Amidst my summer binge read of thrillers, rom-coms, and celebrity memoirs, I managed to add a few more serious books into the mix. Read a silly little beach read — then, contemplate the history of fascism in the United States. Devour a cozy mystery — meditate on the ravages of capitalism and free market ideologies around the world. Listen to a fun celebrity memoir — reflect on the legacy of minority rule baked into our American system. Rinse and repeat.
While I’ve cut way back on my media consumption in the last year or so to protect my own sanity and mental health, it wouldn’t be an election year if I weren’t reading about the nature of authoritarian rule in America, right?
First on deck was finishing Naomi Klein’s epic work, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Klein’s book is expansive in scope, coming in at over 500 pages and covering decades of history spanning the globe. What I appreciated most about Klein’s book is that she offers a clear explainer of the economic policies of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics and their insidious spread around the globe — ideas about the free market, privatization, and the role of government and how Friedman and his acolytes used various shocks and disasters to implement these ideas against the popular will. Her book also makes a compelling case for how destructive these economic principles have been.
I finished off the summer with the essay collection Did It Happen Here?: Perspectives on Fascism and America. These essays explored the history and legacy of fascism in America and weighed in on the debate of whether or not the label of fascism is a good fit for Donald Trump and his followers. Compelling arguments were made on both sides of the debate – that Trump is definitely a fascist and that, while he might share a few characteristics with fascist movements of the past, the label just isn’t the right or most accurate fit for the man. Taken all together, the essays provide a great picture of the role and legacy of fascism in the United States, even if you end up agreeing that Trump himself is not a fascist.
Throughout the summer, I’ve also been slowly making my way through Ari Berman’s latest book, Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It, tackling a chapter a week for book club with my best friend. Berman’s book explores the tension between majority and minority rule in our nation’s past and present, the way minority rule is privileged in our system of government, and how Republicans are leveraging minority rule in their favor to shore up their power and undermine democracy, voting rights, and the will of the majority.
All-in-all some insightful, if sobering, election year reading. My main takeaway from my serious summer reading is the extent to which aspects of authoritarianism, or at least some pretty anti-democratic sentiments, are baked into our system of government here and then exported abroad to the detriment of all but the wealthiest and most powerful among us.
Klein’s book makes this point by carefully tracing the careful construction of economic ideology and policies that many Americans think of as a natural occurrence — as if this is always how our economy has worked and not the deliberate creation of a handful of powerful men. Berman, too, makes the point of how minority rule is propped up and protected in some of our most cherished institutions from our Constitution to our electoral system to each branch of government. Several of the essays in Did It Happen Here describe how fascist leaders frequently took their cues from the United States.
Taken together, and in an election year that’s giving me flashbacks to 2020. It can be scary stuff.
Thankfully, all three books offer a bit of hope. Our democracy might be threatened but hope is not lost, and citizens are fighting back against these anti-democratic trends. Berman and Klein describe the many American citizens who are stepping up to defend democracy, challenging conservative attempts to undermine our electoral system and putting in the work to protect and expand voting rights. Several of the essayists in Did It Happen Here note the crucial differences between our current moment and fascist movements of the past. We had an attempted insurrection on January 6th, but it failed. And while Trump might share some characteristics with fascist leaders of the past, he is not as powerful as they were nor leading as coherent or militant a movement.
And with that note of hope, I’m back to my fun fall reading — my next cozy mystery awaits.
Allison,
Thank you once again for enlightening us with your research. Some will consider these insights and others will immediately reject any further notion thereof.
A couple of observations and considerations:
Trump may not meet the strict definition of a fascist, but his extreme and ever-growing narcissism gives him the capacity. All he needs is more fuel, as in power.
In regard to Ari Berman’s book about minority rule, we have a recent exhibit within the CRC Synod. The majority of churches and members within the CRC are now only beginning to realize what synod’s actions have accomplished. Even those who affirm the decision to uphold the 1973 interpretation do not approve of the well orchestrated process utilized to purge opposition, including sincere, stalwart, Bible-searching leaders and members. Only a minority group intended to purge. The church membership at-large had no idea what far-reaching implications would result. Leaders have an obligation to maintain a culture of trust and transparency. The average pew-sitter has no idea what 108 or confessional status or gravamen means. Yet their denomination is now split.
I seriously question US constitutional minority rule rather it should/could be called A. Supermajority rule or B. Strong minority protection.
However to reach even those conclusions one has to ignore that the coni’s blend of counting people and counting states to focus on supposed majority rule is to ignore that 13 colonies/states brought the us constitutional system into being with no “national vote” involved.