Authoritarianism is the genus. Fascism, Naziism, Khmer-rougeism, Hutuism, whatever is brewing in the petri dishes of modern culture, are the species. Like biological species the genus grows as its basic components are expressed in particular cultures, breaking off from already existing species and thriving in the geography and climate of the times. Different political systems, different economic crises, different Others, slight modulations of the sense of being the Chosen and we have a new species in the great and terrible genus of Authoritarianism. Here is a little primer from the Democratic Strategist.

Republican efforts to raise people’s fears about terrorism, gay rights, and immigration make people who are not particularly authoritarian behave more like people who are. This is an important source of Republican electoral advantage. Authoritarianism embodies an entire world view that provides the connective tissue for a range of attitudes on issues that happen now to be at the center of the political fight.

Authoritarianism and the American Political Divide

Oh, you might want to see Jesus Camp, coming to a theatre near you….,