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The Irony of Fascism: Why the Left’s Accusations Against the Right Miss the Mark
One of the most common charges hurled against conservatives today is that they are “fascists.” The accusation appears everywhere—from college classrooms to social media to late-night talk shows. But what’s often overlooked is that the very tactics and philosophies the left claims to oppose are the ones it increasingly employs itself. In fact, the label of “fascism” sticks far more easily to many trends on the progressive left than it does to mainstream conservatism.
What Fascism Actually Is
Historically, fascism is not just “any opinion I don’t like.” It is defined by:
•Centralized power — a ruling elite or government that seeks total control.
•Suppression of dissent — silencing opposition voices and censoring “unapproved” speech.
•Control of culture — media, education, and even entertainment shaped to promote one ideology.
•Collectivist over individualist values — the individual exists to serve the state, not the other way around.
As historian Robert O. Paxton notes in The Anatomy of Fascism (2004), fascism thrives on “mobilizing passions” that seek to dominate culture, silence rivals, and consolidate authority into a central vision.
The Left’s Accusation
Progressives accuse conservatives of fascism because the right emphasizes patriotism, border enforcement, traditional values, and law-and-order policies. To the left, these positions look like authoritarian control. But patriotism and support for rule of law are not fascism—they are normal functions of a stable society.
The irony is that while conservatives largely want limited government—lower taxes, fewer regulations, and more local decision-making—the left often pushes for expansion of centralized power. This is far closer to the actual definition of fascism.
Signs of Authoritarianism on the Left
1.Censorship of Ideas and Online Speech
While conservatives have historically been behind book-banning campaigns—particularly targeting LGBTQ+ literature in schools (PEN America, 2024)—today’s left exercises its control more through the digital sphere. From pressuring tech companies to silence “misinformation” to enforcing speech codes on campuses, progressives often try to dictate what can and cannot be said online. This parallels what Paxton calls the fascist impulse to “regulate cultural expression” through force or fear.
2.Collusion Between Government and Big Tech
From the COVID-19 pandemic to election controversies, federal agencies have been shown coordinating with social media giants to manage narratives and suppress disfavored content (see Taibbi’s Twitter Files reporting, 2022). This merging of state and corporate power is strikingly similar to Mussolini’s corporatist vision of fascism.
3.Control of Language and Thought
The push to redefine words, impose pronoun mandates, and rewrite cultural norms mirrors what George Orwell warned in Politics and the English Language (1946): when language is politicized, thought itself becomes controlled.
4.Mob Tactics and Intimidation
Protests that escalate into violence, campaigns to destroy businesses with opposing views, and social media “pile-ons” create a culture of fear. Historian Stanley Payne, in A History of Fascism, 1914–1945 (1995), identifies intimidation as a hallmark of fascist movements—used not only to punish opponents but to condition the wider population into silence.
Conservatism’s Core Difference
Conservatives, by contrast, generally push for:
•Decentralization (local and state authority over federal dictates).
•Free markets (not government-controlled economies).
•Individual liberty (emphasizing personal responsibility over collective mandates).
•Religious freedom and free speech (allowing all voices, not just “approved” ones).
Far from fascism, these principles are closer to classical liberalism—the very ideology that resists authoritarianism.
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