I lived in the states at that time, and back then, there was a widespread sense that bigotry was something society was supposed to be overcoming rather than something people could openly embrace as political identities.

YES, of course, the 90s were absolutely full of bigotry, and marginalized groups had fewer legal protections. But speaking as a person of color, there was absolutely a prevailing sense, at least in mainstream culture, that society was moving toward greater acceptance and equality. Racism and homophobia were things to be embarrassed about, and media reflected that optimism everywhere- tons of boundary-pushing and inclusion that makes 2026’s pop culture look as straight, white, and cis as can be- and there was no social media to amplify the relatively few voices who thought they should complain about that fact.

Back then, progress felt like an inevitability. We argued about how quickly we’d get there, but there was a general expectation that society would keep moving forward. Today, the US can’t even take the direction of that movement for granted, let alone the progress itself.

I’ll take the 90s’ “casual bigotry + optimism” over the outright Nazi shit and utter cowardice displayed by those who refuse to fight back today.

The base knows too. They love how upsetting it is for the people they hate to watch them do this. Their willingness to debase themselves is fueled by spite.

This response is so telling. Bluesky is fucking AWASH in comments like, “ha! how can anyone be this dumb?” “Has anyone ever been stupider?” “HEY, they said A when yesterday they said B!” Americans still refuse to look at what the far right is doing right in their faces.

This isn’t stupidity, it’s a intentional tactic. For MAGA, it’s a sycophancy test. The more absurd the claim, the more useful the test. Believing it or agreeing with it is so far from the point. It’s about ensuring the base continues to publicly demonstrate their willingness to abandon reality on command. “The more obvious bullshit we ask you to swallow or horrendous racism we can get you to defend, the more enthusiastically you will have to do it because you’d look SO WEAK choosing THIS spot to draw the line.”

For the rest of you, it’s a demoralization tactic. They’re rubbing your nose in how ridiculous they can be and STILL be an electoral threat. They know their supporters won’t abandon them, and they know that their opponents will do little more than express outrage, call them stupid on social media, and move on. “We can say absolutely anything, no matter how absurd, and you still have no choice but to treat us like legitimate opposition. What the fuck are you going to do about it?”

“The animals jump onto the solar panels and get fried,” Trump says. Not because he’s an idiot (which he IS, but that isn’t what’s on display here), but because the truth doesn’t matter when you’re not actually trying to convince anyone of anything. It isn’t about persuasion, it’s a demonstration of impunity. They’re showing everyone listening that they can make a mockery of reality, demand that their followers applaud, and force everyone else to spend their time arguing about whether the fucking animals are actually getting fried.

🙄

Suicidal people who don’t take at least one fascist with them? World is better off without them anyway.

Sure, but we’ve already established that you lack self awareness, so…

Fuck, Tay Zonday is even prettier

No, you’re fine. Stay home and do nothing. I’m absolutely fine with your country becoming a cautionary tale for everywhere else the Nazis are trying to make inroads.

You just keep doing fuck all, vote like you were going to do anyway, attend a parade or two and wave a snarky sign. Really. Don’t do a damn thing, and watch what happens. There’s literally no one I’d rather see made an example of than some cowardly white liberal on Lemmy projecting insincerity onto actual antifascists.

Americans are the biggest bunch of fucking cowards.

Oh, look what you’ve done. You’ve created a political morality in which the government’s entitlement to your obedience increases in direct proportion to how willing it is to fucking kill you.

There’s no country where people should be fighting back harder than the one where the government is most willing to murder them for daring to resist its authority. You’re part of the problem.

GUARANfuckingTEED to be the same parents who won’t shut the fuck up about participation trophies, how kids these days are too soft, and how nobody deserves anything they haven’t earned through white-approved work. Always preaching meritocracy, personal responsibility, and how losing builds character. Fucking snowflakes.

You mean the ones who already are? Sure. It’s about time they found out.

I do.

You’re doing the far-right bullshit thing of treating the fact that a position requires (gasp) human judgment as an argument against the position itself. “Who gets to decide what’s fair?” “Who gets to decide what constitutes harm?” “Who gets to decide what’s reasonable?” They act like these are impossible questions that somehow invalidate the whole idea. If you’re an adult and have any confidence in your own morality, you should be able to make judgment calls. I promise it really isn’t an impossible dilemma unless you’re a moral relativist coward.

I still find myself humming the Bunyip song to myself constantly, decades later.

https://youtu.be/Ntf5_ue2Lzw

This but unironically.

Tacit support by way of inaction is still support.

Let’s be real, it’s not as if America is interested in punching Nazis anymore. You might be surprised what people would cheer if you’d get off your cowardly asses and start taking action.

Slurs should be met with direct violence EVERY time.

Found the Nazi.

You absolute moron. You complete clown.

People like you are the problem. Maybe even more so than MAGA.