Fascism is the idea that politics is about will and emotion rather than reason and interests. It denies the factual world in favor of myths, it defines politics as a matter of us and them, portrays globalization as a conspiracy rather than as a set of challenges, and postulates a mythical union between the (“real” “us”) people and a Leader that requires no mediation by laws or institutions. – Prof Timothy Snyder
To many educated, globalised elites, Donald Trump’s election as the President of the USA in 2016 came as an astounding surprise. To them, Donald Trump was a boorish, self-promoting, vulgar, money laundering reality TV star. In the liberal narrative, he was the very caricature of a villain. Yet, his support is steady.
Fox News, his ministry of propaganda, has captured the imagination of 40 per cent of the people of America. The claim that the Democrats lost the election because of the electoral college (yet again!) is significantly weakened by continuing support for Trump. Today, we find that his support has not wavered despite reasonable circumstantial evidence of extreme corruption, strong ties to Russia through his money-laundering operations, and absolutely damning evidence of infidelity and blackmail. In spite of his obvious un-Christian-like behaviour, Trump’s conservative, evangelical base somehow continues to believe that Donald Trump represents their interests in Washington.
Trump’s rise is not an isolated example of the rise of fascism. There seems to be a global trend towards authoritarian fascism. Putin, Duterte, Orban, Erdogan, Modi and Jinping are all textbook fascists. They brook no dissent. They often turn to violence against minority as a tool of policy. They are all rabidly nationalist. Most of them use the perceived victimisation of the majority to direct blame towards minorities. They are masters of propaganda and public messaging, despise rationality and critical thinking. They portray themselves as messianic leaders who are capable of extraordinary feats.
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