Frankly, I think it gets a bit confusing when we lump every horrible authoritarian into the ‘Nazi’ bucket.
Not to validate Russia’s assertion of any such authoritaranism in Ukraine, just broadly speaking to the ‘they are a Nazi’ accusations. Like even if a lot of these folks aren’t “Nazis” they are still bad, but the language is like they might be fine so long as they aren’t specifically a Nazi…
Nazi = fascist in western circles these days, it is as simple as that
The Russian “Nazi” = the western “terrorists” = evil bad motherfuckers have to be exterminated = propaganda to keep people motivated to do war activities
I think his observation still stands when we swap out Nazi for fascist.
Frankly, I think it gets a bit confusing when we lump every horrible authoritarian into the ‘Nazi’ bucket.
There are non-fascist authoritarians. I agree that it might be confusing, but in terms of initial political resistence, I think the first steps are the same.
Ok legitimate question bc I’ve been having this debate for a while, and I’m genuinely curious to hear input and opinions on this.
What makes a Nazi a Nazi other than fascist behavior, a love of authoritarianism, and nationalism + socialism (but only for those who are deemed worthy/appropriate for the nation)?
In the U.S. they call themselves Christian Nationalists, but they do check all those boxes.
From what I’ve heard about Putin’s take on nationalism, Christianity (via the Russian Orthodox church), and Russia’s own form of national socialism being the ultimate goal/promise made/reward for patriots willing to fight for their country, they also check all the boxes.
So what makes them not Nazis other than they don’t want to accept the label?
A person can dodge accusations of Nazi by just not having any affinity with specific Nazi things. No swastika, no praising Hitler, and you can make an argument that you aren’t a “Nazi” per se, since that is a very specific thing technically. You can be a totally authoritarian figure with every whiff of the badness of the Nazis, but not a Nazi.
In Trump’s case we’ve got check marks for almost everything, including Nazi salutes. No obvious swastikas I’m aware of, and the numbers of people who have actually died or disappeared while in ICE custody isn’t close to the Holocaust, but we are also only one year into his full fascist term…
Authorotarian right wing people believe in a natural heiraechy in which they put a public strong man at the top. His party is reactionary in directing government function. There is typically a focus on some enemy within which must be removed from society to make it pure again. This is where genocide has occurred historically.
The Socialism part of National Socialism was an appeal to the working class in Germany. A brand name may not be related to the product. I can see how some would confuse the strong man’s, “I am the state”, as public ownership of the means of production.
The Socialism part of National Socialism was an appeal to the working class in Germany.
How is this any different than what Trump is doing with ICE?
Most people are being laid off in the U.S. right now, but ICE is desperate to hire. You don’t need any experience or education to join. In fact, education and thinking too much is downright discouraged, along with the trap of “toxic empathy.”
You get a really great salary, a huge sign on bonus, and benefits. If I quit my job today (with an M.S. and a decade of experience) and went to work for ICE, I might actually be able to afford to buy a house, stop paying rent, and start saving money instead of barely scraping by month to month just to pay my bills (when I can) and buy groceries.
All I would have to do is be willing to round up the “enemy from within,” for the Trump administration and send them to overcrowded private prisons and detention centers where people are literally disappearing and dying preventable deaths on a regular basis.
There’s no way in hell I would be willing to do that because I’ve seen this before and recognize it for exactly what this is. However, I can see how appealing the offer would be if you’re unaware of what’s really going on or if you’re willing to just dissociate and not think about the fact that you’re a fucking Nazi just following orders.
I hope to God I never find myself in a situation where I need to choose between joining ICE (and commiting legalized crimes) or turning to “illegal crime” just to keep my family fed, but my job has just barely continued to be funded multiple times already in 2025.
Again, nobody is hiring right now other than ICE, but for me, I honestly believe “illegal crime” would be the preferable option. I also recognize that by chosing “illegal crime,” I then become a target for incentivized incarceration and officially “part of the enemy from within” (more so than I already am for simply pointing out what’s actually happening here). I risk losing my family, being rounded up as part of a quota by the Trump administration to arrest 5000 people in my city in an operation targeting crime and immigration, and sent to one of the many overcrowded private prisons that this administration and their wealthy friends continue to profit from via these arrest quotas and constantly expanding incarceration rates, alongside the profits they’re making from immigration detention centers/deportation pipelines, Palantir, and other investments in private tech surveillance that helps them spy on and round up these enemies from within.
I’m sorry if this comes off as a little angry/harsh, but how in the fuck am I not supposed to notice the similarities between the Trump administration and Nazism?
What makes a Nazi a Nazi other than fascist behavior, a love of authoritarianism, and nationalism + socialism (but only for those who are deemed worthy/appropriate for the nation)?
Genocide
And Nazis DID NOT love socialism, lol. Quite the opposite.
