Photo: Smash Fascism, Fight Homophobia, Fight Sexism, Fight Racism, cropped; author: Mike Steele; CC BY 2.0 DEED
The word Fascism is one of the left-wing media’s favorite words to describe the mythical boogieman they think is pulling the strings behind conservative movements.
One liberal political commentator named Brandt Robinson claimed that “Donald Trump is now trying to change the meaning of FASCISM for his base. Do you know the characteristics of fascism?” He goes on to list the supposed characteristics of fascism in the vaguest possible terms, just to make Donald Trump fit his definition. And his definition is so strange!
Fascism supposedly means declaring an enemy. Doesn’t everyone do this? Winston Churchill declared that Hitler was his enemy – does that make Churchill a fascist? Fascism also supposedly means that there is a charismatic leader. Anyone who gets elected to public office in the United States must have some degree of charisma. The shallow definition of fascism makes anyone a fascist and points to the intellectual shallowness inherent in left-wing discourse. Leftist discourse is meant to agitate people and organize them against their political enemies.
The truth is that conservatism is foundationally opposed to fascism. Benito Mussolini, the first ever fascist dictator, said that fascism is anti-individualistic, and only recognizes the individual insofar as his interests coincide with the state’s interest.
Conservativism, however, is founded on individualism. The classical liberal understanding enshrined in the Constitution is that individuals have the God-given rights to life, liberty, and property. The state, in the conservative understanding, exists to protect these individual rights and uphold the liberty of individuals. What could be further from fascism than this?
It is no wonder that left-wing commentators would have this kind of misunderstanding of fascism after decades of Marxist indoctrination in the universities. The left doesn’t like the traditional family or worship of God, so they paint it as something evil. But don’t listen to their lies! Conservativism is not fascist.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/national-sovereignty/communism/are-conservatives-fascist/
