Article here:
To sum up, it’s more helpful to see 2021 conservatism as a popular culture fandom as opposed to a political movement, akin to Marvel or Star Trek fans. They have their own in-jokes, quotable quotes, recurring tropes and themes, etc. Refuting their nonsense with facts is no more likely to succeed than to tell a Marvel fanboy that DC is better.
If this is true, how can or should it be approached by ideological opponents? Should these fanboys be ignored? Mocked? Gently coaxed into reality?
I don’t have the answer, but I think the way this article puts it is very insightful. I just don’t know what to do about it.
What makes it dangerous is that 2021 conservatism, or whenever it started, occurs in the real world. Any arguments about whether Star Wars is better than Star Trek, or who would win a one on one fight between Thanos and Superman, can ultimately be dismissed as “it’s just fiction, no need to take it THAT seriously” should the people arguing start becoming violent with each other. I don’t think there’s much that can be done to convince the true believers to abandon their beliefs short of losing several election cycles in a row. It would probably take Democrats keeping both houses of Congress and the presidency in 2022, 2024, 2026, and 2028. If that happens, by 2030 I think even the hard headed true believers will begin to realize their side lost.
I think the OP is overselling the article based on the headline. The article isn’t claiming that the Conservative movement is like fandom in any substantial way (to that end the ever present comparison to a cult is more apropos), it is only talking about their communication style involving the use of inside references that are only understandable to those “in the know”.
This is nothing new, they have been doing it long before Trump. This is the whole idea behind dog whistles. Or talking about Dred Scott as a way of referencing Roe v Wade.
As to what to do about it? Not a lot, other than to keep some translators on hand who can decode what conservatives are actually saying when they make a reference that seems nonsensical to us.
It’s not new, and the tactics are not new. MLK spoke directly on this issue 60 years ago.
You show them love and affection while standing firm against what you find morally objectionable.
You can explain the negative impacts of bad behavior without belittling, insulting, deriding, or attacking people. You can refuse to comply with or tolerate bad behavior with unbreakable resolve, but that cannot take the form of replicating the hatred you’re ostensibly opposed to. People have powerful emotional reactions to both expressions of humanity (it’s hard to hate someone who’s giving you a hug) and denials of their humanity (it’s easy to hate someone who, without ever knowing anything about you, calls you a racist inbred mongrel).
But the instant you go into mockery or the like, you lose them, empower your enemies, and embolden them - potentially forever.
Now, I’m certainly no saint when it comes to this. But its the only thing that works.