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Erasing History: How Fascism Works: Interview with Jason Stanley.Chris Hedges Report. Key Points.



Here are the key points from The Chris Hedges Report interview with Jason Stanley on Erasing History: How Fascism Works:

  1. Defining Fascism & Its Contemporary Relevance

    • Jason Stanley discusses the misuse of the term “fascism” in political discourse.
    • He argues that Trump's potential second term could solidify an American fascist state.

  2. Fascism & Education

    • Fascist regimes manipulate education to erase historical truths.
    • The suppression of critical race theory and Black history is part of this agenda.
    • A true education system should empower individuals to change history, but authoritarian systems aim to remove this agency.

  3. Psychological Manipulation & Control

    • Fascist regimes distort history to maintain absolute power.
    • They create myths that support ruling ideologies while suppressing alternative narratives.
    • This aligns with the tactics used in authoritarian regimes, such as Nazi Germany.

  4. Historical Parallels & Targeting Dissenters

    • The crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protestors echoes past suppression of figures like W.E.B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson.
    • Stanley warns of future authoritarian tactics, such as stripping dissenters of their passports.

  5. Weaponization of Title VI & White Victimhood

    • The Supreme Court is reversing the intended protections of Title VI, now using it to claim “anti-white” discrimination.
    • Right-wing narratives push the idea that white Americans are being oppressed, distorting historical injustices.
    • This tactic mirrors strategies used by leaders like Viktor Orbán and Slobodan Milošević.

  6. Public Education as a Threat to Fascism

    • Public schools are a cornerstone of democracy, which is why fascist movements seek to dismantle them.
    • Right-wing libertarianism, backed by oligarchs, aims to erode public goods, including education.
    • The goal is to delegitimize diversity and inclusion efforts, reinforcing racial and economic hierarchies.

  7. Universities as a Target

    • The far-right is using universities as a battleground, claiming they discriminate against white and Asian students.
    • Teaching accurate Black history is being framed as a Title VI violation.
    • This reflects historical patterns where dominant groups claim victimhood to justify oppressive policies.

  8. The Role of Media & Narrative Control

    • Fascist regimes control media and education to ensure there is no shared reality.
    • History is rewritten to support ideological myths and eliminate alternative perspectives.
    • Any challenge to this narrative is labeled as treasonous or subversive.

9. Authoritarianism and the Erasure of History

  • Authoritarian regimes seek to erase or manipulate history to consolidate power.
  • History provides multiple perspectives, which can disrupt authoritarian control.
  • The attack on universities is not about antisemitism, DEI, or critical race theory; these are just tactics for a broader goal.

10. Patriotic Education as a Tool of Control

  • Governments impose "patriotic education" to promote a mythic, one-dimensional national narrative.
  • This type of education suppresses critical historical perspectives and discourages questioning of authority.
  • Jason Stanley compares this to Nazi Germany’s educational policies, which fueled antisemitism.

11. Fear and Resentment as Tools of Fascism

  • Fascist movements thrive on resentment from dominant groups, making them believe they are under attack.
  • Historical revisionism is used to glorify dominant groups and erase uncomfortable truths.
  • The Alternative for Germany (AfD) seeks to remove Holocaust memorials, portraying history as a tool to shame rather than educate.

12. The Attack on Universities and its Antisemitic Undertones

  • Universities are being targeted under the guise of protecting Jewish students, but this actually reinforces antisemitic stereotypes.
  • The portrayal of universities as leftist, radical institutions controlled by Jews plays into antisemitic narratives.
  • The crackdown on universities mirrors past right-wing attacks, such as those funded by the Koch brothers against free speech.

13. Media’s Role in Enabling Authoritarianism

  • Mainstream media has long contributed to the right-wing attack on universities.
  • Initially, media narratives framed leftist students as a threat to free speech.
  • Now, criticism of Israel is portrayed as excessive free speech, justifying crackdowns.

14. Historical Precedents: Weimar Germany and Yugoslavia

  • Weimar Germany’s strong institutions did not prevent its collapse into fascism.
  • Nationalistic education in Weimar laid the groundwork for Nazi ideology.
  • Similar rapid disintegration happened in Yugoslavia, proving how fragile societies can be.

15. Education as a Tool for Democracy vs. Authoritarianism

  • Progressive education emphasizes agency and social movements.
  • Authoritarian education erases social movements and promotes the idea that only great leaders shape history.
  • Black Lives Matter is being erased from textbooks in Florida, much like Tiananmen Square is in China.

16. The Great Man Narrative

  • Traditional history falsely portrays social progress as a gift from benevolent leaders (e.g., Lincoln, Roosevelt, Nixon).
  • Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States challenges this view by emphasizing grassroots movements.
  • Trump explicitly targeted Zinn’s book in his push for patriotic education.

