Authoritarian cults cannot be shamed

A reminder that this isn't about "hypocrisy." As @fdwilkinson put it, "The habitual response is to mislabel GOP authoritarianism as hypocrisy. Calling out hypocrisy is a pointless shaming mechanism for a party that has broken free of shame." https://t.co/TyoHu6kpoa https://t.co/zArG5RWBcN

— David Nir (@DavidNir) June 3, 2020

King Donald IV forces GOP to own hypocrisy forever [UPDATED]

(Banner gif credit: The Age Australia via Twitter)

In May 2019 I proudly and loudly (and correctly; so I thought) called out glaring GOP hypocrisy.

Turns out ‘hypocrisy’ is a symptom of an even greater danger to our republic, so I’m officially correcting the record here.

This from @fdwilkinson is spot on https://t.co/dAv43P7Qe4 pic.twitter.com/TfdCqoxKpX

— David Nir (@DavidNir) May 26, 2020

Fanned by right-wing lunatic media types like Fixed Noise—along with normalizing engines in newsrooms across the country, like New York Times, CBS News and others—GOP has completed its transformation from grumpy grandpa who mutters about limited government to full-on Apartheid-level white supremacy.

Those who seek unfettered (in some cases, criminal) domination have no faculty for shame. This was laid bare by David Nir on Twitter (signal-boosting Bloomberg writer Francis Wilkinson), which caused me to rethink the entire premise of my post.

Instead of rewriting or updating that piece, I’m laying a new marker down here.

One hallmark of authoritarian politics, in addition to an adversarial relationship with the truth, is ignoring the law as it applies to party interests while deploying it as a weapon against political opponents. For example, party politicians might ignore lawful subpoenas intended to expose their corruption while subsequently using subpoenas of their own to construct a phony case of wrongdoing by opponents

This is the stuff of Hungary and Russia, as Wilkinson points out. “It’s only illegal if Dems do it” is a joke I tell a lot on Twitter but it’s actually what republicans are doing. And of personal importance to me: America’s news media is fully ill-equipped to elucidate this dynamic without portraying it as ho-hum “both sides” infighting.

Because neither the news media nor the nation’s larger political culture has reckoned with the GOP’s authoritarian evolution, the habitual response is to mislabel GOP authoritarianism as hypocrisy. Calling out hypocrisy is a pointless shaming mechanism for a party that has broken free of shame. Worse, it camouflages a war on democracy as democratic politics as usual.

Wilkinson concludes his piece with an ominous and correct warning. “An authoritarian summer is coming,” he writes. “It will be followed by an election shaped by pandemic, demagogy and Russian sabotage. Democrats will have to be deft to prevent further destruction of democracy, or a long authoritarian winter awaits.”

We’ve actually been in the throes of authoritarianism since January 2017, made exponentially worse by feedback loop between Fixed Noise/Infowars/Breitbart & donald. This nation’s pretend-attorney general just ordered a crackdown on protestors to soothe donald’s ego. With crises mounting and approval sinking Tangerine Nixon’s behavior will only get worse. 🔴

Will Pollock is a perpetually crabby New York City escapee based in Midtown Atlanta. He’s a freelance multimedia journalist, media analyst and author of two books (award-wining Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), with more on the way.

In 2001, Will earned his Masters from The Medill School of Journalism, graduating with highest honors from the magazine sequence. As permanent member of Journalism’s National Honors Society, he’s been active in monitoring, writing and blogging about media and journalism ever since he graduated.

Obsessed with good storytelling and journalistic excellence, Will uses snark, humor and reason to distill dumb shit and make it fun. He’s a seeker/maker of non-consensus news, and helps you cure crankies by finding the nut in every story.

As for-profit media continues to fail us, it’s more important than ever to find reliable sources. Authentic storytelling exists—you just have to look for it. On this blog you’ll get ideas, not ideology. Sass with class. Reporting with rapport. Evidence with a touch of evil. You get the idea.

CrankyYank is a safe space for whistleblowers, sources on background, and anonymous tips. Please follow this link to learn more about secure contact options. Twitter DMs always open.

Support independent authors, writers, artists, journalists and professionals. Buy a book, leave a review, start a discussion. Show solidarity so that we can achieve greater balance and, in the end, learn more.

Did you like this post? Please share it!