My mother said she feels "stung" when someone compares the current political situation to the Nazis. It's too extreme, she believes. "It's not an apt comparison." This came after, when my father said McEnany (Trump's press secretary) was "good," I asked -- "Good in the way Goebbels was good?"
As a child of survivors, she has a right to her strong reaction. Trump is not Hitler. We don't have death camps, or an official racist ideology on the books for all to see.
But we do have this regime putting migrant children into cages.
And we do have obvious racist dog-whistling -- "Fine people on both sides."
And we have tear gas on peaceful protests.
And we have an unending stream of obvious lies, and attacks on the press, and glorification of the military.
I can go on, but I think it's enough there to say that we have proto-fascism at least, and maybe more.
And the Nazis started small, too.
So there's something there to chew on at least. For most of us, the Nazis are our only reference for Fascism. Maybe Mussolini would be a better comparison, but we don't know much about him.
The fact is, Hitler did a lot of what Trump is doing. He was obsessed with foreigners. He glorified the military. He attacked the press. He lied incessantly. He loved conspiracy theories. He savored conflict and stirred it up. He was a big fan of the staged photo op. He thrived in huge rallies. His base was the far right. On and on.
I don't think Trump will have death camps. But I could see things going very badly. I could see a contested election, and millions on the streets, followed by counter-protestors with assault rifles, and the military only able to control the situation with massive use of force. And then a complete breakdown in government and civil society, and essentially a civil war, but without clean geographical lines. And a complete dislocation of society and a total breakdown of the economy.
I could see that. I don't think it's likely. But, for the first time in my life, I could see it clearly enough to be worried.
Unlike in 1930s Germany, our military is, I believe, less racist and more inclined to reject a President that would command them to use force against Americans. But if there are gun battles between the Right and the Left in the streets, my guess is they would take the side of the Right. Because that's where most of them are.
We need to talk about our proto-fascist President in terms that make it clear what political theater he is performing. Thus, comparisons to the Nazis are all too apt.
As a child of survivors, she has a right to her strong reaction. Trump is not Hitler. We don't have death camps, or an official racist ideology on the books for all to see.
But we do have this regime putting migrant children into cages.
And we do have obvious racist dog-whistling -- "Fine people on both sides."
And we have tear gas on peaceful protests.
And we have an unending stream of obvious lies, and attacks on the press, and glorification of the military.
I can go on, but I think it's enough there to say that we have proto-fascism at least, and maybe more.
And the Nazis started small, too.
So there's something there to chew on at least. For most of us, the Nazis are our only reference for Fascism. Maybe Mussolini would be a better comparison, but we don't know much about him.
The fact is, Hitler did a lot of what Trump is doing. He was obsessed with foreigners. He glorified the military. He attacked the press. He lied incessantly. He loved conspiracy theories. He savored conflict and stirred it up. He was a big fan of the staged photo op. He thrived in huge rallies. His base was the far right. On and on.
I don't think Trump will have death camps. But I could see things going very badly. I could see a contested election, and millions on the streets, followed by counter-protestors with assault rifles, and the military only able to control the situation with massive use of force. And then a complete breakdown in government and civil society, and essentially a civil war, but without clean geographical lines. And a complete dislocation of society and a total breakdown of the economy.
I could see that. I don't think it's likely. But, for the first time in my life, I could see it clearly enough to be worried.
Unlike in 1930s Germany, our military is, I believe, less racist and more inclined to reject a President that would command them to use force against Americans. But if there are gun battles between the Right and the Left in the streets, my guess is they would take the side of the Right. Because that's where most of them are.
We need to talk about our proto-fascist President in terms that make it clear what political theater he is performing. Thus, comparisons to the Nazis are all too apt.
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