The overuse of 'fascism' by the Left is a dangerous game

[Michie]

In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of yesteryear, a young boy repeatedly tricks his village into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock, only to laugh as they come running. When the wolf actually does appear, his cries are met with indifference and disaster ensues.

Today, we’re witnessing a political parallel, with the incessant cries of “fascism” coming from the Left and their echo chambers in the mainstream media.

For more than eight years, this has been the go-to epithet for anyone to the right of center on the political stage in America. This is not because any recent candidates actually exhibit any of the traits of fascist leaders but because some of them have challenged the status quo with an unorthodox style and conservative policies.

But herein lies the rub: By branding everything from tax cuts to immigration enforcement as fascism, the term has been stripped of its historical gravitas, becoming nothing more than a rhetorical cudgel.

Continued below.

The Boy Who Cried Fascism

The Left’s hyperbolic habit of characterizing its conservative opponents as “fascists” isn't just a disservice to political discourse — it's a dangerous game that desensitizes the populace to the warning signs of the Left’s own authoritarian leanings. In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of...

www.standingforfreedom.com

 

[RileyG]

Yup.

 

[Fervent]

In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of yesteryear, a young boy repeatedly tricks his village into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock, only to laugh as they come running. When the wolf actually does appear, his cries are met with indifference and disaster ensues.

Today, we’re witnessing a political parallel, with the incessant cries of “fascism” coming from the Left and their echo chambers in the mainstream media.

For more than eight years, this has been the go-to epithet for anyone to the right of center on the political stage in America. This is not because any recent candidates actually exhibit any of the traits of fascist leaders but because some of them have challenged the status quo with an unorthodox style and conservative policies.

But herein lies the rub: By branding everything from tax cuts to immigration enforcement as fascism, the term has been stripped of its historical gravitas, becoming nothing more than a rhetorical cudgel.

Continued below.

The Boy Who Cried Fascism

The Left’s hyperbolic habit of characterizing its conservative opponents as “fascists” isn't just a disservice to political discourse — it's a dangerous game that desensitizes the populace to the warning signs of the Left’s own authoritarian leanings. In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of...

www.standingforfreedom.com

What's funny is if you define left or right as "more government control" vs "less government control" fascism is very much a left wing ideology. Now, "right" in US politics has come to be rather meaningless since former democrats invaded the republican party starting with Nixon's southern strategy. Let's not forget that during the Clinton era Trump was a "blue dog" democrat and hasn't by any means shown allegiance to truly conservative policies. But as the article states, fascism has also become an ill-defined catch all for "policy/politician I don't like."

 

[Petros2015]

This is not because any recent candidates actually exhibit any of the traits of fascist leaders but because some of them have challenged the status quo with an unorthodox style and conservative policies.

Trump cinches presidency win as Harris urges supporters 'do not despair'

Vice President Kamala Harris has officially delivered her last campaign speech hours after congratulating Donald Trump on his 'comeback' win as she urged audiences to 'mobilize and organize'

www.themirror.com

I would say that a candidate who does not accept election results and instead undermines their integrity is exhibiting (strongly) the traits of a fascist leader.

 

[Vambram]

Trump cinches presidency win as Harris urges supporters 'do not despair'

Vice President Kamala Harris has officially delivered her last campaign speech hours after congratulating Donald Trump on his 'comeback' win as she urged audiences to 'mobilize and organize'

www.themirror.com

View attachment 356727

I would say that a candidate who does not accept election results and instead undermines their integrity is exhibiting (strongly) the traits of a fascist leader.

I would say that a person who doesn't understand that there have been in past elections problems with the integrity of local and state processes of the election system hasn't been paying close attention to the various problems with the integrity of our elections.

 

[Palmfever]

In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of yesteryear, a young boy repeatedly tricks his village into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock, only to laugh as they come running. When the wolf actually does appear, his cries are met with indifference and disaster ensues.

Today, we’re witnessing a political parallel, with the incessant cries of “fascism” coming from the Left and their echo chambers in the mainstream media.

For more than eight years, this has been the go-to epithet for anyone to the right of center on the political stage in America. This is not because any recent candidates actually exhibit any of the traits of fascist leaders but because some of them have challenged the status quo with an unorthodox style and conservative policies.

But herein lies the rub: By branding everything from tax cuts to immigration enforcement as fascism, the term has been stripped of its historical gravitas, becoming nothing more than a rhetorical cudgel.

Continued below.

