"It’s wild to me that Trump’s fascism is only now breaking through as a major news story. Trump’s ideology has been evident from the start, and in every election cycle, his closing argument always comes down to white supremacy, fascism, hate, and white...

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Drawing frequent comparisons to the pro-Nazi rally held there in 1939, the rally was filled with racist, crude, and incendiary rhetoric. ...

And yet, around half of Americans plan to vote for him.

Even more troubling, 82% of white evangelicals plan to vote for this."

~ Kristin Du Mez

#Trump #fascism #WhiteSupremacy #hate #MadisonSquareGarden #misogyny #MaleEntitlement #WhiteEvangelicals
/28

Courage to Stand

On motivation, and motivated ignorance

(kristindumez.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Ironically, extremist movements within secure democracies are usually the ones actually destined for the garbage heap. That results from a simple fact: In order to keep the show going and the money flowing, extremism has to keep out-extreming itself. In an attention economy like this one, the effect can be even more pronounced."

~ Jay Kuo

#Trump #fascism #WhiteSupremacy #hate #MadisonSquareGarden
/29

Punching Your Own MAGA Face

Maybe it’s not such a good idea to bash on Puerto Rico right now.

(statuskuo.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"None of us needed this rally to understand what MAGA is about. We know it’s a hate movement. Trump’s closing message in this campaign is identical to his opening message when he slithered down the escalator at Trump Tower to launch his 2016 campaign. It’s hate, divisiveness, anger and sexism."

~ Dean Obeidallah

#Trump #fascism #WhiteSupremacy #hate #MadisonSquareGarden #misogyny #MaleEntitlement
/30

We didn’t need Trump’s rally at MSG to tell us MAGA is a HATE group

Hate is MAGA's fuel

(deanobeidallah.substack.com)

[doesntexist@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy
Reminder that apartheid in South Africa was the invention of White Evangelicals.

America needs to come to terms with its understanding of White Evangelicals.

The KKK consists of White Evangelicals, for example. The Confederacy saw a massive uptick in the evangelical movement among its soldiers during the Civil War.

White Evangelicals are not the good guys. Never have been. Never will be. 82% voting Trump isn't "troubling," alarming, surprising, or anything other than on-brand.

[doesntexist@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy
For someone to say it's "troubling" that White Evangelicals are voting for Trump is a bit like saying it was troubling that Nazis joined the SS in their adoration of Hitler.

That's not hyperbole.

I mean, sure. It is troubling, but I think that underplays both the obviousness of the move and the seriousness of the threat.

White Evangelicals aren't being misled in their closely held beliefs. They want a very different world.

It's not a sociological but an anthropological topic.

[samiamsam@mastodon.social]

@DoesntExist @wdlindsy

There are no white people in the Bible.

You know, for context.

[doesntexist@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy
What do I mean by the sociology/anthropology distinction?

White Evangelicals aren't driven by the same motives as you and I, for example, because they don't live in our culture.

I mean "culture" in a rigorous sense. That's why they're not voting policy (which is why polls are bad data -- they ask policy questions -- sorry for the aside). It's why pointing out policy doesn't move the needle with White Evangelicals at all. Policy is sociological.

They want an entirely different world

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@DoesntExist As someone raised evangelical in a family with a legacy of holding people in bondage — I'm speaking of the American South — I very much agree.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@samiamsam @DoesntExist Precisely.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@DoesntExist Yes. I was raised Southern Baptist, with an uncle and aunt who taught throughout their careers in Southern Baptist universities, where my uncle was also an administrator. Their two sons are now Southern Baptist ministers. It's a culture I know inside out.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@i_gvf Wasn't it in "Cabaret" that they sang "Money makes the world go 'round" as the Nazis were rising to power?

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@f800gecko You're right: it makes absolutely no sense. My grandmother would have spoken of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@JustRosy I do think it's important to factor in his mental fragmentation, something Michelle Obama has just warned us about all over again. I wouldn't be surprised if he pushed and threw tantrums to have the opportunity to be on stage at MSG, against the advice of some of his more pragmatic handlers.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@martinvermeer Yes, interesting history. Thank you for the link.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@jmax Yes, it would be.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@martinvermeer The good old days! Taking us back!

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Greengordon Yes, he said as much in his comments at MSG.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@damkina I do, too.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Vaniaji My mother would have said, "They're as happy as pigs in a mud puddle on a summer day." That was not a compliment to pigs.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@luv_wins I agree.