The modern word for “heretic”
Posted on May 14th, 2012
In short, “fascist” is a modern word for “heretic,” branding an individual worthy of excommunication from the body politic. The left uses other words—“ racist,” “sexist,” “homophobe,” “christianist”— for similar purposes, but these words have less elastic meanings. Fascism, however, is the gift that keeps on giving. George Orwell noted this tendency as early as 1946 in his famous essay “Politics and the English Language”: “The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable.’”
–Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning
Categories: Culture
Tagged: Excommunication, Fascist, George Orwell, Heretic, Jonah Goldberg
OH! So that explains it. I kept thinking that “fascist” meant, well, fascist. I knew that people were using it as an insult. But I assumed the word still had some objective meaning. But maybe not…. Huh…. That would explain some things … like when actual fascists start calling non-fascists “fascist.”
Yep. I’m reading through Goldberg’s book now. I think you’d like it.