this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2023
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Pretty sure r/TheDonald started as a satire community and it evolved into one of the largest white nationalist movements the world has ever seen.
Like the nazis on 4Chan 10-15 years ago. They were debate threads for the sake of arguing. Same with the flat earthers there. It was for the argument, not the points made.
Then people didnt get it and it became real.
If you're someone funny or cool on the internet, you can enhance your experience immensely by arriving early and leaving early.
You're here early. 🥂
Not sure I'd conflate r/The_Donald with the Republican Party's turn into overt fascism, as a whole. But yeah, there's something to be said for the dangers of ironic bigotry.
Its not a conflation, but a direct line. I watched it happen. What was /r/TheDonald became the foundation of truth social and all these other white nationalist reddit style mediums. It normalized the kind of populism which Trumps base embraced, particularly for young white males, who have since, taken it much further. I'm very convinced it got tilted in the way that it did by a disinformation campaign by a state actor.
Yeah there's a term for that but I forget it.
Not post-irony but it's close. meh.