Almost all of Eco's points are salient but I think the most important one today (omitted in this shortened version), is the point he makes about a kind of mass elitism:

" Since the group is hierarchically organized (according to a military model), every subordinate leader despises his own underlings, and each of them despises his inferiors."

What's unique about fascist ideologies compared to many other forms of authoritarianism is its petty sadism, where people will accept getting kicked as long as they can kick down themselves, akin to a school yard bully or prison system. Rather than exercise solidarity with people even worse off, it's a kind of of mutual abuse. Elitism with an inferiority complex. Which is I think what makes it so attractive on the internet.

full text: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/umberto-eco-ur-fasci...

This might be the missing piece of a puzzle (fall in love vs fall in line).

Essentially in broad strokes (at the risk of caricature), you have one group that is cursed by trying to always build consensus: no one can be left behind/marginalized. Hence little gets done because heaven forbid someone's feelings get hurt or gets left a bit behind. It's also easier to subvert because it tends to be a more open tribe.

On the other side you have the hierarchy. Fall in line, know your place. It's effective at getting things done but steamrolls those at the bottom of the totem pole. Outsiders are not even on the totem pole.

Both of these, you could say, are attempts to cope with the slings and arrows of life: the consensus version attempting to minimize the harm to an equal minimum for everyone. The hierarchy version shunts the harm down to each lower level in the hierarchy (sucks to be at the bottom).

Perhaps two opposite points on a spectrum of organizing parts into a whole in general, and if you look you should see things move between the two everywhere. From personal relationships to code organization.

LBJ recognized this: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9150190-if-you-can-convince...