It’s one of the most popular “buzzwords” of the current political culture –– fascist; a word commonly tossed in the direction of anyone I might happen to hold in disdain. If one happens to “Google” the word you might see something like this:
“Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ FASH-iz-əm) is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement, characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.” (Wikipedia)
If you don’t like someone, say for instance, a political opponent; you can just start tossing out words like fascist, brownshirt, or even compare them to Adolf Hitler. If labeling someone who disagrees with you a racist doesn’t shut them up, you can up your game and play the fascist card.
However, before one starts flinging such a word around indiscriminately it might be helpful to first examine some historical records of actual fascists.
Let’s, for example, talk about the National Socialist Party. Just in case you’re not up on your history, that would have been the political party of Adolf Hitler. You remember him, right? WWII, the march across Europe, ghettos, concentration camps, gas chambers, and the extermination of more than six million Jewish men, women, and children for the crime of being Jewish. Pretty ugly stuff.
But who were the National Socialists? What were their policies? Allow me to provide some light to the subject. (Aside, of course, from their obvious hatred for the Jewish people and the desire to kill them all.)
The National Socialists believed in free health care and guaranteed jobs.
They confiscated inherited wealth and spent vast sums on public education.
They purged the church from public policy, promoted a new form of pagan spirituality.
The National Socialists asserted the authority of the state to regulate every aspect of civil life.
They conducted campaigns against smoking cigarettes and other perceived social vices.
The National Socialist party supported abortion, euthanasia, and gun control.
They loathed the free market, provided generous pensions for the elderly, and maintained a strict racial quota system in their universities.
The Nazis (Oops! I mean the National Socialists) led the world in organic farming and alternative medicine. Hitler was a strict vegetarian, and Himmler was an animal rights activist.
So if you’re on the lookout for the fascists in our midst, you won’t necessarily find them goose-stepping down Pennsylvania Avenue, but you might find them teaching a class at Columbia or even a ninth grade history class in East Overshoe.
Wouldn’t it be just awful to hate fascists and find out you voted for one.
MK Gantt Ministries 
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