A Quick Test about Politicians

I would like you to do something for me, if that's alright. I would like you to think of different current political leaders, both those you like and those you dislike. Then I want you to go through the list here below and consider whether they fit the description of any of the points. It can be good to examine them more objectively from time to time. And hey, it's just a fun little experiment. Is that okay with you? If yes, keep reading. Anyway, here it is, yes or no answers:

1. Do they focus heavily on tradition, in that we must preserve it or perhaps learn from it to better lead our lives?
2. Do they dislike many aspects of modern society, and perhaps even state that our society is in decline and has been for a long time?
3. Do they like to take action and perhaps don't factor in as much if that action is based on science or other intellectual thinking?
4. Do they dislike people disagreeing with them, perhaps to the point of even trying to hinder any criticism thrown their way?
5. Do they often point to a group of people, blaming them for the faults of society?
6. Do the appeal a lot to a middle class who might be struggling or are afraid of something changing in society?
7. Do they talk about a group of people working in secret to make society worse?
8. Do they talk about their opponents as sometimes strong and a great threat and sometimes weak and feeble?
9. Do they talk about there always being a fight or war (doesn't have to be an actual war) going on, or perhaps how we must always be ready for one?
10. Do they dislike weakness or weak individuals, and perhaps regard their own group as stronger than most?
11. Do they talk about being ready to sacrifice or even perhaps to die for their beliefs?
12. Do they often present themselves as tough or strong, or perhaps believe men and women have certain roles in society?
13. Do they talk about how the people has a strong will and do they often present themselves as speaking for the people?
14. Do they often use a simpler or more easily understood form of speaking compared to their opponents?

If the answers are some ”yes”, but mostly ”no”, then no worries. Most politicians fit some if these. If pretty much all were ”yes” then I have some bad news. But don't worry and please be honest with yourself. People who fit these desciptions are usually very good at fooling others into believeing their view of the world is the one and true, and yes, you might have been fooled. If so you now stand in front of a choice: do you double down on your convictions, or do you start questioning what you've been told? The thing is, the list you just read, this is Umberto Eco's list of the fourteen properties of fascism.