No they are fascists, Nazi was the shorthand for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), the first 4 letters.
Fascism gets its name from Italy, Mussolini's Fascist Party, but it is the name for the political ideology as a whole, there is no Nazism and Americans being called Nazis is kinda weird, imagine if the scenario was flipped and you called german fascists MAGAs.
If the situation were flipped, and Hitler was rising to power ~80 years after we had a massive war to take out MAGA fascists, then yeah I think people would refer to them as "MAGA", at least at first.
Nazi means refers to National Socialist, but at this point in history, it can also just refer to political movements that are fascist and Nazi-like. The meanings of words shift over time.
Nazi doesn't mean national socialist, as I said it's literally just the first 4 letters, a shorthand a nickname, American version for Republicans would be Repu/Repus.
Lots of people I have seen that think it's Nazi because the Sozialistische has the Zi, it's nonsense, Nazional is how germans pronounce National, hence it's shortened to Nazi.
I call them Repubs at this point because they don't want to say things like "Democratic politicians" opting instead for "Democrat politicians" because they're worried democratic sounds too good.
I think republican sounds too good. They don't want a republic, they want a tyrant.
I don't live in America, and many people here actually do use MAGA or Trumpism to describe the local right wing people and parties because they are largely just copying America...
imagine if the scenario was flipped and you called german fascists MAGAs.
It's semantics. The German and American fascists all pull from the same ideological and rhetorical playbook.
Veneration of the national security state. Zealous religious orthodoxy. Obsession with loyalty oaths and ethnicity sorting. Reflexive xenophobia. Institutionalized quackery.
It's all the same shit. Same as Apartheid Africa. Same as Kuomanting China. Same as Pinochet's Chile and Milei's Argentina.
I am German. We don't call it that. Nobody says Nazipartei, it's NSDAP. Nazi Party is an English expression and has nothing to do with the etymology of the word Nazi.
Nazi is short for Nationalsozialist.
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi (the english version of this article points to the ideology of nazism, the original is about the term. Use a translator if you're interested.)
It was coined in the 1920s and it's not an American term.
You call the party Nazi Party because it was the party of the nazis, not the other way around.
I love the channel too, but I haven't watched any of it for about a year. I just don't have the mental energy to get that into so many topics that, while they're objectively bad, don't apply much to me as a non-american. Just the daily reading of posts from lemmy and the grounded app, both worldwide and local to me can be too much some days.
It sucks cause I like the show and podcast, and love their humor, but there's not really any way to interact with it without diving deep into fucked up shit.
Yeah, some more news is one of my favourites. I tend to listen to it like a podcast when i am driving to and from work. But the visuals help sometimes.
I try to listen to SMN once in a while, but I often leave it for when I can watch the video. It needs different editing to truly work as a podcast, there's a lot of info presented as pictures or graphs and skimmed over by the narration. And you miss all the jokes made by the title card monkey.
The 'Elon Musk Is Not Your Friend' episode was what woke me up to what a shithead he is. I've been a fan since it was called 'Some News' when they were still on Cracked.
I have a coworker that is not a trumpet and not dispirited. They positively radiate denial. They don't watch news or keep up on current events. Just a total ostrich.
And that's by design too isn't it? Keep everyone exhausted keep everyone busy keep everyone watching everything and there's too much for any one person to follow, any group to follow and so if they throw enough at the wall some of it's going to stick and that's what they've been doing for the past two Trump terms and that's what they're going to continue doing.
Thanks, for some reason when I was looking at post earlier it was just the screenshot, no link. Maybe it didn’t load properly, happened to me sometimes with Lemmy.
Generally, the people who claim the meaning has changed or been watered down are fascists or their sympathizers or prescriptivists that fail to understand how language evolves. Watch them come out of the woodwork to explain how nobody is a nazi because the National Socialist party doesn't exist anymore. Buncha stupid fucking bastards.
But it has been watered down. Its been watered down by all the culture war weirdos who claim everyone who doesnt agree with them, is a nazi and fascist. And its not just the left aiming at the right, its fucking everyone. Dont like video game? You must be a fascist. Dont like a movie? You must be a nazi!
Its like "paedo". That one lost all meaning as well. Even going so far as to label dating 25 year olds "paedo behaviour". Social media, if it does nothing else, totally ruins the meaning of words in favour of gaining worthless internet up arrows by saying popular thing over and over and over and over again.
For the first: those are just idiots being idiots. The word isn't watered down by idiots usage. The word still means the same things. It just means the population around you that believes this is fascist adjacent and an idiot.
Again hard disagree. It still means diddling kids. There just more idiots around and are more vocal.
Well it’s like the word racist, it still has its connotation, but since it’s been overused so much it loses a lot of the impact that word originally had.
The other thing watering it down does is make it easier for actual racists, fascists or paedos to be more open about it and openly embrace it. After all, if an entire group is calling you a racist for multiple years, why not embrace that term?
Sounds like you acTquiescing to being an idiot too. Which just makes you an idiot lmao.
People choosing not to believe DJT is not a Paedo is not me watering the word down. It's those people being idiots. I can call Elon a Nazi because he did a Nazi salute, twice on national TV. Again anyone that says otherwise is an idiot.
You’re basically making these blanket statements and accusing people of stuff with no proof. Elon is right wing, and trump is a creep, but he’s not a paedo.
A word is watered down when it is used to describe anything and everything. And in case you missed it, we are surrounded by idiots being idiots and doing just that.
Idiots have, but they werent as infectious as they are today.
Boomer, used to just mean that someone was a baby boomer, born between 46 and 64. Then some woman said "OK Boomer" and that was the end of the that. All of sudden anyone not a younger end Gen Z was a "boomer". You can see that going the other way too, with every cunt now under 40 being a "Millennial" usually with the word "snowflake" preceding it.
Simp, incel, paedo, the list just goes on and on. We now live in a world where being 26 and dating a 24 year old makes you a paedophile... Are you shy? Must be an incel. Think some girl is cute? WhY YoU sUcH a SiMp????
And now we have "fascist". The buzzword of the moment, with everyone and their millennial granny inserting it into posts to get worthless internet points. Its already got to the point where we cant tell if someone really is a fascist, or if they just have a difference of opinion.
Taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air because of the things he said is fascism. But shooting Charlie Kirk to silence him, isnt fascism. That was a consequence of his actions
vs
Charlie Kirk being shot for the things he said is fascism. But taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air for the things he said, isnt fascism. That was the consequence of his actions.
Everywhere you go, people are making shit up to fit their narrative. And its all well and true to say "I know better", but the point is that most other people dont. Or worse, do, but dont care. And that, dear reader, is the cause of so much of this culture war that now spills into real life, getting fucking morons like Trump elected not once, but twice.