Frankly, I think it gets a bit confusing when we lump every horrible authoritarian into the ‘Nazi’ bucket.
Not to validate Russia’s assertion of any such authoritaranism in Ukraine, just broadly speaking to the ‘they are a Nazi’ accusations. Like even if a lot of these folks aren’t “Nazis” they are still bad, but the language is like they might be fine so long as they aren’t specifically a Nazi…
Nazi = fascist in western circles these days, it is as simple as that
The Russian “Nazi” = the western “terrorists” = evil bad motherfuckers have to be exterminated = propaganda to keep people motivated to do war activities
I think his observation still stands when we swap out Nazi for fascist.
There are non-fascist authoritarians. I agree that it might be confusing, but in terms of initial political resistence, I think the first steps are the same.
I agree, though at least fascism is a little more vague and I think that is at least more workable than the very specific Nazi designation.
Ok legitimate question bc I’ve been having this debate for a while, and I’m genuinely curious to hear input and opinions on this.
What makes a Nazi a Nazi other than fascist behavior, a love of authoritarianism, and nationalism + socialism (but only for those who are deemed worthy/appropriate for the nation)?
In the U.S. they call themselves Christian Nationalists, but they do check all those boxes.
From what I’ve heard about Putin’s take on nationalism, Christianity (via the Russian Orthodox church), and Russia’s own form of national socialism being the ultimate goal/promise made/reward for patriots willing to fight for their country, they also check all the boxes.
So what makes them not Nazis other than they don’t want to accept the label?
A person can dodge accusations of Nazi by just not having any affinity with specific Nazi things. No swastika, no praising Hitler, and you can make an argument that you aren’t a “Nazi” per se, since that is a very specific thing technically. You can be a totally authoritarian figure with every whiff of the badness of the Nazis, but not a Nazi.
In Trump’s case we’ve got check marks for almost everything, including Nazi salutes. No obvious swastikas I’m aware of, and the numbers of people who have actually died or disappeared while in ICE custody isn’t close to the Holocaust, but we are also only one year into his full fascist term…
Authorotarian right wing people believe in a natural heiraechy in which they put a public strong man at the top. His party is reactionary in directing government function. There is typically a focus on some enemy within which must be removed from society to make it pure again. This is where genocide has occurred historically.
The Socialism part of National Socialism was an appeal to the working class in Germany. A brand name may not be related to the product. I can see how some would confuse the strong man’s, “I am the state”, as public ownership of the means of production.
How is this any different than what Trump is doing with ICE?
Most people are being laid off in the U.S. right now, but ICE is desperate to hire. You don’t need any experience or education to join. In fact, education and thinking too much is downright discouraged, along with the trap of “toxic empathy.”
You get a really great salary, a huge sign on bonus, and benefits. If I quit my job today (with an M.S. and a decade of experience) and went to work for ICE, I might actually be able to afford to buy a house, stop paying rent, and start saving money instead of barely scraping by month to month just to pay my bills (when I can) and buy groceries.
All I would have to do is be willing to round up the “enemy from within,” for the Trump administration and send them to overcrowded private prisons and detention centers where people are literally disappearing and dying preventable deaths on a regular basis.
There’s no way in hell I would be willing to do that because I’ve seen this before and recognize it for exactly what this is. However, I can see how appealing the offer would be if you’re unaware of what’s really going on or if you’re willing to just dissociate and not think about the fact that you’re a fucking Nazi just following orders.
I hope to God I never find myself in a situation where I need to choose between joining ICE (and commiting legalized crimes) or turning to “illegal crime” just to keep my family fed, but my job has just barely continued to be funded multiple times already in 2025.
Again, nobody is hiring right now other than ICE, but for me, I honestly believe “illegal crime” would be the preferable option. I also recognize that by chosing “illegal crime,” I then become a target for incentivized incarceration and officially “part of the enemy from within” (more so than I already am for simply pointing out what’s actually happening here). I risk losing my family, being rounded up as part of a quota by the Trump administration to arrest 5000 people in my city in an operation targeting crime and immigration, and sent to one of the many overcrowded private prisons that this administration and their wealthy friends continue to profit from via these arrest quotas and constantly expanding incarceration rates, alongside the profits they’re making from immigration detention centers/deportation pipelines, Palantir, and other investments in private tech surveillance that helps them spy on and round up these enemies from within.
I’m sorry if this comes off as a little angry/harsh, but how in the fuck am I not supposed to notice the similarities between the Trump administration and Nazism?
It’s not. That’s the problem with them
Genocide
And Nazis DID NOT love socialism, lol. Quite the opposite.
Russia ticks all boxes of genocide too.
Kidnapping kids, terrorizing civilians, killing POWs and their leaders stated that eradicating Ukraine as a nation is their main objective.