im reminded of the comment you made re gop gubernatorial candidate mark robinson that you almost gotta hand it to trump for managing, in true american fashion, to integrate national socialism
maga has managed to be a perversely inclusive movement, a nondenominational fascism that welcomes all the worst people regardless of race, sexuality, etc
Sort of incidentally, I’m thinking about everybody else mixed up in his madman projects, given the size and number of people involved. I’ve worked off and on as a session piano player, and I’m afraid I’m telling a guy to go fuck himself who calls to say,, “hey, I’m doing a Heil Hitler song, we pay scale.” Just wonder if they’re all on board with this shit or if he just pays astronomical wages and they jump.
The in-your-face flaunting, constantly underwritten with menace, of the unformed, the uninformed, the unfinished, the inarticulate, the love, not of the masses, but of the mass sharing of grievances and a hankering after a supposed better past, are traits held in common by the Nazis and the current ultra-right. This applies to the US, but not only. Ye in all that, I don't know. A moneymaker sniffing the wind?
This is an excellent analysis of the Kanye/Ye phenomenon, but it brought to my mind certain thoughts: In reviewing to myself all the features of the current political scene which I did not grow up with (in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s), but which we all now have to grapple with, these came to mind: (1)-Brazen breaking of the law in the full light of day; (2)-Concomitantly with that, no shame--or even the celebration of shamelessness; (3)-Realization that the Constitution has significant weak points or grey areas that were never so heavily exploited in the past as now watchguard devices are demolished and personal loyalty demanded; (4)-Kowtowing: The requirement of total personal loyalty from fellow party members with dire consequences for those of independent thinking (no more "RINOS") to the point that there is, effectively, no more Congress; (5)-Chaos as a strategy ("flood the zone"); (6)-Diminishment of traditional media gatekeepers so that media toxicities (such as doxxing) abound along with a plethora of conspiracy theories; (7)-"Owning"--the idea that opponents have to be triumphantly and leeringly "owned" rather than engaged; (8)--the presence of billionaires (non-existent in my youth) whose interference in politics is extremely difficult to parry. (9)-The sinking realization that there is a significant number of people in the country who go along with all this--and even ardently support it in contradiction to all Liberal Democratic norms.
Now, after reading this posting, I have another addition to my list: impotence: the near-celebration by our opponents that there is little or nothing the rest of us can do about some travesty or another. Yes, there were moments in history when public uproar brought about change (French Revolution, Russian Revolution--and one could even argue that public uproar in certain sectors facilitated the rise and election of Trump)--but now, much as a I support the counter-Trump moves of so many of the demonstrations and angry town hall meetings with Congress-members, I still feel very impotent. I am in continuous contact with many angry people (anger against the Trumpist enterprise). We are forever sharing information and ranting--and yes, going to demonstrations. But how much can we change with demonstrations and town hall fights? The only way to actually do things seems to be to get in charge of the institutions of government--and that has now proven very difficult for people of my political persuasion. Maybe I am being too pessimistic. But in the meantime, the Kanye/Ye defiance machine is the current (of what passes for aesthetic) expression of that impotence. Art always tells us where we are.
It is marked how little effective resistance modern authoritarianism has to deal with, or by extension how little physical coercion is involved (unless you’re subject to ICE kidnappings, of course).
To contrast, by mid-1933 the SA numbered about 2 million - that’s around 3% of Germany’s population at the time, all out on the streets cracking heads. By 1934 that number was doubled when the SA absorbed the Stahlhelm (veteran’s organization). Any non-nazis left didn’t stand a chance.
In 2025 America, this would amount to roughly 24 million armed thugs roaming around beating on whoever wasn’t on side. (I think modern historians of Nazism now pretty much agree that flat-out brute coercion was an essential element in the consolidation of the Nazi criminal state).
Personally, I don’t really have much of an idea what to think about any of this.
I agree that there is no ideal response, but I wouldn’t dismiss the benefits of mockery. Most idiots who embrace Nazism for its shock value do so because they don’t have a personality and, as such, have nothing interesting to talk about. They are the equivalent of eight-year-olds trying to impress their friends by eating glue or chimpanzees who fling their feces at bystanders. And this is exactly what we should convey to them. If their goal is indeed to “intimidate and disconcert,” mockery does pretty well at short-circuiting that effect. If a crowd is mocking you, they are necessarily neither intimidated nor disconcerted. We can treat them as the danger that they are while also mocking them at the same time, vowing to never let them anywhere near positions of power ever again.
Talk about a candidate for an involuntary commitment order. It might free Censori; who always seems to photograph like she's a hostage in a ransom video.
