This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1473245
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1473245
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“There is a violence that liberates, and a violence that enslaves; there is a violence that is moral and a violence that is immoral."
“Let us have a dagger between our teeth, a bomb in our hand, and an infinite scorn in our hearts.”
– Benito Mussolini
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When the economy crashes, we all will go back to freezing and starving in the dark. There will be no backsies. When the U.S. becomes a failed nation, there will be no other U.S. to extend humanitarian aid.
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At this point it’s in order to post Wikipedia’s useful little summary of Umberto Eco’s essay “Ur-fascism:”
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Trump’s violence is always about someone else committing a violent act for him. If America collapsed into chaos, Trump isn’t going to be out front defending/trying to restore anything- he will be hiding in a safe room (or prison cell) screaming for others to protect him (kinda like when he appointed Bill Barr as AG).
Trump reminds me of Hardy Jens- arrogant and intimidating, until it comes time to actually to get his hands dirty
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“People should be more worried”
No, authorities should do what they’re supposed to, to stop him.
Don’t put this on us.
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There is only violence. Whether it liberates or enslaves is simply a reflection of whether you are in front of or behind the gun. Violence demeans the value of every life. It is the philosophy of the thug.
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It’s actually a two-way street.
Authorities can slip off the hook and revert to their default mode of not doing their job if there isn’t an aroused and active public demanding that officials do their jobs.
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As a political philosopher who studies extremism, I believe people should be more worried about this.
Yes.
It doesn’t take much violence to stifle speech. People can be intimidated pretty easily.
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Some people ignore Trump because they see him as an ignorant buffoon. They can’t imagine that everyone doesn’t see him the same way. Again, in front of or behind the gun. The people who see him as an ignorant buffoon have been part of the ascendant. People who see him as a liberator have felt for a long time that there is nothing in society for them. Instead of focusing all of our attention on Trump’s buffoonery we would be well advised to decide how we are going to make sure society is just for all in deed as well as word.
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Trump and machismo have nothing in common. Life long body guards plus five draft deferments prove it.
How anyone who is a Vet or active military can back a total coward who mocks POWs, Gold Star families and our war dead is beyond my under standing.
Public enemy #1 is the MSM for not keeping this in the news and all his fascist bullshit is also beyond my understanding.
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I believe Leonard Leo has likely worked hand in hand with the NRA over the years and decades. It’s not a coincidence that we have easily obtained powerful weapons of destruction ubiquitous across the streets of America at the same moment we have a fascistic Republican Party and a fascist-coddling Supreme Court. A Supreme Court that values guns and corporate domination of public life over everything.
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You do have to wonder when the government should deem fascist behavior as a risk to national security and act upon it. When you think about it, when the orange one dies the immediate threat is diluted. Then the fascists start over with in-fighting to determine their next fascist leader, which could take time and they might all end up killing each other off in the process (like a gang war). I long for the day we don’t have to read anything more about the orange one.
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Oh, the philosophies of the great unfuckable.
Truth is women worldwide have turned away from this last gasp of monkey righteousness.
Most of these pricks in the old days would already be chained to a couch and a job.
Now they’re high on daddy’s wealth and appalling to the opposite sex.
Evolution at work and they don’t like it.
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That sounds uncomfortably close to the deluded mythology of American Exceptionalism, a myth that cannot be squared with @sthammond’s observation that “the government should deem fascist behavior as a risk to national security and act upon it.”
Which faction of the public should government officials follow to do their jobs, those who are in front of the gun of those who are behind the gun? (h/t @ronbyers)
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Trump’s death won’t solve anything. We are going to have to find a way for everyone to publically share in the success of this the most successful society in history. Whether it is true or not right now the perception among Trump supporters is everyone else in society is living the good life but them. I say that knowing full well that many of Trump’s white supporters are retiries who benefit from social security and medicare and who live very, very nice lives. They are told by Republicans that they are being shit upon by the Democrats who would rather have minorities doing well than them. The MSM seems to support that notion. The Republicans remain in power and the MSM sell a lot of soap creating false divisions.
Sadly Democrats do very little to challenge the narrative. A decision has been made that focusing on scooping up all of the minorities they can find will lead to a demographic supremacy allowing them to ignore the deluded MAGA who are filling the pews of the mega churches and grooving on right wing media.
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Trump has also never perfected a Mussolini or Hitler type swagger in his public appearances and online posts. Instead he whines and plays the victim, telling everyone how sad it is. He doesn’t yell from a position of strength, he whines from a position of weakness.
It’s weird. In historical terms, it shouldn’t be as effective as it is in maintaining his cult. He should be acting tougher. I guess there are a lot of people out there who feel victimized by cultural progress away from the 1950’s version of America, so they want a Dear Leader who also plays the victim so they can relate to him.
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It occurred to me as I read the article that violent sentimentality is a feature of cartoons that make us laugh. Coyote and the explosives, anvils, etc. Roadrunner trips him up with; Bugs and Daffy tricking Elmer Fudd into shooting himself, etc., etc. Consequences of ridiculous behavior; a parody of the (dare I say) violence idolized.
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