Mini-Theory Blog: A Premature Funeral for Fascism

NinaIllingworth November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 American Volk, antifascism, antisemitism, blog, conspiracy theories, Donald Trump, electoral politics, eliminationism, FA1, false sense of security, fascism, fascism isn't over, fascist fantasy, GOP, Great Replacement Theory, hatemongering, How Fascism Works, LGBTQ rights, liberal complacency, Media, Mini Theory Blog, MP6, narrative, Nina Illingworth, Politics, projection, Propaganda, Republican Party, Ron DeSantis, ST2, stop fascism, Theory, trans rights, Trumpism, US Midterm Elections, US politics, victim complex

Editor’s note: Our Mini-Theory Blog is a weekday feature on Instagram that examines one key left wing idea, theory, or concept in 2200 keystrokes or less. Want more? Click here to subscribe to NIDC today.

As a longtime student of historical fascism, I find it quite alarming to watch well-respected analysts predict the end of fascist politics in the Pig Empire, in response to middling GOP returns in a single election cycle. The presumption is that after running on an anti-trans pogrom, conspiracy theories, and rigging elections for all time, to disappointing results, the adults in the room will take over and end our national nightmare; apparently by anointing fascist Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as Donald Trump’s successor. Fascism will die we’ve been assured, because fascists will now see that it’s simply bad politics in our vaunted liberal democracy.

The factual problems with this analysis are numerous, but perhaps more importantly it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of why fascist political tactics are deployed, and how they function. Expecting extremist reactionaries to stop pushing eliminationist ideology, trying to rig elections, and spreading conspiracy theories about their political and social enemies, ignores the foundational relationship between fantasy, victimization, and projection in the fascist worldview. Fascists typically don’t seize power by winning elections; they do it by radically transforming society in totalitarian and anti-democratic ways that eviscerate civil rights and freedoms. Political opposition to the fascist project is thus eliminated at the root, regardless of election results.

This type of rapid, radical transformation of society is built on fear and righteous indignation; it requires both an existential threat and moral justification to support; a sense of validated outrage, fueling actions of vengeance and preemptive violence. How do you get folks in a liberal democracy to support rigging elections to maintain reactionary power? By telling them their enemies are already rigging elections. How do you get people to support depersoning trans and gay people in their own communities? By saying LGBTQ people are after their kids. How do you justify imprisoning and murdering your political opposition? By telling the volk those folks are in league with “The Jews” to wipe them out and replace them with migrants.

At the end of the day fascism isn’t about ideology, or even winning elections. It’s about absolute power, and the stories fascists weave into mainstream discourse and politics are all designed to obtain that power. Fascism is ultimately the politics of fear, humiliation, and revenge; not process, polling, and parliamentarianism. The folks driving this movement didn’t let that genie out of the bottle just to win some elections and if the mainstream establishment doesn’t wise up quickly, we’re all headed for an even bigger nightmare.