Film Sessions: Crypto-Fascism and a Modern "Shirt Group"

 

Editor's note: welcome back to Film Sessions; our quasi-regular feature here on Media Madness in which I share, analyze and expand on a relevant video created by someone on the left wing of YouTube.

What Is Crypto-Fascism?

As I briefly alluded to in the latest edition of In the Aggregate, chasing down and debunking the deceptions, dog whistles, and coded language inherent to all fascist propaganda efforts is an exhausting, if still wholly necessary exercise. This type of antifascist effort is necessary because fascists lie relentlessly and habitually. Furthermore, debunking these lies can be exhausting because fascist propagandists spend seemingly half of their waking lives finding new and convoluted ways to lie, or at least evade detection while promoting fascist ideology and political activities.

Why would they go through all that trouble? Well, consider the situation from the odious perspective of the fascist "intellectual" or content creator for just a moment. Ultimately your goal is to build power by uniting politics with violence, and you accomplish that by recruiting more and more fascists, while eroding democratic structures. This is however, no simple task. Given fascism's history of racking up truly astronomical body counts through mass violence and genocide, as well as the fact that its adherents typically end up dead in a muddy ditch once a fascist regime eats itself, it's actually pretty hard to just come right out and say "hello, we're the nazis!" If you do that, people might stomp you out before you achieve any of your goals.

The obvious solution to this problem is to lie about, or otherwise obfuscate your ideology, and especially your long term political goals. Unfortunately for the fascist propagandist however, this activity creates its own set of complications. After all, if you lie too well, the reactionary lumpen you're trying to recruit may literally lose the plot. This ultimately requires you to communicate your ideas and intentions in a coded, almost encrypted way, that obviously signals to brainwormed fascist thugs you're on the same side, while simultaneously generating plausible deniability in what might be called "respectable discourse." This is then the essence of what we call "crypto-fascism."   

Crucially (for the fascists,) this type of encrypted "double speak" gives them a structural advantage when competing with Pig Empire liberals for influence and power; particularly in the public discourse. After all, the liberal devotion to capitalism and its inherently reactionary consequences, means they're already playing their own game of "Simon Says" built around coded language and an odious, deadly ideology. If however the target of this rhetoric understands the nature of the dog-whistles, as both the anti-fascist left and marginalized folks the fascists are trying to intimidate often do, this structural advantage is lost and the nazis are exposed for the pathetic hatemongers they objectively are.

A Case Study in Crypto-Fascism

The key then becomes understanding the coded camoflauge various fascists use to promote and propagate their ideology. This is unfortunately complicated by the fact that there are a dizzying number of hate groups, propagandists, and fascist "intellectuals" working on new ways to express these ideas all the time. The good news for anti-fascists however, is that virtually all of these obfuscations must conform to certain themes and ideas inherent to the fascist worldview; if you learn the themes, you can break down the code in real time. I'm confident that today's highlighted video can help us get a better handle on understanding this type of fascist bafflegab.

Produced by YouTube creator Renegade Cut (otherwise known as Leon Thomas,) this fifty minute video essay explores the history, activities, and ideological motivations of the Proud Boys. If you are lucky enough that you somehow haven't heard of the Proud Boys, they are a nationwide crypto-fascist gang with surprisingly close ties to the right-wing establishment in America, who engage in political violence and intimidation to protect and project white supremacist and nationalist political policies, standards, and ideas. They are quite literally a fascist shirt group, and would have been recognized as such in the America of the 1930s.

There are also however, a great many intellectually-stunted thug reactionaries who are quite demonstrably not the brightest individuals in America. This means that the crypto part of their crypto-fascist obfuscations cannot afford to be particularly complicated; otherwise the pinheads who ultimately join groups like the Proud Boys wouldn't understand the appeal. I'd personally describe the Proud Boys' ideology as "bog standard neo-nazi garbage that crudely substitutes the word 'nationalism' for 'fascism' and the term 'western culture' for 'white people' to spread reactionary and hateful ideology." These guys are literally "Fascism for Dummies", and their ideology represents a sort of lowest common denominator in American fascist thought. This in turn makes them an ideal training subject case for folks who're learning to recognize crypto-fascist ideology in the wild as it were.

In today's feature presentation, our presenter does all the legwork by taking you deep inside the guts of the Proud Boys organization. Examining both investigative journalism, and the words of the Proud Boys themselves, Thomas guides us on a journey to answer a plethora of important questions about who these reactionary thugs are, and what they ultimately represent. Who started the Proud Boys, and why? How does the gang's crypto-fascist code work? What do they really mean by "western chauvinist?" How are the Proud Boys able to utilize token minorities to hide their fascist nature? Who is Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, really? Who actually leads the Proud Boys? Why is the gang inextricably tied to the Trump movement? Given their legal troubles, are the Proud Boys finished, and if not, why are they still dangerous?

For the answer to these questions, aspiring scholars of fascism, fascist politics, and crypto-fascism are encouraged to check out "The Violent Rise of the Proud Boys" from Renegade Cut by clicking on the header or the video box below:  

The Violent Rise of the Proud Boys on YouTube

(Unfortunately, this video is age restricted on YouTube; likely because in describing the Proud Boys, one is unavoidably required to mention fascist political violence. I assure you, there's nothing particularly adult about this video - to watch just click through "watch this on YouTube" in the box above.)

