"The Left Calls You a Nazi if You Disagree!" No, You're Just Acting Like a Nazi
Seriously, my dude. We don't just call Trump a fascist because he sucks
There are a few terms that get thrown around that some people think are too harsh, even with everything going on.
Nazi. Fascist. Authoritarian. Tyrant.
Those of us who are opposed to blatant racism, misogyny, transphobia and homophobia are out here beating the drum and calling out the Republican party in the U.S. as fascists.
We say that some of them — and their supporters — are acting like Nazis.
Now, for some people, the second any of these terms come up in conversation they tune out the rest of what you have to say. That’s too far, too harsh, or too hyperbolic.
And so there are people who insist we shouldn’t use those words because it ends the conversation. Or they say that we only call Trump and his minions fascist because we don’t like them and it’s just a baseless insult.
While I appreciate the thought that civil discourse should avoid name-calling, that’s just not what’s going on.
I don’t call Trump a fascist because I dislike the man — though I certainly do dislike him. I don’t call Stephen Miller a Nazi because he’s gross, though I agree he is.
I use those terms because they accurately describe the behaviour and policy decisions on display. And I figure it’s a good time to explain myself so y’all can see where I’m coming from with that.
So, let’s talk a little bit about fascism and the history of the Nazi party, shall we?
We all know what the Nazi Party was, but in case you live under a rock let me give you a quick history lesson.
The Nationalsozialistische deutsche Arbeiterpartei — National Socialist German Workers' Party — was a far-right fascist party, led by Adolf Hitler, who took power in Germany in the 1930s and committed one of the worst atrocities the world has ever seen.
Note: I know ‘Socialist’ is in the name of the party, but let me be very clear. The Nazis were not socialists. In fact, the Nazis quite gleefully murdered socialists, arresting them as political dissenters and consigning them to the camps. There were global news articles about the crackdown, like this one from The Guardian.
Putting ‘socialist’ in the name was the same trick used by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We know damn well that North Korea is not a democratic republic, and we know the Nazis were not left-wing Socialists.
When he first set foot onto the national stage, most people thought Hitler was a bit of a buffoon.
He was a loudmouth in front of a crowd, but utterly unremarkable in private. He was a raging narcissist, prone to fits of rage and desiring to be the one at the center of attention — but that’s not so out of the ordinary, at least to those of us who’ve had an asshole boss at work.
What was remarkable was the fervor with which he preached his hate. And, unfortunately, the way his luck ran.
Hitler’s Nazi Party shouldn’t have been successful. They tried numerous times to take power and gain a foothold in the government — even attempting a violent coup in 1923, what became known as the Beer Hall Putsch.
Hitler spent time in prison in the aftermath of the attempt. As soon as he came out of prison, he went straight back into politics.
His lucky break came with the beginning of the Great Depression. See, one of the Nazis’ chief complaints was a financial dependence on the U.S. in the aftermath of the First World War.
After the war, Germany was on the hook for paying reparations to the Allies — this was noted in the Treaty of Versailles — and they also lost a significant part of their national lands and holdings both during the fighting and after.
Their currency exploded into one of the worst instances of hyperinflation ever seen. For a few years, Germany was in exceedingly dire straits — but they managed to pull out of a steep nose dive and stabilize thanks to an economic genius who took charge at the helm.
Germany was in excellent shape during the Roaring 20s, being so deeply connected to American prosperity and thriving with a new currency and massive loan from the U.S., but the Stock Market Crash sent them spiraling into a pit of despair just like everybody else.
Having been preaching the gospel of economic independence and doomsaying about the coming collapse — which went largely ignored during Germany’s golden years — Hitler was perfectly positioned to take centre stage in 1929.
“See?” he could say, “I told you so!”
And the people finally heard him. Thus he got the attention he craved, and thus the nightmare began.
While he used financial grievances in order to take power, that isn’t where Hitler’s true focus was.
We all know what happened next.
I’ve written about my life-changing visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., and I think most of us know the basics. I won’t give a full rehash of the history of World War II or the Holocaust today; this would get too long.
Suffice to say, while Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power by exploiting economic anxiety and instability, their main goal was always based in eugenics and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Is this sounding familiar yet?