Uh lots to unpack here. One of you get called a imp because you're shy you just ran into bullies. Bullies have always used words to belittle people it's what makes them bullies.
IF you are repeatedly getting called a simp by multiple individuals in different settings, the common denominator is you. Seek mental health help.
Your post comes across as whiny. 2+2=4. Sure, many people could come around and tell me 2+2=5 but at the end of the day it's my choice on who to believe. And they are still idiots lmao. This watering down isn't a thing. Their actions still are creating irrational and irresponsible policies that put many lives in danger.
ffs, you cant actually be that fucking monumentally dumb? You simply cant.
Boomer, simp, incel, fascist, nazi etc are all buzzwords that people are using NOT AGAINST ME!!!!!!
I know you want to make it about me, cos your argument is that fucking dog shit. But Im talking about in general. Ie not me.
My post comes across as whatever you want to be because youre cunt, who needs to defect from the fact you are one of the untold millions of utter pricks out there bullying anyone who doesnt suck your echo chamber cock.
YOU are the problem. YOU are the reason people look to Trump and MAGA. YOU are the reason everything fucking sucks.
That's step two or three, for sure. But the point being made is fascist isn't a word that can be applied to anyone and everyone (setting aside the 2¢ insult version) - it is a specific political ideology that one earns by their words and actions.
Unfortunately it is also complex to diagnose, particularly in early stages, especially as intelligent budding fascists will deliberately evade the formal definitions while still finding ways to accomplish similar effects.
But yes - there's also cases where fascists clearly and obviously are doing fascist things, and need to be stopped immediately, please feel free to give them a proper knuckle sandwich (or an appropriate grade of violence as the situation warrants)
I was thinking that another exception would be those who open their eyes and leave it behind, but then they are no longer fascists. So you could say their old fascist self is essentially dead too.
So while I do prefer this method as some ex-fascists may turn into anti-fascist advocates, and we can always use more help against fascism, it still doesn't really counter the adage.
I agree that people can (and hopefully do) change their mindset in regards to fascism. Those that do may turn out as you mentioned, advocating against it.
I just don't have faith anymore in that happening anytime soon (although I really hope people see what's going on and change it).
Also my original message is a title of a song by Propaghandi. I would recommend it if you're into more hardcore-esque punk.
I'm still hoping and doing what little I can in the meantime.
Just be more careful than Santa. He only checks his list twice cause the worst punishment he gives is a lump of coal. The guillotine is a lot more absolute in its punishment.
If you look like a fascist and talk like a fascist and act like a fascist you are probably a freaking fascist and that's the way people are going to deal with you until you give them evidence to the contrary.
Do other ethnic groups fill you with a mix of fear and hatred? Are you more comfortable being told what to do and think? Do you idolize the Military? Does "the enemy" seem both weak and strong to you?
I do not want to be seen as defending fascists or being obscurantist but I regularly encounter normal people who literally never learned how to identify a fascist. To them, it vaguely means authoritarian and imperialistic and deploying it in conversations within an american context seems unnecessarily inflammatory. The average person has neither the time nor the inclination be as plugged into politics as we are. Words actually do mean things...just different things to different people.
THIS. I don't install social networking apps on my phone (except for Voyager, somewhat recently, if that counts). I tend to find these conversations somewhat hard to follow, because it seems like different people use different versions of the same word... Or maybe the definitions evolve too quickly for those who don't follow it very closely. Idk, I haven't really narrowed it down yet.
But yeah... I honestly don't really know how to identify a fascist. I think it has something to do with right-wing authoritarianism, but I'm not sure I've personally met any right-wing authoritarians, so I'm probably missing something.
And yes, I have attempted to look it up. The results were not very helpful. I assume it's similar to looking up what Nazis were – quite different from how people use the word now.
Have you seen people's algorithmic bubbles? The corporations that control these algorithms do not want to increase access to accurate and helpful information. Blaming millions of people instead of the systems that keep them oppressed is morally questionable, strategically ineffective, and psychologically isolating.
Well considering there's plenty of documentaries, case studies, and articles written about how poisonous social media and algorithms are i dont have much sympathy for those who don't look into it when we live in an age were information on EVERYTHING EVER WRITTEN DOWN is freely avaliable. Im not going to feel sorry because ppl rather look at cat videos and follow influencers instead of reading an article that tells them without a doubt how fucked up social media is.
It's no different when ppl complained about tv being and idiot box. Just because YOU will watch the Bachelor or Real Housewives instead of Frontline or 60 minutes doesnt mean the medium makes everyone stupid. At a certain point it becomes YOUR responsibility to be an informed citizen.
If your heart is set on finding reasons to hate everyone else, you are always going to find them but successful political movements are built on solidarity and compassion.
Solidarity with who? The part of the country that voted in that facist who dont even recognize reality. I'm not going to feel sorry for a bunch of white folks and latinos who basically voted for him because brown and gay ppl were starting to get treated better. I have no compassion for bigots.
As for democrats and liberal white America they've constantly dropped the ball on solidarity with minorities. If its not obvious im a black dude. Black America has had PLENTY of compassion for others yet theres been practically no solidarity in return. I don't hate everyone else. I just have absolutely zero faith in America doing the right thing. For fuck sake hippies we're preaching peace, love, fighting for civil rights then moved to the suburbs and voted for Reagan.
I hear you but unless you already have a bullet proof political movement (the left does not), then you need to find it in your heart to look at the deplorables and find commonalities and build on them. This is the real benefit of class solidarity and economic essentialism. Our identitarian differences can be used against a movement to divide it, but we are all workers under capitalism. We all have bills. We all need to put food on the table. And yeah, securing labor rights, housing, and healthcare will not solve racism, sexism, and other bigotries BUT it will be much easier to advocate for social justice issues if people arent just fighting for survival.
The people you are angry with deserve your ire, but they are as much a product of their environments and circumstances as everyone else. Barring the rapture, they arent going anywhere so our political solutions need to include these people. There simply is not enough political power in everyone else to overturn their political relevance.
Why are you guys always telling this to brown ppl? Brown ppl didnt keep white ppl out of their unions, out of their neighborhoods, or denied them a good education. The main issue with class solidarity is trying to convince white ppl that brown and lgbtq ppl deserve the same standard of living as they do.
Well, technically Biden only authored the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995, not the patriot act. But the proposals in his bill were recycled into the patriot act.
The same thing happened to terrorist, a term that became overused and dead during the IWoT and yet the Trump regime is still trying to leverage that word against his political enemies.
For my own arguments, I use alternatives to fascist or get specific, such as calling it an autocratic regime that uses fascist rhetoric to justify state violence. That way my readers know I'm talking seriously about a serious thing.
