Comparing Trump and
you know who …
A fascinating
aspect of the rise of Donald Trump in American politics has been a rebirth in
discussions about fascism, racism, authoritarian politics, enfeebled democracy,
propaganda, and similar themes. While
much of the conversation is rather thin on substance, the need to explore these
possibilities is, in my view, both relevant and highly significant.
Within Internet
blog posts and discussion threads the warning offered in “Godwin’s Law,” penned
by attorney and writer Mike Goodwin, suggests that “"As
an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving
Hitler approaches 1.” The strong implication
is that “if you
mention Adolf Hitler or Nazis within a discussion thread, you’ve automatically
ended whatever discussion you were taking part in.”
Be that as it may, the two ugly characters now under consideration exhibit some notable features in common. At present I’m reading Ian Kershaw’s
excellent book Hitler: A Biography. Some of the parallels are striking. Here is a preliminary list of features that
caught my eye.
Both men:
1.
Preferred the big picture and its vivid, propagandistic aspects;
2.
Relished speaking to large gatherings of enthusiastic admirers;
3.
Emphasized ruthless, hard-nosed strategies and tactics that could lead
to "winning;"
4.
Had few if any close friends;
5.
Disliked detailed meetings, briefings and matters of day-to-day
governance (which they left to subordinates);
6
Tended to form alliances with people (mainly men) who were, if anything
just as emotionally fringy as they themselves;
7.
Usually regarded women as beguiling ornaments;
7.
Often saw conflict -- including
international conflict – as first and foremost a matter of settling scores;
8. Quickly eliminated anyone who stood in
their way;
9.
Emphasized the urgent need to
recover the lost glory of a nation's earlier times;
10.
Showed little if any empathy for the suffering of everyday people;
11.
Relied upon a particular, favored right wing propagandist even for the
most crucial matters of policy making;
11.
Always had a virulent race card, xenophobic rhetoric and ideas of fear,
terror and hatred ready at hand;
11.
Were basically narcissistic autocrats in their relationships with
others, seeking to foster a culture of great “leader" around them to stoke
a voracious but insecure ego;
12.
Were doggedly persistent, pressing onward, never relenting, toward
imagined victories even as calamitous outcomes seemed increasingly likely for
themselves and their followers.
- Langdon Winner
2/14/2017
