In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism. This is a loaded topic for both of us, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy).&nbsp; Which is why I almost went with an alternate title, namely A German and an Italian Walk Into a Bar... The terms 'fascism' sure gets thrown around a lot these days. But words have meaning, and so you can't just use it as an insult to describe anything you don't like. S0 what is it? As Daniele explains, there isn't a single definition of fascism; instead it's a checklist and the more items an ideology checks off then the closer they are to fascism.&nbsp; Here are some of the major items for Daniele...  Nostalgia for a mythic past Reliance on an authority figure who will fix everything Nationalism A cult of masculinity and cracking down on anyone who doesn't embody traditional values A hawkish desire for war against internal and external enemies Strong alliances with traditional power structures like industry and religion Anti-intellectualism and a distrust of expertise Conservative values, Subordination of women, anti-abortion, anti-birth control Anti-democratic values Emphasis on law and order  Other things we discuss are Giorgia Meloni (the Prime Minister of Italy), economic situations before the rise of fascism, horseshoe theory and the eventual convergence of extreme left and extreme right, and the danger of fascism in the world right now. More Daniele Bolelli... Here are some places you can get more Daniele Bolelli...  His  (highly recommended) His  if you want more content and support good work He's on Instagram   More Definitions of Fascism Fascism is a tricky word, and many different people have taken stabs at defining it.&nbsp; Here are a few of my favorites... I found  a very useful starting point. , originally published in the New York Review, included a 14 point list of the features of fascism. He identified that, for fascists, the enemy must simultaneously be very weak and very strong, which I found fascinating because I see it so often in the discourse these days. British political scientist Roger Griffin has defined the fascistic core as an  (or palingenetic ultranationalism).&nbsp;&nbsp; As is so often the case, the Wikipedia article on the  is a useful starting point if you want to go deeper into this topic.

379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli

Bread And Chocolate

Cover of the original jazz standard.  Music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ5sA6oP1hY

Autumn Leaves Collaboration- Jordan Baccheschi and Eva Schubert

Cover of the original Charlie Chaplin song.  One of my favorites.  Piano and arrangement by Paul Claxton.

Smile (when your heart is breaking)

Back with Eva Schubert and Tom Adams with the blues classic, Stormy Monday.  You'll love Eva's soulful voice and interpretation, and of course this one's right in Tom's blues wheelhouse.  Together, a sweet version of this slow blues standard.  We hope you love it as much as we do.  
Follow Eva and Tom here on SoundCloud:
Eva Schubert:  https://soundcloud.com/eva-schubert-3
Tom Adams:  https://soundcloud.com/better-with-the-blues

Thanks for your generous time listening, for your comments and for your shares

Stormy Monday - with Eva Schubert / vocals, Tom Adams / guitar and Jamie Rhind / keyboards

BJJ black belt, lifetime martial artist and the operator of Grapplearts.com

379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli

Stephan Kesting

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