A few thoughts about January 6, 2021

Recommended Videos

tstorm823

Elite Member
Legacy
Aug 4, 2011
7,660
978
118
Country
USA
No particular agenda there I'm sure.
To be fair, that fun fact was relevant recently. When people were saying Trump's more controversial pardons were cover so that people wouldn't pay attention to what else he was doing, the direct precedent was Clinton (on his last day as president) pardoning multiple convicted bombers, including one of those women, so that the news would gloss over him pardoning his own brother. So like, that event is going to be a new fun fact in many people's minds from this past month.
 

Seanchaidh

Elite Member
Legacy
Mar 21, 2009
6,132
3,706
118
Country
United States of America
just that it's a conflict of interest when someone who made their money setting up business deals with Soviets writes a piece suggesting America is fascist.
Which interests are conflicting?
 

tstorm823

Elite Member
Legacy
Aug 4, 2011
7,660
978
118
Country
USA
Which interests are conflicting?
American pride puts anyone working with Soviets in a bad position for public relations. Spreading the idea that America is fascist softens people's view of his position.
 

Cicada 5

Elite Member
Apr 16, 2015
3,136
1,706
118
Country
Nigeria
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Orders ‘Stand Down’ Across the Armed Forces in Effort to Address Extremism in the Ranks
The attempted insurrection at the Capitol last month left many of us shocked and horrified. Within the Pentagon, that horror was only compounded by the realization that many service members—both active duty and retired—participated in the riot. In an effort to address the extremism within the military’s ranks, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a “stand down.”

CBS News reports, the order was issued by Austin in a meeting with all the service secretaries and service chiefs on Wednesday. The stand down will implement a break in the regular activities of service members and is intended to allow “each service, each command and each unit can take the time out to have these needed discussions with the men and women of the force,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.

The stand down is slated to take place over 60 days in order to give commanders the flexibility and time needed to schedule the events and discussion they deem necessary.

The stand down is meant to reiterate what behavior is expected of service members, as well as to find an understanding of the scope of the issue, according to KCTV 5. Beyond that, it’s not clear what these discussions and events could look like.
 

Trunkage

Nascent Orca
Legacy
Jun 21, 2012
9,370
3,163
118
Brisbane
Gender
Cyborg
American pride puts anyone working with Soviets in a bad position for public relations. Spreading the idea that America is fascist softens people's view of his position.
I mean, it would be really cool if someone on either side of politics in the US would at least have look at the 14 points and try to do anything that doesn't match it.

Yes I know. You think the 14 are vague and can't be used as a good test. We can try it out on a bunch of countries if you like... see if there is some way NOT to do some of these 14 points
 

Seanchaidh

Elite Member
Legacy
Mar 21, 2009
6,132
3,706
118
Country
United States of America
American pride puts anyone working with Soviets in a bad position for public relations. Spreading the idea that America is fascist softens people's view of his position.
Seems like a bit of a reach.
 

tstorm823

Elite Member
Legacy
Aug 4, 2011
7,660
978
118
Country
USA
I mean, it would be really cool if someone on either side of politics in the US would at least have look at the 14 points and try to do anything that doesn't match it.

Yes I know. You think the 14 are vague and can't be used as a good test. We can try it out on a bunch of countries if you like... see if there is some way NOT to do some of these 14 points
You misunderstand. It's not that they're too vague to be a good test. It's that they were never a definition of fascism to begin with. The purpose of that essay wasn't a scholarly assessment of fascism. It was a deliberate description of specifically America under George W Bush. It's not the 14 points of facism, so much as it's the 14 vague parallels some guy could draw between the US and Nazi Germany.

