There is a Chinese phrase “jintui-liangnan,” which means you are caught in a situation from which you can go neither forward nor backward. The phrase is an apt reference to the dilemma of the American republic which faces trouble either way: If we go forward with Trump’s win (forward in the sense it’s in the future), fascism awaits; if we go backward (in the sense it’s our past) with Democrats’ win, capitalism awaits. In fascism, we become powerless masses. In capitalism, we remain moneyless slaves: jintui-liangnan.

Americans as a whole have not lived through any form of fascist power so they have no first-hand knowledge about how dangerous it is. On the other hand, Americans as a whole have lived through a century and a half of capitalism, much of it in reasonable comfort and pleasure, and are feeling more at ease with capitalist injustices in the top one percent controlling everything.

But whether we are ignorant of fascist threats or complacent about the capitalist injustices, either system awaiting us ahead is trouble since there is no third choice in our political futures. Either the wolf or the fox is the chickens’ choice.

The other day I was interviewed by a radio station in Maine about my assessment of the November election, and I could not offer any hopeful closing comments for its listeners even though I was specifically asked to. Given the inherent dilemma we face in America. I was compelled to say there was no hope for America facing either Trump’s fascism or Democrats’ capitalism.

Let’s give ourselves a civics lesson on what we actually face. In short, what is fascist democracy and what is capitalist democracy?

First, fascist democracy: Controlled by the loose framework of the Constitution, it is still “democratic” in form, but more fascist than liberal in substance. Among the few active fascists in American history, it is Donald Trump who has popularized this kind as a major force in America. It’s made up of the structure of traditional American democracy (electoral and constitutional in style) with America-adopted European-style fascism (brute political power mixed with populist demagoguery). This Trumpian fascism injects “political” power into the traditional “economic” control that the capitalist class has exerted over America for the past century and a half. In structure, Trump’s plans to takeover America in the 2025 cycle — use of state legislatures and courts, not vote counts — are still constitutional and by the rules. In that sense, they expect their Trumpian-fascist regime to combine consumer capitalism with nationalism and racism, having it both ways — chummy with capitalism but politically fascist. Most native-born, white Americans are unfamiliar with fascism and know very little about what fascism looks like. But, eager for political power, they are willing to risk their destiny with this new form of governance. This is our choice if Trump wins.

Now, about liberal capitalism: Controlled mainly by corporate America, we call this type of democracy “liberal democracy” to be distinguished from Europe’s “social democracy,” practiced mainly in Scandinavia’s welfare state. In America we eat, sleep and breathe capitalism, and it is so much part of our daily consumer life, like air, that we mostly forget that we actually live in a “capitalist” system with all its mean, heartless connotations. This capitalist style of life and government began roughly after the Civil War, and now most Americans simply recognize it as our national system. Even with its glaring economic inequality where the winner gets everything and the loser gets nothing, we feel at peace with the Bill Gateses keeping our billions. While claiming its lineage from Jefferson’s libertarian America, it is quite anti-Jeffersonian and anti-liberal. America’s capitalist democracy has little or nothing to do with Jeffersonian democracy (now called “classic liberalism”) because true political liberty cannot be claimed without economic equality. But market entrepreneurialism eventually appeals to Americans with its consumer choice and freedom to compete, inevitably leading to a system of the few who own everything and the majority who struggle as wage earners. This “free” liberal-market democracy has been relatively successful in America because of the rising level of consumer affluence and distraction and entertainment to keep the American commoners happy enough. In it, the American majority — both white and non-white, mostly working as virtual slaves and servants — lives on fantasy and drugs, and dies poor and lonely. This is our choice if Democrats win.

Both originating in Europe, neither fascism (of Mussolini and Hitler) nor capitalism (of child labor and harsh working conditions) is an “American” system. Jeffersonian democracy is the only true system native to America, now barely surviving among right-wing Tea-Party types and left-wing socialists. It is frontier America’s original promise of self-governance, which is still admired by all budding democracies of the world.

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Ultimately, fascists and capitalists are blood brothers. (Trump used to be a capitalist but he is now a fascist, comfortably, as most Americans can switch between the two without trouble). They share the same goal of controlling the powerless and moneyless, respectively, although they may differ methodologically. Fascists get their pleasure by using brute power on the powerless; capitalists get theirs by using more subtle and refined money privilege on the poor. But the nature of their pleasure is the same. Hence, we would rather be a CEO than a janitor, rich than poor, and white than Black.

So, with Jeffersonian democracy largely forgotten — whether under the brutal boots of fascism or under the smiling tyranny of capitalist money — we, the ordinary Americans, are cooked.

Jon Huer, columnist for the Recorder and retired professor, lives in Greenfield.