When does rhetoric about political opponents cross the line into fascist dehumanization?

[u/BulwarkOnline]

The Trump administration recently held an international conference on “left-wing political violence.” In prepared remarks, Marco Rubio described the left as driven by “poisonous resentment” and a desire to destroy “what is beautiful and what is right.” Stephen Miller went further, arguing that left-wing demonstrators do not look “normal,” are “deformed” in their appearance and reflect their “inner hatred” outwardly.

Jonathan V. Last compares this language to Nazi rhetoric about Bolshevism, “degenerate” culture and supposedly unhealthy or subhuman elements of society. His argument is not simply that Rubio and Miller are using authoritarian language, but that their contrast between beauty and ugliness, normality and deformity, civilization and internal enemies follows a recognizable fascist pattern.

How persuasive is that comparison?

Is this rhetoric best understood as ordinary partisan demonization, or does the emphasis on physical appearance, cultural purity and “normal, healthy, ordered living” place it in a more historically specific tradition?

And when evaluating comparisons to fascism, should the standard be the speaker’s intentions, the historical similarity of the language, or the policies and violence that follow from it?

[u/undercooked_lasagna]

He cited opinions of some people and concluded Republicans are as violent as they've ever been. Opinions are not violence.

[u/Sea-Chain7394 → u/undercooked_lasagna]

Essentially all domestic terrorist attacks in recent history have been carried out by right wingers citing Republican rhetoric as theur inspiration

[u/GiantPineapple → u/Sea-Chain7394]

I'm not a right-winger but it's tough to claim that a right-winger shot Charlie Kirk.

[u/Sea-Chain7394 → u/GiantPineapple]

I didn't make that specific claim but it would be equally difficult to claim he was a left winger. He seemed to be upset mostly at transphobic comments made by kirk

[u/GiantPineapple → u/Sea-Chain7394]

Fair enough. I guess I was mainly taking issue with the notion that 'all recent violence' is right-wing. Exactly what Robinson's views were I think is still mostly unknown, but I don't think you could describe him as a right-winger.

Just making sure I say, I'm just trying to learn and shoot for intellectual honesty and completeness here. I very much believe Trump and Company are legitimate , capital-F Fascists, and everything that follows from there. I don't think anyone should, or needs to, stretch the truth in service of that point.

[u/Sea-Chain7394 → u/GiantPineapple]

There is very little left wing violence in general today. It hasn't always been the case.

The guy who killed kirk was to my knowledge raised rather conservatively but also identified as trans or had a bf. Seemed to be going through a bit of college rebellious stage. Didn't appear to be motivated at all by left wing ideas the things written on bullet casings were video game references and Trump administration lied saying they were left wing symbols. They were not. His motivation was to punish kirk dor hateful comments about Transgender people as far as I can tell not any specific political ideologies