Are we now in full blown fascist totalitarianism?

[Crumb]

Nothing to worry about. He's just trolling us again over stuff he would never do. (until he does).

I think Bannon might be being a little cheeky here. Trump will be president in 2028. The issue is what happens in January of 2029 when his term ends.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Woke means "competetive vacuous leftist virtue signalling".

Woke means not asleep in history class.

Ha ha ha ha

That's the wokest thing you could possibly have said

Thank you.

Ha ha ha

No. Not a chance

You define "woke" as "competitive vacuous leftist virtue signalling." This is the key: you are using the term in a way that already assumes a negative conclusion, which serves as a massive goalpost shift from the actual threat of authoritarianism.

"Woke" was originally an African-American vernacular term meaning "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially of racial and social justice)." It was a term of self-affirmation, not a weapon. Its current, derogatory usage is a carefully manufactured political product. As is typical of modern right-wing politics, a term is co-opted, simplified into an insult, and then relentlessly amplified via propaganda (like OAN, Fox News, talk radio, bro podcasts, or Elon Musk tweets) to be used as a simple stand-in for "anything I dislike that challenges my privilege or worldview." It has become the new "libtard" or "politically correct"—a vacuous catch-all accusation that allows the user to avoid engaging with the actual arguments about history, sociology, or inequality. Your very use of it to dismiss a serious discussion is evidence of its success as a propaganda tool and demonstrates its own function as vacuous virtue signaling, the very accusation you make.

Your main argument is that Trump's extremism is a reaction to "extreme intolerance of the current left." This is a classic false equivalence used to minimize a documented existential threat to democracy that shows evidence independent of anything the so-called "left" has done.

The protests, whether one agrees with their methods or not, are reactions to policy, historic injustice, or systemic failures. Trump's actions—attempting to subvert a free and fair election, instructing a violent mob to march on the Capitol, threatening to use the military against domestic dissent, and openly promising to weaponize the Justice Department against political opponents—are proactive (not reactive) assaults on democratic institutions.

Hair Furor's authoritarian creep is not a reaction to "woke." A politician does not attempt a coup d’état, fake an election victory, or promise to jail his opponents because he is unhappy about the curriculum in a university or a protest on a street corner. A politician doesn't start discussing violating the Constitution by serving a third term a decade in advance because "woke." These are the classic, well-documented steps of an aspiring autocrat seeking absolute power. The two phenomena are not on the same moral or political plane. They are independent.

The real drivers of Twitler McCrazy Pants's support are economic, racial, and propagandistic. You are correct that many Trump voters are voting against the Democrats, but attributing this to being "woke" is a gross oversimplification and inaccurate. Data shows the reasons are deeper and about other factors.

• Economic Anxiety/Resentment: Loss of manufacturing jobs, rising cost of living, and regional disparities have created a deep sense of economic insecurity and resentment that Trump taps into, successfully redirecting anger away from corporate policy and toward cultural scapegoats.
• Racial and Cultural Resentment: Research also shows a factor of Trump support is racial resentment and a feeling that the country's social hierarchy is being upended. Trump masterfully deploys rhetoric that activates a sense of aggrieved status among certain demographic groups. This is where propaganda like "The Great Replacement Theory" and "The Woke Mind Virus" play a role and the reason that Trump could not disavow the "The Jews Will Not Replace Us" crowd.
• Media Ecosystem: A key part of the rise of Trump is a closed media ecosystem (e.g., OAN, Fox News, Breitbart, bro podcasts, Reich-wing radio) that constantly validates and amplifies these resentments while actively discrediting any opposing sources. This creates a reality bubble where attacks on democratic institutions are seen as justified self-defense against a manufactured "extreme left."

The authoritarian creep is a measurable, tangible threat to the American system of government. Dismissing it as a mere "reaction" to something you dislike on the left is to willfully ignore the danger. You can spend all your time screaming about "woke," but the oligarch is still trying to dismantle the checks and balances of my country. The evidence shows that these are proactive efforts, but some are also framed as reactive narratives.

 

[unapologetic]

Its an insult. Obviously nobody has claimed it.

So it didn't die. The term is just being used less. Maybe the term DEI is taking it's place.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Its an insult. Obviously nobody has claimed it.

So it didn't die. The term is just being used less. Maybe the term DEI is taking it's place.

Who cares how much the term is used? Its a word that describes a behaviour. We're not talking about word usage. We're talking about a behaviour. Has the behaviour become less prevalent? I think so.