Additional Resources

Rengade Cut Youtube Channel

Leon Thomas Twitter

MAGA and Fascism by Renegade Cut

Film Sessions "Where Do We Go From Here?"

 Listening for Dog-Whistles

A Brief History of Fascist Lies

Film Sessions: And All The King's Men

Proud Boys Are Still Violent, Despite Legal Woes

Alt-Right Playbook: How to Radicalize a Normie

We May Be One Election From Permanent Minority Rule

Is Glenn Greenwald the New Master of Right-Wing Media?

Neo-Nazis & White Supremacists Are Coding Language To Recruit

Why American Fascism Never Dies

It Happened Here

How fascism has converged with capitalism to redefine government

Neo-Fascism, Or The Political Logic Of Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism is a form of fascism

Neoliberal Fascism and the Twilight of the Social

Neoliberalism is Fascism with Better Manners

How to Recognize Right-wing Dog Whistles and Symbols, From Viking Hats to Flags

Investigating the Contours of a “Broad Fascist Movement” in the U.S.

A Guided Tour of the Racist, Crypto-Fascist “Alt-Right” By Breitbart News

How White Extremists Teach Kids to Hate

Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt

SPLC entry for Proud Boys

Trump's useful thugs: how the Republican party offered a home to the Proud Boys

Conspiracy Charges Bring Proud Boys' History Of Violence Into Spotlight

Proud Boys are a dangerous 'white supremacist' group say US agencies

The United States was never immune to fascism. Not then, not now

Proud Boys Failed to Redact Bylaws & Accidentally Doxxed Their 'Elders'

How Hate Goes ‘Mainstream’: Gavin McInnes and the Proud Boys

Know Your Fash: The Proud Boys are Dangerous

Inside the Demon Factory

The Rise and Fall of the Proud Boys

Pride & Prejudice: The Violent Evolution of the Proud Boys

The Secret History of Gavin McInnes

Gavin McInnes Said His Proud Boys Were Built for Violence

Who are the Proud Boys, 'western chauvinists' involved in political violence?

Trumpism, the Proud Boys, and the Extremist Allure for People of Color

Florida Man Goes Fascist: An Encounter With Enrique Tarrio

Proud Boys leader was ‘prolific’ informer for law enforcement

Proud Boys celebrate Trump’s ‘stand by’ remark about them at the debate

Cellphone Data Ties Proud Boy With Trump White House Before Capitol Riot

After Arrests And Setbacks, Far-Right Proud Boys Press New Ambitions

Portland gunfight fuels alarm over growing use of weapons at rallies

- nina illingworth

Anarcho-syndicalist writer, critic, and analyst. 

You can find my work at NIDC, Can’t You Read, Media Madness and my Patreon Blog

Updates available on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon and Facebook. Podcast at “No Fugazi” on Soundcloud.

Inquiries and requests to speak to the manager @ASNinaWrites

Chat with fellow readers online at Anarcho Nina Writes on Discord!

“It’s ok Willie; swing heil, swing heil…”

Film Sessions "Where Do We Go From Here?" by Renegade Cut

 

Editor's note: Film Sessions is a weekly feature here on Media Madness in which I share, analyze and expand on a relevant video from the left wing of Youtube. Please note that I'm merely writing about these videos; I don't create them, nor in most cases to do I know very much about the folks who do - I'm learning the ways of Left Wing Youtube right alongside my readers. 

Additionally, I'd like to shoutout "TechnOkami" on my Discord server for recommending today's video for inclusion in this series; excellent pick my friend.

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Well, you knew at some point we'd have to look at a video touching on the fascist riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, 2021, an its larger meaning in American society - didn't you? 

Frankly, I don't think it's much of a secret that I'm actively eager to move on from writing about Donald Trump, who after this shocking (and yet still completely predictable) event, has very much become "yesterday's man" in the larger story of American fascism. As I've mentioned in several articles however, the end of Downmarket Mussolini, and the ultimate flameout of his doomed coup attempt are not, and will not be, the end of the burgeoning fascist uprising in the Pig Empire; not when literally so much is at stake. Given that I'd already broken down the riot in a lengthy podcast, and discussed why this was definitely a fascist coup attempt, I wanted to make sure whatever presentation I did end up sharing here expanded on those efforts, while focusing extensively on what all this means for post-Trump fascism going forward. 

These requirements created some complications then, as originally I want to feature a video about the chud uprising in last week's edition of Film Sessions, but couldn't find a feature suitably focused on both American fascism itself, and what happens after Trump is mercifully gone. Thankfully, and just when I was about to give up, a friend of mine pointed me towards today's twenty-two minute Youtube feature by Renegade Cut, otherwise known as Leon Thomas, entitled quite appropriately "Where Do We Go From Here?" Frankly, I don't know much about Leon (who is also a geek genre film critic, hence the channel title) but if the two videos I've watched are any indication, this man might be my brother from another mother - at least when it comes to analyzing American fascism.

