This final discussion into Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s authoritative study, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, brings together the Banner & Backbone Media’s panel — Nick Paro, Stephanie G Wilson, PhD, Tara Devlin, and Kristofer Goldsmith — for a conversation centered on how modern fascist movements weaponize masculinity, impose subservient femininity, hijack culture, and overburden bureaucracy — and how those systems ultimately collapse and fail when met with sustained, decentralized resistance. We connect Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s historical framework to our present-day, immediate threats: voter suppression efforts like the SAVE Act, the normalization of paramilitary intimidation, and the laundering of authoritarian cultural narratives through “trad-wife” and “soft-girl” aesthetics. Our conversation emphasized that fascism and authoritarianism don’t end on their own — they are dismantled through organized, coordinated, local, persistent pressure that imposes real social, legal, and political costs.
Next week we begin our reading and discussion into To Catch A Fascist — Christopher Mathias’ highly insightful “investigation into the rise of white nationalist and neo-Nazi movements in the United States, centered on the anti-fascists groups working to expose and stop these hateful factions” (Simon & Schuster).
We encourage you to read along with us, with get a copy of your own — we recommend these resources:
Sign the Petitions:
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
~ Nick Paro | Kristofer Goldsmith | Stephanie Wilson | Tara Devlin ~