Let me start by saying I'm 100% against fascism, but... we do have a terminology problem. The left overall has a messaging problem, "Oh Black lives matter, so that means White lives don't?!?" Words do matter, but it's because they matter that we have a problem. The left seems to ebb and flow on vibes ("Just because we say Black lives matter doesn't mean other people's lives don't") while the right seems so much more literal, but the subtext is maybe even more implied. For example, they might say "They [people not like us] are taking our jobs," but what they really mean is that they are taking the jobs we want (office jobs, trade jobs, etc), but we don't mind them working the jobs we don't want (basic construction, farm hands, etc), all the while their vibe is wrong and that's not really happening.
When you call someone or something fascist they probably won't believe you because fascism equals Nazis which equals antisemitism in most of the common people's view. I'll assume that anyone who has found their way to Lemmy probably understands the difference, but at the same time many of this platform don't seem able to understand that the common person doesn't know the difference.
There is a big difference between systemic racism vs open bigotry. A bigot is much harder to turn from racism than a person who grew up in systemic racism. It still might take decades to turn someone who is systemically racist, but a bigot will likely take longer. The same applies to a fascist; like a systemic racist they might not understand that they are racist or what racism even is. Education or experience are the two avenues people escape those avenues, but it's especially hard if you're doing it alone and if you feel attacked by the terminology.
Fascist = Nazi = Jew hater
"Well, I don't hate jews, I'm not a Nazi, so I'm not a fascist"
-common Fascist
I've had plenty of discussions with Conservatives where I took the discussion to a rich vs poor direction or a a personal rights vs governed rights direction and they suddenly become liberals without acknowledging it.
Honestly it's the same hurdle that the left has had for decades, just because you're a leftist doesn't mean you love Stalin and Mao. Messaging is important, one of the most recent persons to break that mold was Bernie Sanders who made it at least semi acceptable to be a Democratic Socialist.
You ever heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
I kinda think that’s what’s happening here. Leftists and Liberals have been calling Republicans (and especially Trump) fascist since AT LEAST the 2016 election campaign, and they’ve been doing it consistently ever since. People just got tired of hearing it, I guess. Especially since he really didn’t do that much fascist stuff during his first term, and even ended up handing over the office (mostly) peacefully, which isn’t exactly something that actual fascists are known for.
I’m sorry to say this, but the term simply has been overused to the point of meaningless in the past decade. Perhaps it’s time to face reality and come up with a new plan, because this clearly isn’t working.
We called fascists "fascists" 10 years ago because they were fascists then, and they're still fascists now. It's not difficult to understand.
Stop sanewashing his first term. He tried to do all kinds of fascist stuff during his first term, but the checks and balances were still intact and stopped the worst of it. Being a powerless fascist doesn't mean you're not a fascist.
The only reason he didn't go full fascist the first time is because he had somewhat competent people who wouldn't let him. Read books from his former cabinet if you actually care. He ordered his people to shoot protestors in the legs. The order was refused because he had an actual American working for him.
He had an entire false set of votes ready to be confirmed in 2020, his VP refused. His mob attempted an armed insurrection. He pardoned them all. But that's different from fascism for some reason? Fuck that, words mean things and I'll be damned if I let the dumbest group of people that America has ever puked out tell me what it means. The "peaceful" (are you for real?) transfer of power happened AGAINST his orders and wishes, not because he was such a nice and non-fascist politician. I don't think you're stupid, stop with the bad-faith "acksuallyy" nonsense. Be an adult.
Do you actually think like that, or do you just like the guy so you cherrypick "facts" to fit your narrative. Enjoy it broski, they'll come for you. They always do. I'm willing to bet you've already thought twice about saying certain things in public. In America. They hate you as much as they hate immigrants. Hope you wake up in time, if for no other reason then for your own sense of dignity.
Now this is just me, but I have never said "You guys have called me gay like 45 times so maybe I'll just go blow dudes since the word is losing meaning!".
Fascists are gonna do fascist shit no matter what we say, but they NEVER get to steal words. Fascism has a definition. Please, look it up, study it, and come back here talking about how using the term fascism is an overreaction. Please. I would love to have that talk. We can go point by point.
You must have a safe and comfortable life, with friends who have never been threatened by this system. Enjoy that, but allow the creeping realization that it is temporary gnaw at your mind. Listen to that voice. You're not special. You'll get to see the inside of a black-site soon enough. They'll find a reason, some shit you said in 2015, doesn't matter. They'll just do it. You think this is a joke? You think America could just never?
We have a fascist government currently which is increasing in its scope daily. Talk shit about Israel, talk shit about that piece of shit that got got in Utah, see how unfascist we are currently. Only until you inconvenience the system, then you're fucked. Maybe you like living in perfect line with arbitrary rules. Maybe you should go work for them. Congrats on not having loved-ones in direct danger from it. Say it with your chest if you disagree, none of that mealy-mouthed semantics BS. Or support it with your chest. But enough of this "You can't call everyone fascists durrrrrr" bullshit. Ya, we fucking can when they behave as fascists. Mussolini was voted in. Hitler was elected. Know how many people talked about "overreacting" and using words which are too severe. Enough to get them elected. You. Are. Not. Special. And neither is your country. Act like a grown-up and stand on what you believe. Either put on the gray hugo boss suit or actually work to affect change with the rest of us. Your choice, but it's one you'll have to live with forever.
While that is the narrative Fox and friends would like you to believe, never forget WHY we called him fascist.
Many fascist regimes take decades to creep into full effect. The warning signs 10 years ago were apparent. Sorry you can’t understand that, but it’s why we’re closer to full blown fascism than ever.
Handed over the office peacefully lol. He claimed it was rigged and cheered on the people trying to overthrow the government. He might not have been a successful fascist but he was certainly trying.
Did he end up handing the presidency over or did he not?
This sort of argument is exactly what I'm talking about – you guys wanted so badly to keep calling him a fascist even when he did things that no fascist in history has ever done.
Claiming that the election was rigged isn't particularly new. Hillary did the same after losing in 2016, and Al Gore did as well after he lost to Bush, so it's not like Democrats would never do such a thing.
Which version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf did you have growing up? The one where Peter cries wolf and there's a wolf but it's in the woods so the townsfolk do nothing, then the townsfolk call Peter a wolf, and then when the wolf arrives in the village and starts taking people and Peter cries wolf the townsfolk say the word "wolf" is so overused it doesn't mean anything anymore?
I think you might be confusing two different stories here. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is one of Aesop's Fables. Peter and the Wolf is a musical by Sergei Prokofiev. They both have a similar setup (in the sense that both involve a boy and a wolf) but they play out quite differently.
What kind of argument is this? They werent fascists because they didnt do a hostile takeover of the government back then? Looks like all my relatives and friends cant be christians because they dont read the bible out loud right in front of me.
