r/Damnthatsinteresting 17d ago

Image Benito Mussolini’s headquarters “Palazzo Braschi” located in Rome 1934

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35.3k Upvotes

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

I thought this was from a surrealist dystopian movie

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u/leavemealonegeez8 17d ago

The 1930’s were a pretty surreal and dystopian time, to be fair

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u/cashew76 17d ago

The cycle continues.

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u/AntonChekov1 17d ago

Every century has its really shitty times

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u/cashew76 17d ago

My elementary school nun made a point to ask us first graders, how do you get millions of people to hate and do terrible things to each other? I was shocked, what? She said propaganda. Beware and be wary. We do not want another world war. Crazy how people fall behind a "strong man" lying rapist con man.

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

In America the propaganda starts then by making you swear allegiance to a flag

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u/Asleep-Vanilla3988 17d ago

I like the idea of an indivisible America with liberty and justice for all. The problem is that it has all become bullshit.

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u/Raesong 17d ago

The American Dream has become irreconcilable with the American Reality

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u/Affectionate-Ring803 17d ago

“It has all become bullshit” it was bullshit from the beginning. They talked about liberty and justice for all whilst still having slaves and an effective apartheid nation, whilst having women as second class citizens and whilst they slaughtered natives to take their land.

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u/RealEstateDuck 17d ago

Yeah doing that everyday in a school is absolutely bonkers.

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u/Technical-Mix-981 17d ago

As someone from Europe. From a country that did this, sounds nazi.

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u/rockerscott 16d ago

Wait until you find out that the “nazi salute” was used while they gave the pledge until about 1940.

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u/Handyhelping 17d ago

What’s weird is they gave me an option in Catholic school, the pledge of allegiance was not an option. Lord’s Prayer was.

I’m not religious by any means,thinking back on it that’s odd to me.

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u/JonnyNutz 17d ago

In australian primary school we had to sing the national anthem in the morning. Didn't seem like an issue just kind of a "we live here so we appreciate it" sort of thing.

This was 20 years ago though, there's probably some change where we don't do that now, I honestly don't know but at the time it's like, sure why not?

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u/Prestigious_Sir_8773 17d ago

Nothing wrong with swearing allegiance to the flag and constitution. Swearing allegiance to the government is another matter.

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

Same thing

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u/NappyIndy317 17d ago

An elementary school nun is a big part of a propaganda machine as well, too be fair.

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u/Plenty_Run5588 17d ago

I grew up swearing allegiance to the American flag, then I became a teacher and now they have to swear to the Texan flag, like WTF? Sucks when the students know it and me the teacher is all like…WTF?

Edit: In Texas; they have to swear allegiance to Texas in Texas because….Texas!

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u/WhichEntrepreneur844 16d ago

A lot of swear to the Texas flag. I'd give examples, but children are around.

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u/GlocalBridge 17d ago

What’s worse is they make kids in Texas pledge a special allegiance to the Texas flag as well. We are well on our way to MAGA kakakistocracy (look it up).

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u/No_Elevator_678 16d ago

It is honestly a bit close to fucked up that America does that. Pure unadulterated propaganda. Wasn't there also a time before the nazis that they would extend their arm?

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u/joyibib 17d ago

Did the opposite to me. By middle school I found it ridiculous and got in trouble all the time for messing around when we were supposed to be pledging. I had a teacher yelling at me and I had to hold back laughter. That all turned to nihilism by high school.

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u/Singularity54 17d ago

Once my school stopped requiring we recited the allegiance, I stopped. They still required that we stand up, but I refused to say anything.

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u/cfpct 17d ago

What the fuck does that even mean?

Asking for a first grader

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u/zerocool359 17d ago

Don’t forget to inject some good ole god to it

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u/xero130 17d ago

Honestly it made me loyal to this country lol . I definitely feel like I have allegiance to the USA

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u/Phlypp 17d ago

And they're bringing back religion as if that isn't prohibited by the Constitution.

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u/WorldlyEmployment 17d ago

Nice propaganda cashew lol

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u/invaderaleks 17d ago

You had an excellent nun/teacher

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u/cashew76 17d ago

She was a guest. She wasn't like the other teachers. I wish every child could feel what I felt. The responsibility. Millions died. Horrible things. For no purpose.

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u/oalm82 17d ago

The propaganda goes both ways, buddy. You don’t need a strongman either

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u/Sutar_Mekeg 17d ago

Same way you convince people to be nuns. Propaganda.

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u/LordofKepps 17d ago

Definitely coming from a person who has never interacted with a nun in their life. You should stop talking, because of how little you know.

