Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

catbyte

(34,165 posts)
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 03:42 PM Nov 2020

Fascism expert: Trump has turned destructive and vindictive -- like all dictators

By Bandy X. Lee, DC Report @Raw Story

Published 3 mins ago
on November 30, 2020

I have often dubbed “fascism” mental pathology in politics, and as a fascism scholar and author of the new book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, Prof. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is as psychologically-minded as historians come. The way mental health professionals have brought the context of our experience with patients to understanding the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump, she has brought the context of historical figures. I interviewed her at our recent town hall.

Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University; a frequent commentator on CNN; an expert on fascism, authoritarian leaders, propaganda, and threats to democracy around the world. She is also a World Mental Health Coalition Board member who has helped guide members in applying our mental health knowledge to the political domain as well as within the currents of history, to achieve our mission of bettering societal mental health.


Interview:

snip

Lee: You were among the first to predict that Donald Trump would rule as an authoritarian once he gained power. What were some early red flags for you, and what do his traits say about how dangerous he will likely be in these last 60 days of his presidency? In other words, how does he resemble or differ from authoritarian cult leaders?

Ben-Ghiat: In terms of the first question, I was already writing for CNN on war, and so I had that platform—and my second book was just published in 2015, a study of fascist film propaganda. From a slightly different angle, I was thinking about how people are led to believe a fictional reality and the destruction that it causes. So I turned this global lens onto my own country, and when I did that, coupled with my training in fascism, the figure of Donald Trump was very clear to me.

His demonizing the press was a big sign. Because Trump and Berlusconi and Putin have secrets and they are criminals, they have to start demonizing the press very early so that when secrets come out, his followers would already think of the press as partisan hacks. And then the final component was the violence. In the 21st century, we have fewer people with squadrons like the fascists a hundred years ago, and more people like Duterte in the Philippines who says he warned Filipinos not to vote for him, because if he won he said it would be bloody. So here is Donald Trump who comes in and in January 2016 says, “I could shoot someone and not lose any followers.” This is very unusual in a context of democracy.

Donald Trump, as he loses power, is about to head toward serious financial and legal problems once he leaves the presidency. What has attracted his followers, despite his pathology, criminality, and incompetence? Astonishingly, he received more votes in 2020 than in 2016. How do we explain the many Americans who continue to follow him and parrot him?

There have been studies showing that many Americans are more authoritarian in their leanings, and they would like to have the big, strong, statuesque male figure to tell them what to do, but that is not the whole story. I have many case studies. It was very illuminating to look back over a hundred years of this and see the patterns. When he acted in this rule-breaking way, because he started inciting violence or because he posed as the truth-teller who was not believed and ostracized by the mainstream media, and only he could tell the truth. So this kind of personality who has a victim cult, who is kept down by the forces that be, who is attractive because he breaks the rules, this over and over has appealed to people. Sadly, this is how they come on the scene, and they end up kind of energizing and legitimizing existing anti-democratic and extremist tendencies. They coalesce and channel all these malcontents and extremists and people who felt the system was broken.

snip

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/11/fascism-expert-trump-has-turned-destructive-and-vindictive-like-all-dictators/

-----------------------------------------------
This is a fascinating interview--well worth the time.






16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

yuiyoshida

(41,759 posts)
1. I am surprised that
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 04:55 PM
Nov 2020

Trump hasn't set fire to the Whitehouse as yet...then again the Secret Service would never let him handle a gallon of gasoline nor offer him a lighter or matches. Does the Whitehouse even have a fire marshall?

yuiyoshida

(41,759 posts)
3. They certainly wouldn't leave even accidently
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 05:00 PM
Nov 2020

a revolver on his desk with one bullet in the chamber...Nixon wanted to go out that way.

octoberlib

(14,971 posts)
7. I highly recommend this book. I'm almost through reading it and it
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 05:39 PM
Nov 2020

was so interesting. People talk a lot about how Trump reminds them of Berlusconi but all authoritarian leaders are alike. They all use the same tactics and have the same personality characteristics.


They used to seize power by staging a military coup ; nowadays they prefer to get elected using disinformation and propaganda.

The way Republican congressmen and Senators are acting, cowering and enabling Trump also isn't unusual. When Berlusconi got elected , the center right party in Italy reacted the same way. Same with Pinochet, Hitler ad nauseum.


Seriously, if anybody is looking for something to read, consider this book.

japple

(9,772 posts)
8. I've imagined him trudging thru the White House with a knife, slashing anything that President Obama
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 06:15 PM
Nov 2020

touched, descecrating historical documents (any that he has access to) and artifacts from Democratic administrations. He is such an enfant terrible.

JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
10. Between a choice of socialism & fascism I always choose socialism
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 06:18 PM
Nov 2020

I'm talking about progressive policies in case I'm not clear.

ananda

(28,779 posts)
12. I'm going to make this real simple.
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 06:29 PM
Nov 2020

They felt the "system" was broken all right,
the one that favors only them and hurts or
kills the people they hate.. and that hate
includes a rather large number of groups.

They, like Trump, are basically losers trying
to ride the wave of authoritarian white
supremacy.

This only works when electoral corruption keeps
them in power.

I'm going to venture that the majority of people
are not basically nazis and felt rather repulsed
by the way Trump and his minions tried a nazi
takeover.

BobTheSubgenius

(11,535 posts)
14. Anyone confident this could never happen again?
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 07:17 PM
Nov 2020

Anyone at all?

This hypothetical `next time?` It`s entirely possible, even probable, that Dear Leader of the next populist uprising may not be stupefyingly incompetent. That doesn`t bode well.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Fascism expert: Trump has...