Four years ago, I recorded and released narrations of short material that I pulled from the public domain. I did my best to release one a week, as an experiment. I wondered if I could, one day, so something like this that actually paid some bills.
I had fun doing it. I picked pieces that were interesting to me, and didn’t spend any time at all trying to master perfect audio. It was a deliberately DIY effort. The audience wasn’t huge, but the people who listened to it really liked it. At some point, I even got a few requests, including this one.
This is Umberto Eco’s essential essay, Ur Fascism, originally written in 1995. It was shockingly relevant in in 2020, after four years of attempted tyranny, and it remains terrifyingly relevant after one week of ongoing tyranny.
I humbly submit this and ask for a bit of your time; I believe it’s an important, timely, essay.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I first read this not long after the fateful September 11th, when revenge and Islamophobia and “rah rah America” was everywhere, and I thought “Hey, this sounds a lot like how the Republican party is going.” But every time I brought it up, even other leftists I knew told me I shouldn’t use “the F word” because as bad as the GOP was, it wasn’t fascism-bad. WELL.
As the saying goes, the road to fascism is lined with people telling you to stop over-reacting.
Think I’ll keep doing that, thanks. Not even two weeks, and more crap than ever has hit the fan. And I don’t even live in the US, I’m just dismayed that it has got this far this fast.
Thank you for pointing this out. I’m pretty open to what (content) I expose myself to, but very selective about what I internalize. I look forward to listening to this … and perhaps it will make it past those filters we have in recent years been forced to fortify.
“Freedom of speech means freedom from rhetoric.” That is a powerful statement. I feel like “Freedom of speech necessitates an intolerance of rhetoric.”, is closer to what we normally see. It’s not quite as pithy, but I feel more accurate. Okay, I’ll stop making comments as I listen … who knows where that comment will lead in the essay … but that was my thought and didn’t want to loose it. Perhaps the notes app would be better for this 😛
“Nothing gives a fearful man more courage than another’s fear.” -Umberto Eco
Thank you, Wil. Looking forward to when the principled people come to their senses and realize that an unaccountable king is UnAmerican.
A great listen. Thanks for highlighting this scarily prescient essay.
Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Marlow’s cameo appearance 😉
Thanks for sharing. I will listen to this as soon as I have the chance.
Just a quick correction I need to make, as Eco’s countryman: his last name is written with one “c”, not two. You would pronounce it similar to how you say “echo”.
Cheers!
Yikes! I know that, and must have missed it before publishing. I’ll fix it now.
Wil I would listen to you reading the phonebook, if those were still a thing, but seeing the words ‘Radio Free Burrito’ literally made me squeel out loud. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve decided to share, but judging by the title it’s bound to be good!
I absolutely understand why you exited Facebook, but please reconsider. I was about to shut mine down, but then I saw a post from a friend who was dead-named and my heart almost stopped. The interwebs offer a very thin thread of community to people. Some people rely on finding kindred spirits, solidarity, kindness on the web. (To clarify, it’s me. I’m one of some people).
Your loud voice and banging drums make me feel better. I know you make others feel better too. I’m fortunate that I’m Canadian, but it’s bleeding over and inevitably going to expand here.
Thank you for raising your voice, however you choose to do it!!! 💖
Bluesky.
This must be the place.
So … fascism doesn’t really know what it’s doing and it’s just a bunch of different yet similar things, do I have that right?
Wow.. powerful essay, and wonderfully read. Thank you. I wonder if you put the text through a “grade classifier” what it will come out as… I’m so used to hearing the common “3rd grade” limit!
Can you throw this into the Radio Free Burrito podcast feed? I want to listen to it on my drive.
Thank you for recording this originally and posting this now. Of course this was much more timely four years ago and a year ago and since months ago, but it’s still timeline important. I have struggled with defining fascism, and like the other commenters struggle with people dismissing me saying that certain actions recently have been fascist. This is a very useful definition
Thank you for making this accessible and it’s nice to hear in your voice – feels like I can now discuss over dinner with a friend 🙂
Sadly, This is such a great synthesis of where we are today.
It’s worth noting that Steve Bannon reads Julius Evola’s works.
Any time the topic of modern fascism comes up (especially if Umberto Eco is mentioned), I like to point people over to Some More News and, in particular, to their “Life in the Fash Lane” playlist. Mr. Johnston discusses Umberto Eco quite a bit, too. (The original four videos are from 6 years ago, but seems they’ve added some of their more recently relevant videos to that playlist as well, since the last time I looked at it.)
Thanks, Wil. Very relevant. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that’s been happening these past two weeks.
Timely and important, Wil.
Thank you.
I dunno. I spent the morning banging my head on the living room wall.
It actually felt productive.
Sigh…
I do miss the Burrito.
Hi Wil. I am your age and don’t often write my political views. I am Canadian. A year ago one of your anthem singers lost her microphone and we in the stands finished the US anthem. This week we are booing the anthem. I want to be clear we are not booing you we are booing a federal government that has opted to wage economic warfare on us through its fascist foreign policy. How did we get to this place where your strongest and most longstanding trade partner and ally is attacked?
Oh, I think everyone here who isn’t in the cult knows precisely what you’re booing. For what it’s worth, I’m booing the exact same thing, and appreciate the support.
I got your updates delivered to my inbox reliably until this one… For some reason Apple decided to put it in my spam folder 👀
Wil I hope you are ok with me reblogging this.
Of course!
Thanks Bro 😁
As you say, it’s important and timely. Thank you for making this accessible. Serious material delivered in a relaxed tone felt like a friend chatting. If anything that made the audio perfect. A tone of authority, or fearfulness would have reduced accessibility as you can’t learn if your mind is occupied by fear. I hope ‘the project’ you’re working on has something to do with you reading and chatting to us.