“Where does the water go?” was the question my daughter asked me as we were standing beside a beautifully flowing river in Montana. I told her the river flows to the ocean. It is the same with fascists, Nazis and other extremists who cannot hide their malice and hatred towards specific groups of people. They cannot conceal their venomous animosity towards women, Jews, Blacks and other minorities. In the end, every word, action, incitement and act of violence finds its way towards the same scapegoats. The hatred isn’t ephemeral or abstract. It is targeted, boiling, strategic and political. It is attached to an ambition to write the future. They seek to obtain political power from which justice can be dispensed towards the greatest threat to civilization — which is always some combination of Blacks, Jews and women.
Afraid, yes. For this country and the non-existence of the rule of law. Insurrectionist who are re-seated in congress. Nothing, not a peep from DOJ, not an interview, none of them questioned. Raised multi-thousands to campaign, no one knocked on their doors and said”where were you when”?
Michael Flynn still collecting his retired General’s salary, preparing for war, spreading conspiracy theories. Nothing from DOJ. Fuentes proudly and loudly praising Hitler. Nothing from DOJ.
Elon Musk is our arbiter of moral acceptance. Think about that.
We are in serious trouble. More insurrection is occurring- and nothing from the place, the would be regulator- the would be hero of this story, this country, this democracy- the ever so silent DOJ. Urging us to believe they’re at work. Ha.
One of my favorite movies is Hitchcock’s “Spellbound.” It is an homage to psychoanalysis. Ingrid Bergman’s character is a psychiatrist whose mentor (a thinly veiled Freud) tells her, “you keep bumping your head against reality and saying it isn’t there.” That statement encapsulates the GOP, the media, & the DOJ. It is all too easy to live in an alternate reality when the consequences are rewarding. We are in dangerous times indeed. Sociopathy is the underlying psychology behind the growing extremist movement. Too few are ringing the alarm. Thank you, Steve, for being one of the few.
My question is "what is the counter message that will lead vulnerable white men away from this messaging?" There has to be a more appealing alternative message to which they can subscribe. Right now, fearmongering, scapegoating, and clan tribalism are winning. They play to the primitive brain. If you haven't read Ken Wilber's, Trump and the Post-Truth World, I would encourage you to do so. I don't have the answer but I believe asking the question shifts us to look not just at the reality but begin to lean more toward creating a different narrative that can break through this fear- and hate-based one.
The early followers of Jesus (who were not called Christians) in the early communities chose a way of living and being that had the power to transform people's lives - even the most lost and hated. Conversion of the heart changes the way people think, feel and act. I am not saying you have to follow Jesus - all religions at their core aim to "realign" our hearts- but I am saying that when hearts are changed, much is possible. What is it that lies in the hearts of these young men that fuels their fear and hatred? Thoughts and feelings are dependent on the other. A thought creates a feeling; a feeling creates a thought. The heart wins over the brain, hands down. We can think and talk and increase our knowledge but at the end of the day, it is how all this information, reading other people's ideas and talking that impacts the heart. What are the words, the messages, the narratives that will shift the hearts of these individuals? Again I don't have an answer, but the question is an important one to ask.
I'm Jewish and yes, Nick Fuentes and his ilk absolutely terrify me. How could they not? I heard the "Jews will not replace us" chants in Charlottesville loud and clear, and am fully aware that what starts with words never ends with words (See Pittsburgh, Poway, etc., etc.). It is only a matter of time before there is another mass casualty event due to an anti-Semitic attack. When I moved to the United States in 1991, I never imagined such a situation.
According to Timothy Snyder https://youtu.be/pnTxz4dpRyQ the real violence comes much later and further away that people witnessing the rise of Fascism could not see what is coming. Yesterday “Putin respected the Trump administration, says former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo”. https://youtu.be/Znkdf0Z2EG8 You can obviously see the link between Pompeo/Trump encouraging Putin to where we are now.
There has always been a sick fascination with fascism and especially Nazism in this country. Anti Jewish hate has always been lurking under the surface of popular culture. Nick Fuentes and people like him are shit stains that need to be exposed and their ideology torn to bits. We need a countermovement to go after these sickos!
