Fascism on television

You have to be in a place to appreciate the television. And I think the history of fascism helps us to see what is happening in the ads. In public, the Trump presence in Ohio is weaker than in previous elections. There are fewer signs, and the big ones are in front of the small houses. There are fewer aggressive slogans in public, and the ones personally targeted Vice-President Harris are rarer and less vicious than the ones that targeted Hillary Clinton in 2016. On the other hand, there are more Trump flags and hybrid American/Trump flags, which is a bad sign that the state has merged with the Leader in the minds of people. And the message on television is certainly one of a much more refined fascism, which is what I am discussing in my third brief message today. The way the tv ads now follow Carl Schmitt’s advice of beginning politics by choosing an enemy follow fascist protocol by inventing imaginary crises around real human vulnerabilities. These themes are further explore in a number of my written posts. Please share this post. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit snyder.substack.com/subscribe