This Week in Fascism: The Authoritarian Creep Just Hit Fast Forward
✍️ By The Mayor of Funkytown — Political Writer, Resistance Organizer, and Extremely Pissed-Off Witness to the Death Rattle of Democracy
⚠️ U.S. Placed on CIVICUS Watchlist for Civil Society Decline
International watchdog CIVICUS officially added the United States to its global watchlist, citing a “sustained decline in civil liberties.” Among the biggest red flags:
Over 2,700 federal troops deployed during immigration-related protests in L.A.
State surveillance of student activists
Defunding of NPR/PBS and increasing journalist arrests
This is the same designation given to countries with documented democratic breakdowns.
“The United States is exhibiting hallmarks of democratic backsliding, where core civil freedoms are not just under threat—they’re being systematically dismantled.”
— CIVICUS Global Monitor Report
Why it matters:
This is an official international assessment indicating that the United States is slipping toward authoritarianism. We’re no longer the democracy warning others—we’re the example others are warned about.
🌍 Trump Meddles in Brazil to Boost Fellow Autocrat Bolsonaro
President Trump went full imperial this week, slapping trade sanctions on Brazil in retaliation for the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. The sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court judge is the one overseeing Bolsonaro’s criminal trial for inciting a coup.
Trump’s White House called the trial “deeply biased.” Still, foreign policy experts are calling it what it is: a coordinated attempt to restore authoritarian allies to power—by punishing independent judiciaries.
“This is what classic tinpot dictators do: punish judges, shield loyalists, and twist international levers to protect their ideological kin.”
— The Guardian
Why it matters:
This is a test run for exporting authoritarianism. If Trump gets away with pressuring foreign democracies into submission, what exactly do you think he plans to do at home?
🧠 Vox Revisits Black Fascist Thinker Lawrence Dennis
In a story that feels more warning than history lesson, Vox published a deep dive into Lawrence Dennis, a 1930s Black diplomat who became America’s top fascist theorist.
Dennis believed liberal democracy couldn’t survive economic chaos or social unrest—and pushed for authoritarian rule. His ideas are suddenly trending again in MAGA circles and reactionary think tanks that reject “weak” democratic institutions.
“The kind of fascism Lawrence Dennis preached—dressed in American patriotism and anti-elite populism—is no longer theoretical. It’s walking the halls of Congress.”
— Vox
Why it matters:
We’re not just watching fascism rise—we’re watching it get rehabilitated. When the far right starts openly name-dropping America’s OG fascists, that’s not nostalgia. That’s a blueprint.
🧭 Vox & ISMA Host Conference to Defend Democracy
Vox announced its second annual Liberalism for the 21st Century conference in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism. The goal? To rally academics, journalists, and philosophers around defending open societies from rising authoritarianism.
The conference will feature big names like Steven Pinker, Francis Fukuyama, and Damon Linker, and is being held at—yes—The Watergate Hotel.
“The battle for liberal democracy won’t be won by memes or lawsuits alone. It requires intellectual defense against the seduction of strongmen.”
— Conference Statement, Vox Media
Why it matters:
While MAGA builds networks of power, the rest of us are stuck reacting. This is one of the few serious efforts to proactively organize ideological resistance to the creeping fascist wave. We need more of this—and fast.
⚖️ Shadow Dockets and Trump Monuments? Yep, It’s Happening
This week, national editorials lit up over two authoritarian power moves:
The Supreme Court’s increased reliance on secret, unsigned rulings (aka the shadow docket) to expand executive authority.
A Trump-endorsed bill to rename national museums and monuments after himself, including a proposal to create the Trump American Heritage Center inside the National Archives.
“Autocrats don’t just seize power—they rename things, reshape memory, and entrench themselves in law. America is on that path.”
— Associated Press Editorial Board
Why it matters:
Shadow dockets let autocrats govern from the shadows. Symbolic fascism rewrites history in real time. Combined, they do what all authoritarian regimes do: erase accountability, replace truth with loyalty, and plaster their name on the ruins.
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