I feel like I write the same thing in the comment section every day, but here I go again...the solution is to democratically beat them and rid the system of their leaders. Focus on winning elections rather than obsessing about the awful things the other side does. The Democrats have the numbers on their side. Every poll says the same thing. MAGA and the Republicans have a ceiling of 40% of the public. A strong leader with a clear vision for the future and a passion for preserving our democracy is needed to unite the factions within the party and bring independents and former Republicans into the fold. Democrats get too caught up in specific issues and standing up for what they believe is right. That's all great, but in order to do those great things you have to win elections first. A little more focus on winning in 2016 by not letting Trump take Wisconsin would have preserved Roe. Yet, they demonize Manchin and Sinema. They completely ignore the opportunity to expand their base by opening their tent and letting in Liz Cheney, Adam Kinsinger, and any other democracy-loving Republican. Ben Franklin would be shaking his head now because we have a strong republic but don't seem to act like we want to keep it. Stop falling for distractions like George Santos and look inward and ask how do we not only win in 2024, but dominate. The idiots and Nazi's won't go away unless we take their power away. Right now, we have a minority faction of a minority party calling the shots. The majority needs to get their act together. Sorry for the one-paragraph rant!
Agreed. Rational, critical thinking people should read these two articles and be terrified. Terrified out of their secure bubble that the atrocities of the mid 20th century won’t be repeated in the 21st.
Before reading your links, before rereading what you have repeatedly denounced, I must say this. It is my opinion that people tend to brush away such violence of thought coming from extremists as "deranged." I think like you that"(It) is targeted, boiling, strategic and political." That the extreme influencer Nick Fuentes finds a crowd, like any menial loser who finds a voice to hustle religion for self enrichment and amoral servitude from its followers, like the Bannon-Jones grifting enterprises that not even jail seems to stop, not even trials abate, because enriching themselves at every opportunity perpetuates the turning of facts into lies paid by the captive audience under their mantric grip, that such a loser operates freely in campuses of learning, makes me look at the societal failures that allows this. The First Amendment. We must learn how to use it strategically. In higher education it is confronted with Critical Thinking. Student organizers, professors, administrators are responsible for this. There is such a moral force in the opposition that it is not being used to its maximum effect. The Republican Party is finished. The McCarthy-MTG is as debased as it gets when the truth about racial hate is exposed. George Santos is the cherry on top of a melting iceberg. It is up to us lovers of the First Amendment who see the destruction it brings in a nation with the capacity to stop the "targeted, boiling, strategic and political" maneuverings of Mike Flynn. A general court-martial. Must it take an insurrection to try in a court of law extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys? The very names of these groups must make anyone with some brains wonder What... in the world is going on...! GeorgeS has the last word. He actually beat McCarthy, MTG, Fuentes and Flynn in their own game for subverting democracy. He Is A Congressman Via... Elon Musk? Zuckerberg? TikTok? Really?
There was a third guest at the infamous dinner at Mar-a-Lago whose name never appears in mainstream reporting on the event. The fact he's been written out of the story shows that even attention-seeking extremists and madmen can go too far. He's Milo Yiannopoulos. Remember him? The bad-boy right-wing troll and bomb-thrower became an unperson overnight when he extolled the virtues of sex between 13-year-old boys and adults.
Yiannopoulos is basing his as-yet unsuccessful comeback on his stint as an intern for Marjorie Talyor Greene in 2022 and his collaboration with Kanye West on the latter's 2024 presidential bid.
The media's failure to mention Milo in connection with the fascist summit must be killing him.
I had a conversation with a guy that used to be my friend… He is now totally brainwashed by the MAGA movement. His words were taken very seriously when he said “we’ve got the guns!” This is some crazy shit. He went from somebody that had an ideology more akin to moderate Republican lower my taxes to a full on extremist radical. My response to him was “you ain’t the only one with guns!” He knows that I am a trade unionist and vote Democratic. We used to have conversations that would end up with a handshake, and we would agree to disagree. Now I don’t know what to think. But I am armed and dangerous too.
Sometime I muse that at 82 it is nice to know that I won't live to see just how terrible this country is going to become. There are also times when I applaud the very brave people who I know will be fighting to keep the good parts after I am gone. I was born in 1940, a terrible time, I assume I will be leaving at a time that looks so similar.. Please, all of you good people, don't let it all happen again.
