What is Fascism?

Language has power. Control words, and you control thoughts.

Fascism has long been defined as a right wing phenomenon. Left-wing fascism seems oximoronic. I don't think this is right. Fascism isn't defined by a certain side of the random mis-mash of beliefs grouped due to historical accident we call the political spectrum. Fascism is something else entirely.

[Or is it? People are prone to madness around politics. Hatred, pathological blindness to facts in favour of ideology and virtue signalling are normal. Is fascism really any different? Is it really a special kind of madness deserving it's own criterion?]

What is fascism? My definition is simple. Fascism

• Is tribalistic, not individualistic
• Does not tolerate dissent/free speech

This seems simple, but it matters. Western civilisation and democracy rests on at least two pillars. One is that we are all equal citizens and only our own actions define our worth. This is opposed to how most human societies organised themselves throughout history: on the basis of groups, tribes or clans. Our societies do not consist of distinct groups, racial or religious, but of one group we are all part of: the nation. The second pillar is free speech, Without the freedom to challenge orthodoxy, an orthodoxy which usually serves the interest of the elite, progress slows, ideas stagnate and evil goes unchallenged. Ever since the reformation, our societies have allowed considerable freedom in speech and thought. Groups which seek to undo this almost always do so to benefit themselves or stop others questioning their beliefs.

[Garbage. Democracy has many pillars, i.e: educated population. Even ideologically, many other pillars exist. Maybe a democracy with severely limited free speech would be good/stable? What data do you have to know otherwise? Intuition is not enough. It may be intuitive to you that free speech leads to freedom. It was intuitive to people in the 13th century that Monarchs were good.]