this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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Reactionary ideology is about loss and blame.
The current reactionary stripe in the US is focused on White Evangelical Supremacy, so everyone who is not in that group is a prime target.
White Evangelicalism has lost a heap of prestige in the last 30 years, while LGBTQ+ rights have been ascendant. This is the reason why trans people have long been taegeted by the reactionary right: they want to roll back all of the gains made to sexual minorities, and trans people make the easiest targets.
They also target immigrants for largely the same reason: they're a highly visible population who doesn't conform to their ideal White Evangelical model, so they use terror tactics to oppress them.
The goal is to make life intolerable for the people they hate so that they don't have to compete against ideas that make the world a more equitable place. It's no coincidence that the reactionary right rallied around fighting diversity, equity and inclusion: they are an evangelical white supremacist coalition.
see... yes, you're correct about all of what you're saying... but this is the understanding we had... 10-15 years ago. It was that simple then. But the reasons people tell themselves to be on this side and the means by which they fight (tactics, strategy, etc.) really has evolved in the 25+ years I, myself, have been part of the fight. What I'm saying is that: the other side has massively-upgraded its fighting ability and the complex/advanced nature of its attacks over the last 10 years, and we have repeatedly faltered in trying to counter it. Once in a while, we have a standout moment, but, currently, we're on our back foot and without a clear strategy - or even the basic tactics - we need in oder to actually fight.
Yes, the reactionary right is often derided as stupid, but they're very effective at stealing the language of liberation from the left and repurposing it to defend the people in power.
While many of the base are indeed ignorant and misinformed, the people driving the message are meticulous and creative about finding ways to make White Evangelical Supremacy more palatable. Tucker Carlson is especially effective at laundering neo-nazi talking points for them; his constant scaremongering around the racist "great replacement" conspiracy theory and his open hatred and lies about trans people are some of the most egregious.
But it's also people like Joe Rogan who make this reactionary funnel really work: he acts like a middle-of-the-road centrist, but also sells a gentler version of the same great replacement and "gender ideology" bullshit while introducing his audience to a whole bunch of radical right-wing freaks like they're just normal people.
I hate to say this, but, as correct as I think your assessment is… I think it’s about 5 to 10 years out of date. Things have gotten much more complicated, complex, and dire since then, and this old world understanding of why it is this way just isn’t gonna cut it anymore.
As you’ve pointed out, the right wing has seized on digital and independent media and forced those crazy views into the mainstream. This is something that was not only pioneer by leftists, but dominated by the left for decades until just very recently. What the fuck happened? We need to figure that out and figure out how to fight back. Especially if the truth requires us, collectively, facing a bunch of stuff, we don’t want to admit about ourselves, growing, and moving on.
I guess I don't understand what you think I'm missing. I think the rise of an explicitly fascist party and the propaganda arm to support it is pretty dire.
And historically, the right has been at the forefront of new media. Talk radio has been almost exclusively reactionary since its inception, and that provided a model for new media as well. We've had nearly a century of radical right-wing radio content to hone the message and tactics. Father Caughlin was doing his radio show in 1933, wherein he took his "America First" message to the nation.
There have been more leftist new-media shows than previously, but they are still playing catch-up with the well-funded reactionaries.
The right-wing rage machine has recently been fueled by a number of things, but mainly loss in prestige due to acceptance of LGBTQ+ people & the US hiring a black president. They got a candidate in Donald Trump who swore to be their retribution, and they rallied around him because he hates all the same people, but (perhaps most importantly) also spoke to their loss in a way that other Republicans and Democrats would not.
I don't think you're missing anything.
it's a lot to think about
Thanks. I feel a lot less alone in my... despair.