the twin visions of cities as nightmare hellholes of crime and violence that you would be suicidal to visit and city-dwellers as wimpy f——s who are too soft for Real America is quite the cognitive dissonance
One of foundational beliefs of fascism is that the enemy is simultaneously an insurmountable force of unspeakable power and ludicrously weak and stupid.
Yep. Recruiting tactic.
"If you don't join us, they're going to destroy everything you love, but the good news is that ordinary people like you can help!"
They're very fond of "the enemy is only winning because they're *cheating*" rhetoric as well.
"The enemy is only winning because they're cheating" is one of the few ways to even attempt to square the circle of "insurmountably powerful yet also weak".
Exactly, but it also adds the aspect that the enemy is *immoral*. Additionally, it goves justification for breaking the rules. After all, if those people are doing it, why shouldn't they 'even the scales'?
I think it’s important to remember that in their minds, each city has two areas: The nightmare hellholes are where brown people live, and the artsy fa**ot neighborhoods are where white people live. Et voila! Cognitive dissonance resolved!
see I don’t think that’s true. you had people literally thinking that Minneapolis and Seattle had burned down over 2020 and yet Seattle in particular is still a city full of latte drinking wusses in the right’s imagination
Right up the with the double-vision of immigrants being {relentless low-wage workhorses intent on stealing your job} and {lazy indigent mooches who vacuum up welfare benefits}. It doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to feel icky.
i know it's too much to expect them to pick up a history book but i feel like a single visit to the Wikipedia page for the Rodney King Riots would have given them a lot of truly vital information
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"If you don't join us, they're going to destroy everything you love, but the good news is that ordinary people like you can help!"
They're very fond of "the enemy is only winning because they're *cheating*" rhetoric as well.
Epidemic "One-third of all Americans killed by strangers are killed by police"
"officers discussing who will kill the dogs before they even arrive"
"Police solve just 2% of all major crimes"
Laughing at not responding to 911 calls
"Arrests at End of Shifts to Rake In Overtime Pay"
I mean it could all be a cocaine induced blur to them but still.