https://www.reddit.com/r/springfieldMO/comments/1ifmf82/have_people_forgotten_what_fascism_is/
created by Enough-Aioli-6200 on 02/02/2025 at 01:54 UTC
127 upvotes, 20 top-level comments (showing 20)
I mean this honestly as a question. I've heard so many people call eachother fascists on both sides of the political isle lately. It makes no sense to me why everyone just wants to hate eachother and accuse eachother of the same thing over and over. The amount of times I've gone to talk to my neighbors and have them heard them say "conservatives are insane cultists" or gone online and heard "liberals are insane cultists" is mind boggling to me. Why are we overgeneralizing eachother? Why aren't we allowed to disagree peacefully? Everyone seems to just want to piss others off over silly political disagreements. Both parties at their extremes have equally shown they can't handle power so why do people get into such a tribal mentality to defend their side? It's gotten to the point that these people publicly harass each other like children? I understand that people like to have a scapegoat Boogeyman to blame for all their problems, but life is more complicated then just "side A disagrees with me so they're bad". I know this post won't change people's minds but I thank all who will atleast read this, as this has been on my mind lately and it upsets me.
Comment by Ephriia at 02/02/2025 at 02:08 UTC
121 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Some have either forgotten or never learned. The rich gain from us fighting with our neighbors and nearly all of us (including myself) have fallen for the culture war. Us vs them will always be the narrative until we all understand that the rich do not care and will exploit every system available, and legislation to curb that greed is a must. Unfortunately, the rich are (and have been) in power and their choices for what is done with this country has a cover charge, and then some.
Tldr: Free Luigi - you have more in common with your Democratic/Republican neighbor than any of those in power.
Comment by vearson26 at 02/02/2025 at 02:27 UTC
78 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Trump during the campaign repeatedly referred to Harris as a communist socialist marxist fascist, so yes some people have no idea what it means.
Comment by Jaffool at 02/02/2025 at 02:22 UTC*
90 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I mean, the DEI rollbacks are erasing history in our colleges, government, and everyday life. As a trans American, my existence is being erased (gov websites no longer acknowledge trans identity, can't renew passport, can't change gender markers, discrimination policies getting rolled back, etc.). MSU just closed their multicultural center to be in line with the new administration policies and on gov websites and facilities the history of people of color in our country is being categorically erased.
They also just added 30,000 capacity to Guantanamo Bay, the place that only exists off American soil to justify torture and denying people their rights.
I recognize that the people around me are not** likely to want me dead or imprisoned for being trans and that they're heavily propagandized. That doesn't make me feel at all safer to be around them.
You're right that the Democratic party is not even close to being socialist. They're capitalist and they support the current oligarchic standard in most ways that matter. I am a socialist and I know many people on the left that are, so calling us that isn't an insult, it's just true and we'll own it. The difference between a socialist and a fascist is one wants to build a better world and one wants to build a Whiter world.
Comment by Lachet at 02/02/2025 at 02:15 UTC
59 upvotes, 3 direct replies
The Republican Party taken to its extremes want to do harm to people I care about. I will not be disagreeing with those people peacefully, and it is insane to expect me to.
Comment by faultydatadisc at 02/02/2025 at 07:56 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Divided we fall OP. They got us right where they want us.
Comment by Netzapper at 02/02/2025 at 03:03 UTC*
26 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Nope. Done with centrists thinking they're more virtuous while really enabling right-wing authoritarianism by pretending both right-wing authoritarians and progressives are the same thing. You are part of the problem, and your continued ignorant complicity as you profit from a system of white supremacy and patriarchy is the rot at the core of America.
ITT: nazi apologists
Comment by Responsible_Animal34 at 02/02/2025 at 02:52 UTC
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Can't really respond to these types of posts so i don't think you want an actual legit answer. More you are just looking for people to agree with you. Because anytime i respond to these with facts or a different opinion it just gets tons of hate and tons of negative karma clicks. No tolerance at all.
Comment by LivingFirst1185 at 02/02/2025 at 05:07 UTC
14 upvotes, 0 direct replies
There is no "best to be said" of trump or anyone who supports him. Seriously, take a minute to read a damn book by some of the many people who spent time around him.
