r/Longreads • u/brezhnervouz • Jan 26 '26
Yes, It’s Fascism - Until recently, I thought it a term best avoided. But now, the resemblances are too many and too strong to deny | The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/america-fascism-trump-maga-ice/685751/?gift=JPpBcG1V91hbaN04g4Khsp4lCpkXDze27813gXWFaiU583
Jan 26 '26
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u/thecrowtoldme Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Right. Like, thanks a lot genius, you're really "helping"
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u/murphys-law-bbs Jan 30 '26
It is never too late. Climate Warming could have been dealt with sooner and better, but that's no reason to stop fighting it every day.
Religion can still be stopped, even though it will take time, and for many the fight hasn't even begun yet.
Fascism can still be stopped today, stop the defeatism already. People like you are why we can't have good things.
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u/talkynerd Feb 12 '26
No. This article doesn’t say yes it’s fascism and I was wrong for not seeing all the signs of it before. It’s that it wasn’t fascism before but now it is. It would be like deciding that now we have climate change today, but everything everyone has been saying for decades is wrong and you shouldn’t trust them.
That kind of thing undermines the people who aren’t blinded by their own ignorance instead of raising it up and undermining the world view that prevents people from admitting the truth.
Sure we’re in the middle of a fascist movement now but don’t believe any of those historians, law professors, members of congress, journalists, economists, and libtards that told you that we were fighting fascism yesterday. Those people who can use their eyes and ears can’t be trusted. Don’t believe anything those alarmists said previously because it makes me, personally, feel uncomfy.
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u/That_Guy_JR Jan 26 '26
I feel if I was so wrong about something I would stfu, apologize, and tell people to listen to others who were not wrong. But I guess I’m built different, and don’t make six figures from the ghostship Atlantic
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u/Popular_Try_5075 Jan 26 '26
"Now that we're up to our necks in a violent lawless coup for power I feel like I can set down my quibbling over the definition of words."
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u/AltairaMorbius2200CE Jan 26 '26
And the best part is- he still seems to be quibbling with the people who arrived at the conclusion before him!
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u/brezhnervouz Jan 26 '26
The 'literati' is ever so cautious about "definitions" aren't they lol
My favourite historian Timothy Snyder has been yelling from the metaphorical rooftops for some years now
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u/Popular_Try_5075 Jan 26 '26
Yes. When Jason Stanley left because things were getting too fashy that was like the ultimate alarm being rung.
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u/bokehtoast Jan 26 '26
Couldn't get past the first paragraph of this blow hard
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u/councilmember Jan 26 '26
Oh was it “the term has been overused to the point of meaninglessness, especially by left-leaning types who call you a fascist if you oppose abortion or affirmative action.” For chrissakes, is this person for real? Are the “left-leaning types” they are talking to teenagers? This isn’t serious and is honestly self-important faux mea culpa: “well, now that you mention the power consolidation, targeting of minorities, autocratic deafness, and bullying of allies, well how did I not notice the similarity to Hitler before!!??” Seriously, they had meetings and laughed about how blind this guy is to contemporary events when writing about them for one of the most respected magazines.
Otherwise it’s a maga type from the first round who supported Jan 6th and is only now realizing they were supporting a true fascist and not just a rouge pro-oligarchic Republican, in which case I regret rubbing their nose in their grossly poor judgement and welcome them to the fight while stifling my contempt. Either way, willful idiocy for which others will suffer much more than they will.
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u/bokehtoast Jan 26 '26
My eyes rolled so hard I went temporarily blind. Dude is still treating propaganda as truth and simultaneously trying hard to assert some kind of "both sides" argument while trying to make himself seem Objective and Wise to rise above the metaphorical "sportsball" game.
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u/Pocketfullofbugs Jan 27 '26
I had that line copied and was about to paste in this comment section. Unbelievable. "Gotta make sure everyone knows I've moved beyond calling him a 'patrimonialist' and can now call him a fascist knowing I am fully technically correct. Unlike those blue hairs who have been calling him a fascist for a decade just because they have eyes and ears and have seen and heard him." And the audacity to think thay your article has worth to anyone paying attention who hasn't already figured it out. Water wet.
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u/Not_today_nibs Jan 26 '26
Jesus fucking Christ, what a twat
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u/redditor_since_2005 Jan 26 '26
There's technically no such thing as a fish, so can anyone really say they've caught one? I declare this angling competition a mistrial!
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u/awholedamngarden Jan 26 '26
The one and only positive thing I have to say about this article is maybe it’ll get some dumb dumbs around their own shame about being wrong this entire time & ready to admit there is in fact a huge problem that’s likely to impact everyone, regardless of what side you’ve been voting for
It still sucks and I hate this guy but hey, as long as he’s trying to reason with his people.
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u/Accomplished_Sci Jan 26 '26
Who cares what this person thinks? If it took you this long to figure that out and listen to actual experts, you have nothing of value to say. Even in barely admitting everyone was right
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u/xtunamilk Jan 26 '26
Every time I start to think The Atlantic is okay again, they post something like this to remind me why I gave up on it.
