Albert Einstein once said that "nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind". The truth of this is even more evident in today’s ever shrinking world of jet travel, international financial entanglement between nations, and cultural blending. In fact, nationalism today has far too often become just another form of racism and xenophobia, cloaked in a flag.
Fascism is the form of governance nationalists most often turn to and one we have recently witnessed with Donald Trump. Blind allegiance to a leader, a father figure (almost always male) whose instincts, according to him, supersede law, science, even reality itself - his instincts always right. Simple, and if you can convince yourself that it’s true, pretty reassuring.
James Waterman Wise years ago warned us of the coming of the Nazi’s in Germany, before Hitler, and later also warned - “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” Although Wise died in 1983 he predicted the coming of Donald Trump and his blatant use of evangelicals and religion, and false 'patriotism' in his attempt to grab power. Trump’s movement, as all fascist movements, is fueled by ignorance, fear, and ‘patriotic’ nationalism. Trump’s fascism is a rigid, black and white approach to nation, to life. It is dark, dangerous, and full of anger and fear. His supporters grasp at false, fabricated simplicity and security through exclusion, hate, and an altered reality brought to you by Trump and a republican party who are more than willing to lie, distort, and take every advantage then ever before.
Up until recently we thought of fascism as an arcane historical relic. How could such a limited, ignorant, self-confining approach to life and governance be possible amidst our ever-shrinking world, our ever more literate population – with the greatest access to information ever before seen on earth? And yet 74 million Americans voted for a fascist in 2020 whose successful election would have meant the end of our democratic republic. Why?
Today’s world is a scary world. The blurring of borders and traditions disrupts the comfort found in familiarity and old ways. A sense of change threatens people’s very identities and seemingly their ability to continue to provide for their families in the future. Combine that with a willingness of Trump, his republican party, and some media outlets to distort reality and outright lie in order to amplify those fears in a thinly veiled attempt to enhance power and profit, and the curtain begins to pull back. Create a separate reality laced with fear, cynicism, and blame, and people become capable of almost anything.
We are at a critical inflection point in this country. We came very close indeed to losing our republic last fall to fascism, and the fight continues. Fighting Trump, his hate, his fear mongering and the sense of doom and decay he uses as means to an end will require a tremendous effort. As I see it fighting Trump’s fascism will require a three-prong approach:
1. Create enough wealth opportunity for all.
2. Hold media – be it mainstream or ‘social’ - and internet platforms – to basic standards of truth.
3. Place an emphasis on teaching critical thinking skills and world view in our schools and give the schools the resources to do so.
President Biden’s ‘Americas job plan’, coming on the heels of the ‘America’s rescue plan’, addresses wealth opportunity for all. It promises to ‘create millions of good jobs, rebuild our country’s infrastructure, and position the United States to out-compete China,’ all paid for by the ‘Made in America Tax Plan’ that forces corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes. It is an investment in America, imparting a sense of optimism, growth, fairness, and prosperity that is so refreshing as compared to the greed and cynicism that has come out of Washington these last decades. Is it any wonder why people want to circle the wagons, exclude ‘outsiders’, and grab as much as they can for themselves when clearly they have been led to believe there is not enough to go around? The America’s job plan is an investment in the soul of this country, a promise of more prosperity, that can only increase tolerance, and diminish divisiveness. And it’s about time!
The second approach is one already in place in Canada, Europe, Japan, in fact in most developed countries. Holding media and internet platforms accountable, when they deliberately distribute, or allow the distribution of, misinformation. It is not an inalienable right to have unfettered access to millions of people through media outlets – it is a societal privilege that comes with responsibilities – one of which must be a good faith effort to report truth. And as difficult as some would have us believe that the determination of truth is – it isn’t. And yes, it can be done without encroaching on the first amendment. We simply have no choice. We must all agree on one reality. We can argue what to do about that reality – but we cannot have a functioning democratic republic if we cannot even agree on reality.
The third step is the more difficult one. In these last few decades of greed, corruption, wealth inequality, and a sense of overall decline in this country, we have become a society focused on materialism, and on ourselves, instead of on knowledge, reason, and truth. Tolerance, even kindness, exchanged for fear and divisiveness – with no shortage of scoundrels like Trump willing to exploit it for power and profit. This must change. And whereas the America’s job plan and regulation to coral media misinformation will help, ultimately our society has got to refocus our school’s missions onto teaching critical thinking skills, worldview, and the importance of knowledge, reason, and truth. Navigating today’s world is difficult. Knowledge and the ability to critically assess information are absolutely the best weapons we have to combat fear and the temptation to tribalism and hate.
The world is shrinking, but opportunity, tolerance, and kindness need not be. It begins with the quality of our schools, with what we teach our children, and societies commitment to do so, reinforced by a sense of fairness and optimism with the America’s job plan paid for by those that can afford it, in an atmosphere of truth and common reality through media accountability.
Our great democratic republic experiment has resulted in one of the richest, most capable societies the world has ever known. We have been a beacon of hope for the world and we must now fight to continue to be so. We must resist the urge to fear and paranoia Trump and his cronies so expertly exploit and instead embrace our future with optimism, fairness, accountability and investments in ourselves
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