• MrSmiley@lemmy.zipOP
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    10 days ago

    Personally, I think it is more accurate to call him a vulgar conventionalist and para-fascist with a narcissistic personality disorder. He isn’t what one would call a “true believer” of fascism, he doesn’t have any real ideology, just whatever his limited intellect can use to gain as much wealth and power he can. However, I won’t fault anyone calling him fascist.

    Vulgar conventionalism is … that the life according to nature is the preserve of a small minority, of the natural elite, of those who are truly men and not [born] to be slaves. To be more precise, the summit of happiness is the life of the tyrant, of the man who has successfully committed the greatest crime by subordinating the city as a whole to his private good and who can afford to drop the appearance of justice or legality.

    Natural Right and History, Leo Strauss.

    para-fascism – a form of authoritarian and ultra-nationalist conservatism which adopts the external trappings of fascism while rejecting its call for genuine social and ethical revolution (see pp. 120–4)

    Nature of Fascism, R Griffin

    • Cris@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      I was under the impression that most fascists weren’t really true believers.

      Though Hitler was, from what I know of him. But that’s really the only major fascist historical figure I know much about.

      • Skyrmir@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Mussolini was the founder and biggest proponent of Fascism. Hitler was a convert and supporter, since it was really just a popular face for what he was already doing.

        • Cris@lemmy.world
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          8 days ago

          Interesting, thank you for the additional info.

          I need to sit down and try and learn more about historical fascism and the different shapes it’s taken at some point

          Hope you have a lovely day my friend

  • Skyrmir@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    That article needs to be re-ordered. Starting off with the political violence doesn’t make a coherent connection to fascism. Lots of politics, or political situations, are violent, and have nothing to do with fascism. They should start with the cult of personality, then the Dehumanization and racism, then the Jan 6 and other political violence. If you’re going to draw the parallels to fascism, then do it in the same order fascism evolves. They didn’t start with gas chambers and invading the neighbors, that’s just where the process inevitably goes.