17 Comments
User's avatar
MARY's avatar

Thank you !

For there to be a path out of this, we have to name the Fascism they are rolling out and behave accordingly. " When people tell you who they are, believe them. "

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Maggie's avatar

This is a really great series. Thanks for writing it.

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Jim's avatar

Ok, now how do we stop it?

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Rod Marvin's avatar

You reference a 48-minute rant that forms the basis for this excellent article but I do not see a reference or link to the subject speech. Will/Can you supply one? Thanks.

Resist. React. Repeat.

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The Rational League's avatar

I added it to the bottom of the article

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i don't wanna's avatar

the link to audio?

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Dapperdan247's avatar

Follow the grievance. What possibly could have gone in a different direction started with perceived loss of status, REAL loss of job/income, perception of "lost manhood", etc- the items can be more or less but always familiar.

"Grievance sanctified" MUST not be underated, sure dems lost, but in no small part grievance WON. Trump administration at large stokes AND condones VOICING these grievances.

Instead of white men being told to sit down and shut up because they're too damn privileged, MAGA begs them to let it all out.

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Grizzly96's avatar

I think you would benefit from a good editor. You tend to repeat the same points many times. A good editor would make it more succinct and more readable.

In spite of that I find your analysis compelling. The question that needs to be answered is how do you deal with people showing these traits. If they are impervious to facts, logic and analytical thinking, how do you at least ameliorate the situation? Otherwise it seems that their effort to exercise domination demands that you take a similar approach as a matter of self defense. That just leads to violence which is the destruction of democratic norms and forms that they seek.

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Richard Gay's avatar

The pathological need for certainty will cause MAGAs to lash out with verbal and physical violence as things devolve under the current regime. Their mentality won’t allow them to realize that the call is coming from inside the house. There may come a time when all they can do is erupt and explode in an uncontrolled manner.

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YourBonusMom's avatar

Collective narcissism is the perfect term for this.

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Linda's avatar

When a Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer or killer clown let's lose there inhibitions and kill...we track them down, put them in jail, and quietly execute them for the good of society...just saying 👀

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Grizzly96's avatar

This guy sounds delusional and seriously in need of treatment for mental illness.

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Richard Gay's avatar

What leads people to embrace or appreciate this mindset? How many MAGAs actually experience generational trauma relative to the general population? How many have PTSD? How many experienced sexual, physical, or mental abuse as children? What gave them such a need for certainty?

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RickRickRick's avatar

Two things come to mind.

This essay takes apart the simplistic notion, so common on the left, that MAGA is just racism in the conventional sense. Black MAGA are certainly a minority, but the MAGA ethos seems to transcend the old racial identifiers, almost as if they view themselves as a "race" that has nothing to do with skin color. That's why I think it's not useful to wave away the MAGA mob as "just racists."

The other thing is that this reinforces my suspicion that the MAGAs are hopeless and there's not much of a point trying to reason with them. Recall that we still have Lost Causers in the South despite 150 years having passed since the War Between the States. So that MAGA 30% or so ain't going anywhere. But they cannot win elections. it's the mushy middle -- 30 to 40% -- of 2024 Trump voters that matter the most. I call them the IHP (I hate politics) Americans that still feel obligated to vote in presidential elections. They are the ones who are influenced by the "vibe" they get from family, friends, TV news, and some social media. Their support for Trump is an inch deep. The MAGA cult is beyond hope, but it's the IHP crowd that needs to be drawn back into the world of facts and reality. That's what I am trying, in my small way, to work on.

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Non Est's avatar

Where’s the rant, in full? You dissect it, but where’s the link to the video, or a transcript of it? Did I miss it?

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The Rational League's avatar

Its at the bottom of ther article

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KMcDSon's avatar

great article, but why not identify the speaker or provide video?

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