Afraid, yes. For this country and the non-existence of the rule of law. Insurrectionist who are re-seated in congress. Nothing, not a peep from DOJ, not an interview, none of them questioned. Raised multi-thousands to campaign, no one knocked on their doors and said”where were you when”?
Michael Flynn still collecting his retired General’s salary, preparing for war, spreading conspiracy theories. Nothing from DOJ. Fuentes proudly and loudly praising Hitler. Nothing from DOJ.
Elon Musk is our arbiter of moral acceptance. Think about that.
We are in serious trouble. More insurrection is occurring- and nothing from the place, the would be regulator- the would be hero of this story, this country, this democracy- the ever so silent DOJ. Urging us to believe they’re at work. Ha.
Yes, afraid.
One of my favorite movies is Hitchcock’s “Spellbound.” It is an homage to psychoanalysis. Ingrid Bergman’s character is a psychiatrist whose mentor (a thinly veiled Freud) tells her, “you keep bumping your head against reality and saying it isn’t there.” That statement encapsulates the GOP, the media, & the DOJ. It is all too easy to live in an alternate reality when the consequences are rewarding. We are in dangerous times indeed. Sociopathy is the underlying psychology behind the growing extremist movement. Too few are ringing the alarm. Thank you, Steve, for being one of the few.
My question is "what is the counter message that will lead vulnerable white men away from this messaging?" There has to be a more appealing alternative message to which they can subscribe. Right now, fearmongering, scapegoating, and clan tribalism are winning. They play to the primitive brain. If you haven't read Ken Wilber's, Trump and the Post-Truth World, I would encourage you to do so. I don't have the answer but I believe asking the question shifts us to look not just at the reality but begin to lean more toward creating a different narrative that can break through this fear- and hate-based one.
The early followers of Jesus (who were not called Christians) in the early communities chose a way of living and being that had the power to transform people's lives - even the most lost and hated. Conversion of the heart changes the way people think, feel and act. I am not saying you have to follow Jesus - all religions at their core aim to "realign" our hearts- but I am saying that when hearts are changed, much is possible. What is it that lies in the hearts of these young men that fuels their fear and hatred? Thoughts and feelings are dependent on the other. A thought creates a feeling; a feeling creates a thought. The heart wins over the brain, hands down. We can think and talk and increase our knowledge but at the end of the day, it is how all this information, reading other people's ideas and talking that impacts the heart. What are the words, the messages, the narratives that will shift the hearts of these individuals? Again I don't have an answer, but the question is an important one to ask.
I'm Jewish and yes, Nick Fuentes and his ilk absolutely terrify me. How could they not? I heard the "Jews will not replace us" chants in Charlottesville loud and clear, and am fully aware that what starts with words never ends with words (See Pittsburgh, Poway, etc., etc.). It is only a matter of time before there is another mass casualty event due to an anti-Semitic attack. When I moved to the United States in 1991, I never imagined such a situation.
General Flynn needs to be un-Generalled. He’s a danger to society.
Nick is tapping into young vulnerable men. He’s read Nazi propaganda. Just following his idol. Will these fools kill or die for “their cause”?
It’s a civil war already. It’s not announced but raging.. be scared and prepare. It’s going to get uglier before any better happens.
According to Timothy Snyder https://youtu.be/pnTxz4dpRyQ the real violence comes much later and further away that people witnessing the rise of Fascism could not see what is coming. Yesterday “Putin respected the Trump administration, says former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo”. https://youtu.be/Znkdf0Z2EG8 You can obviously see the link between Pompeo/Trump encouraging Putin to where we are now.
There has always been a sick fascination with fascism and especially Nazism in this country. Anti Jewish hate has always been lurking under the surface of popular culture. Nick Fuentes and people like him are shit stains that need to be exposed and their ideology torn to bits. We need a countermovement to go after these sickos!
