FASCISM; THE REBIRTH MYTH

COLLAGE DEPICTING EXTREME POLITICAL DIVIDES AND FACISM; GRAPHIC BY REBECA ROJAS AFANADOR

Since the beginning of Donald Trump's administration in 2025, there have been many socio political divisions and tensions. There is a constant debate between the right and the left about the decisions being made over time—each side has its own argument to justify or debate these decisions. These issues are persistently debated on social media and forums, with one constant question being: Is the current administration fascist?

Some individuals consider this administration fascist and heading toward a dictatorship/totalitarian regime—basically the end of democracy. Others disagree with this opinion, considering it to be excessive. The intention of this article is to expand on this argument, view it reasonably, and roughly clarify the gray areas of this situation—because that's what politics is all about: how to reach a conclusion that satisfies all involved parties.

First of all, we need to understand the concept of a political system/ideology like the ones mentioned above, specifically the focus of this article—fascism. The first and only clear examples of a fascist government have been the ones we all know: Nazi Germany and Mussolini's Italy. I remember learning about these types of governments in my Freshman year and wondering: How do they reach such an extremist and hateful level toward a group of people? The answer varies depending on the two examples. In the context of the 1920s, Germany was experiencing many factors that determined the rise of Nazism. One of them was the country's vulnerable state—at that time, hyperinflation in Weimar Republic was rampant, and political movements were weak. Inflation caused problems such as a lack of purchasing power. At first, the Nazis tried to run with radical and far-right movements, but upon noticing these deficiencies, they decided to attack from within. The results of this dictatorship were terrible—as we all know. Constant persecution and segregation of Jews. Anti-Semitic propaganda that dehumanized the simple existence of people different from the ideal stereotype of the "German person," etc. This is where the supposed similarities between governments arise. On various social media platforms, specifically TikTok, the parallels between the two have been pointed out, as both use similar tactics to somehow maintain power. However, at what point does a nation become a fascist state? Well, let's use the history of Hitler and the Nazi regime as an example; media manipulation, extreme nationalism, the attack on democracy, the radicalization of a vulnerable group, and the ridicule of other political opponents were the things that propelled the Nazis to power. This is where the aforementioned parallel emerges; Trump has also dedicated himself to manipulating the media, an example being the entire TikTok controversy at the beginning of the year. Many young people live day to day consuming content on this app so the fact that it was removed caused quite a stir. Trump seized on this, and the White House said in an article on the topic: “President Donald J. Trump Saves TikTok While Protecting National Security.” This is not only ridiculous, but also very obvious. The response to this was a lot of young people being grateful that TikTok was back, without really looking back, and asking themselves: Why did he need to do all that drama? This is neither the last time such patterns have been repeated in the history of politics. As the philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Fascism is merely the response of carefully thought-out political movements designed to manipulate the masses—although in this case, I wouldn't call it fascism. Throughout history, there have been movements similar to Trump's—extreme nationalist, authoritarian, and far-right—but that doesn't mean they're fascist. All of these problems are simply a domino effect of years and years of history, and Trump wasn't the one who started or ended them. Fascism was a terrible movement that terrorized entire nations; its use should not be taken lightly. Instead of seeking ways to define these political actions and wrap them in a single concept, we should seek to expand them to view them in a neutral and concise way, thus reaching a deeper conclusion. As individuals, we must understand these alarming patterns and put aside our pride. Things like the country's current political polarization are due to factors like economic inequality, demographic changes, and the proliferation of populist leaders—things that are completely consistent with the country's history. We as individuals must understand that this is something deeper than it seems; things like critical thinking are very valuable in avoiding these types of situations. Politics isn't black and white; it's something with nuances and different layers—like emotions.

Humans are constantly affected by the way we think. If we're too emotional, we forget how to be rational. And if we're too rational, we forget how to be emotional. Things like this balance have helped society maintain itself over the years. Many influential philosophers, who have defined our society as a society, have concluded that this balance brings about great prosperity. In the book, The Laws of Human Nature, [Robert Greene] mentions this: "We tend to think of our behavior as largely conscious and willed. To imagine that we are not always in control of what we do is a frightening thought, but in fact it is the reality. We are subject to forces from deep within us that drive our behavior and that operate below the level of our awareness." As he put it, our behavior is simply a reflection of mental isolation. Looking back, prosperity doesn't look like a fixed political movement or ideology. Things like Tropism, Fascism, Democrats, Republicans, and Nazism are distractions from our current society that simply demonstrate how far we still have to go to develop and be considered a stable society. I'm not saying it's easy, but it is possible. As I mentioned before, politics is the way to reach an agreement between the two parties, and this won't be possible if we focus on pointing fingers at the other side and confining them in the negative. Practicing neutrality is key to the path to prosperity.