It should. Amongst those of us who have studied World War II in detail and the Nazis’ rise to power, the past decade has felt alarmingly similar to the 20s and early 30s.
When we say “This happened in Germany!” we often get shouted down. People say it’s too dramatic to compare this to the Holocaust — but we aren’t talking about that.
The Holocaust didn’t start until years into Hitler’s reign.
The Nazis didn’t start the ‘Final Solution’ until after they tried mass deportations and realized that wasn’t going to work. Again, does this sound familiar?
So we aren’t comparing the current Republican regime to the end of the Nazi years and the mass murders. Not yet. We’re talking about the build-up to the Holocaust.
That’s what’s happening now.
Much like the Nazis, Trump and his administration espouse views that link very closely with the oldschool eugenics movement — which, funnily enough, Hitler took from the U.S. He was inspired by the Americans, but thought they didn’t go far enough.
For Trump’s personal eugenics rhetoric, I have a whole other article coming soon that will lay out my arguements there. Stay tuned. I promise I’m not talking shit for no reason.
For the wider administration though, just take a look at what ICE is doing, how they’re being allowed to operate, the anti-DEI policies and RFK Jr. hating on disabled people and dismantling the HHS.
Pretty eugenics-y. It is, almost step-by-step the same playbook used by the Nazis when they came into power — right down to targeting gender non-confirming people and political opponants first.
If there’s one thing a fascist hates, it’s people who stand out from the crowd.
Fascism is hard to pin down and define. There’s a little bit of drift depending on where and when it surfaces, but there are a few key characteristics that tend to pop up.
First of all, it is explicitly an extreme Far-Right ideology. You can’t have Left-wing fascists.
That’s a point a lot of people get confused on, often pointing to regimes like Soviet Russia — which is understandable, but not correct. What they’re thinking of is Authoritarianism.
Authoritarianism exists on a spectrum of the political compass — the other end of it being Libertarian. Fascists are on the authoritarian end of the spectrum, but they’re to the far, far right side of it. You can have lefties who land on the authoritarian side, too— we call them Tankies.
Nobody likes Tankies. Don’t be a Tankie.
Common elements of fascism are often broken down into a list of 14 traits. There is one written by Umberto Eco, and one written by Laurence Britt. They’re both more or less the same, albeit worded differently.
I have my own paraphrased list which I’ve based off of both prior lists, and my own observations of North America’s current fascist movement.
I’ve discussed my list before, so I’ll include it as a quote from an older article:
Nationalism: Frequent use of symbols and buzzwords and an emphasis on the greatness of your nation. Your country is the only one that matters, your flag is a sigil to be worshipped, and criticism of the nation is treated like a betrayal.
Disregard for Human Rights: Individual freedoms and liberties don’t matter; what matters is cracking down on the perceived enemy of the people. Establish an ‘other’, convince the people that the ‘other’ is a threat, and strip away rights on the pretense of preventing that ‘other’ from undermining the nation’s safety.
Creating Unity By Identifying an Enemy: Beware. Beware of Mexico, beware of China, beware of the LGBTQ+ community, beware of Antifa, beware of the socialists and commies, and the woke left. The enemy will keep changing, but there will always be one, and you will always be in a war against them.
Supremacy of the Military: Strength is the ideal that the country should live up to. A show of force is necessary to maintain the safety and security of the nation. Emphasis on military parades and the militarization of law enforcement. Funds are given to the military even when serious domestic problems need money.
Sexism: Traditional gender roles are emphasized. The past is idolized, stay-at-home mothers and the ‘tradwife’ concept are idealized. Living outside of the gendered norms of society is considered extremely taboo. Homosexuality and gender non-conformity are viewed with disgust.
Suppression of the Free Press: The press is the enemy of the people. The accusation of fake news and falsified reporting instills a lack of trust in the media. Censorship is common, if not outright control of what gets written and shared.
National Security: The idea that the country is under attack from all sides is used to instill fear in the people. In conjunction with nationalism and identifying an enemy, this is used to pacify the public and prevent them from pushing back.
Government and Religion Combine: God and country. Fascism’s goal is to control the masses, and the best way to do that is by preaching to the choir. Using faith as a means to legitimize power and authority becomes common and expected. Loving the Bible and reciting its passages becomes a legitimate way to argue your point in the political arena.
