It’s time for America to be intolerant of the intolerant
I hate Nazis. I hate Nazis more than I hate anyone or anything. I think I hate Nazis more than I love movies and filmmaking, and that is saying quite a bit. I am a firm believer in the idea that Nazis are a blight on the world and should be forced to fix their hearts or die. Now, for some inexplicable reason, many very stupid people will tell you that I have made a controversial statement. “So much for the tolerant left,” they might cry. To that, I say that it should not be controversial to hate or actively pray for the brutal demise of Nazis. It should also not be controversial to point out when Nazi rhetoric and ideas are poisoning the American government and society, and leaders like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been at the forefront of introducing fascist ideas into the country’s pool of thought for the last couple of months.
The inauguration of a president should be a moment where the entire country comes together in support of a common goal. No one should be rooting for a president to fail at uniting the nation, even if you disagree with them ideologically or morally. However, President Trump’s second inauguration unfortunately proved that there is a major vibe shift occurring in America’s culture. Trump’s speech, a stark contrast to other presidential messages of hope and progress, was full of hate and divisive language. His speech included fear-mongering about criminals from across the border, an implied erasure of trans and non-binary protection from U.S. law and an invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Trump’s inauguration was full of fascist rhetoric long before the moment when Elon Musk shot his arm up into a “Heil Hitler” salute.
After Trump’s first day, we have seen attempts by several companies to pander to the culture that has slowly been shifting more conservative. “DEI” policies have started to be rolled back within their structures and many brands have outright removed prior progressive messaging from their mastheads. This, combined with the fact that Trump recently repealed the Equal Opportunities Act from the Civil Rights Era, raises obvious concerns regarding what kind of people companies will be willing to hire moving forward. It is important to know that this is always the first step in a fascist theocracy. In 1939, when Hitler ordered Jewish families to move into the German ghettos, his goal was to isolate them from their former neighbors so that they were first forgotten, then exterminated. By establishing that any company can now discriminate based on race, gender or ethnicity, Trump has set an unfortunate precedent for the future.
There is something mirky in the water right now, and it is getting harder and harder to deny. Be wary if you log on to X, formerly Twitter, because there is a sporting good chance that if you click on a post by a black person or a member of the LGBT community, you could find the electronic equivalent of a KKK rally in the replies. Hate has been given a platform in the nation and it is unsettlingly clear that racists have gotten a bit too comfortable. It is our duty as Americans to keep our government in check and know the warning signs of fascist behavior. There is not something inherently bad or nefarious about being conservative, but it seems as though conservatism has been a great vehicle for hate to gain a voice in the conversation. As Sinclair Lewis wrote, “when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” which is a pretty apt description of this issue.
The “Tolerance Paradox” is predicated on the idea that tolerance is not something to be graciously extended to people who preach intolerance, as if hate is to be left unchallenged, then it will eventually prevail. It is important to show hate to the hateful, to scorn those who scorn others and become intolerant of the intolerant, or things will almost certainly get a whole lot worse.