The first thing you'll notice when watching Leon's work, is that he talks very quickly and his videos are jam-packed with highly-specific, factual references. In a format typically dominated by the hot take economy, and opinion-based reaction videos, I find this quite refreshing - but I'm not going to lie; I caught myself taking notes at several points in Renegade Cut's presentation, just to make sure I wouldn't leave anything out in this write up. Thankfully, the second thing you'll notice about Thomas's videos is that he seems like a really organized presenter, and even a short (22 minute) video essay like "Where Do We Go From Here?" is divided up into three distinct, labeled parts.

In the first part of the video, entitled "False Reality," Thomas looks to answer a series of "why" questions about the lead up to the chud riot in D.C. on January 6th, 2021. Crucially these questions go beyond just why did the insurrection attempt happen, and touch on why it's important to acknowledge that Trumpism is an inherently fascist movement, why Trump supporters are prepared to overthrow the government rather than accept that Biden won, and why American fascists inherently consider their political opponents illegitimate and traitorous. Touching on key ideas I've also written about, and covered on the No Fugazi Podcast, this section quickly explores concepts like cultural nationalism, the invocation of a mythic past, and how Trump's election fraud claims fit into a larger false reality narrative; all in about seven minutes. I should also mention that in part one, Thomas recommends watching his previous video about why the MAGA movement behind Trump, is explicitly fascist; although I've since watched that thirty-eight minute video and thought it was excellent, I didn't feel viewing it was in any way necessary to understand the work presented in "Where Do We Go From Here?"

The second portion of the video, "January 6th, 2021" then focuses deeply on precisely what happened both before, during, and after the doomed fascist coup attempt itself. Obviously, after two weeks of debunking and dissection, some of what Thomas covers here won't be news to viewers, but I still think there are a number of topics he focuses on in this section, that aren't getting a lot of coverage in more mainstream, or corporate media. Highlights include pointing out the significant and unmistakable presence of explicitly fascist groups (and police) among the rioters, why it is completely appropriate to call this event a coup or an insurrection, and a video clip of Rudy Giuliani clearly calling for the election dispute to be resolved with a "trial by combat."  

Finally, the video closes out on a high note with a conclusion entitled "What Happens Now" and ultimately, it's the contents of this section that convinced me to feature "Where Do We Go From Here" in this week's Film Sessions. Discussing crucial topics like why the American right is desperately trying to minimize the existence of its own (now quite mainstream) fascist support, why a failure is not evidence that it's not fascism, and why Joe Biden's neoliberal police state can't be relied on to stop burgeoning American fascism, Thomas lays out why American fascism will outlive Trump, and why contrary to the ravings of NIMBY liberalism, the only real and effective solution is organized anti-fascist counter protesting.

Whew; I told you this guy talked fast, didn't I? Of course "Where Do We Go From Here" is not a perfect video; I would have liked to see a bit more analysis about the role of settler colonialism in the rise of American fascism, why (demographically) white supremacy can no longer be maintained democratically in the Pig Empire, and at least something on the billionaire nazi muppets that are paying for it all; guys like Bob Mercer. At the end of the day however, you can really only expect so much out of a twenty-two minute video, and given everything that Renegade Cut does deliver in this feature, I'm comfortable saying this is one of the best videos about American fascism on Youtube in general - check it out below:

Additional Resources

Rengade Cut Youtube Channel

MAGA and Fascism by Renegade Cut

Call It by Its Name: Wednesday Was a Fascist Riot

The Insurrection Was Predictable

This Is the United States of QAnon

Trump Is Leaving, but US Fascism Is Just Getting Its Boots On

Trump will leave but the ingredients of homegrown fascism remain

This is American fascism

If You Didn’t Vote for Trump, Your Vote Is Fraudulent

The Bitter Fruits of Trump’s White-Power Presidency

Insurrection Timeline — First the Coup and Then the Cover-Up

Hidden in Plain Sight

Police and Racist Vigilantes: Even Worse Than You Think

Don't look past Trump's coup attempt

Downplaying Trumpism Is Dangerous

Yes, It Was a Coup Attempt. Here’s Why.

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No Fugazi: In Between Days (Coup Episode)

Counting Coup

Fascism, White Nationalism and American Values

On Media, White Nationalism & Hugo Weaving

 No Forward Progress

Opening Pandora’s Box

No Magic Man

American Fascism & Networks of Power

Thought-Crimes and Appeasement

A Primer on Americanized Fascism

No Fugazi: 5 Part Fascism Series

Amerikan Musik: Fascism Ascendant in the USA Page

- nina illingworth

Independent writer, critic and analyst with a left focus. Please help me fight corporate censorship by sharing my articles with your friends online!

You can find my work at ninaillingworth.com, Can’t You Read, Media Madness and my Patreon Blog

Updates available on Instagram, Mastodon and Facebook. Podcast at “No Fugazi” on Soundcloud.

Inquiries and requests to speak to the manager @ASNinaWrites

Chat with fellow readers online at Anarcho Nina Writes on Discord!

“It’s ok Willie; swing heil, swing heil…”