My BFF is a German whom I met in grad school 45 years ago. We discovered that we had a lot in common such as his aunt lived in the same Chicago suburb in which I was raised. I was there the nite he met his wife, stood up at their wedding, and watched their two boyd grow to manhood. Over time, I could not understand how his grandparents a…
My BFF is a German whom I met in grad school 45 years ago. We discovered that we had a lot in common such as his aunt lived in the same Chicago suburb in which I was raised. I was there the nite he met his wife, stood up at their wedding, and watched their two boyd grow to manhood. Over time, I could not understand how his grandparents and other relatives, who were decent, moral, loving people let Hitler happen. Today, I feel like I am experiencing what they experienced back in the 30's, and it disgusts me that America seems to be goosestepping in line with Hitler's Nazis. We just shrug off Clinton's basket of deplorables (aka MAGAs) as if they are just a few trashy people with big mouths - annoying but harmless. Hitler did not get elected to dictator his first try either.
Back in 2018, I sent an email to Prof Bob Paxton an emeritus history prof from Columbia and renowned expert on Fascism. Having read his book "The Anatomy of Fascism" it seemed to me that Trump fit his definition of fascist like a glove. He politely wrote back and said he did not think so. Then in 2021, Paxton wrote an OpEd in Newsweek: "I've Hesitated to Call Donald Trump a Fascist. Until Now." We have watched as his administration attracted psychopaths and con artists from all over the country. Many are overtly racist and antisemitic. Like Hitler, Trump embraced Christian Nationalism to coopt the anti-abortionist vote while scandal after scandal in his personal life pointed to an ongoing history of serial Christian sin.
Today, Trump's mini-me, Governator DeSantis is turning my state into a fascist stronghold. We are book burning, ratting out neighbors and teachers who violate his 'Christian" behavioral norms. He is in the process of criminalizing any Floridian who associates with an "illegal alien" even if they do not know it. You cannot say, be, or think gay. You cannot acknowledge America's history of racism in any classroom K thru PhD. DeSantis is taking over businesses, school boards, universities, and even firing elected prosecutors for not being rough enough of minorities. Soon, we elderly will no longer be able to vote by mail, which means not vote at all for most of us because we cannot stand in 3-hour-long lines without water in the Florida heat just to vote.
So, now, I understand why the families of my many German and Austrian friends went to "heil," and it makes me sad that our Democracy has turned out to be a gaslight after all.
Even though it's becoming normalized after so many years, splashed all over the media 24/7, watching a fascist movement in the good ol' USA snag tens of millions of suckers and capture one of the most powerful political parties on Earth, it's still breathtaking to hear it all recounted with such clarity, right to the heart of the crisis. Thanks for sharing your lifetime of wisdom.
My BFF is a German whom I met in grad school 45 years ago. We discovered that we had a lot in common such as his aunt lived in the same Chicago suburb in which I was raised. I was there the nite he met his wife, stood up at their wedding, and watched their two boyd grow to manhood. Over time, I could not understand how his grandparents and other relatives, who were decent, moral, loving people let Hitler happen. Today, I feel like I am experiencing what they experienced back in the 30's, and it disgusts me that America seems to be goosestepping in line with Hitler's Nazis. We just shrug off Clinton's basket of deplorables (aka MAGAs) as if they are just a few trashy people with big mouths - annoying but harmless. Hitler did not get elected to dictator his first try either.
Back in 2018, I sent an email to Prof Bob Paxton an emeritus history prof from Columbia and renowned expert on Fascism. Having read his book "The Anatomy of Fascism" it seemed to me that Trump fit his definition of fascist like a glove. He politely wrote back and said he did not think so. Then in 2021, Paxton wrote an OpEd in Newsweek: "I've Hesitated to Call Donald Trump a Fascist. Until Now." We have watched as his administration attracted psychopaths and con artists from all over the country. Many are overtly racist and antisemitic. Like Hitler, Trump embraced Christian Nationalism to coopt the anti-abortionist vote while scandal after scandal in his personal life pointed to an ongoing history of serial Christian sin.
Today, Trump's mini-me, Governator DeSantis is turning my state into a fascist stronghold. We are book burning, ratting out neighbors and teachers who violate his 'Christian" behavioral norms. He is in the process of criminalizing any Floridian who associates with an "illegal alien" even if they do not know it. You cannot say, be, or think gay. You cannot acknowledge America's history of racism in any classroom K thru PhD. DeSantis is taking over businesses, school boards, universities, and even firing elected prosecutors for not being rough enough of minorities. Soon, we elderly will no longer be able to vote by mail, which means not vote at all for most of us because we cannot stand in 3-hour-long lines without water in the Florida heat just to vote.
So, now, I understand why the families of my many German and Austrian friends went to "heil," and it makes me sad that our Democracy has turned out to be a gaslight after all.
Even though it's becoming normalized after so many years, splashed all over the media 24/7, watching a fascist movement in the good ol' USA snag tens of millions of suckers and capture one of the most powerful political parties on Earth, it's still breathtaking to hear it all recounted with such clarity, right to the heart of the crisis. Thanks for sharing your lifetime of wisdom.