To your point (and I'm only speaking for myself here), if Democrats had won I probably would be slightly less snarky but would absolutely be laying into them as well.
Ditto. I don't disagree with what Prp said. I just happen to think one side has amplified the rhetoric a hell of a lot more than the other.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
You must have go-go-gadget arms to reach like that.
Own it, dude. This is what you've been pushing for for the past year. Can't back off now.
It depends what you think what I am pushing for, but your comments make that clear. Have a good day..
The thing that I've seen with many Democrats (even those who pretend they aren't, see Pitt and DawgLover) is the willingness to trust whatever the news, political party, or government tell them. They don't question the government enough and trust far too much.
It's like they haven't done any research at all as it pertains to past CIA\NSA funded operations and programs. The government can perform any operation at any time and there are deep state actors that exists whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
You literally trust Trump and the GOP with whatever they tell you.
This is madness.
This is… Sparta!!!
Sorry I couldn’t resist.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
If you sit back and just observe the claims being made about each side by the other side, one thing will start to become very clear very quickly... either BOTH sides have devolved into the most extreme and horrific things we've ever seen (as both sides see themselves as virtuous while the other has lost their way) OR both groups of people on either side of the aisle are being continuously blasted with hate propaganda to constantly feed and stoke primal emotions to keep clicks and views going and the more it happens the more the constant repeating of messages become the "truth".
All you have to do to see this is to look at how each side reports about things and the vast chasm between the two reported realities.... and this is bidirectional. After you look at just a few instances, I think you'll see that we do NOT get information anymore. We get Infotainment. The people and industries we rely upon to keep us informed do not do their job the way WE need it because they have to generate traffic, views, clicks. So, they have to use inciting headlines that, at best, walk the line of credible interpretation of an event/situation. Hell, both sides shout constantly about "fake news" and "misinformation" and they're both right.
Originally Posted by Clem
"The America I've always known would never allow a 'fringe group' like this to have such an outsized voice in America's Public Square."
And this is kinda what I'm getting at, and this is from the perspective of seeing all of this as a much larger, much longer running issue. You have a video of a newscast (complete with music bed designed to heighten anxiety feelings like all newscasts do) showing this, in a post that immediately assigns it to a political affiliation - and everyone that aligns with that affiliation are just rolling with it as if it is a de facto representation of the opposing affiliation. Instead of this simply being a "well, there's a bunch a dirtbags doing stupid things", now it is hate/anger rhetoric assigned to an entire demographic with the insane suggestion that these people wouldn't still do the same thing no matter what, like they wouldn't do this if the election hadn't gone the other way despite the fact that the people that lost are actually still the ones sitting in power when this happened. Humans suck, "even in groups as small as two" (credit: George Carlin).
I don't know a single person anywhere that would support this sort of fringe group, and I do not believe they have an outsized voice at all, and I do believe they are just a small, isolated group of asshats, but if you were to believe the infotainment industry that "informs" most people today then, yeah, now this is just who half the population is... despite the fact that the video itself talks about normal everyday people going out to confront the asshats.
I do not watch the news. I try to avoid getting caught up in click-bait headlines and craftily worded rhetoric as most articles today are crafted to lead the reader to a specific conclusion/emotion. I try to look past the rhetoric to see the non-inflammatory story being reported. Don't take that statement the wrong way for this case, those guys are [self-censored] and need to be called out and shut down; however, as you stated, there is still 1A and 1A is worthless unless the things you don't want to hear are allowed to be said. It's the thing that sets us apart. Allow them to peaceably assemble and say what they say, and the *government* should not interfere.... however, *individuals* are free to hold them accountable.
