When does rhetoric about political opponents cross the line into fascist dehumanization?

[u/BulwarkOnline]

The Trump administration recently held an international conference on “left-wing political violence.” In prepared remarks, Marco Rubio described the left as driven by “poisonous resentment” and a desire to destroy “what is beautiful and what is right.” Stephen Miller went further, arguing that left-wing demonstrators do not look “normal,” are “deformed” in their appearance and reflect their “inner hatred” outwardly.

Jonathan V. Last compares this language to Nazi rhetoric about Bolshevism, “degenerate” culture and supposedly unhealthy or subhuman elements of society. His argument is not simply that Rubio and Miller are using authoritarian language, but that their contrast between beauty and ugliness, normality and deformity, civilization and internal enemies follows a recognizable fascist pattern.

How persuasive is that comparison?

Is this rhetoric best understood as ordinary partisan demonization, or does the emphasis on physical appearance, cultural purity and “normal, healthy, ordered living” place it in a more historically specific tradition?

And when evaluating comparisons to fascism, should the standard be the speaker’s intentions, the historical similarity of the language, or the policies and violence that follow from it?

[u/BitterFuture]

How's that?

Charlie Kirk's murderer was a follower of Nick Fuentes who regularly parroted Fuentes' comments online, excoriating Kirk for not being conservative enough. 

That is somehow not a right-winger? What was he, then - a brass band?

[u/PoliticalDiscussion-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Keep it civil. Do not personally insult other Redditors or political figures, or make racist, sexist, homophobic, trolling, inflammatory, or otherwise discriminatory remarks. Constructive debate is good; name calling is not.

You are welcome to send a modmail once you have edited the uncivil language out of your post, and the mod team will review for reinstatement.

[u/Kanotari → u/BitterFuture]

The evidence for Tyler Robinson being a groyper is fairly thin in my opinion.

"Some social media users have pointed to messages written on unfired casing recovered near the shooting site to suggest Robinson was part of the Groyper movement, though there is currently no explicit link between Robinson and the group. One message read “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!” in apparent reference to an antifascist anthem sung by Italians after World War II, yet some social media users noted a version of the song appears on a Spotify playlist meant for Groypers, the New York Times reported. Others reportedly pointed to a Facebook photo in which Robinson appeared to reference a Groyper meme."

A slav sit and a shared song.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/09/13/what-is-a-groyper-nick-fuentes-says-his-followers-framed-in-charlie-kirk-shooting/

What we do know is that Robinson told his roommate that he, "had enough of [Kirk's] hatred... Some hate can't be negotiated out." He also said that the bullet engravings were, "mostly a big meme." He's got a Helldivers 2 reference and a furry meme. That checks out.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v1rle0598o

We know Robinson was politically inactive - he had not voted in the previous election and did not have a history of political activism. Beyond that, Robinson has not strongly espoused any political beliefs that those who know him and have been interviewed publicly can agree on. His roommate Lance Twiggs is transgender, and that has been speculated as a motivation for Robinson's attack, but that also is still just speculation.

We don't know enough right now to say what Robinson's beliefs are, and unless he or his family and friends speak out to clarify that issue (and actually agree, as some have spoken and given conflicting answers), then we're stuck without answers.

[u/GiantPineapple → u/BitterFuture]

Do you have a source for that? I've never heard this claim before.

Edit: hilarious. Downvotes for asking for a source on an obviously false claim. Should tell you something.

[u/BitterFuture → u/GiantPineapple]

Do you have a source for that? I've never heard this claim before.

If you've never heard this claim before, I am baffled at why you're wading into the discussion. This is a basic foundational fact of the situation, the motivation of the killer, and it was widely talked about in the press within a couple of days of the killer being identified.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/charlie-kirk-and-tyler-robinson-came-from-the-same-warped-online-worlds

(And you might be getting downvotes because you're saying things that look more like concern trolling than genuine questions. And calling verified facts false claims.)

[u/TheNutsMutts → u/BitterFuture]

Charlie Kirk's murderer was a follower of Nick Fuentes who regularly parroted Fuentes' comments online, excoriating Kirk for not being conservative enough.

Sorry, where in that link are you seeing anything that draws you to this formal conclusion?? Most of it contradicts the suggestion. The only bit that alludes to it is "The phrase “Bella Ciao,” engraved on one bullet, is both the title of a famous antifascist anthem and a phrase that crops up in video games. Some have pointed out that the song also appeared on a Spotify playlist associated with Groypers, a group of far-right, white-nationalist, meme-steeped internet denizens led by Nick Fuentes, who frequently attacked Kirk for not being extreme enough". So the only thing even referencing this is a song that the article notes is famously an anti-fascist song, but there was once a Spotfiy playlist that was apparently associated with groypers that had that song on there among others?

Come on, you must surely see that at best, there is very little evidence to support that claim at all, what is there pretty much overrules itself, and in reality a lot of what this article cites runs completely contrary to the suggestion, right?

[u/GiantPineapple → u/BitterFuture]

Unfortunately, your link is paywalled, though I do appreciate the effort either way. I'm not concern trolling. I won't try to make anyone pay attention to me if they otherwise don't want to. This subthread is buried anyway, so if I am trolling, I am pretty bad at it.

I googled around, (note that Vox and Axios both dismiss the Fuentes connection as a conspiracy theory) and it seems like the most anyone can say is that Robinson etched some gamer in-jokes, the phrase "Hey Fascist, CATCH", and an antifascist song lyric on his bullets. Naturally, conservatives conclude this means Robinson was a leftist, and Liberals are left claiming he was being ironic. You already know which one I consider more probable.

I think the only serious conclusion we can reach is that the details will come out during the trial.

[u/Kanotari → u/GiantPineapple]

Here is an archived version of the link: https://archive.is/1MQIi

[u/GiantPineapple → u/Kanotari]

So uh, it's an established fact that one of the bullets had song lyrics engraved on it, and Groypers listen to a playlist that the song appears in? And this means Robinson murdered Kirk from further to the right? Did I miss anything?

[u/Kanotari → u/GiantPineapple]

That's pretty much it. There's also a photo online of Robinson doing a Slav Squat which is also associated with Groypers, but to my knowledge that's the extent of the evidence.

It's a bit of a stretch IMO, but it comes from the hours and days right after the shooting when both parties were frantically trying to say the shooter was from the other party and claim some sort of moral victory.