People who enjoy defining themselves out of uncomfortable discussions like to insist that fascism is exclusively a “far-right” phenomenon—so leftists cannot, technically speaking, be labeled fascists. This argument neatly avoids the reality that history’s most famous fascists, the Nazis in Germany, were, in fact, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, which presented itself as the saviors of the laborers being oppressed by the Jews. As we are learning in America, virulent and unashamed anti-semitism can readily be spouted by Socialists—just look at so many Democrats in Congress today—so it might be time to ask whether the growth of Fascism on the far-left is the real threat to America.
One notable feature of 20th century Fascism in both Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy was that businesses were forced to goose-step to the dictates of the state, and government central planning and financial support was used to determine what products and services were made available to consumers. Given that every facet of the American economy is now captive to the whims of party line bureaucrats—whether it be the homes we are permitted to live in, the food available in our stores, the cars we can purchase, or the appliances we are allowed to buy—it certainly seems to be the case that the regulatory mechanisms now in place have embraced this aspect of the Fascist playbook.
It also is true that the reliance on military force which was so obvious a feature of the Fascism of the past is a prominent feature of America today. Hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars of military aid are routinely dumped by our current leaders into every conflict on our planet, setting the world awash in the blood (some it ours) of “forever wars” around the globe with little regard for the long term consequences. We may not stage military parades in the streets of our cities here in America, but we do stage a lot of wars elsewhere that produce volleys of rockets and artillery, overflights of warplanes, tanks rumbling through burning cities, and phalanxes of troops exchanging gunfire.
The reality is that we use our armed forces as a blunt instrument of foreign policy on a daily basis, but we conceal this fact in order not to alarm the peace-loving little leftists here in America, who scream whenever their “right” to kill a fetus is restricted or they are forced to hear a contrary opinion. The irony is, of course, that those who believe themselves to be battling against Fascism are happy to fight to the last Ukrainian and cheer for Hamas terrorists slaughtering Jewish families—but no one has ever said that tyrants are entirely logical or consistent in their thinking.
If all you care about is having power over others, you’re going to be perfectly willing to make more than a few moral compromises to secure it, wield it, and keep it. After all, you know what is best for everyone, right?
Perhaps it is the belief state power in the hands of the enlightened few can produce an ideal society that is the most chilling aspect of America’s Fascists today. The perverse idea that freedom can be gained by exerting unending governmental control over what average Americans can read, say, and think is so thoroughly embedded in our schools and laws today that it passes without question. Censorship and shaming by the mob has been substituted for debate and inquiry, so asking questions can now cost you dearly, and the powers of the police and the courts are likely to be unleashed on those foolhardy enough to speak without restraint.
It must, of course, be acknowledged that the ultra-nationalism we associate with our historical conception of Fascism seems entirely lacking in today’s totalitarians; they instead hate America and the vast majority of Americans while also refusing to acknowledge the necessity of our national borders. Whether they believe illegal immigration to be an effective mechanism for holding on to their power by importing future voters who will support their programs or see this as a tool for overwhelming and destroying the America they loathe, the profound anti-nationalism of America’s Fascists is understandable if we recognize it as an artifact of the Marxist/Socialist lust for a world government (with them firmly in charge, of course).
However, what connects yesterday’s Fascists and today’s is one core idea: Whatever the problem might be, the Jews are to blame—a belief that should frighten us all. The leering anti-semitism being exhibited on our nation’s college campuses and in the halls of government is a shock only to those who have chosen to be oblivious to decades of propagandizing and outright lies spread by those who are intent on spreading the same religious hatred that has dogged our planet for thousands of years. We ignore this horror at the risk of seeing it repeated again—only now we will be able to watch it from the comfort of our homes as a livestream or podcast.
To forget the past and neglect the threats of the present would be the worst mistake we can make today, and we should not be shy about pointing out the Fascists who are intent on dragging us back to the darkest times of humanity’s history just to score some cheap and disgusting political points that they believe will empower their cause. The thugs that now wear Birkenstocks instead of jackboots are just as deluded—and equally as dangerous—as those we were forced to battle in the past. We must be awake to what might come next in the Middle East and on our own streets here in America, for we dare not fail again to fulfill our duties to those at risk of extermination by genocidal maniacs.