If you want to look into actual definitions of fascism, you'll find some things the sound vaguely like Repubicans, some like Democrats, and some like no major political movement in the US. Mussolini said no spiritual value can exist outside the state. That does not sound like America. Umberto Eco talks of action for actions sake: what part of American government do you see just taking actions for action sake? Cause I'm not seeing it in our slow, conservative government. Emilio Gentile described fascism as anti-capitalist. You can go through that list (at least until you reach the communists near the bottom) and consistently go "oh, that person is not talking about the US". And funny enough, you're not gonna find "Lawrence Britt" on that page, despite having the most famous list of fascist characteristics. Why? Because that list is garbage, and was designed from conception as a criticism of the US.

He may as well have said "fascists in Italy and Germany had red on their flags. The US has red on it's flag. Are we fascists? *wink wink*"
 
  • Like
Reactions: Specter Von Baren

Revnak

We must imagine Sisyphus horny
Legacy
May 25, 2020
2,944
3,099
118
Country
USA
Umberto Eco talks of action for actions sake: what part of American government do you see just taking actions for action sake? Cause I'm not seeing it in our slow, conservative government.
Eco is describing ideology, not how a government works, and you’re ignoring that Eco’s definition deliberately includes multiple blatant “contradictions” that are at least as significant as the one you’re pointing out here. Ur-Fascism doesn’t present traits an ideology can contrast to, it presents a list of (often contradictory) characteristics a fascist movement will likely embrace on some level. If you look for it, no fascist movement cleanly maps on to Ur-Fascism, a point Eco acknowledges and explains as being part of why he chose contradictory elements since, reasonably, no fascist movement cleanly maps on to another despite all clearly being connected to one another.
 

tstorm823

Elite Member
Legacy
Aug 4, 2011
7,660
978
118
Country
USA
Eco is describing ideology, not how a government works, and you’re ignoring that Eco’s definition deliberately includes multiple blatant “contradictions” that are at least as significant as the one you’re pointing out here. Ur-Fascism doesn’t present traits an ideology can contrast to, it presents a list of (often contradictory) characteristics a fascist movement will likely embrace on some level. If you look for it, no fascist movement cleanly maps on to Ur-Fascism, a point Eco acknowledges and explains as being part of why he chose contradictory elements since, reasonably, no fascist movement cleanly maps on to another despite all clearly being connected to one another.
I'm not inclined to disagree with that assessment, I doubt you are either, so when you see 14 points that map to the US and none that dont, you should be suspicious that it was deliberate.
 

Revnak

We must imagine Sisyphus horny
Legacy
May 25, 2020
2,944
3,099
118
Country
USA
I'm not inclined to disagree with that assessment, I doubt you are either, so when you see 14 points that map to the US and none that dont, you should be suspicious that it was deliberate.
I’ll grant you that. The 14 points listed in mimicry of Eco suck ass and fail to understand fascism in any depth.
 

Houseman

Mad Hatter Meme Machine.
Legacy
Apr 4, 2020
3,910
760
118
AOC apparently claimed that she was almost murdered during the Capitol riot, but then it turns out she wasn't even in the same building.
 

Revnak

We must imagine Sisyphus horny
Legacy
May 25, 2020
2,944
3,099
118
Country
USA
AOC apparently claimed that she was almost murdered during the Capitol riot, but then it turns out she wasn't even in the same building.
“Guys storm neighboring building explicitly planning to kill you and you’re scared and upset by that”
Cowardice. Childish. False flag.

Edit- let’s apply this to, I dunno, literally anyone you’ve defended. Rittenhouse wasn’t charged, people just charged nearby him. The fraud wasn’t against Trump, it was on American ballots. Andy Ngo wasn’t punched, his goggles were.
 

Avnger

Trash Goblin
Legacy
Apr 1, 2016
2,124
1,251
118
Country
United States
AOC apparently claimed that she was almost murdered during the Capitol riot, but then it turns out she wasn't even in the same building.
You're just jealous she hasn't sent you feet pics yet.
 

Houseman

Mad Hatter Meme Machine.
Legacy
Apr 4, 2020
3,910
760
118
“Guys storm neighboring building explicitly planning to kill you and you’re scared and upset by that”
Cowardice. Childish. False flag.
Then why didn't they storm her office?