Matt Johnson

*This article was originally published in The Topeka Capital-Journal, August 20, 2016. 

“The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable.’” – George Orwell

Over the past year, I’ve heard Donald Trump described as a “neo-fascist,” “Euro-fascist,” “proto-fascist” and, my personal favorite, “crypto-fascist” (there are plenty of others, but you get the idea). I probably like the term “crypto-fascist” because it reminds me of a notoriously vicious (and entertaining) debate between William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. After Vidal dubbed Buckley a “crypto-Nazi,” Buckley gnashed his teeth, called Vidal a “queer” and threatened to punch him in the face.

Come to think of it, plenty of things about this year’s election remind me of that moment.

I’m impressed by the critics who settle for the conventional, non-hyphenated “fascist” — there are so many nebulous subcategories that could make their argument look more sophisticated, but they boldly stick with the undiluted original. These critics are more honest than the hyphenation crowd — they recognize that the operative word is “fascist” in all of the smears listed above and waste no time sneaking around it. There’s no mild or nuanced way to call someone a fascist — if you’re going to do it, you might as well own it.

Read the full article in The Topeka Capital-Journal.