I feel like I write the same thing in the comment section every day, but here I go again...the solution is to democratically beat them and rid the system of their leaders. Focus on winning elections rather than obsessing about the awful things the other side does. The Democrats have the numbers on their side. Every poll says the same thing. MAGA and the Republicans have a ceiling of 40% of the public. A strong leader with a clear vision for the future and a passion for preserving our democracy is needed to unite the factions within the party and bring independents and former Republicans into the fold. Democrats get too caught up in specific issues and standing up for what they believe is right. That's all great, but in order to do those great things you have to win elections first. A little more focus on winning in 2016 by not letting Trump take Wisconsin would have preserved Roe. Yet, they demonize Manchin and Sinema. They completely ignore the opportunity to expand their base by opening their tent and letting in Liz Cheney, Adam Kinsinger, and any other democracy-loving Republican. Ben Franklin would be shaking his head now because we have a strong republic but don't seem to act like we want to keep it. Stop falling for distractions like George Santos and look inward and ask how do we not only win in 2024, but dominate. The idiots and Nazi's won't go away unless we take their power away. Right now, we have a minority faction of a minority party calling the shots. The majority needs to get their act together. Sorry for the one-paragraph rant!
Michael Flynn is an extremely dangerous man.
He scares me because I don’t think DOJ is moving fast enough. Why are they still walking free? He was at the 1/6 insurrection wasn’t he?
Just yesterday, I commented to my husband, being replaced is no longer a Jewish problem, it's an everybody problem.
Agreed. Rational, critical thinking people should read these two articles and be terrified. Terrified out of their secure bubble that the atrocities of the mid 20th century won’t be repeated in the 21st.
Before reading your links, before rereading what you have repeatedly denounced, I must say this. It is my opinion that people tend to brush away such violence of thought coming from extremists as "deranged." I think like you that"(It) is targeted, boiling, strategic and political." That the extreme influencer Nick Fuentes finds a crowd, like any menial loser who finds a voice to hustle religion for self enrichment and amoral servitude from its followers, like the Bannon-Jones grifting enterprises that not even jail seems to stop, not even trials abate, because enriching themselves at every opportunity perpetuates the turning of facts into lies paid by the captive audience under their mantric grip, that such a loser operates freely in campuses of learning, makes me look at the societal failures that allows this. The First Amendment. We must learn how to use it strategically. In higher education it is confronted with Critical Thinking. Student organizers, professors, administrators are responsible for this. There is such a moral force in the opposition that it is not being used to its maximum effect. The Republican Party is finished. The McCarthy-MTG is as debased as it gets when the truth about racial hate is exposed. George Santos is the cherry on top of a melting iceberg. It is up to us lovers of the First Amendment who see the destruction it brings in a nation with the capacity to stop the "targeted, boiling, strategic and political" maneuverings of Mike Flynn. A general court-martial. Must it take an insurrection to try in a court of law extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys? The very names of these groups must make anyone with some brains wonder What... in the world is going on...! GeorgeS has the last word. He actually beat McCarthy, MTG, Fuentes and Flynn in their own game for subverting democracy. He Is A Congressman Via... Elon Musk? Zuckerberg? TikTok? Really?
There was a third guest at the infamous dinner at Mar-a-Lago whose name never appears in mainstream reporting on the event. The fact he's been written out of the story shows that even attention-seeking extremists and madmen can go too far. He's Milo Yiannopoulos. Remember him? The bad-boy right-wing troll and bomb-thrower became an unperson overnight when he extolled the virtues of sex between 13-year-old boys and adults.
Yiannopoulos is basing his as-yet unsuccessful comeback on his stint as an intern for Marjorie Talyor Greene in 2022 and his collaboration with Kanye West on the latter's 2024 presidential bid.
The media's failure to mention Milo in connection with the fascist summit must be killing him.
I had a conversation with a guy that used to be my friend… He is now totally brainwashed by the MAGA movement. His words were taken very seriously when he said “we’ve got the guns!” This is some crazy shit. He went from somebody that had an ideology more akin to moderate Republican lower my taxes to a full on extremist radical. My response to him was “you ain’t the only one with guns!” He knows that I am a trade unionist and vote Democratic. We used to have conversations that would end up with a handshake, and we would agree to disagree. Now I don’t know what to think. But I am armed and dangerous too.
Sometime I muse that at 82 it is nice to know that I won't live to see just how terrible this country is going to become. There are also times when I applaud the very brave people who I know will be fighting to keep the good parts after I am gone. I was born in 1940, a terrible time, I assume I will be leaving at a time that looks so similar.. Please, all of you good people, don't let it all happen again.