[stevenwoo]

Has it? My impression is in the USA the start was the normalization of "on our side or the enemy" polarization started with Newt Gingrich into ordinary sedate (for the time period) political debate and was weaponized in the aftermath of 9/11 when any criticism of Bush/Cheney actions was reframed as what side is one questions in the 'war on terrorism' with the implied positioning of any opposition as pro terrorism.

I had to look this up, the word doesn't have a very long history claims this bit https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/history-of-the-word... . The first authoritarian regime that might come to mind to most after the French Revolution, the Nazis, didn't use this word commonly for their opposition, either, AFAIK.

[wrs]

Here are some recent examples from Russia, Turkey, and Egypt. [0]

[0] https://www.hstoday.us/featured/how-autocrats-exploit-the-de...

[newaccountman2]

> The first authoritarian regime that might come to mind to most after the French Revolution, the Nazis,

?? you think no government between the French Revolution government and the Nazis could qualify as "authoritarian"?

[stevenwoo]

No, I tried to express with the word “might” and the phrase “come to mind” as indications of what people could come up with on the spur of the moment without delving into research. I did not intend what you wrote.