Who's a fascist?
The next time you hear someone use a term like “fascist” ask them to justify it—and if they can’t, they might just be the problem.
Imagine an axe with a handle made of wooden rods bound together with a red strap. This is the Roman fasces, a symbol of power and authority. A hundred years ago this symbol was claimed by a new political movement in Italy, headed by Benito Mussolini, who named themselves after the axe because it represented “the power of unity around one leader”. From these Fascists we get “fascism,” used first to describe an ugly political ideology and misused now to conceal an ugly political prejudice. There are plenty of political swear words in our lexicon, from the relatively benign (“ideologue”) to the toxic (“Nazi”). “Fascism” belongs at the top end of this spectrum, a brutal reality which doesn’t stop people who should know better wielding it against those who disagree with them.
Here’s a recent example—former minister and current Green MP Julie Anne Genter lashing out at a supposed “radical right wing Christian fascist movement.” Is there any such thing, and is it responsible for the “anti-trans BS” that Genter claimed? Well, let’s look at what fascists believe. Associate Professor John Brioch says, “fascists view nearly everything through the lens of race.” They like crony capitalism, believe “might makes right”, and want to subjugate the church or get rid of it entirely, along with any other authorities that threaten their power. The Council for Foreign Relations says fascists emphasise “extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen”. Prominent fascists include Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Doesn’t sound like any Christians I know, or indeed any of the relevant protagonists on either side of the debate about gender identity. So why would Genter use such a toxic smear?
It would be reassuring to think the medium was to blame, with both insults hurled on Twitter, but I suspect there’s something deeper going on. Twitter’s certainly known for incentivising rhetorical extremism, and perhaps Genter was simply sucked into the maw of algorithms that reward outrage. Or perhaps not, because it turns out Genter has form for this—in 2019 she had to apologise for calling people “car fascists” when they disagreed with a transport proposal in Wellington. I’m not sure what Hitler’s position on bike lanes was, but that does seem like just a teeny bit of a stretch. In fact, it looks ominously like the mask slipped to reveal a rather unpleasant prejudice, one that’s so intolerant of opposing views that it’s willing to tag them with a label that stands for pure moral evil. This is the rhetorical equivalent of the nuclear option, and it’s particularly disappointing to see it from a senior political leader, one who presumably aspires to return to the Government benches later this year.
We can be better than this, and that starts with holding people to account when they overstep the bounds of genuine debate. Repeat and unrepentant infringers forfeit the right to be taken seriously. When they’re MPs, that means adjusting our voting behaviours—whatever your politics, it’s hard to imagine a case for elevating someone into leadership when they’re prone to this kind of prejudice. But while marking out bad behaviour is a start, it’s not enough by itself. We need to champion civility, that public virtue that recognises our opponents aren’t enemies and deserve to be treated with respect and without having their words twisted or their views catastrophised even—especially—when we think the stakes are high. The next time you hear someone use a term like “fascist” ask them to justify it—and if they can’t, they might just be the problem.
MMP could be the problem, cos Julie Ann Genter doesnt represent any constituents, and neither do 8 other Green MPs. Chloe Swarbrick is the only Green MP who was elected by constituents, so who do the other 9 represent, and who are they accountable to ? Maybe Marama Davidson, who must see nazis behind every bush, if she thinks white men are evil. I remember now, we need to stop voting Green, cos they are just a bunch of woke pretenders, and puppets for Labour.