What is Reddit's opinion of
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
By popularity on Reddit, this product is:
20 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
> because we don’t have a mass fascist movement in the US.
Eh... The Evangelical movement lets be real is basically in every way a Fascist movement cloaked in a very thin mask of theology. Reaction of the middle classes, worshipping the nation as god, worshipping Capitalism, hero narratives and hero idol worship, Class collaboration, extreme reaction against "Degeneracy", very thinly veiled white supremacy. They don't call themselves Fascists, but they're basically a Fascist movement.
> But Muslims represent only 2% of our country so I am opposed to the specific attention that one group gets, when I personally feel more harmful effect from much larger groups that resist negative attention.
I agree, I despise Islam as an ideology, but I think American Evangelicals are actually a bigger threat to the world. Evangelicals are a fucking deathcult that basically currently controls the worlds most powerful nuclear arsenal, the worlds largest economy and military. I also believe that the American Evangelical movement is largely a Fascist movement that cloaks itself under theism.. If it wasn't for Evangelicals as well, we likely would not be Iraq or Afghanistan today or at all.
That being said, It still drives me up the wall the amount of handwringing leftists do to defend Islam and the absolute eggshells you have to walk on when discussing Islam in leftists spaces.
>Is it just a knee jerk reaction to the right?
Part third worldist orientalism, part reaction to the fact that you rarely hear criticisms of Islam done in good faith because it's mostly just right wing dogwhistles.
For much more on this cancer in American society, look up Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has been covering this for decades now. He's even written a book on the subject;
https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
He's written many other books on the failing state of America, as well. He's not an optimist but he has a knack for seeing his predictions become fact.
Yes. We had to lock it because the conservative shitstains at the prolife community are were coming in droves to comment stupid shit. Every one of them that comments is now directly paying for abortions.
Typical right wing dirtbags. They coopt the language of the progressive left (they even reference anti-speciesism) but it is all code for literal Christian Fascism. If they aren't Christian Fascists they are low-thought Libertarians. Neither are allowed to post here and will be banned.
It's been about 14 years for me. My relationship with Christianity at a personal level wasn't toxic or traumatic, it just kind of faded away as I learned the history of the church, learned about religion in general and came to realize that Western (especially American) Christianity is nothing more than religious based fascism. This book really put that into perspective for me. And that was in the Bush era. Trumpism has just made me double down on it.
The only thing I have held on to is an interest in Jesus (historically speaking). I can't seem to let him go and I'm not totally sure why that is. I think it's because I've gotten to a place where I understand that the Christian narrative about who and what he was is wrong. I've come to see Jesus as a victim of Roman antisemitism and Christian Jewish erasure and I've been inspired to combat that any chance I get. 'Jesus was a Jew' is one of my favorite talking points.
I don't know why this has become a hill that I am willing to die on. Maybe it's inter-generational trauma since it's very, very, very likely that I'm a descendent of Jewish Sicilians who were forcibly converted during the Spanish Inquisition. Maybe there's still little bit of Christian left in me and it manifests itself as having an interest in the historical Jesus. Whatever the reason is, I'm okay with that. Somebody's gotta do it and if no me, who?
Book buntings aren’t really new. They’ve been happening here for as long as I’ve been alive — there were tons when Harry Potter was popular, even went to one once when I saw a cardboard sign driving the back way for one, like it was a lawn sale.
Half a dozen exurban moms sitting around a sad little fire pit in the back of some middle income housing development on what was probably a farm (in Michigan south of Detroit btw).
I walked up and they were surprised to see my but friendly, talked to me for a minute about Wizards and warlocks being a trick from the devil for demonic possession, about how Harry Potter was part of a conspiracy to cause the end times (which as an at the time lapsed Catholic I though evangelicals were all about). They gave me a copy of one of their kids confiscated books to toss in, which I did because I hate Harry Potter (read another book nerds). It was all very pathetic and Ai just felt bad for their kids.
