We decided not to record another episode of CCN today as a few of the regulars were feeling under the weather and the rest of us are really good at giving up easily. With that in mind I felt the least I could do was post another blog missive that’s generally related to some of the latest episodes.

It seems the subject of fascism has come up for our round table lately and the word has certainly been getting thrown around a lot in the last decade. But, what do we mean when we say fascism?

Part of the problem is that we see fascism played out in various masks that often make it difficult to address the question directly. Was the fascism of Spain identical to that of Italy? How does the fascism of Germany compare? Many people say that America’s entangled corporate/state is the very definition of fascism, but how can we compare Walmart to Buchenwald?

Recent CCN episodes have also found me making a number of references to Umberto Eco and his amazing book Foucault’s Pendulum. Here, Eco illuminates the innate characteristics of fascism, providing us with some fundamental insights.

About Joe Nolan

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist, singer/songwriter and sometime NPR contributor. He can be heard every week on SittingNow's CCN podcast. Joe thinks coffee is a sacrament. Joe thinks surreal is the new black.

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