Aside from the substance of whatever is a fascist, watching this exchange over the past couple of years, "You are a fascist, no you are one", is common. Variations of this are new ones hurled by Trump at Harris," You are a communist and fascist" (as yet not been answered by Harris ). These kinds of exchanges remind me of the old schoolyard taunts: Your mother is a (fill in the blanks)...., no your mother is one..... Actually, it is an old psychological trick: https://www.kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/psychological-tactics-at-work/ Karl Marx stated it so clearly: "Accuse your enemy of what you are doing as you are doing it to create confusion." Some call this "projection", branding others for what you have been criticized for being. Let's face it, it's still going on, and it works for Trump.
Trump's psyche tricks depend on ignorance to succeed. Somewhere along the line, many in the US fall for such mind games because they somehow forgot or never learned the definition of the words being thrown around. While both sides practice the taunts, Trump has made this psyche trick his standard operating procedure to deflect criticism.
What has also happened is that terms are not defined but just connected to an example as if it is a mike dop " You are like Hitler,";" You are like the old communists,"; "You want to be a dictator like Putin, etc.".... all geared to rile up the other side or to buck up your own. Trump himself is responsible for the Hitler analogy with his frequent invoking of terms and words found in Nazi writings. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-history-adolf-hitler-nazi-writings-analysis
The best defense against falling for the trick is to educate yourself about words loosely used in taunts in the 2024 campaign terms ( fascism, communism, democracy, dictatorship, autocracy). Then, you can see what "shoe fits." The best sources of definitions are supplied by those who do not have a horse on which they are betting in this race and are stated in clear, simple English. Dictionaries are good at this. They lack any shades of gray and " yes, buts," but they provide an agreed-upon yardstick against which you can measure and make a case for how what you believe fits in.
FASCISM has many definitions, but most overlap. From Merriam-Webster: "a ", movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascists) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and advocates a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. "From the Cambrdge dictionary: " a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control of social and economic life, and extreme pride in country and race, with no expression of political disagreement allowed. "
COMMUNISM: I picked this definition from the National Geographic because it was aimed at grades 5-8."Communism is a form of government most closely associated with the ideas of Karl Marx, which he outlined in The Communist Manifesto. Communism is based on the goal of eliminating socioeconomic class struggles by creating a classless society in which everyone shares the benefits of labor and the state controls all property and wealth."What's the difference between communism and fascism. This from Quizlet is the one that comes closest to mine: "Two similarities between fascism and communism are that they both imposed totalitarian governments and both claimed to rule in the national interests. One difference between the two is that communists sought world revolution while fascists pursued nationalism. Another difference is that communist supporters were the urban working class, while fascist supporters were business leaders, wealthy landowners, and the lower middle class."
DICTATORSHIP From Cambridge:
"Dictatorship is a form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute
power without effective constitutional limitations. ....Dictators usually resort to force or fraud to
gain despotic political power, which they maintain through the use of intimidation, terror, and
the suppression of basic civil liberties. They may also employ techniques of mass propaganda in
order to sustain their public support"
AUTOCRACY: from Cambridge: "government by a single person or small group that has unlimited power or authority " My observation: This differs only from dictatorship because it is the rule of a person, not of a group.
If Project 2025 is the blueprint and Trump is only the vessel that activates the plan, this could morph our country into a dictatorship of white Christian nationalists. Educating the public about the contents of Project 2025 is the challenge. For that purpose, House Democrats will hold hearings: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/19/house-democrats-plan-multimedia-project-2025-hearing/
https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/how-project-2025-could-turn-us-into.html
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