He's a rapist. He's a sexual predator, including towards underage girls. He's racist. He's a power hungry narcissist with zero compassion. He made fun of a disabled person on national television. He has openly said his critics and opponents should be shot or beaten. He called veterans suckers and losers. He kept our nation's important secret documents such as the locations of our spy satellites and the names of our spies in a GD UNSECURED BATHROOM in a place where he hosted over 100 events. He was proven to have stood by indifferently while our capitol police were being beaten and our vice president was being threatened to be killed. He's a convicted felon. Out of nothing but spite, he made a deal with the Taliban after he lost the 2020 election to withdraw by a date so ridiculously soon that Biden was even criticized for extending it out for months in a compromise to protect as many people as possible. And if all that isn't enough to convince you he is at minimum a very bad president, he is the only one in history so terrible that the leaders of our military and intelligence communities had a contingency plan in place just in case he had a temper tantrum and decided to nuke another country.
Every one of you has access to the Internet and can read, or you wouldn't be in this forum. Everything I said has evidence to back it and is right out there for all of us to read. This is not like fighting over Republican and Democrat like Bush and Clinton. This is a whole new level. Remember how outraged the country was over Nixon's crimes? This guy makes Nixon look like Mr. Rogers.
No, I cannot have a civil conversation with anyone who voted for him, no more than I could have had a civil conversation with Charles Manson or his fo, and Manson caused less death and destruction. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the blatant ignorance over half of my countrymen displayed in November.
My current favorite quote is if anyone wonders what they would have done if they lived in Nazi Germany during Hitler's rise to power, it's what they are doing right now. Thousands of people literally gave their lives for us to have the right to vote for our leader and have a free press to help us make the best choice. It's about time some of us respect and appreciate their sacrifice. I sincerely hope at least a few of you reading this spend some serious time in self reflection before you cast a ballot again.
Comment by MrGeary08 at 02/02/2025 at 06:41 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The loss of nuanced discussion, it is however regaining its appeal due to long form media
Comment by armenia4ever at 02/02/2025 at 02:28 UTC*
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Yea I'm over it.
Whenever I hear it being tossed out toward someone, it's basically a "I don't like this person/they are very wrong and any violence/harassment I do toward them is justified"
To a varying degree the same with "socialism". Honestly there's literally been elements of both that are now completely interwoven into the fabric of our governance structure for the last 50 years.
Dehumanization of the "other" side is a hell of a drug. What's coming our way is honestly gonna be worse than fascism or socialism[1] and its not particularly political.
1: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/i-told-you-chaos-is-coming
Comment by Traditional_Goat9186 at 02/02/2025 at 02:02 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
When a Republican is elected, they get called fascist. When a Democrat gets elected, they get called Socialist. It's essentially the same thing for the respective party. But in reality none of the Presidents have been either.
Comment by Rilsston at 02/02/2025 at 03:07 UTC
4 upvotes, 2 direct replies
On the national or individual stage? The answer is similar.
Let’s take a trip back to 2016. Hilary Clinton vs Donald Trump. Donald Trump won for 3 reasons—Clinton is a specifically dislikeable candidate, because he used, arguably for the first time in 100 years, absolutely insane and vile rhetoric on his campaign, and because he spoke to their inner monologue, he was able to create a cult of personality around himself.
Queue to 2020. The opposite of this rhetoric worked—Trumps cult wasn’t as strong as its opposition, and he brought sanity back to politics
Queue 2024–Harris lost because Trump emboldened his base, but more fundamentally because Kamala could not create her own cult of personality fast enough, and had bled off her core base while Trump solidified his again with vile rhetoric.
This is now politics, because of Trump we will never again in my lifetime see a peaceful election amongst civic minded persons debating the virtue of positions.
On the individual level, people have always been like this. But because their leader galvanize their inner monologues and let them be as racist, xenophobic, and bigoted as they like. They are more vocal about it. So the quiet part that was never said out loud underlying by the base are saying it loud and proud.
