Don't wanna write a wall of text, but historically fascist movements have come to power under the banner of a charismatic leader with majority support from the population. As fascistic as America is today, I'm not sure there is enough support to sustain a serious fascist movement. Nearly every major city is at least a 50/50 split among liberal democrats and republicans. Many of those republicans are politically uneducated and don't have a real desire for authoritarian dictate. The Republican candidate has won the popular vote in the presidential election once in the last 30 years and the only places where fascists outnumber every day liberals is in rural America.

So can fascism exist without popular majority support in dense urban areas? What does the fall of capitalism look like with no strong left or right movement? Am I naïve and should we expect reactionary attitudes to grow in response to a collapsing economy? My materialist brain is usually pretty good at seeing the direction we're headed but I'm not sure on this one.

I suppose the doomer take is that we haven't actually collapsed yet, and when the jenga tower really starts to fall, libs will be forced to choose between going right and going left. At that point if we don't have a popular workers movement with enough power, actual fascism will become a threat.

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    When the jenga tower really starts to fall, libs will be forced to choose between going right and going left.

    As far as I am concerned - the dems are 100% certain to go to the right. Just imagine the baby brain r/politics takes...

    "Look, I don't like the democrats moving to the right and it's really, really bad. But they need to win. Not enough people are voting for them. What else can they do? The voters are letting the country down. After they start to win they can move back to the center."

    Yep. What else can they do?

    • TreadOnMe [none/use name]
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      Most libs literally believe that the freedom of the internet is what is causing social alienation. Like, I started using the internet because of social alienation, they countinue to mix up cause and effect.

      • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
        ·
        2 years ago

        the freedom of the internet is what is causing social alienation... they countinue to mix up cause and effect.

        There's a guy I follow on Twitter named Will Stancil who rabid believer of that. He's nothing special. He's yet another generic liberal who probably self-identifies as a progressive because he hopes the democrats will finally listen to people like him.

        But his takes are so delusional and he is so obsessed by the idea that tv and the internet warps people's minds - he makes me laugh. Tiktok corrupting the mind of the young is - by far - is favorite bugbear. He has ridiculous thread after ridiculous thread...

        People are making fun of this, but they shouldn't. TikTok has 50 million daily US users - undoubtedly vastly skewed towards the young. That's 33 times as many daily viewers as Fox News. If you don't think that's politically relevant, I don't know what to tell you.

        Tweet

        I dunno. Maybe people - especially young people - don't need Tiktok or any other site on the net to dislike Biden or even hate him. Maybe they have those feelings because Bidin is worse than fucking useless and the future looks bleak as can be.

        If you're young and you have no hope - why would you have positive feelings for the old codger in the White House who won't do anything?

      • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
        ·
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        "Carmela, come into the Oval. I've got something to tell you."

        She bites her tongue and doesn't correct him. They enter and as Biden rambles she knows something is off. The Old White Guy starts babbling just before he tells everybody something big. But where is everybody? Oh, fuck. But what could it be?

        They sit down on the sofas and she knows something is off because the president doesn't even offer her something to eat or drink. It's going to be a very short meeting and he's got his worst, fakest friendly face on. Somebody is getting stabbed in the back?

        What could it be? Am I over thinking it? Good news actually? Maybe? Could it be good news for—

        He uses his presidential mien and tone: "We've decided that we need to go in another direction in 2024."

        "Excuse me? What does that mean exactly?" Rage is building. She doesn't care that she interrupted the Old White Guy. It's something he hates. And he's thinking her rudeness is intolerable. When he was the veep he never interrupted President Obama.

        It's the Office of the President. There must be respect for Christ's sakes. Pardon my French. "I'm being gentle here." Man, she hates when he brings out "gentle" when he's talking to the ladies. "I'm letting you go gently so that—"

        "Letting me go? Are you actually saying you're pushing me off the ticket?"

        "I am the president. I will not be rushed. What—"

        "So I'm off the ticket. Just say it." He's more scared of her than an angry 800 pound bull and he starts stammering.

        "I... Well... I was going to say... Yes. You will not be on the ticket in 2024."

        "And who will replace me, Mr. President?" She says "Mr. President" with venom.

        "I'm not ready at this time to—"

        "You will tell me right now or so help me as god is my witness I will wreck your presidency."

        "Trump."

        "What?"

        "Trump will be on the ticket as my vice president."

        Kamala looks away from him. She feels like she's having an old man heart attack. She happens to see a letter opener on the Resolute Desk. She plays with the idea of running over to it, marching up to Biden, and stabbing him in the neck until he is dead.