17. Fascists Manipulating Bias in Education

  • Fascist politics claim to remove bias while actually replacing historical facts with nationalist propaganda.
  • Christian nationalism is being positioned as the default, unbiased perspective.
  • New university policies may restrict teaching about systemic racism, such as discriminatory banking practices or school segregation.

Selective Literalism and Nationalist Curriculums

  • Chris Hedges critiques the Christian Right’s "selective literalism" in shaping ideology.
  • National curriculums in authoritarian regimes erase figures who do not fit their ideological narrative.
  • Example: Hungary removed Nobel laureate Imre KertĂ©sz, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, from its national curriculum.
  • This erasure serves nationalist goals by distorting history and elevating mediocrities.

Fascism as an Attack on National Greatness

  • Jason Stanley argues that in the U.S., fascist movements attack institutions that make the country great, like universities.
  • Paradoxically, in the name of American greatness, these movements undermine key cultural and intellectual achievements.
  • This mirrors Hungary’s erasure of KertĂ©sz and the U.S. attacks on Toni Morrison.

Targeting Intellectual and Cultural Elites

  • Fascist regimes attack education, media, and intellectual elites while aligning with financial elites.
  • The goal is to weaken opposition by discrediting those who interpret and explain reality.
  • Stalin and Nazi Germany similarly purged their intellectual and artistic elites.

Erasure of History for Control

  • Erasing history makes marginalized groups vulnerable to domination.
  • Colonialism thrives on representing indigenous groups as lacking history, justifying their oppression.
  • Similar tactics are used today to disempower Black politicians and communities.

Case Study: Flint, Michigan

  • The Emergency Manager Act placed majority-Black cities under state control, undermining local democracy.
  • Result: Flint’s water crisis, caused by financial mismanagement and neglect.
  • The crisis exemplifies how elites justify power grabs under the guise of "competence."

Five Themes of Fascist Education

  1. National Greatness – Propagating myths of superiority.
  2. National Purity – Defining an in-group and demonizing outsiders.
  3. National Innocence – Whitewashing history.
  4. Strict Gender Roles – Reinforcing patriarchal norms for demographic control.
  5. Vilification of the Left – Portraying progressive ideas as threats.

Gender, Fascism, and Replacement Theory

  • Fascism promotes strict gender roles to increase birth rates among the dominant race.
  • "Great Replacement Theory" claims elites are facilitating demographic change to displace white populations.
  • This ideology attracts both white supremacists and Christian conservatives.

Women Leading Far-Right Movements in Western Europe

  • Giorgia Meloni (Italy) and Marine Le Pen (France) lead nationalist movements, unlike in Eastern Europe.
  • Western European far-right politics scapegoat Muslims under the guise of defending feminism and LGBTQ rights ("pinkwashing").

Fascism vs. Communism on Patriarchy

  • Fascism inherently promotes inequality, including gender hierarchy.
  • Communism, ideologically at least, promotes equality, allowing women into leadership.
  • Stalinist regimes became patriarchal but did not enforce strict gender roles like fascist regimes.
  • Stalinism emphasized political purges (politicide) rather than genocide, but both systems engaged in mass killings.

. Antisemitism and Political Movements

  • Jason Stanley references a book arguing that movements like Maoism and Stalinism eventually take on fascist characteristics.
  • Discussion on how antisemitism is used as a political tool in various contexts.

. Hypocrisy Among Conservative Politicians

  • Many conservative leaders decry elite universities but are themselves products of these institutions (e.g., Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton).
  • Chris Hedges argues that some of these individuals are not necessarily intellectually exceptional despite their elite education.

. Role of Intellectuals in Authoritarianism

  • Heidegger and Carl Schmitt supported Nazism, paralleling how some modern intellectuals align with authoritarianism.
  • Rise of far-right intellectuals in institutions like Harvard and Yale.

. Universities and Their Role in Power

  • Elite universities serve as power hubs for all political ideologies.
  • Conservative groups criticize these institutions yet benefit from their influence.
  • Institutions like Columbia and Yale have largely acquiesced to political pressures, shutting down student protests.

. Media’s Role in Political Dynamics

  • The New York Times and mainstream media have played a role in discrediting universities.
  • The media has contributed to the erosion of democracy by attacking democratic institutions.

. Fascist Political Strategies

  • Fascist movements use false corruption charges while engaging in corruption themselves (e.g., Trump, Putin).
  • Projection is a key strategy—accusing opponents of what they themselves do.
  • Suppressing free speech and controlling education are part of authoritarian playbooks.

. The State of Democracy and Fascism Today

  • Comparison of the U.S. with other nations experiencing democratic decline (India, Russia, Hungary, Turkey).
  • Universities are under attack, with professors and students being targeted for their political views.
  • Political repression is increasing, with arrests of activists and scholars.

. Targeting of Academics and Protesters

  • Historical parallels with McCarthyism: The McCarran Act was used against figures like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois.
  • Recent targeting of prominent academics like Katherine Franke as a warning sign of growing authoritarianism.
Source:

https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/erasing-history-how-fascism-works


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