One of the things that has interested me lately is a deep dive on common traits of fascism. For the record, there are twelve of them, but it was two in particular that interest me today. These two things are obviously overwhelmingly in the news, but also have been used to change our perceptions of the world around us. I will list them all just for people to have a good list to go by, but I’ll bold the ones I’m thinking of today.

• Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
• Disdain for human rights
• Identification of enemies as a unifying cause
• Rampant sexism
• Control of mass media
• Obsession with national security
• Religion and government intertwined
• Corporate power protected
• Labor power suppressed
• Disdain for intellectuals and the arts
• Obsession with crime and punishment
• Rampant cronyism and corruption

Some lists also include fraudulent elections and supremacy of the military. I highlighted the two I did because they seem to be in the news a lot lately. Obviously, the issue of abortion and women’s rights are in the news right now and everyone is rightfully concerned. However, a thought had occurred to me as we going through the news of yet another mass shooting yesterday.

The war on drugs officially began a little over 50 years ago. That war on drugs obviously has had a tremendous impact on society at large. According to ACLU, incarceration rates have increased 500 percent since 1970. The U.S. population hasn’t even doubled since then. So, the incarceration rate has increased more than four times faster than the population. At this point, it would be fair to ask what this has to do with recent events.

The events of yesterday should make this clear. When we hear there is a mass shooting event, all of us have a picture in our head of what the shooter looks like. He’s a white male. He is usually between 18 and 25. He is also usually a right wing extremist. The numbers back this up. Yet, we should consider for a moment who enters our brain when we think of a common criminal. Obviously, that picture is very different. It is almost as if it was done by design.

Ultimately, we are left with a ton of cognitive dissonance. Who are we collectively afraid of and who should we be afraid of? Right wing extremists have become inherently dangerous. If you don’t believe me then just ask the FBI. They are the domestic terrorists and their numbers are growing. Yet, ask any typical American and they will list anything other than young white males as the danger. They will list immigrants. They will list people of color. They will list radical Muslims. They will list everyone except for the people actually committing these mass shootings and acts of terror. It’s almost as if it were by design.