Summary:

I break down Umberto Eco’s 14 pillars of fascism and map them to what we’re seeing in America right now.

If you’ve felt the cultural drift toward extremism but couldn’t quite name it, this episode hands you the vocabulary and the receipts. I use Eco’s framework to decode the tactics, narratives, and power plays fueling today’s authoritarian project, plus what it demands from anyone who still cares about pluralism and democracy.

Chapters:

00:00 — Setting the Stakes: Why the comedic muzzle matters for democracy

03:12 — Billionaires & Theocracy: The money + movement alliance

06:18 — Pillars 1–3: Tradition, anti-modernism, and action-as-virtue

09:25 — Pillars 4–5: Treason in dissent + fear of difference

12:33 — Pillar 6: Social frustration as political fuel

15:40 — Pillars 7–8: Conspiracy obsession & the “strong/weak” enemy paradox

18:45 — Pillars 9–10: No compromise + contempt for the vulnerable

21:50 — Pillars 11–12: Cult of heroism, machismo, and fetishized weaponry

24:58 — Pillars 13–14: Selective populism and Newspeak in practice

28:10 — The Assignment: From ally to accomplice—what we do next

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Music Credit: Good_B_Music

Mentioned in this episode:

Left in Exile Intro

Left in Exile Intro