What is wild to me is that it's been obvious to me since I was a teenager, several decades ago, that the US has been like this for many (most?) people for ages. If you're black, poor, an immigrant, deviate from the acceptable behavior template in any way, they're perfectly happy to bust down your door and take everything and anything from you. It's nearly always been like that. If it hasn't been for you, you're probably invested heavily in keeping it that way. And now what we're seeing is the "in" group is just shrinking a bit more, the acceptable behavior template is shifting just slightly. Enough to provoke alarm in many but not action in enough.
this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
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"first they came for..." and so on.
Always. Repeatedly. Forever.
Thankfully, we are not currently facing a situation as grave as Nazism: Today’s America is not 1940s Germany.
...yet.
I mean, they're right, we're in mid to late 1930's Germany. I haven't seen any truly hopeful signs of redemption coming out way.
I've seen some hope. The protests we've got going on in Minnesota have had huge turnout, without any major mistakes on the side of protestors (read: violence)
I'm seeing more and more apolitical, for lack of a better word, people speaking out against what is happening now. Technology Connections included a very frank political discussion in his most recent video, as an example
People in my personal life, who were previously dismissive of my concerns around Trump, have changed their tune
The situation is not great, but there are rays of hope
You're right, there are "rays of hope" I suppose, but I'm in the twin cities metro and we in my circle of friends and family aren't feeling particularly hopeful. It's hard not to feel crushed by the brutality that has been going on. We've been volunteering to get groceries for people and to pick up kids from school whose parents are afraid to do so, but we have our family situation doesn't really allow us to be away from the house much. Many of my daughter's friends are full remote for school now even though they are citizens because of their ethnicity. It's just rough and it has been hard to not feel like we're barreling towards a full nazi experience.
People in my personal life, who were previously dismissive of my concerns around Trump, have changed their tune
Can confirm. I live in a bellwether city, whoever we voted for has been the president for the last... 8 times? 10 times? idk, quite a few times.
The city previously had quite a number of Trump flags on houses. During his first term, the "Trump trains" would routinely roll through town, and you would hear them honking for a good 3 - 5 minutes as they all drove by. They came in from other cities mostly, but still, there would be like 50ish "I need to compensate for something" type trucks with Trump flags on the back.
Now, even the flags are rare. My neighbor who literally flew a Confederate flag for a while - in California, mind you, my joke being "Southern California will rise again" - took his Trump flag down after the first round of Epstein stuff and it hasn't gone back up yet. The "Trump trains" are gone. They tried them a few times during the start of his second term, maybe a few months in, but having a "train" of only like 5 people just feels more pathetic than impressive, so they quit that. Haven't seen one in months.
Also, the Trump administration simply appears to be way less competent than the (original) Nazis were. The second season is scarier than the first, but that's a large part of what saved us during the first season too.
However! Let's not forget that the Democrats waged an internationally-recognized genocide against the Palestinian people because they're also owned by Zionazis and corporate interests. The people don't "win" unless both corporate-owned, pedophile-and-or-genocidaire-run parties are completely removed from power. NOT reformed, removed.
My neighbor who literally flew a Confederate flag for a while - in California, mind you, my joke being “Southern California will rise again” - took his Trump flag down after the first round of Epstein stuff and it hasn’t gone back up yet
Man, this just gave me an idea. Print off a bunch of copies of the new pages about the allegations against Trump, then start mailing them out to houses with Trump flags up. No additions or alterations, other than to include "published by the United States Department of Justice, January 30th, 2026" along with a direct link to the pages on the DOJ site (or maybe an archive.org link to it, since they already took it down once)
Edit to respond to your whole comment:
Also, the Trump administration simply appears to be way less competent than the (original) Nazis were. The second season is scarier than the first, but that’s a large part of what saved us during the first season too.
