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THREAD THURSDAY #4: AMERICAN FASCISM
hoo boy.
we planned out this explainer thread weeks ago, and then, well... 1/
hoo boy.
we planned out this explainer thread weeks ago, and then, well... 1/
since not everyone understands yet: these people are fascists. by their armed insurrection against democracy, demonization of the press, climate genocide, racism, delusional insanity, and worship of an egotistical madman, they are fascists.
say the word. 2/
say the word. 2/
so how did we reach a point where police posed for selfies with an armed mob of qanon cultists, white supremacists, and literal nazis inside the american capitol building? 3/ https://twitter.com/jpegjoshua/status/1346920941301981184
how did we reach a point where police allowed a mob of fascist criminals to walk away scot-free?
(yes, those are the words "MURDER THE MEDIA" scrawled on the very same doors being kindly held open by police so the fascists can leave freely) 4/ https://twitter.com/Tzeporah/status/1347028087075033090
(yes, those are the words "MURDER THE MEDIA" scrawled on the very same doors being kindly held open by police so the fascists can leave freely) 4/ https://twitter.com/Tzeporah/status/1347028087075033090
the police are the easy part of the question. they deliberately ignored the open, weeks-long planning of an armed insurrection because many of them, at all levels of command, sympathize with the cause 6/ https://theintercept.com/2021/01/07/capitol-trump-violence-law-enforcement/
and yes, it's a fact that white supremacists have operated from within american police forces for many years 7/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/27/white-supremacists-militias-infiltrate-us-police-report
(notice how if we'd said "many american police are literally fascists" two tweets ago, it would have sounded like hyperbole to uninformed readers, so we used softer words that mean exactly the same thing) 8/
but this is a larger matter than just the police.
how did the cult of donald trump ever consume so many americans? 9/
how did the cult of donald trump ever consume so many americans? 9/
it may help to compare and contrast donald trump with history's most infamous fascist.
and it seems to us the key distinction between nazism and american fascism lies in the root of its appeal 10/
and it seems to us the key distinction between nazism and american fascism lies in the root of its appeal 10/
whereas hitler united germans behind an indescribably vile *team project* of expansionism and mass murder fueled by the german people's wartime self-sacrifice... 11/
trump isn't a warmonger; he asks no sacrifice of his followers. rather, his fascism preys on the most immediate, shallow, bigoted, and selfish desires of the individual
and, cleverly, trumpism casts avoidance of responsibility as the most american of virtues: freedom 12/
and, cleverly, trumpism casts avoidance of responsibility as the most american of virtues: freedom 12/
for example, the mild inconvenience of wearing a corona mask isn't a bare-minimum precaution to protect people around you from a deadly disease - it's a socialist plot to destroy freedom and destroy america 13/
people trust trump because he embodies and legitimizes their worst impulses
he appeals to that vile, incoherent part of the human brain which blames every inconvenience on others instead of taking responsibility and working to solve problems 14/
he appeals to that vile, incoherent part of the human brain which blames every inconvenience on others instead of taking responsibility and working to solve problems 14/
that's why trump paints team problem-solving efforts - pandemic response, climate action, trade agreements - as affronts to freedom, & why he and his supporters deny the very existence of climate breakdown, mass corona death, and anything else requiring a coordinated response 15/
thus does his popularity arise from - not in spite of - his callous denial of every problem facing the country
and thus does his most terrible crime - climate genocide - stem not from action but inaction. don't worry, everyone; it's a chinese hoax 16/
and thus does his most terrible crime - climate genocide - stem not from action but inaction. don't worry, everyone; it's a chinese hoax 16/
all the while, trump's steady erosion of democracy through cronyism and slander is accepted because his infinite tantrum paints independent entities - elections, courts, the media, scientists, and all other purveyors of objective truth - as "disloyal" to "America" 17/
and recent events have sharpened the picture: trump's self-righteous performance is so enthralling because it's not a performance
the leaked recording of trump asking georgia to "find votes" proves it. trump actually believes the election was rigged 18/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-find-votes-georgie-phone-call-recording-1.5860116
the leaked recording of trump asking georgia to "find votes" proves it. trump actually believes the election was rigged 18/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-find-votes-georgie-phone-call-recording-1.5860116
these are not the words of a totalitarian mastermind
this is the tantrum of a spluttering halfwit too completely enslaved to his ego to process the notion he lost 19/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/after-inciting-capitol-riot-trump-whines-to-advisers-why-cant-i-tweet
this is the tantrum of a spluttering halfwit too completely enslaved to his ego to process the notion he lost 19/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/after-inciting-capitol-riot-trump-whines-to-advisers-why-cant-i-tweet
he probably also genuinely believes he never supported the iraq war. (remember that?)
anyone who can lie so repeatedly and effortlessly as trump, but who is so clearly a dolt, is utterly enslaved to the notion that whatever he says in any given moment must be the truth 20/
anyone who can lie so repeatedly and effortlessly as trump, but who is so clearly a dolt, is utterly enslaved to the notion that whatever he says in any given moment must be the truth 20/
and therein lies his appeal: trump's one true skill, built up over many decades of self-righteous self-deception, is an unparalleled talent for blaming others for everything.
like so: 21/
like so: 21/
we can't possibly have lost, because we're good & our enemies are liars. any check on our total & permanent victory is therefore part of a socialist conspiracy to end democracy. democracy, of course, is when we win, because our opponents are traitors.
only we are america. 22/22
only we are america. 22/22