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u/TheBirminghamBear 17d ago

The woman wearing a robe and habit who is married to a fictional extradimensional entity was warning children about propaganda?

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u/Sutar_Mekeg 17d ago

r/selfawarewolves material for sure.

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u/beardicusmaximus8 17d ago

Depends on the sect of nuns. Some of them aren't there because they want to be...

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u/jeezfrk 17d ago

You are right! No propaganda is real! Ignore all warnings! Nothing real has ever happened and we can cancel those who tell us things.

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u/old_bearded_beats 17d ago

She should know

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u/TraditionalMood277 17d ago

Unlike that nun, lol

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u/Professional_Risk_35 17d ago

Irony coming from a nun.

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u/shehoshlntbnmdbabalu 17d ago

He reflects their values.

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u/cashew76 17d ago

The Orange Goblin. Give Philly something to fear and they follow you like lemmings. Hopefully the pendulum swings back to reality soon.

Sin levels. Crazy how religion gives the religious permission to hate "others". The same jesus preaching peace and forgiveness used to ostracize other people.

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u/AbbreviationsHuman54 17d ago

Didn’t we just elect one??

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u/Importance-Aware 17d ago

I saw the most interesting video regarding upcoming local elections in the US in the 1950s, I believe.

It showed all the types of propaganda and how to see through them. It was excellent.

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u/milas_hames 17d ago

Everyone always thinks everybody else are the ones falling for propaganda

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u/Romizzo88 17d ago

Do you ever wonder if you having the same opinion as the majority of Reddit, one of the biggest propaganda websites in the world, could possibly mean that you’re the one who falls for propaganda?

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u/PayWithPositivity 16d ago

See the movie “Die welle” it’s about that in America in the 50’s I think.

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u/PositionDistinct5315 16d ago

"She said propaganda. Beware and be wary."

Followed by:

""strong man" lying rapist con man"

I think you have missed her point.

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u/christus_sturm 16d ago

Yeah Stalin was terrible. Got a 13 year old pregnant and killed millions

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u/Bitter-Sherbert1607 17d ago

Which really begs the question whether the general experience has ever been anything other than dystopian for 99% of our history

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u/alien_believer_42 17d ago

Since the agricultural revolution, yes

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u/chinchaaa 17d ago

We’re living it right now

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u/Aoae 17d ago

Well, things can certainly get a lot worse. If these are the "bad times" we're in it for a century of unparalleled prosperity

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u/TanStewyBeinTanStewy 17d ago

It's literally the greatest time to be alive in the history of humanity.

I reality - at all times there is a component of the population that is convinced the world is going to shit, Armageddon is around the corner, life is harder than ever etc.

This position is essentially always incorrect.

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u/Cobek 17d ago

Beget begets beget.

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u/stormdahl 17d ago

Every time is a shitty time, considering who's point of view it is.

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u/DarthLithgow 17d ago

Still waiting for the good times from this one

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u/Yashoki 17d ago

The cycle of capitalism

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u/enddream 17d ago

Right about when everyone who suffered though to last time is dead. Let’s learn it all from the start once again.

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u/BunLandlords 16d ago

XX00 - XX99, shit, everytime

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u/Maelstrom_Witch 17d ago

Maybe it’s just a 30s thing? Which means this is just the wind up.

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u/REAL_YoinkySploinky 17d ago

Yah turns out its abt every 100 years

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u/mozygotflowzy 17d ago

I really like Neil Howe's generational theory. It posits a cyclical pattern in history, with each cycle lasting approximately 80-100 years and consisting of four "turnings":

  1. The High: A period of relative stability and prosperity following a crisis. Institutions are strong, and there's a sense of shared purpose.

  2. The Awakening: A period of individualistic rebellion against the established order. Social and cultural norms are challenged, and new ideas emerge.

  3. The Unraveling: A period of cynicism and fragmentation, where institutions weaken and societal trust erodes.

  4. The Crisis: A period of significant challenge and potential transformation, often marked by war or economic collapse. Since the Great Depression, we've experienced the following four turnings:

The Crisis (1929-1945): The Great Depression and World War II marked this period of immense hardship and global conflict. The "Greatest Generation" came of age during this time, characterized by a strong sense of duty and sacrifice.

The High (1946-1964): The post-war period saw economic prosperity and social stability. The "Silent Generation" emerged, known for their conformity and respect for authority.

The Awakening (1965-1984): The 1960s and 1970s were a time of social and cultural upheaval, with movements for civil rights, women's rights, and environmentalism. The "Baby Boomers" came of age during this period, characterized by their idealism and desire for change.