Well, I'm pretty sure the Bible says that in order to be a Christian, you SHOULD go out and proclaim the word to all people, instead of just sitting at home and reading it in private.
That said, there are a few more things that are required as well, so don't make this the only criteria for judging their faith.
The boy who cried wolf is a story where someone repeatedly makes incorrect warnings that the community acts on until they stop believing him. This is like the exact opposite. The left has repeatedly and accurately warned that a specific political movement is fascist and been ignored the entire time. The term was not "overused to the point of meaninglessness" people just dismissed the warning without thinking cause they didn't understand the word and couldn't be fucked to learn or listen
So, neither of you are wrong. It was used correctly and people are numb to it.
Since they didn't see stormtroopers at their doors, they figured there's no real danger. They didn't see that one group losing rights meant that they didn't have rights either.
The regime is doing a good job of not terrifying their base and at the same time keeping them brainwashed and inflicting harm on the various outgroups.
What you're seeing here, I think, is two echo chambers conflicting.
They didn’t see that one group losing rights meant that they didn’t have rights either.
This is one of the areas that made me realize I was to the left of liberals. Too many people telling me to calm down, it won't affect me, I'm a white woman, stop being dramatic. Like, bitch, I was raised in a red state, I know that being white won't protect me when they come after women. Just like how being white and male won't protect you when they come for the lower class.
No kidding. I was raised by Tea Partiers, and moving left really needs to be made easier. I'm pretty sure the only reason I made it is because I'm privileged enough to be literate, and that's exactly why the right has been axing public education since before I was born.
Hindsight is 20/20. The boy in the story was ultimately correct too, wasn't he? The problem was that the townspeople didn't believe the earlier warnings because they seemed exaggerated and blown out of proportion.
They actually believed the early warnings, that's why they rushed to his rescue. but they were not exaggerated, they were lies. There were no wolves, he only wanted the attention.
This is not what happened here with the word "fascist" or "Nazi". These people were always fascists, but really intelligent ones so they knew how to gaslight anyone into thinking they weren't. Maybe sometimes they didn't know it till the end, but that doesn't make them less fascist.
So if you wanted to use an analogy, maybe you would say the boy in the story was attacked multiple times by wolves dressed like sheep. He cried for help and people rushed to his rescue. But the people always were really disappointed in him, cause there were never wolves, only sheep. And in the end everybody gets eaten, because the so called sheep actually were wolves.
I mean don't get me wrong, I know what you tried to say, but your analogy was technically wrong.
IDK man, do you think the story would have gone any differently if the kid HAD actually seen the wolf each time, but he always disappeared by the time the townsfolk arrived?
And it's not like people DIDN'T help IRL – after Trump's first term, enough of his voters were dissatisfied enough with his performance that they voted for Biden instead. And everyone else in a position of power, from his own vice president, who refused to go through with Trump's plan not to certify the vote, to all the judges presiding over the various voter fraud cases, all did their parts to ensure that he wouldn't get a second term.
But then Democrats kept up their witch hunt long after he had already stood down and given up all the election lawsuits, and even went so far as to mobilize the FBI and the DOJ in order to nail him on some legal technicalities, simply to ensure that he would never be president again. THAT's when people started getting tired of the constant cries about Trump being a fascist, because weaponizing the state against your political enemies is pretty fascist in its own right, and if you can excuse that as long as your side is doing it, then fascism has already won.
What they SHOULD have done is try to win people over with better policies and a return to sanity, but they utterly failed at that. Biden was extremely unpopular, and so was Kamala, and it's really not that surprising people ended up voting for the wolf instead, because the alternative seemed just as bad (or perhaps even worse). After all, what is the point of defeating fascism if in the process, you become a fascist yourself?
I don't call them Nazis because I dislike them, I dislike them because they're Nazis.
No they are fascists, Nazi was the shorthand for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), the first 4 letters.
Fascism gets its name from Italy, Mussolini's Fascist Party, but it is the name for the political ideology as a whole, there is no Nazism and Americans being called Nazis is kinda weird, imagine if the scenario was flipped and you called german fascists MAGAs.
Thanks for coming to my stickler talk.
If the situation were flipped, and Hitler was rising to power ~80 years after we had a massive war to take out MAGA fascists, then yeah I think people would refer to them as "MAGA", at least at first.
Nazi
meansrefers to National Socialist, but at this point in history, it can also just refer to political movements that are fascist and Nazi-like. The meanings of words shift over time.Edit: Fixed to appease a pedant.
Nazi doesn't mean national socialist, as I said it's literally just the first 4 letters, a shorthand a nickname, American version for Republicans would be Repu/Repus.
Lots of people I have seen that think it's Nazi because the Sozialistische has the Zi, it's nonsense, Nazional is how germans pronounce National, hence it's shortened to Nazi.
Ridiculously pedantic. Come on.
I mean, so was my first comment, not sure what you expected 😃
I was quoting the person above me. Read the chain again, I'm well aware of what Nazi means.
IMO it's more offensive to call MAGAs a Nazi. And I'm certainly looking for maximum effect. I couldn't care less about the etymology of Nazi.
I call them Repubs at this point because they don't want to say things like "Democratic politicians" opting instead for "Democrat politicians" because they're worried democratic sounds too good.
I think republican sounds too good. They don't want a republic, they want a tyrant.
So, tyrannist? Hmm that's not catchy. Maybe just autocrat but that doesn't contain the root of the word tyrannus. Best I got for ya.
Tyranids?🤷♂️
Nah I'll stick with repubs
That works for me dude.
How about nationalist?
I don't live in America, and many people here actually do use MAGA or Trumpism to describe the local right wing people and parties because they are largely just copying America...
It's semantics. The German and American fascists all pull from the same ideological and rhetorical playbook.
Veneration of the national security state. Zealous religious orthodoxy. Obsession with loyalty oaths and ethnicity sorting. Reflexive xenophobia. Institutionalized quackery.
It's all the same shit. Same as Apartheid Africa. Same as Kuomanting China. Same as Pinochet's Chile and Milei's Argentina.
What do you call people who wear red and black swastikas and say heil Hitler while doing a salute typical of the Nazi party?
assholes.
Lazy and derivative
Romans?
Nazi is short for Nationalsozialist though. The party wasn't called Nazi, the members were.
It was and is literally called the Nazi Party https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party
I am German. We don't call it that. Nobody says Nazipartei, it's NSDAP. Nazi Party is an English expression and has nothing to do with the etymology of the word Nazi.
Nazi is short for Nationalsozialist. https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi (the english version of this article points to the ideology of nazism, the original is about the term. Use a translator if you're interested.)
It was coined in the 1920s and it's not an American term. You call the party Nazi Party because it was the party of the nazis, not the other way around.
I stand corrected then
Imagine gatekeeping nazis.
