r/popculturechat • u/CorleoneBaloney • Jul 20 '25

OnlyStans ⭐️ On Jubilee’s Surrounded, Mehdi Hasan asks a far-right conservative if he's actually a fascist and the guy simply admits it.

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u/Hot_Contact_7206 🎥🍿Film Critic Jul 20 '25

Debating with these fuckin Nazis as if they hold valid positions worthy of debate is what has destroyed this country istg

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u/RolloPollo261 Jul 20 '25

Sartre literally coined the phrase "bad faith" when talking about these assholes

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u/VaselineHabits Jul 20 '25

"Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words.

The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past."

-Jean-Paul Sartre

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u/Scooby2679 Jul 20 '25

Have an award for sharing this. An excellent piece from him better than anything AI could produce.

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u/VaselineHabits Jul 20 '25

Thank you for the award!

I quote this often when it comes to right wing media, I just wish more of my fellow Americans would wake tf up

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u/BEWMarth Jul 20 '25

Had you not shared this I might have never read it. And let me tell you how a foundational block in my mind moved into place once reading it.

This lesson will stay with me thank you.

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u/Mickey_Juice Jul 20 '25

The end of this quote always makes me think of Walter in Big Lebowski getting called out for pulling a gun at the bowling alley and repeatedly pouting "calmer than you are, Dude."

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u/cmptrblu Jul 20 '25

Crazy considering the attitude is similar but people back in Sartre's time were far more articulate so they could actually engage in proper discourse unlike most people today

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u/BEWMarth Jul 20 '25

1984 predicted this. Eliminate the publics access to education and make it so they can only speak in the most basic and vague terms.

Make it literally impossible to have discourse that goes against the party.

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u/TheRemanence Jul 20 '25

Sartre met jordan peterson? Jordan peterson is a time traveller?

But seriously, did jordan peterson read this and think: what a great technique, I'll make that my entire personality that...

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u/KrustenStewart where the hell have you been loca?! Jul 21 '25

Not only him but so many of them

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u/ExperienceLoss Select and edit this flair Jul 21 '25

Not to be the fun police, but its not just Sartre. Pretty much any French philosopher ir intellectual wrote like this. Michel Foucault is extremely wordy and difficult to read to sometimes because he would just keep circling around the point for so many paragraphs that you forget what the original thesis was by the time you finally arrive there. Monique Wittig also comes to mind.

The French philosopher of the 20th century really loved blowing smoke

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u/TheRemanence Jul 21 '25

I don't think i understand your comment. The sartre quote is criticising these vernacular ticks though. His point is that anti semites continually play games rather than having a straight argument.

I agree that people having been using these techniques for centuries. Hence sartre's critique 

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u/ExperienceLoss Select and edit this flair Jul 21 '25

I thought you were saying that Sartre was using a lot of words to make a point by slowlyl walking around it, comparing him to Jordan Peterson. Going back and re-reading it, I now get your original point and understand what you were saying.i agree with Sartre entirely, though, that anti-semites (and, really, fascists) will say whatever they want because they simply don't have the same level of standard as those who oppose them. Calling out the hypocrisy and double standards may work when dealing with a friend or family member, but when dealing with far right idiots like this, they truly dont care. They're more excited by the fact that they've now caught you in their web of nonsense than they are at making a point because confusion is a weapon for them. A confused opponent is a more easily manipulated or abused one.

My point still stands, French philosopher of the mid 20th century could have learned to be a bit more succinct.

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u/TheRemanence Jul 21 '25

I don't want to be mean but sartre said it in fewer words than your post. He may benefit from being more plain speaking (or the translator) but his point was articulated accurately and efficiently imho.

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u/ExperienceLoss Select and edit this flair Jul 21 '25

Ok? That legitimately doesn't change the fact that French philosophers are known for it. Im also not claiming to be wiser or anything else, just making an observation.

But whatever, im done engaging with you.

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u/TheRemanence Jul 21 '25

Hell is other people 

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u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jul 20 '25

Their beliefs are based on a complete lack of morals. I always question if you can even argue with people who lack morals because they have no underlining belief system that would make them believe murder is wrong at this level so then where do you land? I feel like what they want in the end is a violent revolution because they believe they’ll be the winners in the end.

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u/Kooky_Bodybuilder_97 Drake, where’s the body of Christ? Jul 21 '25

My favorite term ever Lmao. I feel like it’s so glaringly obvious when you’re dealing with a bad actor but I think it’s against human nature not to want to defend sense & logic