I agree it seems less competent -- Hitler actually wanted to improve the living standards for Aryan Germans; whereas Trump wants to enrich himself and his billionaire sycophants -- we also have no realistic chance for external factors to bring down the regime as happened with the Nazis. There is zero chance the US would ever be invaded. No country will want to go to war with the US. They'll simply stop doing business with us, like Russia or North Korea
That's a pretty good idea lol. I've been thinking of just printing out particularly egregious pages and slapping them up on stickers.
Yeah, and 1930s Germany wasn't 1940s Germany. But it got there.
Politics is coming full circle, Nazis got most of their inspiration from US politics and policy
Dual state isn't doing it justice.
Faceted is a proper word choice.
The real hazard, at least at present, to the average person is our dysfunctional healthcare system. It might be less "in your face" than some of the other factors, but it is insidious and affects everyone except those at the top.
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For me it’s at work where we don’t acknowledge what’s really happening and it is starting to drive me a little mad.
I work in a very diverse workforce, but for a very old fashioned company, and politics are not spoken of.
But I am surrounded by immigrants and people who are probably here on work visas, or are just dark skinned, and I have to think they are living with a constant background fear that is steadily rising but they never talk about it and I never say anything. I have a whole cycle of shame with it.
There is a way you can quietly, unobtrusively support these people: just get to know them. If you get to know people, and by this I mean really listen, and take interest in what they say when they speak of whatever is important to them, later on all the little ways you can help will arise from that personal, direct knowledge over time, and between now and then maybe you've made a friend.
I'm not saying drape yourself over their cubicle wall and ask them detailed questions about their national traditions until you're glowing and they're weirded out; I'm saying get interested in who they are and what they have to say, and try to do it as naturally as you can. If you're not good at friendly small talk, at least know their names and greet them like you're glad to know them. In whatever way it means to you, be a friend so that when friends are needed, you're on their list.
Don't think that this casual ongoing personal interaction is powerless: rather, it is the source of our greatest strength. Community is what is saving Minneapolis, community is what is defeating ICE, community is what is getting people spontaneously out on the streets in freezing weather to prove that together we -- a whole lot of individual I's -- WE have no intention of quietly standing for this shit.
WE is the most powerful thing we have.
And it all starts right where you are now: wanting to help and having no idea how. But you asked. To me, that counts.
Getting to know people before the trouble starts is how you know the best ways to act in their behalf if they ever need it, in ways that do not trample their agency or cause humiliation or, god forbid, increase their dread. As a nation of citizens we have been set at each others' throats for far too long, a division that only succeeds because we plant ourselves behind screens and let complete strangers tell us what to think and how to feel. In doing this, we have forgotten how to just be friends. So start there. Pay attention to others. Greet people when you see them, even a nod. Learn to listen. Take general interest. See who responds and who doesn't. In time this will open every door that can be opened, and also allow those who have their own reasons for staying aloof the personal privacy they want.
I feel the whole shame thing, but if you can, give yourself permission to set it aside. Seriously. Everyone starts somewhere. You're starting here, and honestly I'm grateful for every single one of us who is feeling just as lost and wondering right now what can I do to help? But you asked; you've already made a start. It's a good one. No shame required. And if you have nothing better in mind, then the answer is, build community. However you can, wherever you can, in whatever small ways feel right to you so that when the shit starts you're already known as an ally.
EDITED to add link
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They all are waiting on someone to fix it. They wont do anything until it comes to their door. By then it will be way too late for most of us.
the average person has no idea how to fix any of it. they have been voting back and forth for years, and nothing has changed.
average people also deeply disagree on how to fix it. and above average people are more than happy to take average people's money to tell them how they are going to fix it, and use it to enrich themselves while doing nothing.
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The "grandparent test" won't necessarily work on child-free and anti-natalists though. Unless they plan on adopting I guess in the latter category.
There’s 3 states. You could probably subdivide it further, but the basics are -
- Fuck yeah, make kings and inflict suffering
- can’t be bothered to deal with it for whatever reason
- How the hell can we stop the crazy train?
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