I’ve been tracking the alt right since they were on deep web mirrors 10 yrs ago&this knee-jerk reaction by some liberals to draw parallels b/w nuanced myth&the rise of US fascism whenever there’s an incident is revealing of how these networks rise to power in the 1st place

Now before I start, don’t interpret the above as me suggesting that what are essentially cringe posts about movie villains&lit themes are the reason WHY the alt right rose in the US. That is grossly inaccurate. These posts exist in a microcosm at the end of the day.

What concerns me is how prevalent the thinking is that film villain/char = IRL rep of fascism & the spike in this thinking whenever real acts of fascism in the US occur. This spike suggests to me:

1) certain ppl do see generational myths & reactions to those myths as a 1:1 with reality
2) certain ppl believe that fascists are inspired by fictional chars they see as fascist

Therefore
3) Having anything good happen to those characters will imply that “fascism is fine.”

What is an even bigger issue is that most ppl who make these takes are well aware who fans of villains are, especially complex villains like Kylo Ren or characters who also come under criticism like Daenerys: they are well aware they are mostly women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ.

And while this thinking spikes during moments of turmoil, we see these talking points all the time in liberal/progressive spaces.

So why is there an obsession with equating fascism in the US—a movement primarily led by older white men—to fiction and fictional characters primarily consumed and enjoyed by girls/women/LGBTQ?

I think the answer is two fold: 1) It’s easier to place actual fash into a box that is comfortable for ppl—in this case, equating fascism to film villains who are dressed in black, say evil things, and have a flashing neon sign saying “hey this is the bad guy!!”

It’s a false sense of control over a harrowing situation. And 2) It typically criticizes majority marginalized communities who don’t agree w/ that easy mold b/c punching down is far less scary than actually addressing fascism. But this is the horrifying truth:

1) Fascists see themselves as the hero, in fiction or in IRL events. The American alt right sees themselves as the Founding Fathers protecting the Constitution. They see themselves as Luke Skywalker. This isn’t a debate.

2) The alt right is organized and they are compromised of leaders who are tactically smart. They have convinced themselves of their truth — the US has been stolen from them by ppl who don’t believe in equal rights, free speech, & the right to live. They believe the left are nazis

The reason WHY these communities are so effective is because they never once allow anybody in the bubble to believe they are anti human rights. Their methods are reliant on “you have been wronged.”

Most livestreams you can jump on whether it’s comic book dudes who lead comics/gate or pr/oud boys—it’s just a panel of typically white men laughing about memes or other seemingly “normal” things.

Right now things are a lot more violent and pushing rhetoric b/c they are scared but typically, ppl uneducated about harmful socialization slip into these communities not realizing they’re parroting misogynistic, antisemetic, & racist thinking. This is why they are so effective.

They typically don’t sit there and rail off slurs. Their communities are surrounded by few but loud POC voices and a lot of (mostly white) women, so — to the target of typically depressed & uneducated white men who grew up in some conservative town or family—

this just looks like an accepting community of ppl who say “hey YOU’VE been wronged. We care about YOU. These ppl are lying to YOU.” Which of course evolves into “Take back what belongs to you no matter the cost.”

I can’t stress enough that this idea that “we are the inclusive heroes” is HIGHLY effective&no it’s not just b/c of social media algorithms&it’s absolutely not b/c of some villains in a movie. The left NEEDS to understand this and tactically plan what we’re going to do about it.

Because right now the left just spends a lot of time telling people what they can’t do, and what they can’t like down to dumb things like fictional villains in a myth that were never written through the lens of “this is meant to represent IRL fascism.”

Again — just using Star Wars fandom as a microcosm, I’ve spent far more time arguing with fellow leftists who don’t agree w/ my fictional preferences than actually being able to work w/ them to address ACTUAL high profile alt right extremists in this fandom including EVS & G&G.

So while these bad takes are just bad takes, they do represent the left’s fear of actually addressing fascism head on. The left has a lot more potential to utilize the work that has already been done for a powerful progressive movement. We should be discussing that.