Saturday, June 16, 2018

Authoritarian Tactics And Rules Of Discourse:


 “Complacency is our enemy. Anyone that does not embrace the @realDonaldTrump agenda of making America great again will be making a mistake.” - Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee
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"We're in a strange place. It's becoming a cultish thing, isn't it?" the Tennessee Republican told reporters. "It's not a good place for any party to have a cult-like situation as it relates to a President that happens to be purportedly of the same party."- Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker
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Jonestown and Waco have shown us cultists will defend or follow their leaders unto death. Their cult is their religion. There really are fanatical “Trump Christians” exulting, “Jesus sent Donald Trump to save America”.

Sorry. NO. That would be more a hooded “Republican Jesus of Wall Street", aka Mammon, they are thanking.

To protect the Cult leader, the alt-Right Party of Trump and FOX(R) seek to discredit the Justice Department and shut down a productive investigation into Russian interference in our election. Conspiring with an adversarial regime to take power over our government amounts to treason, the deepest betrayal of our country.

All in service to the cult of the Big Dotard. The Cult of Right-wing Authoritarian Personalities has reached its inevitable transformation into a toxic American expression of fascism.

And their propaganda continues to poison the minds of our fellow citizens to the great detriment and peril of our democratic republic.

I never heard of “Alinsky Rules” before I was accused of employing them. The same is true of almost everybody I know. (Alinsky’s book was actually disseminated by the Tea Party group FreedomWorks to use for scary red-baiting.)

The propaganda machinery of the radical Right has been hammering those who disagree with them with red-baiting accusations of “Alinsky tactics”.

The accusation would be leveled when they are cornered by the truth or by questions they cannot answer.

Maybe I’m a bad liberal for not following or even knowing what the “Alinsky rules” are.

But I have been observing the propaganda of the radical Right. 

I have compiled the Authoritarian Tactics and Rules of Discourse.

They will deny it, of course, and “deny” isn’t even one of their Dirty Dozen Rules of Discourse.

I alphabetized the rules, so let’s start with the first,

They deceive. Their Big MAGAt has lied more than any American politician in our collective memories.

They tirelessly deceive in order to unite the Right and consolidate power. The radical Right MUST LIE. They represent a powerful and wealthy anti-democracy minority bent on one-party rule. The Big MAGAt and his Party have recruited every white racist in the country to that cause.

The second of the Authoritarian Dirty Dozen Rules of Discourse is the foundation of their dogma. They have seized authority to unilaterally define terms. They smeared the word “liberal” for decades. They have historically undermined journalism with their “Liberal media” Big Lie. Now under the fascistic rule of the Party of Trump they have gone from what the Nazis called “Lügenpresse”,  to declaring our Constitutional free press is the “enemy of the people”.

The German Nazis used the term “Lügenpresse”, or lying press, in their campaign to destroy journalism. Now American fascists cry “liberal media” and “fake news” when the truth threatens their agenda.

And here we are:

"I do it to discredit and demean you all, (News media) so when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you." – Big MAGAt Cult Leader

"Truth is relative. They may have a different version of the truth than we do." - Rudy “Perjury Trap” Giuliani

This is exactly what totalitarians do.

The Rules:

Deceive
Define
Deflect
Distract
Demand
Demean
Demonize
Deride
Despise
Dictate
Discredit
Dismiss
Distort

The Tactics:

Blame.
False Accusation
Inflaming Hate
Inciting Anger
Instilling Fear
Intimidation
Questioning Patriotism
Employing Fallacies
Projection and other defense mechanisms.
Whataboutism
Obfuscation
False Narrative
Outright Lies

Their “Not A Full Deck” of Cards:

The Angry White “Victim Card”.
The “Commie Card” Accusation.
The "Alinsky Card' Accusation.
The Reverse Accusation “Race card”. 

This isn't intended to be a complete compilation, of course. These are just the common rules and tactics from the top of my head. 

Along with "Deny", I'm sure there are even more  "D" words to add to our already "Dirty Baker's Dozen"; let alone what can be added from the rest of the alphabet. We are open to such amendments as offered, of course.

Start with applying these rules and tactics to any utterance from an alt-Right/Trumpist/White Nationalist and you'll see the pattern. Other less employed tactics and rules will emerge. 

Happy hunting!


15 comments:

Infidel753 said...

They have seized authority to unilaterally define terms.

It is getting blatant to the point of absurdity. I have a standing policy that anyone who believes socialism and communism are the same thing is too stupid to argue with, but the wingnuts of today define everything to the left of their own position as communism, and then define all "communism" as being synonymous with its most brutal form, Stalinism. So anybody who, say, favors Medicaid expansion or a higher minimum wage is advocating the Gulag.

As for the Alinsky thing, who knows how it got started. I've never heard a liberal even mention Alinsky except when referring to the weird wingnut belief that he's somehow our evil genius. Not once. I really don't even know who Alinsky is.

Yes, "conservatism" today has become a cult based on insane dogmas and demonization of enemies.

Majormajor said...

Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar admitted Saturday that the Obama administration attempted to cover up the child migrant crisis occurring at the Souther border.

“It was kept very quiet under the Obama Administration. There were large numbers of people coming in. The Obama administration was trying to keep this quiet,” Cuellar told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield.

Can we blame the black guy.

Infidel753 said...

Majormajor said... [blah blah blah]

Again with the change-the-subject trolling. He knows he can't win a discussion on the actual post topic, so he writes a comment about something else, with the aim of derailing the comment thread and aborting the discussion he can't win -- just like with the thread before.

It doesn't matter who appears to prevail in the back-and-forth over the troll's chosen distraction. If he succeeds in changing the subject, he wins.

That's why I delete off-topic comments like this in moderation. Trolls don't just post about random things because they're stupid. It's a conscious and widely-followed strategy to sabotage liberal blogs.

