Ur-Fascism
by Umberto Eco · first published 2018
35% recommend63% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Eco, who grew up under Italian fascism, lists 14 characteristics of fascist movements in a short essay, offering a more rigorous definition than loose insults. Suits readers wanting to recognize authoritarian patterns.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…democracies until the invasion of Ethiopia and adoption of racial laws. This was social context when Brave New World was written (note the "Benito Hoover" character). I'd suggest reading these pieces: 1) "UR-fascism" by Umberto Eco http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_blackshirt.html -- attempts to define salient features of fascism across the different regimes. 2) "Three New Deals", http://www.amazon.com/Three-New-Deals-Reflections-Roosevelts...…
on “Sales of George Orwell’s ’1984′ up 69 percent on Amazon” ↗…both fictional and nonfiction insight into what it's like to experience authoritarianism firsthand, not picture-book,elementary school level accounts of how evil North Korea is. I recommend Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism, Orwell's Politics and the English Language, and the play Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco as starting examples.
on “A Closer Look at North Korea’s Ullim Tablet” ↗…he died in 2016. There are not so many people left alive who remember the hard end of WW2-era fascism. The one I always refer people to, written in 1995 but applicable to any time, is Umberto Eco's "Ur-Fascism". http://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf - written from his personal experience as a young boy in fascist Italy at the time of its liberation. The full essay is long and detailed, and…
on “Study: Immigrants and their kids founded 45% of U.S. Fortune 500 companies” ↗I appreciated the link to Umberto Eco's essay on Ur-Fascism. Point 8 on the fascists is topical: 8. The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies. When I was a boy I was taught to think of Englishmen as the five-meal…
on “Watching the World Wrecking” ↗I think Umberto Eco distilled much better the characterics of "Ur-Fascism". https://www.openculture.com/2016/11/umberto-eco-makes-a-list...
on “Yonatan Zunger – People seem to think “Nazi” is meant as a slur or term of abuse (2017)” ↗…Fascism, at least as the Nazi's defined and implemented it, is the belief that a socialist economy will work when the people have a similar genetic likeness. Wrong. You can read Umberto Eco's essay "Ur-Fascism" to have a more informed view.
on “Ad-tech is fascist tech” ↗…biological racism at the time. Biggest downside is that she does not really consider economic or technological factors as much. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_press [4] Bonus link. Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism. Short essay but deep. I like to read it from time to time. Fascism is a paradoxically subtle and brutal thing. Umberto's essay really grasps that. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/
on “Google's stance on neo-Nazis 'dangerous', says EFF” ↗…that then colonized Africa and lately put Libya in jeopardy just to put their hands on Italian ENI gas infrastructure over there... You know what's really funny? That the Umberto Eco's essay on the UR-fascism (that should be the topic of this post) is about exactly people like you. And about the reasons why fascism and nazism went to power, which is not to fight socialism. If you read it before jumping to…
I never applied the term fascist or defined it. I stated an opinion in line with m experiences. I happen to know what a fascist is -- in fact just last week I re-read Umberto Eco's Ur Fascism[0]; it is brilliant and I suggest you check it out. > well if you had read my entire comment instead of cherry picking the quote you wanted you find where my line is. I read your comment -- you used…
on “Study Finds That Buttons in Cars Are Safer and Quicker to Use Than Touchscreens” ↗…Italians called themselves fascist. Germans would not have identified as such. Fascism is difficult to define, even when it does not mean "my current political enemies." I tend to favor Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism traits. Eco is a historian who grew up under Italy's fascism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur-Fascism If you take a step back and squint a little, almost all of that could apply to the US, regardless…
on “Resist Authoritarianism by Refusing to Obey in Advance (2017)” ↗> Imagine being on top of the world, the richest large country on the planet, and declaring that really you're the victim. An observation by Umberto Eco in his essay Ur-Fascism: > 8. The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies. When I was a boy I was taught to think of Englishmen as the five-meal people. They ate more frequently…
on “Doge to Fired CISA Staff: Email Us Your Personal Data” ↗Fascism and white supremacy aren't interchangeable terms. The formal definition has refined, although the colloquial usage hasn't kept up. Check out this summary of Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism essay, with 14 characteristics of fascist movements/regimes. https://www.openculture.com/2024/11/umberto-ecos-list-of-the... Like many diagnostic criteria, it's not sufficient to only check one or two…
on “Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada” ↗…Italians? The Germans? The Spanish? This is a classic maneuver of a state sliding into autocracy -- if you cannot find enemies outside the state, you find them within the state. Go read Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism then come back.
>Beating people who think different than you is the pretty much facism. No. Fascism is fascism. I'd recommend reading Umberto Eco's "Ur-Fascism" if you are interested in learning.
For a more rigorous definition than “things I don’t like”, there’s Umberto Eco’s core characteristics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur-Fascism