only a step in the right direction 7/
To be entirely clear, I do think that the actions yesterday were fascistic. I am just worried that simplistic takes and the way the term is understood in public discourse may be more counterproductive than helpful. 8/
