[Verse 1] When movements rise with authoritarian beat We need frameworks sharp to stay on our feet Stanley shows us how it works today Ten warning signs we can't push away Mythic past and chosen people's call Unreality that captures all But when do we apply the name When does caution fuel the flame [Chorus] Apply the lens but don't dilute Contemporary fascist fruit Is this the thing or something new Framework guides us what to do Don't normalize, don't minimize But keep precision in our eyes When strongmen rise we need to know Which way the dangerous winds will blow [Verse 2] Ben-Ghiat tracks the strongman's playbook clear From Mussolini up to leaders here Corruption as a loyalty test Violence normalized at power's behest Media capture, truth decay Democracy eroding day by day The patterns echo through the years But calling names won't calm our fears [Chorus] Apply the lens but don't dilute Contemporary fascist fruit Is this the thing or something new Framework guides us what to do Don't normalize, don't minimize But keep precision in our eyes When strongmen rise we need to know Which way the dangerous winds will blow [Bridge] The scholar's burden weighs us down Too quick to cry, we lose the ground Too slow to warn, we miss the threat Academic caution we'll regret The frameworks help us see the signs Without crossing analytical lines [Verse 3] Modern cases test our theory's might Hungary's path and Brazil's fight India's shifts and Turkey's turn From each example we must learn Not every strongman is the same Not every crisis gets that name But when the mechanisms align We read the fascist danger signs [Chorus] Apply the lens but don't dilute Contemporary fascist fruit Is this the thing or something new Framework guides us what to do Don't normalize, don't minimize But keep precision in our eyes When strongmen rise we need to know Which way the dangerous winds will blow [Outro] Contemporary applications call For wisdom to discern it all Neither panic nor denial Truth demands our careful trial
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