The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism. This is a loaded topic for both of us, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy).  Which is why I almost went with an alternate title, namely A German and an Italian Walk Into a Bar... The terms 'fascism' sure gets thrown around a lot these days. But words have meaning, and so you can't just use it as an insult to describe anything you don't like. S0 what is it? As Daniele explains, there isn't a single definition of fascism; instead it's a checklist and the more items an ideology checks off then the closer they are to fascism.  Here are some of the major items for Daniele... Nostalgia for a mythic past Reliance on an authority figure who will fix everything Nationalism A cult of masculinity and cracking down on anyone who doesn't embody traditional values A hawkish desire for war against i