Resistance Painting by Sylvia Solovyeva, 2020 Fascism never knocks politely and asks to be let in. It seeps under the door and through the cracks. The ideology masquerades as patriotism and nostalgia, often wearing a poorly tailored suit with an expensive flag pin or a gold cross. The steady rise always appears righteous at first. True believers claim they are protecting children, protecting borders, protecting tradition and culture. Florida bans books and black history. India muzzles journalists and opposition. Hungary calls outrageous censorship “Christian values.” America passes laws that sound like Bible verses while looting the treasury like thieves.  Historically, what follows is the peak, the magnificent glittering rot. The leader becomes a brand with a PR team. News becomes a farce. Billionaires buy the airwaves, the content, and microphones. Law enforcement budgets swell while libraries and hospitals close. Anger becomes performance, cruelty becomes currency, and conspirac...