Defining fascism in this way makes me worry that future fascist figures can hide behind the veil of “But we aren’t doing x specific thing (e.g. minority persecution) and therefore are not fascist!”
And:
Is a country that exhibits all symptoms of fascism except for minority group hostility still fascist?
Fair, but right now, what we’re seeing explicitly includes minority group hostility. Besides, while minority hostility may not be the key trait here, it is in fact part of how fascism works. You can’t get quite as free rein at being incompetent if you don’t have a sacrificial lamb to blame for any and all failures.
See:
And:
Fair, but right now, what we’re seeing explicitly includes minority group hostility. Besides, while minority hostility may not be the key trait here, it is in fact part of how fascism works. You can’t get quite as free rein at being incompetent if you don’t have a sacrificial lamb to blame for any and all failures.