"It is the correct word for donald trump and the people around him"
Love the Cody Showdy
I love the channel too, but I haven't watched any of it for about a year. I just don't have the mental energy to get that into so many topics that, while they're objectively bad, don't apply much to me as a non-american. Just the daily reading of posts from lemmy and the grounded app, both worldwide and local to me can be too much some days. It sucks cause I like the show and podcast, and love their humor, but there's not really any way to interact with it without diving deep into fucked up shit.
Oh! This is the guy who talked about what a shithead Fetterman was even before the stroke! I could never find it again but I remember his face.
The channel‘s called Some More News
Lol nice username
I also enjoy your username.
Yeah, some more news is one of my favourites. I tend to listen to it like a podcast when i am driving to and from work. But the visuals help sometimes.
Its a great showdy.
They release both Some More News, and their related show Even More News as podcasts as well, for those who prefer that format.
I try to listen to SMN once in a while, but I often leave it for when I can watch the video. It needs different editing to truly work as a podcast, there's a lot of info presented as pictures or graphs and skimmed over by the narration. And you miss all the jokes made by the title card monkey.
Agree! SMN I usually watch, but EMN I usually just listen to the pod.
Some More News is really good.
Their 3 hours takedown of Jordan Peterson is epic.
The Rogan one was pretty good too.
Don't look at the timestamp!
The 'Elon Musk Is Not Your Friend' episode was what woke me up to what a shithead he is. I've been a fan since it was called 'Some News' when they were still on Cracked.
It's a short video. Didn't Jonathan write that one, too?
Never listen to fascists calling others communists, for them communism means any opposition to their fascism.
Cody seems so dispirited for months. Not that I blame him at all.
We've all been dispirited for months bud. Anyone who acts otherwise is either ignorant or hiding it.
I have a coworker that is not a trumpet and not dispirited. They positively radiate denial. They don't watch news or keep up on current events. Just a total ostrich.
Yet they are the ones that have energy to do the dishes. Following politics is exhausting!
And that's by design too isn't it? Keep everyone exhausted keep everyone busy keep everyone watching everything and there's too much for any one person to follow, any group to follow and so if they throw enough at the wall some of it's going to stick and that's what they've been doing for the past two Trump terms and that's what they're going to continue doing.
He doesn't have enough Warmbo in his life right now! /s
Cody, Katy, AND Robert Evans seem to be completely losing hope lately.
Watched this yesterday and "Charles Entertainment Kirk" fucking murdered me
Got a link? I don't know who this is but my curiosity is piqued.
The post includes a link to the very video, but here it is again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD3rSA4FSqk
It's a very good analysis of political violence in the US. Cody Showdy generally does great work discussing not just the news, but the olds too. Fair and Balanced™©® and all that.
Thanks, for some reason when I was looking at post earlier it was just the screenshot, no link. Maybe it didn’t load properly, happened to me sometimes with Lemmy.
Generally, the people who claim the meaning has changed or been watered down are fascists or their sympathizers or prescriptivists that fail to understand how language evolves. Watch them come out of the woodwork to explain how nobody is a nazi because the National Socialist party doesn't exist anymore. Buncha stupid fucking bastards.
A dead giveaway is when they start throwing around the word ‘nuance.’
It must be in the script they’re all taught, because every closet fascist or astroturfer loves defending fascist policies and actions with “nuance.”
"Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance"
-Albert Maysles
Oh spare me. We’re talking about people supporting white supremacy as “nuanced” policy.
I won't spare you, but you feel free to keep talking about whatever you want
They're not literally gassing people, so they can't be nazis. It's only after the fact we get to ask who could have seen this coming.
You know, like they practice with school shootings every day. Desensitization is a big part.
Correct.
Fascism has always included people who call transwomen men. That's nothing new.
But it has been watered down. Its been watered down by all the culture war weirdos who claim everyone who doesnt agree with them, is a nazi and fascist. And its not just the left aiming at the right, its fucking everyone. Dont like video game? You must be a fascist. Dont like a movie? You must be a nazi!
Its like "paedo". That one lost all meaning as well. Even going so far as to label dating 25 year olds "paedo behaviour". Social media, if it does nothing else, totally ruins the meaning of words in favour of gaining worthless internet up arrows by saying popular thing over and over and over and over again.
For the first: those are just idiots being idiots. The word isn't watered down by idiots usage. The word still means the same things. It just means the population around you that believes this is fascist adjacent and an idiot.
Again hard disagree. It still means diddling kids. There just more idiots around and are more vocal.
Well it’s like the word racist, it still has its connotation, but since it’s been overused so much it loses a lot of the impact that word originally had.
The other thing watering it down does is make it easier for actual racists, fascists or paedos to be more open about it and openly embrace it. After all, if an entire group is calling you a racist for multiple years, why not embrace that term?
Sounds like you acTquiescing to being an idiot too. Which just makes you an idiot lmao.
People choosing not to believe DJT is not a Paedo is not me watering the word down. It's those people being idiots. I can call Elon a Nazi because he did a Nazi salute, twice on national TV. Again anyone that says otherwise is an idiot.
You’re basically making these blanket statements and accusing people of stuff with no proof. Elon is right wing, and trump is a creep, but he’s not a paedo.
A word is watered down when it is used to describe anything and everything. And in case you missed it, we are surrounded by idiots being idiots and doing just that.
I think I choose to not let it get watered down then? It has meaning I know the meaning. Idiots have always existed.
Idiots have, but they werent as infectious as they are today.
Boomer, used to just mean that someone was a baby boomer, born between 46 and 64. Then some woman said "OK Boomer" and that was the end of the that. All of sudden anyone not a younger end Gen Z was a "boomer". You can see that going the other way too, with every cunt now under 40 being a "Millennial" usually with the word "snowflake" preceding it.
Simp, incel, paedo, the list just goes on and on. We now live in a world where being 26 and dating a 24 year old makes you a paedophile... Are you shy? Must be an incel. Think some girl is cute? WhY YoU sUcH a SiMp????
And now we have "fascist". The buzzword of the moment, with everyone and their millennial granny inserting it into posts to get worthless internet points. Its already got to the point where we cant tell if someone really is a fascist, or if they just have a difference of opinion.
Taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air because of the things he said is fascism. But shooting Charlie Kirk to silence him, isnt fascism. That was a consequence of his actions
vs
Charlie Kirk being shot for the things he said is fascism. But taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air for the things he said, isnt fascism. That was the consequence of his actions.
Everywhere you go, people are making shit up to fit their narrative. And its all well and true to say "I know better", but the point is that most other people dont. Or worse, do, but dont care. And that, dear reader, is the cause of so much of this culture war that now spills into real life, getting fucking morons like Trump elected not once, but twice.