The problem today is that the internet gives *everyone* a megaphone (and in this case, the news itself becomes one) and as the existence of nearly every single thread in this very forum demonstrates beyond any remote shadow of a doubt is that anger, hate, & division will get manipulated & amplified & echoed because it seems like most of America (the world?) has some sort of addiction to fear and anger directed at others to bolster how they feel about themselves. To give themselves righteousness. We all wish for, I think, a return to the days when there seemed to be more moderates, but the moderate view doesn't sell. Tabloid reporting sells and that is where nearly all journalism has gone, and as a result, that is where all readers have defaulted to. That said, this video is actually good journalism. It doesn't jump to conclusions, it doesn't attempt to assign it to something else. It doesn't make unfounded claims. All of that happened in here, in this thread. So, I firmly believe that the America you've always known is still here, and I feel I see it nearly every single day. All is NOT lost and everything is NOT cause for despair.
We are our own worst enemy and never are we more dangerous to ourselves than when we feed our fears.
You must have go-go-gadget arms to reach like that.
Own it, dude. This is what you've been pushing for for the past year. Can't back off now.
It depends what you think what I am pushing for, but your comments make that clear. Have a good day..
The thing that I've seen with many Democrats (even those who pretend they aren't, see Pitt and DawgLover) is the willingness to trust whatever the news, political party, or government tell them. They don't question the government enough and trust far too much.
It's like they haven't done any research at all as it pertains to past CIA\NSA funded operations and programs. The government can perform any operation at any time and there are deep state actors that exists whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
Do you understand how crazy that sounds. I mean, Trump said they are Eating the cats and they are eating the dogs... That was BS,., The top Republican in Ohio said that was BS.. The mayor of the Springfield said that was BS, The police chief said it was BS but idiot MAGA's believed it and fought with me over it...
Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth. Do you check to see if anything he said was/is true? No,, you just accept it.
You have the balls to complain about Democrats believing what the media reports but you clearly don't understand that most of us check it out. We go out and try to find out if it's true., but you and other MAGA types accept whatever that idiot Trump tells you as fact?
People like you have elected a Hitler wanna be.
Again, do you understand how crazy that is?
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
To your point (and I'm only speaking for myself here), if Democrats had won I probably would be slightly less snarky but would absolutely be laying into them as well.
Ditto. I don't disagree with what Prp said. I just happen to think one side has amplified the rhetoric a hell of a lot more than the other.
I think that the only difference is which rhetoric is getting amplified.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
I think that what one side is saying and trying to employee is a lot more dangerous than the other. If there’s any one thing I can’t stand about the Left’s rhetoric, it’s that they focus on every damn little thing rather than going after the glaring red flags and shortfalls.
On top of that, they complain about everything, yet proffer very little solutions about what to do. They need a game plan.
I also don’t think the Right has a game plan either, besides just trying to break everything, with the leader of the movement trying to do everything for his own self benefit.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
The problem the Dems have is the center left of the party have the nose rings and the progressive left have the bull staffs. As long as the people with sense are led by the wierdo's, you get what you get.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Y’all make excuses for racist then wonder why yall get called racist.
But go ahead and give them excuses like you did the other story.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
ABC News Masked group marches through Ohio neighborhood with swastika flags IVAN PEREIRA Sat, November 16, 2024 at 9:39 PM EST2 min read
Nazi demonstrators gather outside 'Diary of Anne Frank' play in MichiganScroll back up to restore default view. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
The governor of Ohio and city officials in Columbus are speaking out after a group of masked individuals marched through the streets of the Ohio capital city Saturday dressed in black and holding flags with swastikas on them.
The unidentified people were spotted around 1 p.m. walking through the Short North neighborhood, according to Columbus ABC affiliate WSYX. Images and videos of the marchers went viral on social media sites.
The Columbus Police were dispatched, and the investigation is ongoing.
"We will not tolerate hate in Ohio," Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement on the social media platform X on Saturday evening. "Neo-Nazis -- their faces hidden behind red masks -- roamed streets in Columbus today, carrying Nazi flags and spewing vile and racist speech against people of color and Jews. There were reports that they were also espousing white power sentiments."
He added, "There is no place in this State for hate, bigotry, antisemitism, or violence, and we must denounce it wherever we see it."
