I read my own blog and saw a disconnect--where I recognized that a foreign shooter (Australian) who was inspired by President Trump after a fashion might exist, but somehow didn't take seriously the idea that Trump was capable of utilizing his stochastic terrorism chops to foment a civil war right here in the off-chance he was thwarted in his political goals. This is my blind spot--the disconnect.
If Trump does influence mosque shooters in New Zealand or Canada, how can I deny the idea that radicalized people could act as a kind of unit (sporadically, if not in any organized sense) here and wherever in this country given the right triggering historical event? I have to understand that these people aren't like me--but have somehow always incorporated some idea of violence into their lives, like some racist whites who think a race war is always nearly immanent, even though that is not realistically a thing. He has already inspired terrorism here (the mail bomber, the synagogue shooter).
This follows Trump's rhetorical flow--he downplays the NZ terrorist with one phrase, and then returns to the idea of nonwhite invasion that sparked the act of terror. I was half-assed in understanding the enormity of Trump's fascism, which enabled me to ignore how it might not only spur violence elsewhere, but effectively maintain a heightened sense of radical need for an Iron-Fisted Daddy figure by stirring shit up here.
Trump is not remorseful about his rhetoric, because it serves his policies. Fascism is built on lies, sometimes even ironic ones. This is also a fatal disconnect--we laugh ourselves to death and underestimate the intent. Of course it could happen here, wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.
We dispose of these things so preemptively that we fail to watch the dynamics at play. Of course fascism is a thing. The disconnect, the valley of untruth, the gulf of pretending things are better than we know, needs to be cut off.
3 comments:
Lock and load ladies and gentlemen, this ain't Disneyland.
Hi Vixen – my, that certainly is an alarming scenario that you outline.
I have to respectfully disagree. Our view is that most of the pejoratives about Trump are founded on a narrative that is simply not supported by facts. Today it seems as if the creation of political narratives is intended to be taken for reality when the evidence is not actual.
You know, in various ways fascism is supported by centralization, and most of Trump's initiatives resonate with conservative philosophy which is opposed to centralization. For example, tax cuts return more money to the pockets of people and companies. When this happens a measure of economic power is returned to citizens and not centralized in government. Trump has also reduced the number of federal regulations, and has in fact insisted that 2 regulations must be removed if an agency wants to apply a new regulation. Once again, this diminishment of government authority returns power to individual families and companies.
President Trump's initiatives in the oil industry have created and will continue to create jobs so citizens will have more money and can exercise more economic power – and in addition the US is now energy independent and a net exporter of oil and gas.
President Trump's economy has caused there to be higher employment of blacks than at any point in history. Likewise Hispanics. And this gives those citizens more economic power and more possibilities for the future.
I could go on with this, but you get the idea.
The idea that Trump is responsible for an eco-terrorist and communist China sympathizer performing atrocities in New Zealand is an enormous stretch. New Zealand is a lot closer to Australia than the US, and I dare say many Americans have no idea where New Zealand is. I have frequently been dismayed at how often our political perspectives are founded on imagined associations that are so far from reality that the connections cannot even be established.
By this time we have had almost every category of fruitcake murdering innocent citizens. I don't blame Obama for a gunman trying to kill Rep. Steve Scalise and a bunch of Republican congressmen and staffers. These sorts of things are done by people with extremist ideology who are complete nut cases. None of our presidents can be held responsible.
You know, it is ironic that Ted Kaczynski and Timothy McVeigh both wound up in the same prison. I understand they had many conversations partially based on their political views that attempted to justify their wholesale homicides. These two and other ideological murderers cannot be wedded to any political philosophy in the United States. They are either crazy or so extreme that there is no answer except incarceration and possible execution.
" You know, in various ways fascism is supported by centralization, and most of Trump's initiatives resonate with conservative philosophy which is opposed to centralization."
You appear to be confusing sound government with centralization. Meanwhile, Trump has no actual "philosophy" of governance.
" Once again, this diminishment of government authority returns power to individual families and companies. " Only rich families. It diminishes the power of poor families (and smaller businesses).
"President Trump's initiatives in the oil industry have created and will continue to create jobs so citizens will have more money and can exercise more economic power" Very few, and mostly for the upper class.
"President Trump's economy has caused there to be higher employment of blacks than at any point in history. " You mean lower official unemployment. Black people had full employment - 100%, including children - until 1866.
"The idea that Trump is responsible for an eco-terrorist and communist China sympathizer performing atrocities in New Zealand is an enormous stretch." For some. Not for those paying attention.
" These two and other ideological murderers cannot be wedded to any political philosophy in the United States " McVeigh was solidly wedded to the political philosophy of a significant fraction of Trump's base.
" By this time we have had almost every category of fruitcake murdering innocent citizens. I don't blame Obama for a gunman trying to kill Rep. Steve Scalise and a bunch of Republican congressmen and staffers. " Of course not. He did not encourage such things, and his category of violent fruitcake is so rare we don't really know what it looks like. (What race would it be?).
Trump does, and his category is every couple of weeks - they come in subtypes.
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