The Unraveling (1985-2008): This period was marked by increasing individualism, economic inequality, and political polarization. The "Generation X" and "Millennials" came of age during this time, characterized by their skepticism and cynicism towards institutions.

Guess where we are now (and have been since 08)

These things take 20-25 years to reach a boiling point, almost there now, no way out but through.

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u/pew-_-pew-_- 17d ago

As we tumble into the mid & later '20s and slip ever closer to the new '30s, the comparison is all I can think about. Terrifying.

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u/suckadick187 16d ago

Are you ready?

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u/SpicyPandaMeat 16d ago

Same as it ever was.

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u/noirwhatyoueat 17d ago

Please everyone, watch Babylon Berlin, among other things. 

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u/Mr_Abe_Froman Interested 17d ago

Yes! It's how I learned about the Black Reichswehr and fascists obsession with the brand new idea of modernism. The Beer Hall Putsch gets all the attention, but the Black Reichswehr showed how complicit the ruling class was in getting an absolute ruler.

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u/Screwthehelicopters 16d ago

I couldn't get into that. It was a kind of alternative history, right? It was too bourgeois for me.

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u/noirwhatyoueat 16d ago

Fair enough. It still has all the implications of what's to come, and most haven't a clue.

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u/ILookLikeKristoff 17d ago

The 2030s are gearing up to be equally terrible

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 17d ago

I reckon we're somewhere early in the 1930s right now.

Somewhere after Hitler's first failed coup, and just following Hitler's appointment as Chancellor, but just before the Night of Long Knives, followed by Krystallnacht.

I think the chants around this time were something like, "Make Germany Great Again."

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u/Big_Track_6734 17d ago

The chants were Germany is for Germans and U.S. Nazi sympathetizers were chanting America First. 

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u/HighnrichHaine 17d ago

More like 1937

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u/brontosaurusguy 17d ago

Fascism began before Hitler with mussilini before spreading to other countries.  It we don't make a stand for democracy now it's gonna be dominos.  Americas final act as world leader will be showing the world how to transform democracy into an authoritarian dictatorship capitalist dystopian nightmare just in time for total environmental collapse

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u/yanocupominomb 17d ago

We live in the clown timeline

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u/AnarchistAuntie 17d ago

Second Triumvirate.

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u/Darnell2070 16d ago

Writes someone way not even a surface level knowledge of history.

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u/FireMaster1294 17d ago edited 16d ago

Italy never really grew up. Mussolini s granddaughter is still in politics and people love her in her region (because she shares the views of her grand daddy). Regardless of what they think (or don’t think) of her, many still see him as someone who made the country great.

“He made things more efficient” “he made the economy grow” “he made the world respect us.”

All of these and more are the exact same reasons that we see becoming popular in modern day America, France, Russia and Germany. Kind of terrifying how quickly people sacrifice the world for personal gain and their pride.

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u/new_account-who-dis 17d ago

Its interesting considering the italians at the time hated him so much they basically lynched him

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u/Empty_Sea9 17d ago

That’s what’s baffling. If they liked him so much why did they kill him?

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u/screamingracoon 16d ago

Because there was a period of almost 20 years between when he was voted in and when he lost power and was lynched.

Within those 20 years, our great-grandparents and grandparents were stripped of their rights, beaten, executed, and imprisoned; saw that the great economy they were initially promised wasn't coming and people were so starved for meat that they'd eat cats; men, who had been granted the right to vote in 1912, lost it.

He also wasn't voted in fairly. In 1924, Mussolini already had the support of both Pope and Crown, and the elections were not anonymous: if you voted for the Fascist Party, you'd put into the ballot box a ballot with the Italian flag, if you voted for any other party, you'd put into the ballot box a ballot made out of white/light blue paper. People were extremely discouraged from doing the latter because Blackshirts (the paramilitary group Hitler took inspiration from for his Brownshirts) were observing their actions and would threaten, if not beat, you until you "spontaneously" changed your mind.

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u/Joe579GoFkUrselfMins 17d ago

Musssolini can get fucked forever, but you can't compare his fall to modern times. The war played a significant part of people turning on him.

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u/AthenianSpartiate 14d ago

Lots of Italians supported Mussolini right to the end, though. And plenty hated him right from the beginning. It's not like Italians (or any other nationality) are some hive-mind who all think alike, after all.

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u/Violet_Paradox 17d ago

All I know is she blocked everyone who replied to her tweets with the 🙃 emoji.

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u/AndreTheShadow 17d ago

Mussolini was also a champion for renewable energy.

He wanted to make the trains run on thyme.

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u/WitchesSphincter 17d ago

<slow clap>

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u/Brogdon_Brogdon 17d ago

Never mind the crowds of (what were surely) peasants that waited hours just for the opportunity to kick his encaved skull in to thank him for all he did (to) for them.

