To say that there are some polarized and extremist political factions operating in the background of our country right now is not a lesson in hyperbole, but rather understatement. Many of us on the conservative and libertarian side of things are well aware of the existence of the ultra Marxist, ACAB, pro-abortion wing of the progressive crazies thanks to social media. They always seem to be the loudest voices in the room who make the biggest asses of themselves.
But there is another disturbing group of political ideologues who are much more low-key and fly under the radar. They occupy a space on the conservative axis of the political spectrum, and they refer to themselves as Dark MAGA.
I had heard the term before, but I doubted their true existence as I had never heard or seen anyone espouse these types of beliefs before. After spending a few hours listening to them talk, I understand that they operate as an almost secret society that moves through Twitter clandestinely as they read the room and carefully and judiciously choose when there might be someone in their vicinity to coerce into their realm of belief. What I observed was both fascinating and disheartening, but allow me to regale you with what I learned in my Jane Goodall-esque reconnaissance.
I stumbled upon this clique quite by accident. Recently, I have made some acquaintances and friends via interesting political discussions in Twitter Spaces. During one of our rousing back-and-forths, an account that none of us had ever seen before joined. At first the faceless profile sat in the audience as a listener. A few of the speakers shared various opinions on the state of the conservative movement and former President Trump. As the conversation started to lull, the mystery man pounced. He began talking, cryptically at first, about the need for more sweeping executive power, that the conservative elites must rule over the plebes. He then devolved into an outright assault against the US Constitution and our current system of government claiming that the American experiment has failed, and it is time to take matters into our own hands.
After some tense discussion and pushback from the others in the Twitter Space, more of his cohort appeared spouting similar black-pill rhetoric of hopelessness in the American way of life. The conversation grew more and more tense, escalating to shouting over each other and a few ad hominem attacks. The host of the space was forced to close it out for the evening, and the interlopers retreated into their own space. Morbidly intrigued by their philosophy and point of view, I followed them to listen and observe their circle jerk of despair and cynicism. All of them were straight men who openly espoused hatred for gays, and none of them used names or pictures that might aid one in identifying them. In fact, some even used the voice modification feature in the Twitter Space as to disguise their real voice. After listening for about half an hour, I am confident that I gained enough intel to explain their philosophy aptly.
As I said before, Dark MAGA is the epitome of black-pill hopelessness. They view President Trump as an infallible being who should have taken his place of power by absolute force. They hold him up as the “chosen one” to fit the Dark Triad philosophy— he possesses narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Dark MAGA is the mirror image and polar opposite view of the Marxist progressive left. They are two sides of the same coin vying for the a similar system of rule. They just want that system for vastly different reasons. The extreme progressives seek a type of religious fascism that squashes all who do not believe in postmodern tropes like anti-racism and radical gender ideology. Dark MAGA seeks to impose a type of fascism headed by a malevolent dictator who rules with an iron fist and forcibly restores a semblance of order. Both seek to end America as we know it in order to make sure their philosophy is elevated.
As a pessimistic and cynical person, I see and sympathize with the Dark MAGA point of view in some regards. I obviously side closer to them than to the Marxist left. However, I am not ready to declare America dead yet. And I certainly do not view fascism of any sort to be a viable solution. These two extreme philosophies should scare any concerned American. Both sides are actively working to influence and persuade others who may have a sympathetic ear to their cause to join their radicalized party. I have spoken of and advocated for fighting back against the left in a cultural cold war, but this type of radicalization could lead to actual violence if we are not vigilant.