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To succeed, fascism needs indifference as much as hate
Most people will never be called on to commit monstrous acts on behalf of the nation—they just have to not care when others do
This past week, I traveled back to my home state to visit my father and brother. I hadn’t seen either of them in over a year, so it was nice catching up. I used to fight a lot with my dad growing up—mostly about politics—but since I moved out, our relationship has improved. These days, we get along for the most part, provided we stay away from certain subjects.
In many ways, Dad and I are a lot alike. We’re both really affable. I inherited his ability to bullshit about anything with anyone. At the same time, we’re also hard-headed and passionate about our respective beliefs, though we sit on the absolute polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.
When I was younger, Dad worked as an independent distributor of various goods, first bulk cookies then spices. His job, a combination of sales and delivery, required him to travel around to various grocery stores and stock their shelves with his products, so he was in the car a lot.
Before Fox News, there was conservative talk radio, and Dad listened to it for eight hours a day or more for more than a decade. He was a…