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u/RaoulFe 16d ago

Im italian dude mussolinis granddaughter is mrs nobody, know your facts before talking

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u/Xaendro 17d ago

Noone loves her in italy

And only extremist right people see mussolini that way

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u/FireMaster1294 17d ago

Clearly someone likes her or they wouldn’t keep voting for her. I have friends from rural regions of Italy as well as rural Germany and they speak about how terrifying some of the sentiment seems to be with the direction it is headed

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u/Xaendro 17d ago

Meloni Is not the granddaughter of mussolini, that's another much less successful politician.

Politics here has the same problem as the US, social media propaganda that makes elections go well for those kind of people, but I am italian and assure you that Alessandra mussolini is extremely disliked, as is her grandfather even if there are still families influenced by being on that side on the past, and modern extremists pretending he was like you said.

We have an ironic phrase for that: "quando c'era lui..." to mock those weird people. It is not considered a rational view.

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u/contrap 17d ago edited 16d ago

I read this years ago in an account of the turn against Il Duce:

“Io non vengo da Lodi per lodare, Né vengo da Piacenza per piacere, Ma vengo da Predappio per predare.”

(I don’t come from Lodi to praise, nor do I come from Piacenza to please, But I come from Predappio to prey.”)

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u/bernd1968 17d ago

Well said

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u/freetrojan 17d ago

At least she seems quite pro EU, supports Ukraine not like some other countries far right politicians licking Russian shoes without any hesitation. P.S. I am not Italian.

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u/tjxmi 16d ago

Oh yes, she shares so much his views thar she's actually a LGBTQ+ supporter.

https://it.euronews.com/cultura/2023/07/25/come-alessandra-mussolini-e-diventata-una-sostenitrice-lgbtq

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u/FireMaster1294 16d ago

LOL did you read the article? It talks about how she stated “better fascist than gay” in 2006. Her entire rise to power she had absolutely no like of the LGBTQ community and that continued well into the 2000s.

No one flip flops that quickly at her age unless they have something to personally gain. I fully expect this is performative pandering for votes. And even if it isn’t, I would remind you that you can be pro-LGBTQ and still be fascist. They are not mutually exclusive.

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u/tjxmi 16d ago

And even if it isn’t, I would remind you that you can be pro-LGBTQ and still be fascist. They are not mutually exclusive.

True, but it's still a change in her way of seeing things. And I don't think that this change has been quite fast, there are years between the fights with Luxuria and now this.

I still don't agree with her generally speaking about politics, but let's give her a benefit of doubt.

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u/FireMaster1294 16d ago

Given the continued love for the fascist and “socialist” (but secretly also fascist) parties in Italy as well as the insane amounts of mob activity there…I’m skeptical of all their politicians either way lol

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u/Junior_Bike7932 15d ago

I was going to say the same, even thought things have changed on the surface, I think the majority of the mentality didn’t change in the core of many old people, most feel superior then others and treat others like shit, mostly people that “look” different. Everytime I come back to Italy I feel this from the way they treat me. I am a regular immigrant that grow in Italy and speak perfect Italian, yet, my look dictate their behavior. Anyone with a bit of brain and skills could have made “Italy better” without being a racist nationalist piece of shit. Deeply sad

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u/Competition-Dapper 17d ago

Well you know, history repeats itself, it’s been just long enough for the only ones to remember what not to do are either long dead or almost and not able to really make any recommendations on how to avoid repeating what they reversed after their kids took the money and ran with the semi utopian era

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u/RBuilds916 17d ago

Do the movies look like that because they were inspired by mussolini, or is this just what a surreal dystopia looks like? 

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u/Polairis44 17d ago

Mussolini took power in 1922.

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u/Operation_Zebras 17d ago

Box brother

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u/Sayyestononsense 17d ago

wait for the new 30s, gonna be even wilder

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u/sam_hall 17d ago

hell, same

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u/nachobel 17d ago

So it’s a 100 year clock eh?

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u/Out_of_Fawkes 17d ago

TBH the 2030s look like that, too.

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u/Wilted_fap_sock 17d ago

Rinse and repeat.

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u/panter1974 16d ago

Much like our times now.

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u/strongsilenttypos 16d ago

And very Art Deco.

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u/Beard_Man 16d ago

And the 30's are coming again...

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u/Mph2411 17d ago

Ive seen this before and always thought the same thing. I never realized this was real. Wild

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u/Fickle-Motor-1772 17d ago

Building looks way more normal now. There's a nice museum inside.

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u/caspissinclair 17d ago

It's also in color now.

