Fascism expert: Trump speech ‘doesn’t echo ‘Mein Kampf.’ This is textbook ‘Mein Kampf’

stopthatgirl7@kbin.social to politics @lemmy.world – 456 points –
Fascism expert: Trump speech ‘doesn’t echo ‘Mein Kampf.’ This is textbook ‘Mein Kampf’
dailykos.com

On Sunday, MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan spoke with Jason Stanley, a professor at Yale University and the author of “How Fascism Works,” and discussed Trump’s frightening Veterans Day rally speech, where he called his detractors “vermin” within our country that...

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Ok but is anyone’s mind going to be changed on this? Those of us who could be swayed by reason were calling him a fascist when he treated Umberto Eco’s list as a checklist or when he did the coup attempt.

Yeah he’s using dehumanizing language. Earlier this year he promised to purge a group of undesirables. He wants to do a genocide. I know it, you know it, the American people know it. The problem is a lot of people don’t care or think it’s good.

That doesn’t mean we should just give up and stop calling it out or stop fighting it.

True, I just think the calling out needs to be less hopefully calling it what it is and more “we will resist this every step of the way” with a firm acknowledgement that refusal to resist is compliance.

If he comes to power none are innocent by way of ignorance. We were warned what would happen and any future generations will condemn us.

this kind of discourse serves to denormalize trumps fascism. it scandalizes it which i think is a good thing since fascism not only needs supporters but also a shoulder shrugging majority of people who look away and dont fight it, similar to capitalism

also, the fascists have gaslit many of us by saying many pf hos phrases are just figures of speech or something. calling us 'overly sensitive' or 'calling everthing fascist'. so this kind of gotcha can be really reassuring for that.

I think there are a whole shit ton of folks that don't understand the fascist threat in America. I think many folks still write it off as a Trump phenomenon vs something that has been festering for many years. Despite that, if you've been in antifascist circles as long as I have you know there's been a significant change in the amount of folks who understand that threat.

I dunno, I still run into an awful lot of people who seem to sincerely believe that "both sides" just randomly call people they don't like "Nazis" for kicks. Things like this make it harder to bury the fact that no, no really, Republicans are fucking Nazis.

I know someone who said she'd rather live in handmaid's tale than 1984.

Did this person think those were the options in a US election?

I'd like to think I'd start shooting before either of those came to pass.

Problem with Republicans is that they combine the worst of both. They "have their own facts" like 1984, and they are using fanatic religiousness to elevate authoritarianism.
It's insane that so many people see a better future with Republicans. The same is happening in other countries, although to a lesser degree. Either fewer supporters, or less extreme political viewpoints.

I think it’s less about changing minds on Trump and more about convincing people how important it is to get out and vote for his opponent

It seems crazy that anyone could not have a strong opinion one way or another about this man, yet there are "undecided" voters, and they will decide whether Donald Trump is our next president or not.

That along with turnout, that is. You may not ever convince a deep-red-state Republican to vote for a Democrat, but if they dislike Trump and his desire for a fascist revenge tour enough, they might just stay home on Election Day...

I don't think he gives a fuck about genocide. He wants anyone that doesn't say good things about him gone and just doesn't care if that involves a little genocide.

I think some people make him uncomfortable and he wants us gone. How it happens is irrelevant to him.

Hitler rose to power by promising to make Germany great again.

Also, the conservative government at the time was quickly losing popularity. They didn't like Hitler and his policies, but they decided to make him their leader because it would get them votes. They were certain that Hitler alone couldn't steamroll the party into something different. He would just be the popular face that got them votes! Turned out great for them. Well, the ones who weren't executed for disloyalty.

And now look at Germany today. Not bad, eh? /s

I guess we could have gone from 1930 to 1950 and beyond without the shit in between...

Seems the folks who think "Biden is also a fascist and just as bad" couldn't be bothered to show up and explain how they know more than the expert on fascism.

Isn't that weird?

Don't you know that my ignorant opinion based on how I feel is really just as valid? Actually probably more so because experts are vermin elite leftists.

Republicans don't find success by listening to experts....

Yes only emotions, that's easier to work with for many.

Sad thing is, Trump will not have read Mein Kampf or studied it in any way.

This is just the natural end result of being a purebred narcissist.

Well I stand corrected.

Maybe he's just playing at being a dumb-dumb, like Boris Johnson was.

Fuck him anyway.

Yeah, he's not as dumb as the character he plays on TV, just like GW Bush. He just took it to another level.

Not that I think he was secretly brilliant or that every one of his public mistakes are deliberate. He just understands his cult and they don't want some genius leading them.

Bad title, unclear where the summary of the expert's opinion ends.