If Majormajor had tried this on my blog I'd have permabanned him on the second or third attempt, he'd have written me a nasty e-mail accusing me of "censorship", I'd have ignored it, and that would have been the end of that. It's happened several times.

Dave Dubya said...

Infidel,

Majormajor has been banned from other blogs. You know the type well. He whines like a little bitch when he's booted out, playing the patented "Angry White Victim Card".

In normal circumstances I would delete this deflection, distraction, distortion and projection, but MM represents the subject of our little political/social science study this time.

He's our very own pet lab rat. He will be sent back to his cage when he dumps more "Daily Caller" CRAP or his racist rat shit.

In the meantime, we can expect another Angry White Victim Card in response.

The entire Cult of Right-wing Authoritarian Personalities (CRAP) is cult of victims; none treated more unfairly than their Big MAGAt. They will do anything for their leader. And they do. They abandon all compassion, conscience, shame, honesty and decency in service to their cult of the Big MAGAt. They even turn their backs on America, and betray our democracy to embrace Putin's Puppet.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Not once. I really don't even know who Alinsky is." ~~ Infidel753

On another blog, Dave and I openly wondered this also. Alinsky certainly had a lot of relevance to us. So much, we can't even remember his name. ;-)

Conservatives know a lot more about communism, also.


"Yes, 'conservatism' today has become a cult based on insane dogmas and demonization of enemies."

It has devolved into this ultra-sickness chaired and operated by the Alt-Reich. The similarities between what's happening today in this country, and that in the early 1930s in Germany, cannot be ignored.

Except for a few outspoken ones (i.e., Corker), the vast majority of conservatives have intentionally chosen to look the other way and remain silent.


"He knows he can't win a discussion on the actual post topic..."

Racists and white supremacists never can. It's the reason they resort to dog whistles and generally tap-dance around this inhumane and sub-human characteristic. I've given Chuck ample opportunities to "out" himself. He's come close, but he's afraid to take it all the way.


"Trolls don't just post about random things because they're stupid."

I've concluded this one is, but your point is well taken.


"He whines like a little bitch when he's booted [off a blog], playing the patented 'Angry White Victim Card'." ~~ Dave Dubya

He pleaded to and begged Tom Degan to allow him back. I'm sure Tom regrets his decision.

Majormajor said...

Happy Fathers Day Dave!

Dave Dubya said...

Happy Fathers Day to you, MM. Be careful of that hot Texas sun.

Majormajor said...

Thanks Dave, we might get first rain in a month this week, hope it's pleasant in Michigan.

Dave Dubya said...

It's Texas hot. But we have Great Lakes. :-)

Jefferson's Guardian said...

I'm hurt...no Father's Day greeting for me? ;-)

Jefferson's Guardian said...

Thank you, Dave, for your excellent exposure of authoritarian "rules and tactics". I'll be referring to it constantly when I "diagram the sentences" of trolling white supremacists and racists -- and the few real conservatives who still exist within the bizarro world of Trumpism.

It's a resource every rational and logical American will want to have. It'll sit alongside the dictionary and encyclopedia as the foundation of every reputable library in the future.

I'll refer to it, and I'll refer to it often. Our nation's democratic health, and submission to the rule of law, may very well require that we all do.

Majormajor said...

Dave, flying to Cleveland this weekend to take in the Doobie Brother/Steely Dan concert for my fathers day with my youngest daughter. She told me it's expected to be in the 90's while we are there. While I "can't buy a thrill", I can buy a break, 90' is cooler than what it's been here in North Texas.

Dave Dubya said...

MM,

They are real musicians compared to nutball, racist, "One key" Nugent.

Have fun, and take the brown acid. ;-)

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Have fun, and take the brown acid. ;-)

LOL

Hey Chuck, try it with some peyote buttons. ;-) You'll never go back to Texas again! LOLOL

Dave Dubya said...

(Amended Score Edition)

Remember when we learned to diagram sentences back in school?

I have developed a little game to “diagram” their use of Authoritarian Tactics and Rules of Discourse. We can make this a game with points.

For each rule and tactic they use they receive one point on the Right-wing Authoritarian Tactics and Rules of Discourse Scale.

Trump’s tweets will score more points per word than most other Right-wing Authoritarians.

Here’s just the most recent diagram I made.

This is the reaction to a facebook meme with the photo of a little girl crying as her mother is taken into custody near the border.

but he had no idea if they were ever separated.(1. “Whataboutism”. 2. Obfuscation. What the Hell do you think will happen to that kid? We know damn well what zero tolerance means by now.) Lefties didn't care. (far Right 3.“Projection, 4. Demean, 5.Discredit”.)

The photo suited their agenda. (6.“Discredit” 7. “Dismiss”. And what is that agenda again? Yeah, we know. “Open Borders for Gangs and Rapists”.)


I give this 7 points on the Right-wing Authoritarian Tactics and Rules of Discourse Scale.

A good practice sentence would be their typical reaction to our outrage over State Sanctioned Child Abuse. It often boils down to something like this:

Liberals and democrats are to blame and they still want Open Borders for Gangs and Rapists!

Here are some early examples from the post preceding my Authoritarian Tactics and Rules of Discourse post.
----

Majormajor demonstrates what I shall soon post as the Authoritarian Tactics and Dirty Dozen Rules of Discourse.

Can't prove his claim,(Dismiss) can't disprove mine,(Deflect) so what does the good leftist cult member do?(Projection) The same old thing, deflection (Projection)..."Sad".

the Left's favorite tactic of blaming the right for something they are doing.
LOL. (Projection)

Dave still can't support his claim that Trump rose to power on birtherism,(Dismiss, Discredit) but never mind, Dave will change the subject.(Projection)