Anyways, maybe there’s an uptick or maybe it’s just being sensationalized, who could know it’s not like we keep stats, but def not new. I also counter protested that big Quran burning in front of a mosque in Dearborn back in like 03’. So I’ve been to 2 book burnings.
Anyone whose really interested in this should read Christian Fascists by Chris Hedges, an ordained minister and socialist who used to be the head of the NYT’s foreign correspondents desk before he defied The NY Times speaking out against the Iraq War. He really digs in how most evangelicals are really a Heretical Sect just using Christianity to mask Fascism and have been for decades, it’s not a new book.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
I really hope this is a re-upload, because this is not even a debate since the US Midterms 2018 at the very latest.
I'm watching this development since 2016 from outside the US (Austria), and it is obvious that the GOP would transform the USA in a christian-fascist ethno-state in a heartbeat, if it could.
Don't act surprised, people like Chris Hedges wrote about this explicitly¹ (!) even before Obama was president.
¹ https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
Actually, I think that the original post here refutes the idea that it's "magic." And this book provides plenty of evidence that it is a science, and a very lucrative one at that.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
You are on point with most of this - also recommend this wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_fascism
And Chris Hedges Book thoroughly explores this topic and its likely outcomes: https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
Should read the book/audiobook too. It's not half bad.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
(You don't need to support Amazon, it was just an easy link to find.)
I read this one a couple years ago: https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
Sadly nothing I give you will be particularly useful against Trump supporters as none of the sources that they might actually take seriously would dare broach the topic.
There is a decent amount of literature out there on the subject and the topic has definitely come up in political discourse a lot with the rise of Donald Trump himself. There are many tangential events, issues and attitudes that you could point to as being indirectly or even in some cases directly relating to the premise of Christo-fascism.
However to really nail it down you need to simply accept that there is a substantial amount of Christian nationalists, and those nationalists have excessive fascist tendencies. It does however go beyond that as well as there are real world consequences in terms of policy and judicial representation that are being wholly pursued by Christian organizations, think tanks and dark money.
To give you an example of why this information would not be particularly useful against Trump supporters I'll throw a few links at ya.
Salon is a "favorite" of Trump supporters, as in they absolutely love to despise it as "leftist propaganda" and even many centrist Democrats do that.
Chris Hedges wrote a book on the subject that I've been meaning to read for awhile now (It's on a rather long list of books I want to read but haven't yet)
Then there are articles like this which kind of highlight how the Christian right operate in terms of race. (As in the belief in a racial hierarchy)
Now I don't generally like to cite Wikipedia given its open nature but it is generally well sourced and worth looking at on many topics, this one it has some useful and relevant information. As well as this one.
Again none of this stuff is particularly new information but if there is one commonality in the right-wing of the world (Yes, the world, not just America) it is that they've gotten extremely efficient at masking extremist ideologies within seemingly temperate or moderate belief systems. For example they don't hate LGBTQI, they're just pro-family. They don't hate giving women choice and forcing them to become mothers even when it is a terrible choice for them and the baby, they're just pro-life. They're really REALLY good at marketing and branding. You wanna know who else was REALLY good at marketing and branding? Fascists. If there is one thing historically fascists are good at, it is taking extremism and wrapping it up in a nice colorful package that people not only tolerate, but quite enjoy.
For example 9/11 amplified a considerable wave of anti-brown/Islamic sentiment that still echoes to this day. Both the Democratic and Republican parties were 110% on board with the "anti-terror" agenda (e.g anti-muslim) while completely ignoring the home grown terror threats in the form of the right-wing. Still to this day the various right-wing media and political punditry and even politicians themselves downplay to ridiculous levels the January 6th events as though it was just a summer picnic that got out of hand. This is how fascism operates. Then there are the low-key things such as putting religious terminology, symbolism and crap all over the various functions of what are considered "authorities" (government, education, policing etc) which serve to subtly indoctrinate an entire population into thinking that the "faith" has always been here and is inherently synonymous with America.