The Boy Who Cried Fascism

The Left’s hyperbolic habit of characterizing its conservative opponents as “fascists” isn't just a disservice to political discourse — it's a dangerous game that desensitizes the populace to the warning signs of the Left’s own authoritarian leanings. In the well-known Aesop’s Fable of...

www.standingforfreedom.com

Fascism is a left wing term used by dummies that either don't know what it means or do know and use it to beat the drums of frustration and anger in the US today.


often Fascism : a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition
At the core of fascism is loyalty to tribe, ethnic identity, religion, tradition, or, in a word, nation.—Jason Stanley

There are differences between Italian Fascism, German Nazism, and their various nationalist descendants.—Josh Jones

broadly : a philosophy or system with some combination of fascist values and governing structures
Take away colonialism and you still have … Balkan fascism …—Umberto Eco


2
: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control
The early instances of army fascism and brutality are typical …—Jason Watson Aldridge

Call it "soft fascism": a political system that aims to stamp out dissent and seize control of every major aspect of a country's political and social life, without needing to resort to "hard" measures like banning elections …—Zach Beauchamp


—often used informally in an exaggerated way
Like the city's ban on the use of trans fats and draconian restrictions on smoking, the new soda regulations are … yet another installment of what Jonah Goldberg rightly termed "liberal fascism."—Jonathan S. Tobin

Definition of FASCISM

a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

True fascism is not possible in our constitutional republic.
Soft fascism is more often employed by libs to suppress speech and broaden governmental control.

 

[Fantine]

It is the words of the well-respected military leaders, his closest staff, who first used these words before Harris.

They are used on good authority.

 

[Palmfever]

It is the words of the well-respected military leaders, his closest staff, who first used these words before Harris.

They are used on good authority.

Trump may spew foolish

It is the words of the well-respected military leaders, his closest staff, who first used these words before Harris.

They are used on good authority.

Respected by who? I have no respect for those who speak lies because they have been offended by the words of one with little concern for their delicate little pshycies.
Trump speaks his mind. In crass, sometimes offensive words.
I appreciate that in spite of it's simplicity.
Harris can utter an entire paragraph, drivel the same prevarications three ways and say absolutely nothing.

Good authority?
Not mine, these are professional purveyors of bs and bluster. Career Military which have kept us at war for decades. For what?
They have no consent by me. They are not respected by me. Respect is earned. They used up old weapons so new ones could be purchased. Our economy requires consumerism and the military industrial complex is a considerable portion.

 

[ozso]

Once several years ago I googled "obama is a fascist", "bush is a fascist" "clinton is a fascist" etc and got plenty hits for each one. I imagine they ladled it on Regan pretty thickly, but of course there weren't a whole lot of interweb articles about him throughout his term.

 

[Fantine]

Trump may spew foolish

Respected by who? I have no respect for those who speak lies because they have been offended by the words of one with little concern for their delicate little pshycies.
Trump speaks his mind. In crass, sometimes offensive words.
I appreciate that in spite of it's simplicity.
Harris can utter an entire paragraph, drivel the same prevarications three ways and say absolutely nothing.

Good authority?
Not mine, these are professional purveyors of bs and bluster. Career Military which have kept us at war for decades. For what?
They have no consent by me. They are not respected by me. Respect is earned. They used up old weapons so new ones could be purchased. Our economy requires consumerism and the military industrial complex is a considerable portion.

The former president came in to foreign policy not only completely ignorant but unwilling to sit through briefings.
He attended NATO, G8, Climate Accords, etc. Loping around like an ignoramus. Riding in a golf cart while others walked. Pushing himself to the front of pictures. Refusing to honor our Normandy dead in the rain.
And you respect him more than our generals?
America deserves decency.

 

[Vambram]

The former president came in to foreign policy not only completely ignorant but unwilling to sit through briefings.
He attended NATO, G8, Climate Accords, etc. Loping around like an ignoramus. Riding in a golf cart while others walked. Pushing himself to the front of pictures. Refusing to honor our Normandy dead in the rain.
And you respect him more than our generals?
America deserves decency.

Donald Trump's foreign policy was putting America first. Instead of bowing before the agendas of the globalists elites, Trump put America first and that made him the first decent leader for America since Ronald Reagan in my opinion. The vast majority of American military voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and also in 2024. The American military Servicemembers don't want a President who is getting us involved in senseless foreign wars.

 

[Palmfever]

The former president came in to foreign policy not only completely ignorant but unwilling to sit through briefings.
He attended NATO, G8, Climate Accords, etc. Loping around like an ignoramus. Riding in a golf cart while others walked. Pushing himself to the front of pictures. Refusing to honor our Normandy dead in the rain.
And you respect him more than our generals

Yes, absolutely much more than the warmongers.

 

[FireDragon76]

What's funny is if you define left or right as "more government control" vs "less government control" fascism is very much a left wing ideology. Now, "right" in US politics has come to be rather meaningless since former democrats invaded the republican party starting with Nixon's southern strategy. Let's not forget that during the Clinton era Trump was a "blue dog" democrat and hasn't by any means shown allegiance to truly conservative policies. But as the article states, fascism has also become an ill-defined catch all for "policy/politician I don't like."

