Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by aahhahahaaa 2170 days ago
You picked a single example that's also referenced in a stackexchange answer that did a fair amount of work exploring the usage of the symbol.

"It can be found in that context. But it is surely not the most recognisable symbol for Antifa in the US."

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/47917/have-anti...

So ok, maybe we can give the benefit of the doubt. By why not use the actual symbol that's very predominantly used in Antifacist protests? It's very easy to find and much more familiar and relevant. Honestly it would have made for a better ad.

And in isolation this is a single mistake, but the administration has been repeatedly criticized for using fascist symbolism and language, including "America First." At what point do these things stop being coincidental?

1 comments

I'm not saying it isn't xenophobic and pandering to a nationalist base but it seems like a stretch to call "America First" fascist, especially when the phrase is generally accompanied by (dubious) accusations that the opposing party failed to prioritize the needs of the people. I could see the argument that the slogan was perhaps used as a tool to further fascist policies but "America First" represents fascism about as much as the Che Guervarra hats that Hot Topic used to sell represented communism.
It's not the phrase "America First" on its own, but its history of use.

"While the America First Committee had a variety of supporters in the United States, 'the movement was marred by anti-Semitic and pro-fascist rhetoric.'"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_(policy)

And again, this is another example where they could have literally picked anything else... but they didn't. When pressed about its history Trump literally backed up the phrase's use by stating "I like the expression."

It's isolationist, nationalistic, xenophobic nonsense with a tinge of antisemitism. It's been denounced by multiple jewish scholars and the Anti-defamation league.