And that a breath of fresh air; I don’t actually need to think if you care about deportation as a deeply rooted position foundational to your ethos or if it’s rooted in racism. You tell me outright now, so I know better how to approach the conversations
Comment by tronas11 at 02/02/2025 at 02:12 UTC
-1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
people are more interested in having strong opinions and using potent insults and degradation than actually knowing what it means.
Idc how much you hate some political figure or person, there are almost 0 cases of anything that can remotely be related to "fascism", and when they use the word they sound like clowns.
Comment by Zestyclose_Key_213 at 02/02/2025 at 02:20 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I agree it has gotten worse and more insane every year. It does matter what side, it's the same damn bird. And all these politicians are friends with each other. So why the hell can't we be civil to our neighbor and stop overdramatizing everything
Comment by PotatoAgitated1424 at 02/02/2025 at 02:54 UTC
0 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Why is everything in this group political now?
Comment by horsetrashed at 02/02/2025 at 04:19 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Im thinking about starting a book club to read about the very topic, hold discussion, and people can come to their own conclusion. Any suggestions from the people who claim to know what fascism is? I’ve got a running list of books already but I’m curious what both “sides” of this discussion have to share.
Comment by LMauerman at 02/02/2025 at 02:38 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Comment by Cold417 at 02/02/2025 at 05:04 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I've got a closet full of boots if you're lookin' for a good time tonight.
Comment by Saltpork545 at 02/02/2025 at 03:51 UTC
-4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It's the new Godwin's law. 'Anything I don't like is Hitler' well, now it's just 'Anything I don't like is fascist'.
Fascism is *extreme* nationalism. A nation taking over it's oil industry to serve it's own interests or those of the leaders of the country is fascist.
Blaming an outgroup for all of the ills of a nation is fascist.
'I think the Dems are weak soyboys' is not fascist.
'I don't like Trump' is not fascist.
Shooting your political rivals because they don't follow dear leader because these people speak out against their government is fascist.
A right wing single party that is both totalitarian and imperialist tends to be fascist.
Last time I checked the Democrats weren't being lined up and shot and despite some moves by Trump, he has not yet started forced sterilizing or murdering immigrants that are being deported.
The people who talk the loudest about what these things rarely actually study the history about the events that happened *before* they became full on dystopic in the ways that most of us learn. There are warning signs and while we have some, we're not Weimar Republic. Not even close.
A life lived without actual struggle for survival thinks every bump is a mountain. You woke up today, had your working pocket computer connect to electricity, had clean drinking water, got to bathe and use soap, fed yourself without having to grow anything and spent your free time complaining about how bad life is on the modern version of the Library of Alexandria. It's highly likely you haven't had to kill anyone this year, have been able to easily get a dental appointment and been warm all winter.
You, reading this right now, have it better than 99.99% of humanity that has ever lived. There are always struggles for everyone in life, I have my own as well, but understanding that you still have it reasonably good and the pillars of society aren't crumbling or frankly already gone means you have likely never experienced such things long term.
Spending all day doomspiraling because the politics of our world isn't exactly how you like is fucking stupid.
Yes, pay attention to it, but don't make hating it your personality.
You are far better served by getting out and volunteering.
Comment by lochlainn at 02/02/2025 at 02:42 UTC
-7 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Yes. Fascism was the common name of the Italian PNF and PFR parties spearheaded by Benito Mussolini, after he defected from the Italian Socialist Party(PSI).
Germany was not fascist, despite Reddit commonly calling it so. It was National Socialist.
Every 4 years, since around the turn of the millennium, people larp as if it's 1936 Germany when the vote doesn't go their way.
They call each other names and people lap it up, forgetting that the people they're listening to have more in common with each other than they do for the people waving the red and blue flags, and wearing their team jerseys like they have any skin in the game whatsoever, watching the players on the teams fight in the big championship, unaware of what the owners and commissioners are planning to do to the price of tickets and merch next season.
None of the things people are picking sides on matter *to them*. The R's want to ban abortion. For YOU, not them. They'll be able to get them, quietly on the sly, when they need them. The D's want to ban guns. For YOU. They'll still be able to get all the armed security they need for when us proles get uppity.
It's disgusting, but most of all, it's *tiring* hearing people pretend like it's new and the most important thing every four fucking years.
