Fascism is a broad concept that is defined differently by several different types of people. Merriam Webster likes to define fascism as “a tendency toward, or actual exercise of, strong autocratic or dictatorial control.” Mussolini defines his idea of fascism in three ways:

 

1.     "Everything in the state.” The government is supreme and the country must conform to the ruling body, oftentimes a dictator. 

2.     "Nothing outside the state.” The country must grow and every person must submit to the government. 

3.     "Nothing against the state.” Any type of questioning of the government is not to be tolerated. If you do not see things our way, you are wrong. If you do not agree with the government, you cannot be allowed to taint the views of the rest of the good citizens. 

 

  The average American would probably define fascism by its most common meaning: an individual’s state of hate against another group of people based on their sex, race, or religion.

We live in a nation that values free speech, and yet we riot and violently protest any idea in which we don’t agree. What you say or believe does not matter and should not matter unless it directly violates the law or puts an individual at risk. The media has, incorrectly, labeled the far right as fascists and racists and exploited the conservative agenda. They have unfairly tied the acts of conservatives to the acts of Nazis in an attempt to play the game of politics, instead of focus on the real issues and how to solve them.

Antifa, you are confused. You’re shutting down others with different ideas and opinions and claiming to disassemble fascism when you yourselves act like fascists. You are asking for American people to silence themselves, and quieting the country on rising issues. You’re attempting to “shut up” anyone with whom you disagree with. Your philosophy, in contrast with Mussolini, is that because you don’t agree with someone, you must automatically be right. We won’t ask the white supremacists to leave our country, just as we won’t ask Black Lives Matter to disband or any other group to stop expressing themselves.

Instead we should learn to talk, not kill; learn to understand and juxtapose instead of present violent acts. We need to focus on the problems we’re facing right now, but instead we’re making excuses, stereotypes, and avoiding the issues. I am not saying to back down. I’m just saying that trying to shut others down because their views don’t align with yours is counteractive. You can’t fight fascism with fascism.