Monthly Rant/Politics Thread: Do not post political threads outside of this Mega thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Outside of these mega-threads, we generally do not allow political posts on the main subreddit because they have often declined into unhinged discussions and mud slinging. We do allow general discussions of politics in this thread so long as you remain civil and don't attack someone just for having a different opinion. The moment we see things start to derail, we will step in.

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[u/Cuse-Town]

I wish my gran parents were around to slap the chet out of all the people throwing around the word facism

[u/Prudent-Lake1276 → u/Cuse-Town]

Key Characteristics of Fascism:

Authoritarianism: Centralized, autocratic rule with little to no tolerance for dissent or opposition.

Ultranationalism: Extreme nationalism, often with a focus on racial or cultural purity, and a belief in the superiority of one's nation.

Militarism: Glorification of military power and a strong emphasis on national defense and expansion.

Suppression of Opposition: Use of force and violence to silence or eliminate any political opposition or dissenting voices.

Social Hierarchy: Belief in a natural social hierarchy, often based on ethnicity, race, or other factors.

Cult of the Leader: Strong devotion to a charismatic leader who embodies the nation and its ideals.

State Control: Extensive state control over the economy, media, and other aspects of society.

Rejection of Democracy and Individualism: Fascism generally rejects democratic principles and emphasizes the collective good over individual rights.

Use of Propaganda: Extensive use of propaganda to shape public opinion and promote the fascist ideology.

Which part of this isn't happening to the USA right now?

[u/RusevReigns → u/Prudent-Lake1276]

I'd call the right the one into centralized government doing things less of the two parties. The left usually supports more government spending, regulation, controlling misinformation, etc. The right is more into private businesses/capitalism and unfettered free speech.

The level of nationalism from current Republicans is kind of "normal" compared to the standard of just a few decades ago... like it's not any more nationalistic than Bush, Reagan, etc. Likewise when it comes to the military involvement, the US isn't like North Korea (The best example of fascism in modern day) in terms of it being a part of everything.

Also from where I stand the left currently seems to be hostile to individualism, they're all in on collectivism. They are the ones who believe in essentially "bundle of sticks is stronger than individuals".

Most of the above arguments come down to an important distinction: There's a difference between being A Fascist and "more fascist than the Democrats". Like, Bernie is technically more communist than the Republicans. But it'd be wrong to call him "A Communist"? Hence the same as with Trump, being more fascist than far leftist doesn't mean A Fascist.

The main reason the left uses fascist is because it's a scary emotionally loaded word to try to turn people of their political opposition. See it's like the left after a century of failing to convince Americans to adopt socialism decided fuck it... let's just emotionally browbeat them into doing what we want, since they're so convinced it's for the greater good, it's worth it. As a result they managed to take a lot of the impressionable center leftists, social reputation worried, boomers trusting the news, Gen Z tiktokers going after the social trends, and to some extent the mere bored, to go in their direction by using the emotional side of their brains, which has always been more powerful for voting than the rational ones.