The Psychological Traits Of The Fascist According To Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco was one of the thinkers who explored cultural phenomena the most. For example, he was interested in how power shapes the minds of societies. One of his thoughts led him to establish the psychological traits of the fascist.
This subject is very important because in the news, many people and sectors defend apparently very reasonable values but, basically, display the psychological traits of the fascist. These are very harmful to people and societies because they promote unequal and perverse social relations.
Eco conducted a very detailed analysis and came to the following conclusion: Fascism is, in reality, a hypocritical and inconsistent posture that skillfully seeps into people’s minds. Umberto Eco reported that there were 13 psychological traits of the fascist. We will therefore detail them for you.
The three cults of fascism
According to Umberto Eco, there are three forms of worship that are present in the psychological traits of the fascist. The first is the cult of tradition, which is accompanied by references to archaic knowledge. It is about recovering knowledge or assumptions that are already outdated. This is what happened, for example, with certain New Age approaches which speak of alchemy in the archaic sense of the term.
The second cult practiced by the fascists is the cult of heroism and death. They extol very daring actions and instill the idea that death is nothing in the face of these heroic acts. They justify death instead of giving meaning to life.
Fascists also worship action for the sake of action. For them, thinking is a waste of time. Intellectuals are therefore cowards, just like artists, unless their works promote this idea of action.
Rejections and exclusions
The fascists reject the social values which were consolidated with Modernity and Illustration. They think things are white or dark and therefore there is no need to argue about them or approach them with a critical eye. Things are as they are. There is nothing to add.
Fascism therefore also rejects critical thinking. Disagreement is synonymous with betrayal, and anyone who thinks differently is seen as a dissenter who must be silenced. One of the psychological traits of the fascist would be intolerance of difference.
This includes the idea of fear of difference. Anything that is different is considered an enemy. The fascists maintain this fear of the enemy, they give him exaggerated characteristics and put him on the side of evil, of the inhuman. Those who don’t think like them shouldn’t even be seen as people. And they are envious of the successes or qualities of those who are not part of their group. Does that sound overkill to you? Isn’t that what some football fans do?
Fears and apologies
Another obvious psychological trait of the fascist is nationalism and xenophobia. This type of apology and rejection manifests itself not only in connection with the country of origin, but also in the face of the identity of a specific group or sector. They put too much emphasis on the positive things in their group and reject anything outside of it.
Fascism is also elitist. He despises the poor, whom he considers second-class beings. Wealth defines the worth of a human being. The fascists reject any form of weakness and any manifestation that could be interpreted as a symptom of vulnerability.
Moreover, the fascists rely on the idea of gender to make deep discrimination. Previously, machismo dominated, but now this intolerance is also observed in certain sectors of the feminist movement and the LGBT movement.
Other psychological traits of the fascist
Umberto Eco emphasizes the following fact: the main recipient of fascist ideas is the middle class. It is a dynamic socio-economic sector, the position of which is not fully defined. It is therefore more permeable to handling.
Another trait that is present in fascism is the exaltation of war. The fascists are anti-pacifists, even if they do not declare themselves that way. They believe that the best way to resolve contradictions is violence. We have to “solve things once and for all”.
Finally, there is another psychological trait of the fascist which is very subtle and interesting. It is linked to what Umberto Eco calls “neolanguage”. It is an extremely elementary and poor use of the language because it is only through this poverty that one manages to neutralize complex and critical thinking.
Taking the time to think about the people who coincide with the description of the psychological traits of the fascist can be a good thing. Why ? Because it serves us to protect ourselves from those totalitarian lines of thought that have done so much harm in the past and are still present in the news.
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