"The Columbus community stands squarely against hatred and bigotry. We will not allow any of our neighbors to be intimidated, threatened or harmed because of who they are, how they worship or whom they love," the City of Columbus said in a statement Saturday evening. "We embrace tolerance and acceptance, and derive great strength from our diversity. It is who we are as a people, and it is precisely what has enabled us to grow and thrive and reach new heights of excellence. Together, we reject the cowardly display reported in the Short North earlier today, and we will continue to monitor the situation in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police to ensure the safety and security of our city."
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein echoed those sentiments in a statement posted on X.
"To those involved in the neo-Nazi march in the Short North today, take your flags and the masks you hide behind and go home and never come back," he said. "Your hate isn’t welcome in our city."
Last week, a group of masked demonstrators were seen waving Nazi flags outside a production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in Howell, Michigan.
The protesters were asked to move and there were no arrests.
"The America I've always known would never allow a 'fringe group' like this to have such an outsized voice in America's Public Square."
And this is kinda what I'm getting at, and this is from the perspective of seeing all of this as a much larger, much longer running issue. You have a video of a newscast (complete with music bed designed to heighten anxiety feelings like all newscasts do) showing this, in a post that immediately assigns it to a political affiliation - and everyone that aligns with that affiliation are just rolling with it as if it is a de facto representation of the opposing affiliation. Instead of this simply being a "well, there's a bunch a dirtbags doing stupid things", now it is hate/anger rhetoric assigned to an entire demographic with the insane suggestion that these people wouldn't still do the same thing no matter what, like they wouldn't do this if the election hadn't gone the other way despite the fact that the people that lost are actually still the ones sitting in power when this happened. Humans suck, "even in groups as small as two" (credit: George Carlin).
I don't know a single person anywhere that would support this sort of fringe group, and I do not believe they have an outsized voice at all, and I do believe they are just a small, isolated group of asshats, but if you were to believe the infotainment industry that "informs" most people today then, yeah, now this is just who half the population is... despite the fact that the video itself talks about normal everyday people going out to confront the asshats.
I agree almost entirely with your post - it's a good post and makes soild points.
For me - where it misses or what it doesn't address - is the empowerment Trump has given these 'Nazis'. Yes they are dirtbags. Yes I don't know anyone that supports or thinks that behavior is okay. But unless I've missed if over the last 20 years - these dirtbags were not emboldened or enabled to the point where they would march like this before - camera and news and clips going viral or not ... these dirtbags were in the shadows and realized that society for the most part despized them..... Personally my own opinion - I think they feel empowered to act like this because Trump sends them dog whistles and panders to them by hosting people like Nick Fuentes or refusing to denounce David Duke (initially and then walking that back later).
I think it's possible and probable that your post is on the money while also failing to acknowledge why we have seen these two separate 'Nazi' demopnstrations within weeks of the election result.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
"I think it's possible and probable that your post is on the money while also failing to acknowledge why we have seen these two separate 'Nazi' demopnstrations within weeks of the election result"
That might be the one easy question to answer... The party of Hate has allowed them to think they are safe and say anything they want.
The person that they appear to worship is similar to the new President here. So, they probably feel as if it's a rebirth of the NAZI life. At the end of the day, I'd like to think we could stop them but who knows. I didn't think America was stupid enough to re-elect Trump. I was wrong about that for sure.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
The problem the Dems have is the center left of the party have the nose rings and the progressive left have the bull staffs. As long as the people with sense are led by the wierdo's, you get what you get.
You have to watch out for the "enemy of the people".
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
This is a weak trolling post. No connection to Trump. Just another bitter lefty troll post.
Meanwhile, the freak Joy Reid and her lefty cousin Sunny Hostin are blaming “uneducated white women” and “Latino men” for their sorrow. - That’s quoted racist rhetoric. They’ll both be looking for jobs soon. But don’t ask our MAGA King for a job. He doesn’t hire lefty racist losers.
Muahaha Muahaha!
Oh, good. Another person who does not know what racism is.