Corporate Power is Expanded: Money is power, and as fascism sets in its roots, you can expect to see more and more handshakes between wealthy business owners and the people in charge of policy.
Labour Unions Are the Enemy: Organizing on the part of the people is a huge threat to a fascist government. They do not want people banding together and practicing democracy in the workplace, or anywhere else. Any form of collective action, any way that people could push back against their structure of power, is something to be eliminated.
Anti-Intellectualism: Fascists love the poorly educated. A huge part of keeping democracy functional lies in education and the spreading of reliable information. Demonizing education and treating academics as figures of ridicule is commonplace. Actively messing with the curriculum of schools is to be expected, preventing true history from being taught to keep students ignorant.
Law and Order: Much like the obsession with national security, fascists will always be beating the drum about lawless behavior and punishing criminals. Violence on the part of the police is excused, even for minor offenses, and anyone resisting or criticising law enforcement is considered unpatriotic. Supporting the cops is a sign of a good citizen.
Corruption Out of Control: Cronyism, nepotism, backroom deals and outright lies. Never expect a fascist government to be honest, and always keep in mind that the people in power only care about keeping it. Loyalty is more important than integrity.
Election Fraud: In a fascist dictatorship, there are often elections. It’s just that the vote is not treated with the respect it deserves; the end result of the election has been pre-determined, and the act of collecting ballots is just a pretty show for the audience.
Now look at this list, read the other two that I’ve linked, and compare that to the Trump Administration’s policy decisions.
Do you see my point?
You don’t need to have all of these points in evidence to be considered a fascist regime, but if you’ve got more than half, I’d say you should start getting worried.
Bottom line, if you don’t want to be described as a Nazi, then you should avoid acting like a Nazi.
I don’t call Trump a fascist because I dislike him; I call him a fascist because his political platform and policy decisions align very closely with fascist ideology.
I don’t call some of his sycophants Nazis because I hate them — I describe them as Nazis because they act like Nazis. Including Elon Musk, who was out there doing literal Nazi salutes on stage, for goodness sake.
Do we need to see lines of goose-stepping Trump appointees wearing MAGA armbands before we’re allowed to call them like we see them? Do we have to wait for the mass ‘deportation’ — the kidnappings — to turn to murder before we’re allowed to point out the parallels?
I see fascism pouring out of their mouths, the same playbook used by Hitler and his Nazis to take power, and we see eugenics and anti-immigrant rhetoric everywhere.
So, no. I will not stop using those terms as descriptors, and I do not think it’s hyperbolic at all.
I don’t use them lightly. They are not simply insults I pulled out of a hat.
At a certain point we have to be willing to face reality. We’re here. This is what’s in front of us.
Once upon a time, the U.S. was a key part of the fight against fascism and Nazism in Europe. That’s a legacy that Americans should value and take pride in — I certainly do as a Canadian, as we were on the battlefront even longer.
Honour that proud history, and don’t let those who died in World War II have gone in vain. Resist. Fight back. Keep the fires of democracy lit.
Solidarity wins.
Thank you for this. Unfortunately, many liberals/reformists and conservatives alike actively choose to ignore history, and will thus refuse to read or engage with this.
The only thing I don’t fully agree with is your dismissal of “tankies.” I find that classifying Stalinism as “authoritarian left” is a dangerous misinterpretation of Marxist-Leninist theory.
There is a difference between a dictatorship of the proletariat, which is what Stalin’s USSR aimed to be, and a dictatorship of capital/the bourgeois, which is what many liberal democracies become upon corporate-capitalist capture.
It is not fully wrong to claim a one-party system, like that of the USSR, is authoritarian, but it is important to also look at the party’s ideals. In the Soviets’ case, the will of the State and People were (mostly) in alignment. Yes, there were exceptional cases, and Stalin was not perfect, but for the most part, this is true.
Further, the Soviet Red Army sacrificed much to secure their victory over the Nazi Party. The Western Allies contributed, yes, but many decisive battles were fought on the Eastern Front—by the USSR against Nazi Germany and by China against the Japanese. There is a reason Soviet/post-Soviet countries call WWII the Great Patriotic War. (China calls it the World Anti-Fascist War.)