Uh lots to unpack here. One of you get called a imp because you're shy you just ran into bullies. Bullies have always used words to belittle people it's what makes them bullies.
IF you are repeatedly getting called a simp by multiple individuals in different settings, the common denominator is you. Seek mental health help.
Your post comes across as whiny. 2+2=4. Sure, many people could come around and tell me 2+2=5 but at the end of the day it's my choice on who to believe. And they are still idiots lmao. This watering down isn't a thing. Their actions still are creating irrational and irresponsible policies that put many lives in danger.
ffs, you cant actually be that fucking monumentally dumb? You simply cant.
Boomer, simp, incel, fascist, nazi etc are all buzzwords that people are using NOT AGAINST ME!!!!!!
I know you want to make it about me, cos your argument is that fucking dog shit. But Im talking about in general. Ie not me.
My post comes across as whatever you want to be because youre cunt, who needs to defect from the fact you are one of the untold millions of utter pricks out there bullying anyone who doesnt suck your echo chamber cock.
YOU are the problem. YOU are the reason people look to Trump and MAGA. YOU are the reason everything fucking sucks.
fuck that. I wish harm on fascists. lots of it. so much harm that other fascists are scared to even be associated with the word.
That's step two or three, for sure. But the point being made is fascist isn't a word that can be applied to anyone and everyone (setting aside the 2¢ insult version) - it is a specific political ideology that one earns by their words and actions.
Unfortunately it is also complex to diagnose, particularly in early stages, especially as intelligent budding fascists will deliberately evade the formal definitions while still finding ways to accomplish similar effects.
But yes - there's also cases where fascists clearly and obviously are doing fascist things, and need to be stopped immediately, please feel free to give them a proper knuckle sandwich (or an appropriate grade of violence as the situation warrants)
Sir that is Cody's Showdy and he is a srs journalist not a shitposter
We sit at the feet of Warmbo, he shall bless us with his corn cream...
Corned cream. It's cream that goes through a Corning process. The cream itself is not corn based.
This was a very good episode.
I wish harm on them 🤷♂️
I also wish harm on them.
The only good fascist is a very dead fascist.
I was thinking that another exception would be those who open their eyes and leave it behind, but then they are no longer fascists. So you could say their old fascist self is essentially dead too.
So while I do prefer this method as some ex-fascists may turn into anti-fascist advocates, and we can always use more help against fascism, it still doesn't really counter the adage.
I agree that people can (and hopefully do) change their mindset in regards to fascism. Those that do may turn out as you mentioned, advocating against it.
I just don't have faith anymore in that happening anytime soon (although I really hope people see what's going on and change it).
Also my original message is a title of a song by Propaghandi. I would recommend it if you're into more hardcore-esque punk.
I'm still hoping and doing what little I can in the meantime.
But I do wish harm on fascists...
Just be more careful than Santa. He only checks his list twice cause the worst punishment he gives is a lump of coal. The guillotine is a lot more absolute in its punishment.
Just watched this a bit ago. Very good video.
Words don't matter here. All that matters now, is action.
Sabotage them any way you can!
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26184
https://youtu.be/nD3rSA4FSqk?t=4982
"What is it that you want people to do when you call them fascists?"
We want you to stop being fascists, you blithering idiot!
If you look like a fascist and talk like a fascist and act like a fascist you are probably a freaking fascist and that's the way people are going to deal with you until you give them evidence to the contrary.
Although by some coincidence, the people we call fascist tend to spend alot of their time wishing alot of harm on all sorts of people they hate.
Am I becoming fascist?
Do other ethnic groups fill you with a mix of fear and hatred? Are you more comfortable being told what to do and think? Do you idolize the Military? Does "the enemy" seem both weak and strong to you?
Don't forget the biggest indicator of a fascist:
"Are you not willing to call trans people what they want you to call them?"
Trans people are one of the easy out groups to vilify though that's not exclusive to fascism
I do not want to be seen as defending fascists or being obscurantist but I regularly encounter normal people who literally never learned how to identify a fascist. To them, it vaguely means authoritarian and imperialistic and deploying it in conversations within an american context seems unnecessarily inflammatory. The average person has neither the time nor the inclination be as plugged into politics as we are. Words actually do mean things...just different things to different people.
THIS. I don't install social networking apps on my phone (except for Voyager, somewhat recently, if that counts). I tend to find these conversations somewhat hard to follow, because it seems like different people use different versions of the same word... Or maybe the definitions evolve too quickly for those who don't follow it very closely. Idk, I haven't really narrowed it down yet.
But yeah... I honestly don't really know how to identify a fascist. I think it has something to do with right-wing authoritarianism, but I'm not sure I've personally met any right-wing authoritarians, so I'm probably missing something.
And yes, I have attempted to look it up. The results were not very helpful. I assume it's similar to looking up what Nazis were – quite different from how people use the word now.
Thank you for understanding "normal people." 🙈
Ppl are constantly glued to their phones. They're just lazy or have their head in the sand if they don't pay attention to politics.
Have you seen people's algorithmic bubbles? The corporations that control these algorithms do not want to increase access to accurate and helpful information. Blaming millions of people instead of the systems that keep them oppressed is morally questionable, strategically ineffective, and psychologically isolating.
Well considering there's plenty of documentaries, case studies, and articles written about how poisonous social media and algorithms are i dont have much sympathy for those who don't look into it when we live in an age were information on EVERYTHING EVER WRITTEN DOWN is freely avaliable. Im not going to feel sorry because ppl rather look at cat videos and follow influencers instead of reading an article that tells them without a doubt how fucked up social media is.
It's no different when ppl complained about tv being and idiot box. Just because YOU will watch the Bachelor or Real Housewives instead of Frontline or 60 minutes doesnt mean the medium makes everyone stupid. At a certain point it becomes YOUR responsibility to be an informed citizen.
If your heart is set on finding reasons to hate everyone else, you are always going to find them but successful political movements are built on solidarity and compassion.
Solidarity with who? The part of the country that voted in that facist who dont even recognize reality. I'm not going to feel sorry for a bunch of white folks and latinos who basically voted for him because brown and gay ppl were starting to get treated better. I have no compassion for bigots.
As for democrats and liberal white America they've constantly dropped the ball on solidarity with minorities. If its not obvious im a black dude. Black America has had PLENTY of compassion for others yet theres been practically no solidarity in return. I don't hate everyone else. I just have absolutely zero faith in America doing the right thing. For fuck sake hippies we're preaching peace, love, fighting for civil rights then moved to the suburbs and voted for Reagan.
