How to Deal With a Fascist

Dealing with someone who identifies with fascism or simply acts in a fascist and authoritarian manner is a difficult and extremely frustrating thing. Like all people who rigidly subscribe to a method or an ideology, it is relatively easy to identify and exploit cracks in their belief and behavior. Follow these steps to deal with a fascist.

Instructions

1. Learn about fascism. The term "fascist" gets tossed around in society and even in academic debate. Whether you're dealing with a supporter of fascism as a political system or someone who behaves in a fascistic way, knowing exactly what characterizes fascism will help you make deft arguments and understand fascist behavior well enough to deal with it effectively.

2. Draw attention away from the fascist. Fascist ideology and personalities love, or some might say need, the limelight. Some scholars argue that fascism is defined in part by its need to be a spectacle. To deal with a fascist, draw attention away from the person by making a bigger, more positive center of attention. While this might drive the fascist to do more extreme things it is more likely just to take the wind out of fascist sails.

3. Address the fascist as a fascist. In most cases labeling someone a fascist and properly supporting the claim in a reasoned and forceful way will make the fascist back off. If, in the off chance, the person wants to be labeled a fascist then you need to express why fascism is a disastrous political ideology and how it closely resembles its political enemies, such as communism.

4. Act democratically. If there is one thing both fascism and fascists can't stand, it's democracy. If you can rally the people of any kind of group or society to act democratically then you can deal with the fascist. It might take a little bit of courage to stand up to the fascist but the outcome of disempowering a fascist is well worth it.