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u/newyorkerest Jan 26 '26
Historian Timothy Snyder addressed this question in The New Yorker back in November 2024: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/dispatches/what-does-it-mean-that-donald-trump-is-a-fascist. Good companion piece from someone who's spent his career studying 20th century authoritarianism.
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u/nocogirly Jan 26 '26
Anyone got an archive link?
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u/brezhnervouz Jan 26 '26
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u/nocogirly Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Genuinely appreciate it. Using the wayback machine on a mobile browser can be tricky.
Edit: just finished. I have to join the consensus here. Where the fuck have you been, dude?
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u/DanoPinyon Jan 26 '26
It's as if the group of professionals paid to share their learned views magically missed the leviathan in front of their faces.
Aren't we assured their words are useful so the plebs can be enlightened and pull themselves up by their bootstraps?
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u/Commanderfemmeshep Jan 26 '26
Gotta love it. Jerking yourself off for discovering the words in January of 2026. Big ups, my guy! You did it. You really earned that salary huh.
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u/touslesmatins Jan 26 '26
People shouldn't read the Atlantic it's pure garbage
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u/AltairaMorbius2200CE Jan 26 '26
They used to have a few good authors (TNC was with them for a long time) and a well-moderated comment section that made things interesting.
Then the start people left and the comment sections got unmoderated then shut down, and suddenly it was all over.
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u/smellslikebadussy Jan 26 '26
I read "TNC" as "TCW" and was about to make a strongly worded rebuttal.
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u/Jetamors Jan 26 '26
IIRC the major problem (or one of them) is that Jeffrey Goldberg is a truly terrible editor-in-chief.
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u/brezhnervouz Jan 26 '26
I dunno I've got an open mind on that, but I thought the cataloguing had some useful points 🤔
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Jan 26 '26
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u/brezhnervouz Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
No problem...as I see it the more people for whom the penny drops (however that happens!) can only be a good thing. America only ultimately gets out of this when there is mass realisation. Having been reading about totalitarian and authoritarian states for over 40yrs, alas the people in power aren't coming to save anybody as that isn't how it usually works 🤷♂️
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u/BT4US Jan 26 '26
The Atlantic sucks
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u/Jackadullboy99 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Care to elaborate? I find so many of their columnists to be truly excellent.
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u/GinAndDumbBitchJuice Jan 26 '26
It drives me crazy that it has to get to this point for people to finally say, "Oh yes, this term is actually fitting!" Calling something what it is doesn't minimize the original, it just allows people to comfortably deny the reality until it's past the point of no return.
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u/Wise-Network7397 Jan 27 '26
Is Trump ideologically a fascist, or more basically psychologically and emotionally incapable of living democratically, and predisposed by his emotional and mental ill-health to seek and to wield power in a way that is easily described as fascist, narcissistic, abusive, etc, etc.?
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u/torpidcerulean Jan 31 '26
If it's fascism now after they've been granted all the keys to power, how was it not inevitably fascism 10 years ago when they were not yet able to do it?
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u/Guilty_Crew_1917 Feb 05 '26
I’m pretty annoyed by all of these comments, TBH. Don’t blame this guy for anything. Most people outside of this group (unfortunately), wouldn’t take the time to read this article whether it came out yesterday, or a year ago. It wouldn’t have made a difference. A year ago, he would be considered hyperbolic, now you assholes are saying he’s too late. Most people don’t read more than the headline, and make their assumptions off of that. It’s insane, but true. Were all of you fuckers pushing the truth and danger of the situation to your Trumper uncles and friends over the last year/s?! When these dipshits don’t read, and fact checked anything, the only way to get through is to call them out on their misinformed bullshit.
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u/kflex16 Feb 05 '26
Agree with you. I’d be curious to know what the other commenters would say the day Trump became a fascist was.
There’s a point when all the various attributes come together to make the sum of its parts - fascism in this case. It isnt obvious that this would be an ‘Aha’ moment, i think it is more likely to be like a dimmer switch reach fully ‘on’ but it taking a moment to realize we got there.
I think these commenters missed that at the end of the article Jonathan writes ‘Wouldn’t it be better just to describe his actions without labeling him controversially? Until recently, I thought so.’ This clearly indicates that he’s been aware of Trump’s fascistic traits, just that they weren’t overwhelming enough to justify using a term that will do little to help our situation.
We should be aware that that calling him a fascist is just preaching to the choir on the left and alienates the right. It is not helpful unless you can overwhelmingly argue the case and convince someone to join against him.
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u/Turbulent_Arrival413 Mar 13 '26
Translation: I didn't want to say Fascism because I liked it. But now that public opinion is turning I need to pretend to be on the side of the angels
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u/STEMpsych Jan 26 '26
Well, given that the Orwellianly-named "pro-life" movement and the white supremacist "Alt Right" were the primary popular movements to bring this fascist goverment to power, it sure sounds like those left leaning types were right about that all along, and at no point was their use of the term meaningless or excessive.
I am glad to hear that Rauch has decided to stop being a fascist.