This is part 2 of an ongoing series I've been writing called the Cancer of Facism. In the last work, I compared the way fascists use everyday terminology to hide their beliefs, like the way cancer cells hide themselves from our own body. If you're interested, check out that last work here. On writing that first piece, I've felt like there are more ways that cancer and fascism can be related.
Malignant Form
Many people see cancer as one malignant form - an evil entity residing in the human body. Like an organic possession, it takes from our own systems and blood while we still live. This consideration isn't exactly wrong, but cancer cells rarely see themselves as the same team. It's more like the chaos of competition, with each cell staking out to conquer the rest of the body. It's less a singular being and more like a million malevolent forms, each trying to become the worst.
Cancer rarely takes just one form in the human body. Unlike most cells, the cells of cancer are more concerned with survival than anything else. They will develop new blood vessels to propagate fuel for themselves, or even completely change shape. If a cancer cell is weak or lacks the gusto to steal food for itself, then it will die. There are no allies for a cancer cell in the field of battle. Thus, only the most proliferative, most resource demanding and selfish cancer cells will survive in such a dog-eat-dog world.
I promise this is going somewhere, just hang on for me!
If you've paid attention to the news lately, you've likely heard a lot of hubbub around Target. Now that they've satisfied themselves with an extremely meager boycott, the right has turned its sights towards a "new" opponent. I say "new", because as shown below, the right has repeatedly made claims to attack Target for its “wokeness”.
What is new for this boycott is the methods the actors have taken. Target cites the reason for their removal of pride merch as threats of violence. Personally, I believe them. I've seen more than a few TikToks of proud right wingers trashing Pride displays or arguing with sales agents. Not to mention the escalation of violence against the LGBTQ+ community over the past few years. It's safe to say that the right is open and willing to use violence to achieve their goals. This change has been slow and gradual, but nigh guaranteed. As one right wing propagandist escalates, so must the others to "keep up". This increasing violent rhetoric is required to continue the grift - it's a continual mutation towards violence.
This isn't to say that violence is new in the right wing. Ruby Ridge, Ted Kacynski, the murder of Dr. George Tiller are all instances of violent right wing groups/activists. However, these were smaller and more isolated incidents. These represent those first cancer cells capable of metastasis - trying out a new strategy before being cut down by the immune system of society. Sadly, that tide continues to flow and the immune system of society is growing weaker and weaker. More and more metastatic cells are leaving their first tumor site.
Metastasis
This change was long but visible. For example, let's look at one enterprising chud by the name of Charlie Kirk. Charlie started "Turning Point USA", an organization dedicated to "turning" college age youths back towards conservatism. One issue Charlie faced early on, however, was not from the "demons" of the Radical Left. His new organization was becoming cannibalized by another faction, the "Groypers". These more radical right wingers demanded more action against their hated enemies and oppressive overlords: Jewish people, namely. Furthermore, they would show up to Turning Point QnA sessions demanding to be heard. This was done by loudly proclaiming that Turning Point was ignoring very real issues for conservatives. Often, they demanded Charlie to answer for his repeated silence on the issue of Jewish control.
The problems didn't get better, only worse. New Turning Point USA members heard the more violent and emotionally provocative statements from nearby Groypers. Thus, the movement slowly shifted from one slightly not as insane right wing group into the next. Charlie, it seems, was being outcompeted. The resources would only benefit one cancer cell, not both. Now, Turning Point USA has a full blown Nazi problem. In 2019, Iowa’s chapter invited Nick Fuentes himself to speak (leading to the student resigning). In 2021, Media Matters mentions the Turning Point USA chapter in Alabama is hiring two of Nick Fuentes associates, who will assuredly spread their message to the rest of the slowly radicalizing flock of college students.
This is a common problem when you're a right wing propagandist. Not only do you have to deal with reality, which flies in the face of your untrue statements, but you also must deal with the other propagandists. The ecosystem of the far right is fragile. Allies can shift to enemies overnight - usually due to some perceived slight from the wrong-doer. Most of the time, it's about money. Few events are more famous than (propagandist) Steven Crowder's1 loud denial of the (also propagandist) Daily Wire's contract, something he had seen as non-lucrative and controlling.
Essentially, the right wing narrative must have people to sell to. The useless pills and white aggrievement must go somewhere. Unfortunately (for them), there is a limit to the amount of people who can believe the insane ideology. As a result, the space becomes hyper competitive and always adapting. If you aren't following through with the correct conspiracies, then you're old news. If you aren't strong enough against the right enemies, you're soft or controlled opposition. If you're too anti-Semitic or racist to be profitable, you're a false flag, planted by left wing agents to make the right look bad (look at the "ANTIFA" Jan 6 protestors, for example).
Survival of the Fittest
Like cancer, each propagandist is going to do anything they must to survive and draw resources. Most of the time, that means going with the flow and finding the correct news points to hit. Every once and while, however, a new propagandist will come up with a whole new take. Right wing agents have to toe the line or consume the new operator, a cold calculus done based entirely on potential profit. Is the conspiracy believable? Is it emotionally reactive enough? Is there a product I can sell because of it?
Even more importantly, far right activists will always demand another threat. You begin with the occasional corrupted official or crooked cop, but soon, the conspiracy must unfold to massive child trafficking rings and fake elections. After all, the enemies must be insidious enough to deserve our hatred yet powerful enough to deserve our fear. The requirement for these costs will only continue to skyrocket - if you believe that there are kids being sold our of pizza shop basements, who cares about a county sheriff taking extra money from the top? If the President was ousted by a fake election, then do those chemtrails left by planes really make a difference?
Thus the rhetoric only exceeds and never retreats. In doing so, the level of violence and disgust will slowly increase, as far right activists need more powerful propaganda to justify more powerful hatred. Luckily, this need creates an ever turning cycle that will consume some propagandists. Unluckily, this cycle grows new activists who are willing to do what the previous agitators wouldn't. The most violent cancers consume the body and thus themselves, as their consumption becomes unregulated and their food source inevitably dies.
Like cancer, we have to fear not only the disease that rages in the country now, but how that disease makes itself worse. Condemnations from the top level, such as Biden's speech against white supremacy, are nice but ineffective. Strictly anti-racist education, on the ways that fascism grows from ignorance and deception, can stem the flow of mutating rhetoric. Without effective education, responses from the establishment only seek to feed the beast and continue the cycle. Or even worse, if we destroy the issue of white supremacy and Christian theocracy without understanding its cause, it will eventually rise again to show its ugly face.
Thanks for reading!
Hey, there’s a lot of horrible shit going on in the USA right now. I’ve added some links to organizations that are helping LGBTQ+ groups, especially in areas of the US that are being hit hard with horrible legislation. If you have a penny, drop one or two in their direction:
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
https://greatnonprofits.org/org/equality-florida
https://www.equalitytexas.org/
https://greatnonprofits.org/org/centerlink-the-community-of-lgbt-centers