Can we call it fascism yet? Last night’s Trumpapalooza rally in Dallas featured everything but the salute, as Trump asked the less-than-full house, “Please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States. That loves us so much he can’t even breathe. That I will go out with my family, my friends, I’ll do it any way – I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try to cheat like hell like they do … ”
Unfortunately, he kept right on breathing.
People who debate when America’s slide into fascism began are missing the point: It’s always been here. It sometimes hides in the shadows, but it’s been apparent since 1980, when Ronald Reagan declared that government – the same one he wanted to lead – was the enemy.
Heaven 17, the electro-dance group Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh had just formed after leaving Human League, responded to Reagan’s election with “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang,” released two months after Reagan took office in 1981. It was banned by the BBC because it called Reagan “fascist god in motion.” They weren’t wrong, but the legal department thought it was libelous, and in the UK the burden of proof is on the defendant. The record nevertheless crept onto the lower reaches of the UK singles chart.
In 2018 LCD Soundsystem updated the lyrics, substituting Trump for Reagan. This time nobody thought it was libelous.
