Fascism has been in the news lately, with some arguing that the presidency of Donald Trump was the beginning of a fascist state in the United States. Fascism is associated by people to a strong man who claims to represent the people and is ready to forcibly implement what he thinks is best for those people. It also includes the violent suppression of anyone who oppose, the regimentation of life and of the economy, and the assumption of dictatorial powers. But the main characteristic of fascism, Finchelstein argues, it its ability to lie shamelessly, and, with enough repetition, let people believe the lie.
Fascist leaders such as Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Europe, and Peron in Argentina used lies to create a mythic reality of what supposedly existed before, and then highjacked the government to make those myths reality. Donald Trump's claim of "Make America Great Again" harkened to a past that never existed. Fascist leaders were considered to be infallible. They could never make a mistake, because they represented the ultimate truth of the people. They alone possessed the solution to each of their society's problems, similar to Donald Trump's claim that "I alone can fix it."
Most of all, being caught lying had no impact on one's standing, as the lies could convincingly be demonstrated to be true, while the truth was deemed "fake news." Exaggeration and lying are hallmarks of a fascist ideology, and when deployed can serve to convince people that their circumstances are the fault of an Other, someone who wishes them harm or wants to control them. It is up to each and everyone one of us to ensure that "alternative facts" do not become our reality.
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