Racism arises from a position of power. Bigotry does not. Thus all racists are bigots but all bigots are not racists. Latino men most certainly voted for Trump in much larger numbers basically, imo, due to not wanting a woman as president. And speaking as a white guy, white people stupidly vote for Trump because they are flat out scared of changing demographics.
Trump’s supposedly denouncing white supremacy and racism is undermined by his history regarding lawsuits of the organization regarding not renting to Blacks. Not to mention that he is a liar. When he speaks, he lies.
You must have go-go-gadget arms to reach like that.
Own it, dude. This is what you've been pushing for for the past year. Can't back off now.
It depends what you think what I am pushing for, but your comments make that clear. Have a good day..
The thing that I've seen with many Democrats (even those who pretend they aren't, see Pitt and DawgLover) is the willingness to trust whatever the news, political party, or government tell them. They don't question the government enough and trust far too much.
It's like they haven't done any research at all as it pertains to past CIA\NSA funded operations and programs. The government can perform any operation at any time and there are deep state actors that exists whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
Do you understand how crazy that sounds. I mean, Trump said they are Eating the cats and they are eating the dogs... That was BS,., The top Republican in Ohio said that was BS.. The mayor of the Springfield said that was BS, The police chief said it was BS but idiot MAGA's believed it and fought with me over it...
Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth. Do you check to see if anything he said was/is true? No,, you just accept it.
You have the balls to complain about Democrats believing what the media reports but you clearly don't understand that most of us check it out. We go out and try to find out if it's true., but you and other MAGA types accept whatever that idiot Trump tells you as fact?
People like you have elected a Hitler wanna be.
Again, do you understand how crazy that is?
A Hitler wannabe? Get a grip man. You are completely and absolutely delusional.
He won the electoral college and the popular vote by a landslide. The people have spoken.
"The America I've always known would never allow a 'fringe group' like this to have such an outsized voice in America's Public Square."
And this is kinda what I'm getting at, and this is from the perspective of seeing all of this as a much larger, much longer running issue. You have a video of a newscast (complete with music bed designed to heighten anxiety feelings like all newscasts do) showing this, in a post that immediately assigns it to a political affiliation - and everyone that aligns with that affiliation are just rolling with it as if it is a de facto representation of the opposing affiliation. Instead of this simply being a "well, there's a bunch a dirtbags doing stupid things", now it is hate/anger rhetoric assigned to an entire demographic with the insane suggestion that these people wouldn't still do the same thing no matter what, like they wouldn't do this if the election hadn't gone the other way despite the fact that the people that lost are actually still the ones sitting in power when this happened. Humans suck, "even in groups as small as two" (credit: George Carlin).
I don't know a single person anywhere that would support this sort of fringe group, and I do not believe they have an outsized voice at all, and I do believe they are just a small, isolated group of asshats, but if you were to believe the infotainment industry that "informs" most people today then, yeah, now this is just who half the population is... despite the fact that the video itself talks about normal everyday people going out to confront the asshats.
I agree almost entirely with your post - it's a good post and makes soild points.
For me - where it misses or what it doesn't address - is the empowerment Trump has given these 'Nazis'. Yes they are dirtbags. Yes I don't know anyone that supports or thinks that behavior is okay. But unless I've missed if over the last 20 years - these dirtbags were not emboldened or enabled to the point where they would march like this before - camera and news and clips going viral or not ... these dirtbags were in the shadows and realized that society for the most part despized them..... Personally my own opinion - I think they feel empowered to act like this because Trump sends them dog whistles and panders to them by hosting people like Nick Fuentes or refusing to denounce David Duke (initially and then walking that back later).
I think it's possible and probable that your post is on the money while also failing to acknowledge why we have seen these two separate 'Nazi' demopnstrations within weeks of the election result.
That, and we are somehow supposed to NOT make a connection between because Trump doesn't have like a swastika tattooed onto his forehead. MAGA failing only to explicitly ally themselves with these hate groups makes people think they can just say "not my team... it could've been the dems" and they're good. "Stand down and stand by" somehow washed their hands of the association... despite what went down at the Capitol just a couple months after that statement (one that was made when he was asked to denounce one of those groups specifically).
