During the 2016 Presidential elections, former President Donald Trump called on Americans and politicians to work together to “Make America Great Again.” In their efforts, right-wing conservatives have worked diligently to limit and reinvent knowledge and history to students. Between 2021-2022, PEN America reported 1,648 books being banned across the nation. This censorship of knowledge is not new, but it is also not a good sign for the trajectory of America. Should these book bans continue, the United States May find itself succumbing to fascist ideologies and control. The ways in which books are currently being banned fall in line with fascist tactics meant to uplift a false utopia, create divide amongst people, and promote fear. This thesis will look at the ways in which book banning is used as a political tool and its increasing premonition of the possibility of America becoming a fascist state.
Since the spring of 2020, there has been a massive cultural shift in the American political atmosphere. Many of the underlying political tensions that have been ignored have suddenly come to the forefront of American politics. Along with more mobilization of left-wing political factions, there has been a staggering rise in right-wing movements. The COVID-19 pandemic has in many ways brought to attention some of the severe inequalities our current system produces as well as its fragile state of it. The pandemic has stifled years of economic growth since the Great Recession, leading to millions losing their jobs. The pandemic itself has put a massive strain on our healthcare system and has led to hundreds of thousands of Americans dead, and many more with chronic side effects. All of us in some way have been affected by the pandemic, whether it be socially, economically, physically, or mentally. In times of societal struggle and strife, however, there are political factions that thrive on this mass anxiety and aim
to use that in order to garner support for their cause. Such groups are typically aligned with right-wing extremism and white supremacy. What this paper aims to do is examine how white supremacists and right-wing extremists have adapted their propaganda and recruitment tactics to COVID-19 and took advantage of the mass anxiety that came as a result.
Can Ecuador and Malaysia consolidate their democracies? These countries are situated in regions that contain several countries that have been classified as partly free and non-free democracies due to a lack of consolidation. Analyses of the above-mentioned countries are vital for understanding the internal stimuli that affect the consolidation process. This research will consider three factors investigating the prospects of democracy consolidation in Ecuador and Malaysia: free and fair elections, a free and independent press, and economic development. Through examining the most recent elections, recent government practices towards the media, and economic development over the past 10 years, this research will investigate the prospects of democracy consolidation in Ecuador and Malaysia.