I hear you but unless you already have a bullet proof political movement (the left does not), then you need to find it in your heart to look at the deplorables and find commonalities and build on them. This is the real benefit of class solidarity and economic essentialism. Our identitarian differences can be used against a movement to divide it, but we are all workers under capitalism. We all have bills. We all need to put food on the table. And yeah, securing labor rights, housing, and healthcare will not solve racism, sexism, and other bigotries BUT it will be much easier to advocate for social justice issues if people arent just fighting for survival.
The people you are angry with deserve your ire, but they are as much a product of their environments and circumstances as everyone else. Barring the rapture, they arent going anywhere so our political solutions need to include these people. There simply is not enough political power in everyone else to overturn their political relevance.
Why are you guys always telling this to brown ppl? Brown ppl didnt keep white ppl out of their unions, out of their neighborhoods, or denied them a good education. The main issue with class solidarity is trying to convince white ppl that brown and lgbtq ppl deserve the same standard of living as they do.
They don't mean anything anymore... Seen people on here calling everything from Joe Biden to Buffalo wild wings fascist.. (real encounters)
Joe biden authored the patriot act.
You know, I thought you were wrong. I looked it up was ready to site sources, watched that video and I really dont know what to think anymore.
You should think about what Liberalism actually is and see if you agree with any of it
I agree with Wikipedias definition but the US still needs more than 2 parties
The Wikipedia page for neoliberalism has more thorough real-world context for liberalism as it is applied today.
Ok I'll take a look thank you
Well, technically Biden only authored the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995, not the patriot act. But the proposals in his bill were recycled into the patriot act.
Then technology made it worse.
One can argue that the patriot act is fascistic legislation.
Yes. That is what i was implying.
Fascism ∈ Authoritarianism
The same thing happened to terrorist, a term that became overused and dead during the IWoT and yet the Trump regime is still trying to leverage that word against his political enemies.
For my own arguments, I use alternatives to fascist or get specific, such as calling it an autocratic regime that uses fascist rhetoric to justify state violence. That way my readers know I'm talking seriously about a serious thing.
It's why I always ask for specifics or ignore what the average person on these forums has to say.
MAGAts = Neo-Nazis + Fascists.
Now comes the segment "people say mean things and you should call them mean for it and if they are mean they should be called mean" .... segment.
Let me start by saying I'm 100% against fascism, but... we do have a terminology problem. The left overall has a messaging problem, "Oh Black lives matter, so that means White lives don't?!?" Words do matter, but it's because they matter that we have a problem. The left seems to ebb and flow on vibes ("Just because we say Black lives matter doesn't mean other people's lives don't") while the right seems so much more literal, but the subtext is maybe even more implied. For example, they might say "They [people not like us] are taking our jobs," but what they really mean is that they are taking the jobs we want (office jobs, trade jobs, etc), but we don't mind them working the jobs we don't want (basic construction, farm hands, etc), all the while their vibe is wrong and that's not really happening.
When you call someone or something fascist they probably won't believe you because fascism equals Nazis which equals antisemitism in most of the common people's view. I'll assume that anyone who has found their way to Lemmy probably understands the difference, but at the same time many of this platform don't seem able to understand that the common person doesn't know the difference.
There is a big difference between systemic racism vs open bigotry. A bigot is much harder to turn from racism than a person who grew up in systemic racism. It still might take decades to turn someone who is systemically racist, but a bigot will likely take longer. The same applies to a fascist; like a systemic racist they might not understand that they are racist or what racism even is. Education or experience are the two avenues people escape those avenues, but it's especially hard if you're doing it alone and if you feel attacked by the terminology.
Fascist = Nazi = Jew hater
"Well, I don't hate jews, I'm not a Nazi, so I'm not a fascist" -common Fascist
I've had plenty of discussions with Conservatives where I took the discussion to a rich vs poor direction or a a personal rights vs governed rights direction and they suddenly become liberals without acknowledging it.
Honestly it's the same hurdle that the left has had for decades, just because you're a leftist doesn't mean you love Stalin and Mao. Messaging is important, one of the most recent persons to break that mold was Bernie Sanders who made it at least semi acceptable to be a Democratic Socialist.
Yes, the neoliberals have a very difficult time coming up with effective names for things.
It's a problem with tribalism where they're used to people on their side giving them less scrutiny.
Buy an ad.
Get a life
You ever heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
I kinda think that’s what’s happening here. Leftists and Liberals have been calling Republicans (and especially Trump) fascist since AT LEAST the 2016 election campaign, and they’ve been doing it consistently ever since. People just got tired of hearing it, I guess. Especially since he really didn’t do that much fascist stuff during his first term, and even ended up handing over the office (mostly) peacefully, which isn’t exactly something that actual fascists are known for.
I’m sorry to say this, but the term simply has been overused to the point of meaningless in the past decade. Perhaps it’s time to face reality and come up with a new plan, because this clearly isn’t working.
We called fascists "fascists" 10 years ago because they were fascists then, and they're still fascists now. It's not difficult to understand.
Stop sanewashing his first term. He tried to do all kinds of fascist stuff during his first term, but the checks and balances were still intact and stopped the worst of it. Being a powerless fascist doesn't mean you're not a fascist.
The only reason he didn't go full fascist the first time is because he had somewhat competent people who wouldn't let him. Read books from his former cabinet if you actually care. He ordered his people to shoot protestors in the legs. The order was refused because he had an actual American working for him.
He had an entire false set of votes ready to be confirmed in 2020, his VP refused. His mob attempted an armed insurrection. He pardoned them all. But that's different from fascism for some reason? Fuck that, words mean things and I'll be damned if I let the dumbest group of people that America has ever puked out tell me what it means. The "peaceful" (are you for real?) transfer of power happened AGAINST his orders and wishes, not because he was such a nice and non-fascist politician. I don't think you're stupid, stop with the bad-faith "acksuallyy" nonsense. Be an adult.
Do you actually think like that, or do you just like the guy so you cherrypick "facts" to fit your narrative. Enjoy it broski, they'll come for you. They always do. I'm willing to bet you've already thought twice about saying certain things in public. In America. They hate you as much as they hate immigrants. Hope you wake up in time, if for no other reason then for your own sense of dignity.
Now this is just me, but I have never said "You guys have called me gay like 45 times so maybe I'll just go blow dudes since the word is losing meaning!".
Fascists are gonna do fascist shit no matter what we say, but they NEVER get to steal words. Fascism has a definition. Please, look it up, study it, and come back here talking about how using the term fascism is an overreaction. Please. I would love to have that talk. We can go point by point.
You must have a safe and comfortable life, with friends who have never been threatened by this system. Enjoy that, but allow the creeping realization that it is temporary gnaw at your mind. Listen to that voice. You're not special. You'll get to see the inside of a black-site soon enough. They'll find a reason, some shit you said in 2015, doesn't matter. They'll just do it. You think this is a joke? You think America could just never?