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
When it walks like s duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's a duck. Winning an election doesn't change who he is. Deal with it
Honest question for you.
Hitler responsible for 6 million Jewish people. And WW2.
When you and others say Trump is Hitler 2.0 ..... Can you understand why that looks and sounds ridiculous under scrutiny?
Yes, apparently/allegedly Donald Trump has said favourable things about Hitler all things that he did. To be honest, I've said favourable things about Donald Trump because I think he's a genius at some parts of what he does and how he manipulates the media. And that doesn't mean I admire or like Trump. It means I acknowledge that he does some things well.
I'd also go so far as to say that there's things that Trump has done, like disparage the media and call them the enemy of the people, that Hitler did. That doesn't make Trump on the same level as Hitler..... Hitler is best known for killing 6 million Jews, not his media manipulation or lies or whatever. Got him into power so any Hitler reference seems to me to lose credibility unless you can narrow the discussion to why or how the reference is being made.
Last edited by mgh888; 11/18/2402:40 PM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
I have explained this many times before. Hitler didn't start out by killing six million Jews. But the rhetoric trump uses is just like Hitler at the beginning. That doesn't mean the ending will turn out to be the same. All one needs to do is listen to Hitler in the early 30's to see how starkly similar their message and rhetoric is.
It's a tactic that describes anyone who says anything against him as "the enemy of the people". He describes the free press as "the enemy of the people". His political opponents as "the enemy of the people". Illegal immigrants as "the enemy of the people".
I know you can see that. I know you understand that. Will it end up the same in the end? I highly doubt that. But people shouldn't be naive enough to question that both started out spewing the same divisive message to feel those who don't share their views are the enemy within their own society. That those people were all somehow "sub-human" and or evil. At this juncture if you were to compare trump's message to that of Hitler in his early years of political ambition and power.... It walks like s duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
It's not my fault you either refuse to see it or plead ignorance while pretending not to.
The phrase is not exclusive to Hitler or Goebbels, nor did it originated with them in a political sense. That won't matter to you, you will continue to pretend that you've cracked the code and Trump is Hitler Jr with out coming close to understanding the history of the Nazi rise.
It's just one glaring example. So you are right in the fact Hitler isn't the only despot to which trump could be compared to at this point in the process.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
It's just one glaring example. So you are right in the fact Hitler isn't the only despot to which trump could be compared to at this point in the process.
It's not really glaring. It is incidental at best. Hitler was referring to Jewish people while Trump was discussing the media, and in that he is way more Stalinesque than Hitlerish. But you've been told he is Hitler and until they change the programming you will parrot it over and over.
The problem the Dems have is the center left of the party have the nose rings and the progressive left have the bull staffs. As long as the people with sense are led by the wierdo's, you get what you get.
Well, at least we don't have a three time married, cheater who lies about people eating dogs and cats in the middle of a presidential debate... But you'll find a way to make that less important because it's the idiot you probably voted for.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
It's just one glaring example. So you are right in the fact Hitler isn't the only despot to which trump could be compared to at this point in the process.
It's not really glaring. It is incidental at best. Hitler was referring to Jewish people while Trump was discussing the media, and in that he is way more Stalinesque than Hitlerish. But you've been told he is Hitler and until they change the programming you will parrot it over and over.
The media, liberal politicians and immigrants. They are all on his list of "The enemy of the people".
The message in the early days of Hitler and trump basically echo each other. Those with ears get it. Those making excuses for it don't. If you wish to continue with your game of semantics you can play it alone.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
It's just one glaring example. So you are right in the fact Hitler isn't the only despot to which trump could be compared to at this point in the process.
It's not really glaring. It is incidental at best. Hitler was referring to Jewish people while Trump was discussing the media, and in that he is way more Stalinesque than Hitlerish. But you've been told he is Hitler and until they change the programming you will parrot it over and over.
