a fantastic time to talk about fascism in cinema

Finding comic relief (and maybe solutions) in how cinema has handled humanity's darkest chapters. For paid supporters, because some thoughts need room to breathe.

Story time! Once upon a time, a billionaire apartheid heir, drunk on his own mythos and the intoxicating permission of fascism's new legitimacy, threw up a Nazi salute at a presidential inauguration. Twice. Not in some grainy footage from a basement meeting. Not through a telephoto lens at a private gathering. Right there, under the klieg lights of American democracy's terminal phase.

The absolute fucking audacity of it all.

Following that, we expected to participate in this exhausting kabuki of uncertainty—as if the precise angle of his arm might reveal some heretofore unknown greeting that just happens to mirror the gesture that preceded history's greatest atrocity. As if we haven't spent the past three years watching the same media spectacle that screams "antisemitism!" at every pro-Palestinian protest suddenly develop an acute case of both-sidesism when confronted with actual fascism in Ferragamo loafers.

And because we live in the darkest timeline, his response wasn't even to deny it - instead he turned to his cesspool-of-hate platform to issue the following: "Don't say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down!" topped with a "bet you did Nazi that coming!".

Of course, nothing says "I'm not actually a Nazi" or “Nazis are really bad” quite like workshopping Third Reich puns while serving as co-president (sorry JD).

Now it’s February 6, 2025. The US office is occupied by people who think Hitler had some good ideas actually, and we're still playing semantic games about exact arm positioning. But the most daunting realization is how we’re turning into cowards when we simply nod to this failed system.

So fine.

Since we're trapped in this nightmarish loop where we must continually relearn what cinema has been screaming about fascism for eight decades, let's talk about what happens when society decides to treat genocidal ideology as worthy of TikTok debate.

1. Treat every fascist like they're explaining their crypto portfolio

A conversation I want to have with Elon Musk:

Elon: gesturing emphatically at AfD rally "Multiculturalism dilutes everything-"

Me: examining nails "Baby, this performance art went stale at Nuremberg. Next you'll tell me about your SoundCloud."

Elon: "Actually, preserving cultural heritage-"

Me: "Darling, how drearily provincial. Imagine limiting yourself to one cultural palette. Eating boiled potatoes when there's an entire Ottolenghi cookbook waiting to be explored.”

Elon: "We must preserve the cultu-"

Me: "Preserve what exactly? The right to organize your bookshelf by spine color? The freedom to think Whole Foods is ethnic cuisine? Your cultural movement has all the edge of a suburban book club discussing Atlas Shrugged over boxed chardonnay."

Elon: “Children should not be guilty for the sins of th-”

Me: scrolling phone "Sorry, I dozed off during your fourth Reich routine. At least the original fascists had Hugo Boss. You've got khakis and a persecution complex."

Sophie’s note: The emotional safety of my subscribers is my number one priority. So I’m paywalling the rest of the essay to ensure people feel safe to engage with this sensitive topic. I’m also sharing personal opinions so, as per the TFS subscription, personal posts go behind the paywall.

If you want to support writing like this, consider upgrading for the annual price of a decent bottle of wine. Essential for toasting to the downfall of dictators.