Fascism is a right-wing authoritarian movement. The two aren't contradictory at all. Politics is in reality multidimensional. You can have libertarians and authoritarians on both Left and Right.

Right vs. Left really has to do with ones attitude to inhereted tradition and hierarchy. People like me on the Left are critical of hierarchy and tradition, and believe these must be rationally justified and should not be accepted as a given, just because they are traditional. People on the Right, on the other hand, tend to uncritically accept things because they are perceived as traditional or support established hierarchies.

 

[Fervent]

Fascism is a right-wing authoritarian movement. The two aren't contradictory at all. Politics is in reality multidimensional. You can have libertarians and authoritarians on both Left and Right.

Right vs. Left really has to do with ones attitude to inhereted tradition and hierarchy. People like me on the Left are critical of hierarchy and tradition, and believe these must be rationally justified and should not be accepted as a given, just because they are traditionally. People on the Right, on the other hand, tend to uncritically accept things because they are perceived as traditional or support established hierarchies.

That's one way to define right and left, but they're usually not all that well defined so what belongs to the left and the right is debateable. In American politics, right and left wing have at least partially come to be associated with whether government should be limited and primarily rest with the states, or government should be centralized and large enough to provide massive regulation and social safety nets. As you say though, politics is multi-dimensional so assigning things to a "left" or "right" in itself is an inherently flawed metric and in the case of fascism is generally only defined as a sort of guilt by association tarring. Fascism is closer kin to traditional democratic positions than it is to traditional conservative ones, so saying it is right wing in American politics is misleading at the very least.

 

[FireDragon76]

That's one way to define right and left, but they're usually not all that well defined so what belongs to the left and the right is debateable. In American politics, right and left wing have at least partially come to be associated with whether government should be limited and primarily rest with the states, or government should be centralized and large enough to provide massive regulation and social safety nets.

Yes, that isn't contradictory at all. In the US context, tradition and inherited hierarchies include those things you mentioned.

Left vs. Right isn't necessarily about specific policies, it's more of a meta-perspective or a priori stance.

 

[Fervent]

Yes, that isn't contradictory at all. In the US context, tradition and inherited hierarchies include those things you mentioned.

Left vs. Right isn't necessarily about specific policies, it's more of a meta-perspective or a priori stance.

Yeah, though as I said it's not really a useful metric specifically because it clumps political positions that have no true affinity for each other together. Fascism and classical liberalism are not anywhere near each other politically, but in the US both would be considered right wing.

 

[FireDragon76]

Yeah, though as I said it's not really a useful metric specifically because it clumps political positions that have no true affinity for each other together. Fascism and classical liberalism are not anywhere near each other politically, but in the US both would be considered right wing.

Be careful here. You could easily overstate how far fascism is from classical liberalism. Hitler campaigned as a center-right authoritarian, for instance, and got a substantial amount of support, or at least non-resistance, from disaffected liberals in Germany who feared Communists and their attacks on the German market system. In fact, Fascism in Germany was an overwhelmingly middle class phenomenon (which is still true today in various parts of the world).

 

[Fervent]

Be careful here. You could easily overstate how far fascism is from classical liberalism. Hitler campaigned as a center-right authoritarian, for instance, and got a substantial amount of support, or at least non-resistance, from disaffected liberals in Germany who feared Communists and their attacks on the German market system. In fact, Fascism in Germany was an overwhelmingly middle class phenomenon (which is still true today in various parts of the world).

Just because fascism is possibly not as far from classical liberalism as communism doesn't make it close to classical liberalism. All voters compromising and fearing communism more than fascism demonstrates is that politics makes strange bed fellows. The collectivism inherent in fascism is necessarily opposed to the emphasis on personal liberty found in classical liberalism.

 

[FireDragon76]

Just because fascism is possibly not as far from classical liberalism as communism doesn't make it close to classical liberalism. All voters compromising and fearing communism more than fascism demonstrates is that politics makes strange bed fellows. The collectivism inherent in fascism is necessarily opposed to the emphasis on personal liberty found in classical liberalism.

Some liberals in Germany liked their business interests and bourgeois values more than personal liberty.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I've become personally less frightened of 'fascism' or Nazism proper precisely because of the overuse of these terms divorced from the actual regimes which had these ideologies. A mature reflection on history and being less liberal ideologically has only reinforced that those who throw about the word Fascist with reckless abandon don't actually know what it means. Rather it's a substitute for Satan or ultimate evil in their view which is a direct result of the post WW2 consensus. We're the good guys, you're the Fascist bad guys. The conflating of Authoritarian with Fascist is also a category error I notice and people who speak like this make it seem like every other regime in history was Fascist until Liberal democracy came about.

My advice to anyone on the right is to learn that when the Left calls you a fascist, harden your heart and don't be moved to try and avoid the charge. They'll call anyone and everything Fascist if they think they can guilt you into their worldview.