11 Comments
Jul 19Liked by Jeff Sharlet

I don't know how you do it, Jeff. Staring into the abyss, year after year, trying to warn us about what might be ahead. Correction: ... about what's already here. A normal person would have burned out long ago. Thank you for sticking with it and for trying to point us in a different direction. You're doing the Lord's work.

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Jul 20Liked by Jeff Sharlet

Thank you. Again Mr Sharlet you bring me to tears for I know every beautiful, brutal sentence describing what I call the grotesque is the truth and your words hit my soul and I wince in pain. I see it.

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Jul 19Liked by Jeff Sharlet

Superb as usual. I especially like your references to myth, as I tend to summarize fascism to people as "not a policy ideology, but rather a myth + a method".

I must also register for anyone unfamiliar with Hakim Bey that he was a pedophile. I greatly admire his work, but one must read it informed with the knowledge of his poisonous side.

https://miniver.blogspot.com/2006/10/hakim-bey.html

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author

What a sorry, Jonathan. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I've updated the post to reflect this information and link to your post.

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Glad to be helpful; I think your addendum is spot-on

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Jul 20Liked by Jeff Sharlet

I keep waiting for any democratic pundit or any mainstream journalist to wake up to the fact that Trump's rhetorical hazing is an authoritarian feature, not a fumble. Thanks for making the case, again and again, to take fascist banality seriously.

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I miss you, Mr. Sharlet. You blocked me on Twitter about two years ago whilst I was in the midst of a slight nervous breakdown. I love your writing, and I love the work you are doing. No more uncontrolled outbursts, I promise. I support you completely. Bravo!

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“JD Vance, in his convention speech, subtly invoked the post-liberal, anti-democratic ethos of his politics, speaking of the U.S. not as an ‘idea’ but a ‘nation’.”

If I’m going to be loyal to a place in the patriotic sense, it’s going to be to the Country still under the legal and administrative thrall of the USA, namely, my home place, Alaska.

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That train ride is gone, too. We’ve all become too “efficient” to allow such acts of freedom and risk to happen, now.

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I disagree about The Boys. It’s a graphic novel put to screen. Yes, it is ridiculously violent and vulgar…so you have to just know that you’ll be watching over the top on steroids. The new season definitely is a polemic on MAGAts and shows how mean and stupid they are. People that haven’t watched it need to be prepared for extremes. If you’re not ready for insane, over the top, it is hard to consume.

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Enough satires. People worship these guys. Emulate them.

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