This is fascism. There is nothing "semi" about it. This is not "normal" political discourse, DeSantis is not a "normal" governor, and the Republican Party is not a "normal" political organization. It is fascism.
"Hide your books to avoid felony charges, Florida schools tell teachers. Unsure what titles violate new state rules, two school districts tell educators to conceal every book for now":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/31/florida-hide-books-stop-woke-manatee-county-duval-county-desantis/
By the way, I don't say this lightly. I'd also urge people to not expect fascism in the 2020s to look exactly like fascism in the 1920s. There are still shouty marches and uniforms and torches, but that's not all. Think about narratives of decline from former glory, contempt for deliberation/diversity/compromise, ethnic nationalism, authoritarianism, the idea that violence is a cleansing force, misogyny and chauvinism, homophobia and transphobia, and the "strong male leader" shtick. All there.
(And this is an incomplete list, obviously. Racism, anti-Semitism, cult-like conformity expected from one's political party/organization/etc., contempt for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses - hello, COVID denial -, deep distrust and hatred towards everything associated with what is considered to be "modern," i.e., "politically correct," "woke," etc. It is not subtle at all. This is fascism. And I'm tired of people telling me to overreact.
Being told you are over reacting probably happened in the 1920s and look what happened. Either these people support the republicans OR they have their heads buried in the sand so they don't have to accept what is going on, they will then have to deal with it in some way.
What the wealthy #industrialists want is not so much a race wiped out, but they will Stoke that division if it allows them cover while they make money in #slaveLabour and #concentrationCamps, which the #BushCrimeFamily were able to do for example. Their fortunes would go on to support a political dynasty of two presidents.
@zleap
3/4
With this in mind we can look at what tools were exploited at that time to sow hatred and division, and what tools they might use today. The tools may be not so different! Today we have vast #QE, a convenient tool for creating extreme #inequality, fast. We saw during covid the (reported) $420 billion that went straight to the top. Extreme #inequality is a basis on which to build a fascist state, with a desperately poor. Central Banking started in 1914.
@zleap
4/4
Also noteworthy re #COVID, it has strained #relationships heavily. A similar outbreak of disease happened prior to 1930s.
The automated and targetted ways in which memes and propaganda can be given via closed #socialMedia is new to today. Also new, our internet is become Man-in-the-Middled by the corporate state (actual #militaryContractors mostly, if not all). A handful of fascist entities control and see 95-99% of internet traffic today.
@zleap @tychosoft @historleans
In many ways its too late. We beleieve 2020-21 was the time to resist, the corporate state and technofacsists.
People allowed themselves to be distracted.
The Russia-hate has a veneer of being popular, mainstream and consented to. That is all the consent they need now to kill off a lot of people.
Its sort of baked-in now.
If you don't have an underground bunker start digging a hole somewhere.
@zleap @tychosoft @historleans
By "they" we don't mean people of one country, obviously, but the transnational corporate class who benefitted from our inability to organise especially during 2019-21. The type who have the island bunker bug-outs.
@zleap
Given that #fascism is the melding of govt with big business, we predict that without people effectively resisting the corporate state, indeed yes, a lot of the ugly themes mentioned above will be revived. An #atomised population are easier to control. Division and hate are like roads that allows the fascism to travel.
1/4
@tychosoft
@historleans