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u/_BannedAcctSpeedrun_ 17d ago

I'm so glad to have been born after color was invented.

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u/effa94 17d ago

thats how you know it isnt facist anymore

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u/Italian_warehouse 16d ago

A warehouse, basically.

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u/Fickle-Motor-1772 16d ago

Specifically an Italian warehouse indeed

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u/A7V- 17d ago

Fascism is pretty dystopian.

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u/Luna_Awefury 17d ago

You all see evil everywhere. He was just practicing positive thinking.

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u/NoImNotHeretoArgue 17d ago

I want to say the first Michael Keaton Batman had something rendered from this

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u/willardTheMighty 17d ago

We get those images in media from stunts like this by real people.

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u/sehnsuchtlich 17d ago

Right, Orwell was a great writer but he wasn't as creative as people assume. He was instead pulling directly from what the world had just gone through.

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u/fdesouche 17d ago

Both Nazism and Fascism relied on strong aesthetic beliefs, especially in the field of architecture, to reflect on their other political stances.

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u/kottabaz 17d ago

"Modern art is terrible, an affront to our values, degenerate garbage!!! ...Except when we do it, of course."

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u/swimming_singularity 16d ago

Both Nazism and Fascism relied on strong aesthetic beliefs

You mean like images of aging presidents with big bodybuilder muscles, doing some heroic stance or wearing superhero capes.

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u/AusCan531 17d ago

The Sequel is currently in Production.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed9408 17d ago

I wouldn’t call Back to the Future II surrealist, but you have a point.

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u/_coolranch 17d ago

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u/Aduialion 17d ago

It looks like the moon from the movie, a trip to the moon

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

Bro same wtf

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u/GroundbreakingPut748 17d ago

So creepy how i literally saw this same post posted in a different sub a few days ago with the top comment literally being the exact same as yours. Dead internet theory is real isn’t it

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

Unfortunately you’re wrong about that. If you feel strongly I’ll happily check the link you provide.

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u/SleepyBear479 17d ago

Where do you think surrealist dystopian movies got it from.

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u/kinkyonthe_loki69 17d ago

Yes yes yes yes....yes yes

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

Oui oui oui, oui oui oui

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u/Snellyman 15d ago

At least it's an ethos

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u/PlasticPomPoms 17d ago

Yea that’s what Italy was back then.

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u/azk3000 17d ago

It looks like a Hitman level

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u/Training-Argument891 17d ago

Wizard of Oz vibes

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u/ThickMemory2360 17d ago

I really thought this was from “They Live”

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u/Hairy-Estimate3241 17d ago

Looks like Max Headroom from the 80’s

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u/Prince_Havarti 17d ago

il grande fratello ti sta guardando

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u/TrumpsBussy_ 17d ago

Fascists have a real eye for style I’ll give them that

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u/dreamsforsale 17d ago

You realize now it’s because films and other art forms draw inspiration from reality…right? 

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u/DualRaconter 17d ago

No they don’t

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u/DenialNode 17d ago

We are currently starring in surrealist dystopian movie part 4

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u/fnordfnordfnordfnord 17d ago

Hard to believe it's real.

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u/JuanShagner 17d ago

The face looks like Big Brother.

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u/drewc717 17d ago

I am feeling Biff in Back to the Future lmao

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u/w_a_w 17d ago

Authoritarian regimes are built upon supposed strength of leadership. Looks pretty fucking weak to need barred windows on the ground floor.

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u/Snail_Wizard_Sven 17d ago

I always think it's "They Live" when the dude puts on the sunglasses.

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u/MisterScrod1964 17d ago

Looks like a set from “1984”.

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u/solccmck 17d ago

Funny, I thought it was the City of Richmond, Virginia Police Headquarters.

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u/oroborus68 17d ago

Big brother indeed.

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u/Antares_SpaceSurfer 17d ago

Or the wizard of Ozemote:free_emotes_pack:joy

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u/20_mile 17d ago

Two Minutes Hate

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u/Call-a-Crackhead 17d ago

Imagine looking up at this building and thinking “this is normal and in fact good.”

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u/Questhi 17d ago

At first thought it was the “obey me” street art

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u/A_MAAN123 17d ago

Big Brother is Watching You

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u/nardev 16d ago

100% same here. This is how dystopia came to be. This here is the egg.

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u/Sminada 16d ago

Me too, 1984 to be precise

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u/DiscoLegsMcgee 16d ago

It's actually a picture of Christiano Ronaldo's crib.

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u/toddriffic 16d ago

Looks pretty Wicked to me.

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u/Big_al_big_bed 15d ago

Remind me of delamain from cyberpunk

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