We have a fascist government currently which is increasing in its scope daily. Talk shit about Israel, talk shit about that piece of shit that got got in Utah, see how unfascist we are currently. Only until you inconvenience the system, then you're fucked. Maybe you like living in perfect line with arbitrary rules. Maybe you should go work for them. Congrats on not having loved-ones in direct danger from it. Say it with your chest if you disagree, none of that mealy-mouthed semantics BS. Or support it with your chest. But enough of this "You can't call everyone fascists durrrrrr" bullshit. Ya, we fucking can when they behave as fascists. Mussolini was voted in. Hitler was elected. Know how many people talked about "overreacting" and using words which are too severe. Enough to get them elected. You. Are. Not. Special. And neither is your country. Act like a grown-up and stand on what you believe. Either put on the gray hugo boss suit or actually work to affect change with the rest of us. Your choice, but it's one you'll have to live with forever.
While that is the narrative Fox and friends would like you to believe, never forget WHY we called him fascist.
Many fascist regimes take decades to creep into full effect. The warning signs 10 years ago were apparent. Sorry you can’t understand that, but it’s why we’re closer to full blown fascism than ever.
Handed over the office peacefully lol. He claimed it was rigged and cheered on the people trying to overthrow the government. He might not have been a successful fascist but he was certainly trying.
Did he end up handing the presidency over or did he not?
This sort of argument is exactly what I'm talking about – you guys wanted so badly to keep calling him a fascist even when he did things that no fascist in history has ever done.
Claiming that the election was rigged isn't particularly new. Hillary did the same after losing in 2016, and Al Gore did as well after he lost to Bush, so it's not like Democrats would never do such a thing.
Which version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf did you have growing up? The one where Peter cries wolf and there's a wolf but it's in the woods so the townsfolk do nothing, then the townsfolk call Peter a wolf, and then when the wolf arrives in the village and starts taking people and Peter cries wolf the townsfolk say the word "wolf" is so overused it doesn't mean anything anymore?
Because I don't remember that version.
I think you might be confusing two different stories here. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is one of Aesop's Fables. Peter and the Wolf is a musical by Sergei Prokofiev. They both have a similar setup (in the sense that both involve a boy and a wolf) but they play out quite differently.
That's fair. Explain how calling out fascists being fascists that haven't yet realized there full potential is like The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
What kind of argument is this? They werent fascists because they didnt do a hostile takeover of the government back then? Looks like all my relatives and friends cant be christians because they dont read the bible out loud right in front of me.
Well, I'm pretty sure the Bible says that in order to be a Christian, you SHOULD go out and proclaim the word to all people, instead of just sitting at home and reading it in private.
That said, there are a few more things that are required as well, so don't make this the only criteria for judging their faith.
The boy who cried wolf is a story where someone repeatedly makes incorrect warnings that the community acts on until they stop believing him. This is like the exact opposite. The left has repeatedly and accurately warned that a specific political movement is fascist and been ignored the entire time. The term was not "overused to the point of meaninglessness" people just dismissed the warning without thinking cause they didn't understand the word and couldn't be fucked to learn or listen
So, neither of you are wrong. It was used correctly and people are numb to it.
Since they didn't see stormtroopers at their doors, they figured there's no real danger. They didn't see that one group losing rights meant that they didn't have rights either.
The regime is doing a good job of not terrifying their base and at the same time keeping them brainwashed and inflicting harm on the various outgroups.
What you're seeing here, I think, is two echo chambers conflicting.
This is one of the areas that made me realize I was to the left of liberals. Too many people telling me to calm down, it won't affect me, I'm a white woman, stop being dramatic. Like, bitch, I was raised in a red state, I know that being white won't protect me when they come after women. Just like how being white and male won't protect you when they come for the lower class.
Dude I feel you it doesn't take much to be left of the liberals in this country either cuz they're just just conservativism light!
No kidding. I was raised by Tea Partiers, and moving left really needs to be made easier. I'm pretty sure the only reason I made it is because I'm privileged enough to be literate, and that's exactly why the right has been axing public education since before I was born.
No it's not. You get called a fascist for deadnaming transpeople.
In real life? Or on twitter? This really just sounds like something that would be on a Facebook or TicToc cringe compilation
Hindsight is 20/20. The boy in the story was ultimately correct too, wasn't he? The problem was that the townspeople didn't believe the earlier warnings because they seemed exaggerated and blown out of proportion.
They actually believed the early warnings, that's why they rushed to his rescue. but they were not exaggerated, they were lies. There were no wolves, he only wanted the attention.
This is not what happened here with the word "fascist" or "Nazi". These people were always fascists, but really intelligent ones so they knew how to gaslight anyone into thinking they weren't. Maybe sometimes they didn't know it till the end, but that doesn't make them less fascist.
So if you wanted to use an analogy, maybe you would say the boy in the story was attacked multiple times by wolves dressed like sheep. He cried for help and people rushed to his rescue. But the people always were really disappointed in him, cause there were never wolves, only sheep. And in the end everybody gets eaten, because the so called sheep actually were wolves.
I mean don't get me wrong, I know what you tried to say, but your analogy was technically wrong.
IDK man, do you think the story would have gone any differently if the kid HAD actually seen the wolf each time, but he always disappeared by the time the townsfolk arrived?
And it's not like people DIDN'T help IRL – after Trump's first term, enough of his voters were dissatisfied enough with his performance that they voted for Biden instead. And everyone else in a position of power, from his own vice president, who refused to go through with Trump's plan not to certify the vote, to all the judges presiding over the various voter fraud cases, all did their parts to ensure that he wouldn't get a second term.
But then Democrats kept up their witch hunt long after he had already stood down and given up all the election lawsuits, and even went so far as to mobilize the FBI and the DOJ in order to nail him on some legal technicalities, simply to ensure that he would never be president again. THAT's when people started getting tired of the constant cries about Trump being a fascist, because weaponizing the state against your political enemies is pretty fascist in its own right, and if you can excuse that as long as your side is doing it, then fascism has already won.
What they SHOULD have done is try to win people over with better policies and a return to sanity, but they utterly failed at that. Biden was extremely unpopular, and so was Kamala, and it's really not that surprising people ended up voting for the wolf instead, because the alternative seemed just as bad (or perhaps even worse). After all, what is the point of defeating fascism if in the process, you become a fascist yourself?
Lots of people simply don't know what fascism even is, I would encourage watching this excellent video on it
https://youtu.be/5Luu1Beb8ng
Or you can go through this checklist and ask yourself how many fits onto the US, it's at least 10
https://www.keene.edu/academics/cchgs/resources/presentation-materials/characteristics-and-appeal-of-fascism/download/
This one from the national archives is a great one.
“ Don’t be a sucker” https://youtu.be/vGAqYNFQdZ4