Ur-Fascism

What Hacker News says

1. ragallMar 2026
   > Fascism, at least as the Nazi's defined and implemented it, is the belief that a socialist economy will work when the people have a similar genetic likeness.

   Wrong. You can read Umberto Eco's essay "Ur-Fascism" to have a more informed view.

   thread
2. pjc50Mar 2026
   It's usually better to look at Umberto Eco's "Ur-Fascism". Yes, it's a set of vague aesthetic criteria, but aesthetics is a big part of Fascism and the thing that distinguishes it from other forms of totalitarianism. The aesthetics helped drive public support, which is also crucial to distinguishing Fascism from, say, feudalism: it's inherently a post-democratic politics.

   Edit: I wrote this comment, clicked through, and of course Eco is the first writer referenced.

   Show morethread
3. KaibeezyJan 2026
   Add the Umberto Eco Ur-Fascism linked below.
   thread
4. nuxiDec 2025
   Also Umberto Eco's essay Ur-Fascism.
   thread
5. owisdNov 2025
   For a more rigorous definition than “things I don’t like”, there’s Umberto Eco’s core characteristics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur-Fascism
   thread
6. anecdatasSep 2025
   > No, Immigration isn't going to be sent door to door to do something bad to citizens.

   You've got a whole lot of history to read. Because this is exactly what has happened in the past. You don't think this has happened to the Romans? The Russians? The Italians? The Germans? The Spanish?

   This is a classic maneuver of a state sliding into autocracy -- if you cannot find enemies outside the state, you find them within the state. Go read Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism then come back.

   Show morethread