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The Words We Use

W

What if...?

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Those of us on the left really really need to stop using terms like fascist/fascism, nazi naziism.

Not because they aren’t at least partly accurate but because they are too easy to deflect from

What we need to do is use tyrant/tyranny. That’s what the Founders called them and what the Constitution was drafted to prevent in America.

The Founders literally gathered a list of all the tools tyrants used up til that time and forbade them to our government. An anti-tyranny defense system, if you will.

This will allow us to use actual historic debates and the opinions of the Founders themselves to counter this latest attempt to establish a tyranny in our country.

It’s just a thought, but it sure seems like it would be more effective than the terms we use now. Far more easy to challenge the aspiring tyrants at the helm of the nation using the actual words of the Founders and the content and context of the Constitution.
 
Good post , says this conservative.
 
Trump is a wannabe tyrant. His only interest is self-interest. He doesn't care if it's democracy or authoritarianism so long as he is made wealthier and (pehaps more importantly) his ego stroked.

Many of his sycophants, particularly Stephen Miller, have expressed beliefs and committed actions consistent with fascism.

So while I take your point I believe both terms are accurate when referring to this administration.
 
I rarely because they are too easy to throw around and too easy to get thrown back at you. I also think they aren't understood well just like socialist , communist and radical left. All of them are just stupid, thoughtless labels .
 
"fascist/fascism, nazi naziism" has WWII connotations. The phrases is now so overused that I'm starting to question if that was just an academic exercise to explain away the German people. It's just sticking lablels on people and having these meaningless words associate with the outcomes.
 
Trump isn't a tyrant, either.

tyrant​
1​
a​
: an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution​
​
b​
: a usurper of sovereignty​
​
2​
a​
: a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally​
​
b​
: one resembling an oppressive ruler in the harsh use of authority or power​
​

Definition of TYRANT

an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution; a usurper of sovereignty; a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com

Sorry, but Trump simply doesn't meet the definition.

I'll leave you with Copilot's bottom line on the question of whether Trump is a tyrant or not.

In short: Trump has been accused of exhibiting tyrannical tendencies, especially in rhetoric and executive overreach, but he does not meet the full definition of a tyrant in the legal or structural sense. The debate hinges on whether tyranny is defined by intent and style—or by actual power and outcomes.​
 
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dmpi said:
It's just sticking lablels on people and having these meaningless words associate with the outcomes.
Click to expand...
Just like socialist, communist and radical left......all stupid, thoughtless name calling.
 
OR... We could begin to identify issues that a majority can agree need to be resolved and try to reach agreement on how each of those issues could be resolved by engaging in a civil discussion focused solely on the issue. Party line politics only keeps us divided in a binary fashion, while real solutions are the result of analog thinking.
 
But it should be ok to call liberals fascists, amirite?
 
What do you think the word “attempt” means?

FFS.

You could have saved a lot of bandwidth by just saying “derp!”.
 
What if...? said:
What do you think the word “attempt” means?
Click to expand...
Your use of that word falls under the "accused" part of Copilot's response. I've shown that your accusation is groundless.
 
Callen said:
I rarely because they are too easy to throw around and too easy to get thrown back at you. I also think they aren't understood well just like socialist , communist and radical left. All of them are just stupid, thoughtless labels .
Click to expand...
Socialist and Communist may sometimes be mere labels; at others accurate descriptions. People who hold these beliefs actually exist in considerable numbers.
 
I do too.

But the Founders railed against tyranny. Talked about it a lot.

So it will be much harder for their propagandists to convince them the Founders were bunch of commies or whatever. It’s been a long time since I read a bunch of the Federalist Papers but that’s where I got my “anti tyranny system” description of the Consitution.

They talked about Habeus Corpus and many of the other things MAGA has chucked out the door because trump told them to in the context of the framing of the Constitution.

So much of the pre MAGA conservative mindset was anchored in the Founders and the Constitution.

They need to be reminded who made this country and what they enshrined to try to allow us to keep it.
 
Mycroft said:
Your use of that word falls under the "accused" part of Copilot's response. I've shown that your accusation is groundless.
Click to expand...
So you are just passing shit along that you didn’t come up with yourself, but openly and proudly now.

Thanks for proving me right all along!
 
The Nazis called themselves Nazis and the same is true of Fascists. So no, not just labels stuck on by other people seeking explanations.
 
What if...? said:
So you are just passing shit along that you didn’t come up with yourself, but openly and proudly now.

Thanks for proving me right all along!
Click to expand...
Oh. It chaps your ass that I present the definition of the word you want to use? It chaps your ass that I present information from an expert system...Copilot?

Too ****ing bad. Learn how to debate, dude.
 
At least read your entire lazy man’s response so you see the part in red that supports my position.

All this time and you still suck at this.
 
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