The media, liberal politicians and immigrants. They are all on his list of "The enemy of the people".
The message in the early days of Hitler and trump basically echo each other. Those with ears get it. Those making excuses for it don't. If you wish to continue with your game of semantics you can play it alone.
We've been over this ad nauseam. No matter how many times you have been shown you are still in denial. I'm not repeating it again. It's not close enough to Christmas for me to be playing your reindeer games.
It's both.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
We've been over this ad nauseam. No matter how many times you have been shown you are still in denial. I'm not repeating it again. It's not close enough to Christmas for me to be playing your reindeer games.
It's both.
Originally it was phrasesing, now it is tactics. Please do tell us the tactics now.
Your denial is not attractive. Deploying the military in the United States with the faux excuse of calling it a national emergency should be an obvious clue to you. But clues do not work with the clueless.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Your denial is not attractive. Deploying the military in the United States with the faux excuse of calling it a national emergency should be an obvious clue to you. But clues do not work with the clueless.
I don't really care about being attractive to you.
You've tried to over generalize again to make a connection. You are seeing nazis where there are none.
Where did I say I saw Nazi's? Try again Skippy. I never said that. I said that trump is invoking the same language and tactics that Hitler used in the early days of his political career are obvious. The facts are obvious no matter how much nonsense you spew.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Where did I say I saw Nazi's? Try again Skippy. I never said that. I said that trump is invoking the same language and tactics that Hitler used in the early days of his political career are obvious. The facts are obvious no matter how much nonsense you spew.
You've compared Trump to Hitler. Hitler was a Nazi. You did know Hitler was a Nazi right? You did know he was the leader of the Nazi party starting in 1921, you know his early years where you have tried to tie Trump to?
For someone trying, desperately, to claim Trump is like Hitler you seem to know very little about what you are whinging about. That's pretty on brand for you though. Go read a history book or three.
So.... I went and googled "how trump mirrors Hitler" looking for something in depth that may more eloquently analyze the similarities or differences... With details and examples.
I hit gold. From a reliable source for me... Left leaning but factually accurate when providing analysis, pretty good and differentiating between opinion and news.
No Trump isn't like Hitler other than their the way in which they might be considered political artists.
I hope everyone takes 5 minutes to read the article. I think it's 100% spot on and well structured. It doesnt make any incredulous claims.it examines and dives into what makes Trump popular. I'm on phone but will try to cut n paste a paragraph.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Above all, De Berg argues, Hitler and Trump were and are political performance artists who speak only vaguely about policies – Make Germany/America great again – but know how to draw attention using jokes, insults and extreme language. In this they differ from Joseph Stalin, the Soviet autocrat who was a poor public speaker and preferred to work behind the scenes.
Their extremist statements are very deliberately meant to provoke a reaction and to get them into the press. Hitler actually writes quite openly about this in Mein Kampf and this of course is the challenge: what do you then do as a journalist or as an opposing political party when the other person makes these extreme statements?
“Do you then not report these things, but then the populists will say whatever they want to say? Or do you contradict them and point out the lies and the extremism, but in that way you’re only drawing more attention to the fact that they’re running and to all they’re proposing?”
Along with its headline-grabbing potential, the extremist language also plays well with many voters. De Berg says: “Most of their electorate are dissatisfied with the status quo for a variety of reasons – globalisation, automation – so they want to change the system and here you have an anti-establishment candidate who is not politically correct, who says that we will sort it, who doesn’t come up with all these ‘cowardly, rotten compromises’.”
Many such voters are ready to blame a scapegoat, “the other”. Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s defeat in the first world war; Trump launched his 2015 campaign demonising immigrants from Mexico and continues to put border security front and centre. “It decomplexifies the world. Instead of abstract social structures and historical developments, you have one specific group of people that you can blame all your problems on.”
One of the touchstone observations from the early Trump years came from the journalist Salena Zito. In September 2016 she wrote in a column for the Atlantic magazine that “the press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally”.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
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