I’m posting this in Conservative because Discourse Magazine is produced by The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a conservative think thank.
It’s always fascinating to me when reactionary institutions produce pieces like this.
In her new book “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” Alexandra Hudson makes the case that these trends are real and disturbing. But she argues that addressing the merger of politics and entertainment and the politicization of the quotidian doesn’t require big, elite-driven social change. Rather, it begins with each of us—and daily decisions we make about how we relate to others.
Nazis believe in the wholesale extermination of entire groups of human beings who deserve their own life, dignity, and happiness. I do not respect a belief system that advocates for the extermination of jews, trans people, gay people, people of color, or any human being based on their religion, culture, ethnic background, or sexuality. I will absolutely respect any person for their beliefs no matter how poorly informed, so long as that person accepts that people who are different than them–ALL people–deserve all the same rights, protections, and opportunities that they fight for themselves.
Right…except Nazis, of course. There’s always an exception. And then someone comes along to expand that the exception is in fact the norm. And suddenly, exceptions are everywhere! Oh no! We gotta kill people to make everything better!
Every time.
C’mon. I know what Nazis believe.
I’ve listened to Tucker Carlson, for example. And you know what? His identification of the problem is often not controversial. Rich people are fleecing the poor? Of course they are. Political elites are treated favorably by the justice system? Obviously. Inflation is making Americans poorer. Yep.
But his solutions are the problem, primarily because he doesn’t offer solutions, just an unending stream of how people are being taken advantage of to rile up their anger. And he channels that anger into reactionary politics.
Many of the problems he identifies are worth discussing. I will die on this hill. But that’s not an implicit endorsement of his or any Nazi solutions.