People are more intellectually curious now and more tolerant of dissenting views. That's the death of woke

 

[Elixir]

We seem to prefer an honest crook over a crook who claims being virtuous

Who is “we”?
‘Murkins are mostly sitting around making excuses for the mendacity of the megalomaniacal senile Felon they elected, entirely indifferent to the shredding of our Constitution and the rule of law.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Woke means "competetive vacuous leftist virtue signalling".

Woke means not asleep in history class.

Ha ha ha ha

That's the wokest thing you could possibly have said

Thank you.

Ha ha ha

No. Not a chance

You define "woke" as "competitive vacuous leftist virtue signalling."

Yes

This is the key: you are using the term in a way that already assumes a negative conclusion,

Yes

which serves as a massive goalpost shift from the actual threat of authoritarianism.

No. Its just my argument.

"Woke" was originally an African-American vernacular term meaning "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially of racial and social justice)." It was a term of self-affirmation, not a weapon. Its current, derogatory usage is a carefully manufactured political product. As is typical of modern right-wing politics, a term is co-opted, simplified into an insult, and then relentlessly amplified via propaganda (like OAN, Fox News, talk radio, bro podcasts, or Elon Musk tweets) to be used as a simple stand-in for "anything I dislike that challenges my privilege or worldview." It has become the new "libtard" or "politically correct"—a vacuous catch-all accusation that allows the user to avoid engaging with the actual arguments about history, sociology, or inequality. Your very use of it to dismiss a serious discussion is evidence of its success as a propaganda tool and demonstrates its own function as vacuous virtue signaling, the very accusation you make.

I disagree. I'm a libtard on the left and I hate woke, because it makes us look dumb.

Your main argument is that Trump's extremism is a reaction to "extreme intolerance of the current left." This is a classic false equivalence used to minimize a documented existential threat to democracy that shows evidence independent of anything the so-called "left" has done.

I disagree. Intolerance breeds intolerance. Its as simple as that.

When the wokes had wind in their sails they used it to bully people. Making sensible people dislike the left

The protests, whether one agrees with their methods or not, are reactions to policy, historic injustice, or systemic failures. Trump's actions—attempting to subvert a free and fair election, instructing a violent mob to march on the Capitol, threatening to use the military against domestic dissent, and openly promising to weaponize the Justice Department against political opponents—are proactive (not reactive) assaults on democratic institutions.

Hair Furor's authoritarian creep is not a reaction to "woke." A politician does not attempt a coup d’état, fake an election victory, or promise to jail his opponents because he is unhappy about the curriculum in a university or a protest on a street corner. A politician doesn't start discussing violating the Constitution by serving a third term a decade in advance because "woke." These are the classic, well-documented steps of an aspiring autocrat seeking absolute power. The two phenomena are not on the same moral or political plane. They are independent.

The real drivers of Twitler McCrazy Pants's support are economic, racial, and propagandistic. You are correct that many Trump voters are voting against the Democrats, but attributing this to being "woke" is a gross oversimplification and inaccurate. Data shows the reasons are deeper and about other factors.

• Economic Anxiety/Resentment: Loss of manufacturing jobs, rising cost of living, and regional disparities have created a deep sense of economic insecurity and resentment that Trump taps into, successfully redirecting anger away from corporate policy and toward cultural scapegoats.
• Racial and Cultural Resentment: Research also shows a factor of Trump support is racial resentment and a feeling that the country's social hierarchy is being upended. Trump masterfully deploys rhetoric that activates a sense of aggrieved status among certain demographic groups. This is where propaganda like "The Great Replacement Theory" and "The Woke Mind Virus" play a role and the reason that Trump could not disavow the "The Jews Will Not Replace Us" crowd.
• Media Ecosystem: A key part of the rise of Trump is a closed media ecosystem (e.g., OAN, Fox News, Breitbart, bro podcasts, Reich-wing radio) that constantly validates and amplifies these resentments while actively discrediting any opposing sources. This creates a reality bubble where attacks on democratic institutions are seen as justified self-defense against a manufactured "extreme left."

The authoritarian creep is a measurable, tangible threat to the American system of government. Dismissing it as a mere "reaction" to something you dislike on the left is to willfully ignore the danger. You can spend all your time screaming about "woke," but the oligarch is still trying to dismantle the checks and balances of my country. The evidence shows that these are proactive efforts, but some are also framed as reactive narratives.

So what other word do you recommend other than "reaction"? It is just a reaction. Isn't it?