George Carlin once said there seven words that you can never say on television. The F-word I am discussing today is not one of those seven words. 

The F-Word, Fascism as defined by Miriam Webster Dictionary is “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.” 

For years it has been considered hyperbole to use the word “fascism” in reference to particular politicians or political movements within our society, but when politicians and their followers are using rhetoric that is identical to Hitler and Mussolini, calling their political opponents “vermin” and promising to imprison them and anyone else they deem “the enemy within,” pledging to forcibly deport millions of persons whom they call “animals”  who are “poisoning the blood of America,” then it is time to use the f-word and to do all in our power to save what is left of our democratic republic. 

My parents are old enough to remember the horror of what fascism can do to the world. Fascism took my mom’s uncle from this earth in 1945 as he fought German fascists in Italy. it was a devastating loss for the family. My mom was 6 when the war ended and she remembers the VE Day celebration in Detroit and the tears of joy of that day mixed with tears of sadness that her uncle was gone forever. My dad was 10 when the war ended. His brother was 12 years older and joined the air force to become a pilot. He was scheduled to be deployed to be a part of the bombing of Japan when the war ended, and he was a part of the occupation of Japan. My parents remember clearly the loss and suffering caused by fascism in its different forms during World War II as well as the sacrifice required to defeat it.

It is critically important to remember that it is much easier to vote in fascism than it is to vote out fascism. Looking at history, we see that fascists are rarely removed through democratic processes. 

It is an appropriate response to be extremely alarmed over persons who want to lead us talking like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. That is precisely the kind of thing over which one ought to become extremely alarmed. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

I teach political philosophy and contemporary political theory. I have spent a significant amount of time studying fascism as an ideology and its historical manifestations. I am very aware of the need to reserve the label ‘fascist’ for persons who are actually fascists, but what we are hearing from certain politicians today and what they are promising they will do are fascist to the core.

In my opinion, if a person thinks it is too extreme to say that the country is in grave danger of being overcome by fascism, they either are not paying attention or they don’t know what fascism is.

Anyone who has read and learned anything about the history of autocracy and fascism in the world knows where the United States is right now – on the precipice of becoming a true hellscape for the most vulnerable people among us and a danger to the world. We cannot say we didn’t know what was coming, but sadly there are so many who just do not have a clue about the danger we are facing.

There is a disturbing trend among persons drawn to autocratic leaders to make the claim that the United States is not a “democracy” but rather a “constitutional republic.” In actuality we are a democratic constitutional republic. We are not a “direct democracy” in that we do not normally directly vote for legislation, but we do elect our representatives through a democratic process. The fact that we are a democratic republic was never really seriously questioned until fascism started gaining traction within our society. 

Sadly, our for-profit system of journalism has failed us miserably during this critically dangerous time for our democratic republic. The normalization of abhorrent fascist rhetoric and fascist behavior by a large portion of the media is a recipe for the death of our democracy.

Our education system has also failed to prepare us adequately for the fascist threat we are facing. On average, younger persons do not know very much about what fascism is and what the horrific consequences are if societies succumb to fascism. Growing historical illiteracy in the United States is a great threat to our democratic republic.

Protecting public education and the autonomy of teachers is one of the most important long-term defenses a society has against fascism, which is precisely why fascists work so hard to attack public education and good teachers. History shows us that propagandizing the education of the youth is one of the most insidiously powerful tools of fascism. Controlling what the youth learn about history is a core strategy of fascism.

I am not saying I have my finger on pulse of young people, but I do teach at the college level, and it is surprising to me how little is being taught in high school and how little is being learned even in college about what led up to World War II and how fascism took hold in parts of Europe. Most young people have a very sketchy understanding of these events, and thus it is difficult for many of them to understand just how precarious and dangerous our current situation is.

As we stare the threat of fascism in the face, we must now remember that the most important rule for avoiding fascism is to believe it when a fascist tells you what they are going to do if they come to power. The dangers of underreacting to politicians who speak and act like fascists are exponentially greater than those of “overreacting.” 

When fascists say they will do things whether “women like it or not,” believe them!

When fascists say they are going to prioritize one religion over all the others, believe them! 

When fascists tell us they see immigrants and refugees as “animals” and “not human” and as “poisoning the blood of our country” and that they will forcibly deport millions of people as soon as they come to power, believe them! And we must remember that mass deportation is and always has been an act of horrific violence that inevitably leads to the deaths of large numbers of persons.

When fascists echo a Nazi slogan and say that “America is for Americans and Americans only,” believe them! 

When fascists tell us that they view their political opponents as “vermin” and “the enemy within” and that the military or national guard ought to be used to handle them, believe them! And we must remember that some of the first persons who were sent to concentration camps in 1934 in Germany were the political opponents of Hitler and the Nazi regime. 

When fascists publicly imagine and talk about a political opponent having “nine barrels shooting at her” and having “guns… trained on her face,” we must believe that they are willing to use violence to gain, maintain, and expand their political power. 

When fascists say they wish they had Hitler’s generals, believe them!

When fascists say they will be a dictator on the first day they come to power, believe them! 

When fascists tell their supporters that they only have to vote this time and that they won’t even have to vote in the next election because things will be fixed by then, believe them! 

Globally, fascism is doing what it always does, going to the ultra nationalist and xenophobic anti-immigrant well from which it always draws so deeply to encourage folks to drink from the fear and hatred that keep fascism alive. And as fascists become more desperate in the days ahead, they will draw even more deeply from this well of hate and fear. We cannot underestimate the power of this evil force within the world. 

In countries where fascism prevailed, many people thought their institutions would protect them… until they didn’t.

Fascism is so difficult to eradicate because it so effectively plays on one of the most powerful forces in the world – fear. It transforms the fear into hate, and once it brings people to the point of hatred, it becomes what it always becomes – one of the deadliest forces in the history of humanity.

Persons who value democracy and freedom must resist fascism in all of its forms. We simply cannot be for democracy without also being against autocracy and fascism. May we all be able to cultivate the compassion and courage needed for the work ahead for the sake of all that is good and just. 

(Discourse given at Red River Unitarian Universalist Church on November 3, 2024)

If you find the writings at One World House by Mark Davies helpful or inspiring, you can show your support by making a contribution using Venmo or Patreon or PayPal