It's Christian, and it's fascism. When Donald Trump was "elected" (I use quotations because I suspect in truth he wasn't elected so much as fraudulent installed through precision technological strikes that pushed him over the edge) they said "God is in the White House". That is a revelation of their intent. They want God™ in The White House. They want it to be easier from a top-down perspective to push religious freedom™ (E.g oppression of non-religion and wrong religion) again... fascism, but also very Christian. Christians have been trying to force populations to get on board with their "beliefs" (E.g ideology) throughout much of it's history and they're very cunning about it. So much so that no one even bats an eye when preachers go over on their missions to convert people in far away lands. Or go door to door locally to preach. No one seems to think that's odd... despite if you did it in almost any other context it would not only be odd... but potentially border on harassment.
Anyway, apologies for the rant... it's just a very messy topic that is really hard to nail down because fun fact... fascists don't wanna be called fascists and instead of remedying that situation by *not* being fascist they've just come up with ways of avoiding being called one.
I suggest reading this book: American Fascists
It gives a pretty good insight.
I highly recommend this great book by Rev. Chris Hedges.
Now as for American Protestant Fundamentalist Christianity, that's just an entirely new level of fucking wackjob nuttery.
It is terrifying that one of your two major political parties is rotting from the core because of it, and because its powerful and wealthy fundamentalist millionaire backers literally believe in establishing a Christian theocracy so that they can help bring about the end times like in Revelations, so all the Jewish people in the world will go back to Israel, Jesus will come back and defeat the Anti-Christ, all the non-believers will go to hell, and everyone who is Saved will be raptured up to heaven and live in a wonderful cloudy place with an old guy in sandals and a robe and they'll be re-united with grandpappy and their dead puppy Rocket.
THIS IS WHAT AMERICAN FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIANS - WHO CONTROL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY - LITERALLY BELIEVE
Read American Fascists by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Chris Hedges. Dude gets religion. He got a Master's at Harvard Divinity School before becoming a journalist for Chrissakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hedges
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Fascists
http://www.amazon.com/American-Fascists-Christian-Right-America/dp/0743284461
Seriously, America is fucked up on another scale.
Not even joking, according to a scientific Pew Survey, as of 2013 fully 33% of the American population rejects evolution since the beginning of time itself:
Quote:
>According to a Pew Research Center analysis, six-in-ten Americans (60%) say that “humans and other living things have evolved over time,” while a third (33%) reject the idea of evolution, saying that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.” The share of the general public that says that humans have evolved over time is about the same as it was in 2009, when Pew Research last asked the question.
http://www.pewforum.org/2013/12/30/publics-views-on-human-evolution/
And according to a 2014 Gallup Poll, literally 40% of Americans believe that God created the world in the last 10,000 years:
QUOTE:
>PRINCETON, NJ -- More than four in 10 Americans continue to believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago, a view that has changed little over the past three decades. Half of Americans believe humans evolved, with the majority of these saying God guided the evolutionary process. However, the percentage who say God was not involved is rising.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/170822/believe-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx
That's just all kinds of fucked.
I'd consider saying "ya'll need Jesus," but I think you guys have enough of him already.
That was a great read and I agree with most of it! Doesn't change the fact that you're repeating fox news rhetoric and trying to convince everyone that you're somehow politically elevated above everyone else (and failing at it).
Also, here another works by that same author you might be interested in.
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743284461/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_i8-yDbXGFXS14
The Communist Party Themselves
Although, granted, my statement was more hyperbolic, I was surprised I found as much as I did. I probably could have found more if I kept digging. . However, plenty of the left who are not educated claim any conservative or right of center view is fascist. See: Antifa protests.
Edit: heck, I even spaced on this element, even though I've taught it, but some on the left even called FDR a fascist, though that criticism had a different connotation than it does today.
Popular alternatives to American Fascists: The Chri...
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
