Trumputins
Roughly two weeks ago, I watched a video of White House press conference posted on someone’s Twitter feed. In that session, WH press secretary was asked whether president Biden will visit Ukraine. The answer was that, despite president’s adventurous nature, “we do not send the president to Ukraine.”
It was pretty legible answer to me, hence I was quite surprised and puzzled by MAGA crowd that gathered in the comment section rising suspicions about who are “we” while alluding to some imaginary “handlers.” My puzzlement however didn’t last all that long and I finally realized what it is that draws these people to Trump, Putin, and other similar miscreants.
Let me explain.
My understanding of government is that it is (in an ideal case) a group of competent experts working as a team. Thus, even in a country such as US, president acts as the spearhead and final authority when all experts and advisers who are gathered around them voiced their analysis of the task at hand. When I understood that, I also realized that all fascists (such as the MAGA cult mentioned above) have a completely different conception of what constitutes a sough-after head of state and government in general.
In a fascist fantasy, president (preferably “he”) is simply a strong individual who does not act as a conduit and pivot of the whole governmental team, but someone who directly controls all of the action. He is the government. The buck does not stop but starts with him. Such arrangement necessarily involves obedient administrative and submissive power structures and all what it takes to achieve such order. And since, in the end, all do as the “top dog” says, he is, according to everyone with a Stockholm syndrome, the epitome of power.
At first I could not understand why would anyone want such idiotic and inefficient, dare I say sick, form of state management. Then I realized, that fascists cannot even fathom a government composed of equally valuable cooperating individuals each fulfilling their job to the best of their abilities. Thus, in the limited understanding and imagination of a fascist, such cooperation per se boils down to either “handlers”, “puppeteers”, or “conspiring.” It simply must be something nefarious.
And that led me to another insight — such authoritarian setup is strongly reminiscent of a family ruled by an iron fist. Whether by brute force or through emotional blackmail and other manipulation (or combination of both). And since refusing fascist form of governance would require a person to acknowledge the abovementioned fact and its implications, I concluded that all fascist are basically people who were brutally abused by their parents when they were kids.
However, instead of facing the truth, coming to terms with it and overcoming it, fascists rationalized such behavior as normal and hence desirable. Thus, it’s only natural that they perpetuate the vicious cycle in the way they raise their children, and, of course, it also reflects in their demand for the same kind of structure on the overarching level of state leadership as well.
Just as a side note, this also explains why liberal politicians are never truly liberal as they try to accommodate parts of the (bad) taste of fascist electorate (by not pursuing liberal values that generate a lot of controversy or by embracing mild although outright authoritarian tenets) if they want to stay significantly competitive.
Anyway, as an EU citizen, I feel sorry for the people across the channel and pond. Then again, looking at recent elections in France, Hungary, or Slovenia, I’m not exactly sure Europe is particularly better off. In any case, it seems that parental child abuse (and selfishness it breeds) is a widespread and universal malady of our societies as such. And yes, it’s at the root of, more often than not also clerical, fascism.
Well, I wonder who will finally change the minds and hearts of all those little weak abused fascist freaks in order to stop the propagation of their mass suicidal cult. When they’ll be put out of their misery, we will benefit all. Fascist “trumputins” included.
