Assadists are either libertarians moving in the direction of fascism or they have already arrived. They may be at different stages in that process but that’s where their politics inexorably lead. There are historical antecedents to this phenomenon.
Their intellectual habits are what give them away: suspicion & distrust of everything & everyone; profoundly cynical & nihilist; speculations & sloppy research in place of rigorous study; hate-mongering & contempt for working people. As they become more committed to those bad habits, they become more deeply irrational, obscurantist, & fanatic. We’re able to watch that process work its way out on social media.
The election of Trump has been a turning point because those who previously were reluctant or sly about supporting Assad & Trump are more emboldened to do so openly & proclaim it progressive without batting an eyelash. They no longer mask woman-hating, Muslim & Jewish-hating, or xenophobia but justify it with gruesome alarmism about head-choppers, who they fetishize, accusations of Soros funding, or talk about Israeli expansionism. It’s not over the top to say much of it is deranged.
It’s hard to consider that antiwar activists & socialists I came of age with & Palestinian solidarity activists I’ve campaigned with, now unite in the Hands Off Syria Coalition with Assadists & paid propagandists like Beeley & Bartlett (who believes reptilian Jewish bankers rule the world).
Some may not understand this, but seeing trusted allies you stood with through all sorts of political battles now cross into a zone of obscurantism, conspiracy, hate-mongering, & counter-revolution is a surreal experience. It’s like the invasion of the body snatchers. Only worse.
It’s not disagreeing that’s the problem but the character of the disagreement. You can’t be close again with those who base their politics on hate. What’s to talk about if you don’t share the same respect for human life? Affinities are damaged beyond repair when you side with revolution & they with counter-revolution. That’s just the way it is.
Your loyalty to friendship makes you want to fight for them but this is where chickens come home to roost. They never believed much in the intellects of women & the chances of persuading them are a snowball’s chance in hell.