"Kanye" is a worthless fool. He always has been. Along with all those Kardashians. It is shameful that anyone pays attention to any of them. They are famous for being famous. They did not invent the concept; there have always been attention seekers like this.
im reminded of the comment you made re gop gubernatorial candidate mark robinson that you almost gotta hand it to trump for managing, in true american fashion, to integrate national socialism
maga has managed to be a perversely inclusive movement, a nondenominational fascism that welcomes all the worst people regardless of race, sexuality, etc
It's a long way from "Jesus Walks" to "Heil Hitler"
Sort of incidentally, I’m thinking about everybody else mixed up in his madman projects, given the size and number of people involved. I’ve worked off and on as a session piano player, and I’m afraid I’m telling a guy to go fuck himself who calls to say,, “hey, I’m doing a Heil Hitler song, we pay scale.” Just wonder if they’re all on board with this shit or if he just pays astronomical wages and they jump.
DOGE personnel moonlighting?
The in-your-face flaunting, constantly underwritten with menace, of the unformed, the uninformed, the unfinished, the inarticulate, the love, not of the masses, but of the mass sharing of grievances and a hankering after a supposed better past, are traits held in common by the Nazis and the current ultra-right. This applies to the US, but not only. Ye in all that, I don't know. A moneymaker sniffing the wind?
This is an excellent analysis of the Kanye/Ye phenomenon, but it brought to my mind certain thoughts: In reviewing to myself all the features of the current political scene which I did not grow up with (in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s), but which we all now have to grapple with, these came to mind: (1)-Brazen breaking of the law in the full light of day; (2)-Concomitantly with that, no shame--or even the celebration of shamelessness; (3)-Realization that the Constitution has significant weak points or grey areas that were never so heavily exploited in the past as now watchguard devices are demolished and personal loyalty demanded; (4)-Kowtowing: The requirement of total personal loyalty from fellow party members with dire consequences for those of independent thinking (no more "RINOS") to the point that there is, effectively, no more Congress; (5)-Chaos as a strategy ("flood the zone"); (6)-Diminishment of traditional media gatekeepers so that media toxicities (such as doxxing) abound along with a plethora of conspiracy theories; (7)-"Owning"--the idea that opponents have to be triumphantly and leeringly "owned" rather than engaged; (8)--the presence of billionaires (non-existent in my youth) whose interference in politics is extremely difficult to parry. (9)-The sinking realization that there is a significant number of people in the country who go along with all this--and even ardently support it in contradiction to all Liberal Democratic norms.
Now, after reading this posting, I have another addition to my list: impotence: the near-celebration by our opponents that there is little or nothing the rest of us can do about some travesty or another. Yes, there were moments in history when public uproar brought about change (French Revolution, Russian Revolution--and one could even argue that public uproar in certain sectors facilitated the rise and election of Trump)--but now, much as a I support the counter-Trump moves of so many of the demonstrations and angry town hall meetings with Congress-members, I still feel very impotent. I am in continuous contact with many angry people (anger against the Trumpist enterprise). We are forever sharing information and ranting--and yes, going to demonstrations. But how much can we change with demonstrations and town hall fights? The only way to actually do things seems to be to get in charge of the institutions of government--and that has now proven very difficult for people of my political persuasion. Maybe I am being too pessimistic. But in the meantime, the Kanye/Ye defiance machine is the current (of what passes for aesthetic) expression of that impotence. Art always tells us where we are.
It is marked how little effective resistance modern authoritarianism has to deal with, or by extension how little physical coercion is involved (unless you’re subject to ICE kidnappings, of course).
To contrast, by mid-1933 the SA numbered about 2 million - that’s around 3% of Germany’s population at the time, all out on the streets cracking heads. By 1934 that number was doubled when the SA absorbed the Stahlhelm (veteran’s organization). Any non-nazis left didn’t stand a chance.
In 2025 America, this would amount to roughly 24 million armed thugs roaming around beating on whoever wasn’t on side. (I think modern historians of Nazism now pretty much agree that flat-out brute coercion was an essential element in the consolidation of the Nazi criminal state).
Personally, I don’t really have much of an idea what to think about any of this.
I agree that there is no ideal response, but I wouldn’t dismiss the benefits of mockery. Most idiots who embrace Nazism for its shock value do so because they don’t have a personality and, as such, have nothing interesting to talk about. They are the equivalent of eight-year-olds trying to impress their friends by eating glue or chimpanzees who fling their feces at bystanders. And this is exactly what we should convey to them. If their goal is indeed to “intimidate and disconcert,” mockery does pretty well at short-circuiting that effect. If a crowd is mocking you, they are necessarily neither intimidated nor disconcerted. We can treat them as the danger that they are while also mocking them at the same time, vowing to never let them anywhere near positions of power ever again.
Talk about a candidate for an involuntary commitment order. It might free Censori; who always seems to photograph like she's a hostage in a ransom video.
"Kanye" is a worthless fool. He always has been. Along with all those Kardashians. It is shameful that anyone pays attention to any of them. They are famous for being famous. They did not invent the concept; there have always been attention seekers like this.
Well, as a matter of fact, Kanye is famous for his music.
1. That isn't music, it's "rap".
2. https://www.yahoo.com/news/kanye-west-pro-hitler-song-160557739.html
Attention seeking!
There seems to be a bit of a generation gap thing going on here.