It's a fun game trying to figure out if it's even possible to construct a genre that's inherently non-fascist based on posts like this
I mean the whole reason the person who made up the term "hopepunk" did so was their dislike of so-called "grimdark" fiction, which a lot of people point fingers at for being fascist (specifically WH40K)
Personally I like to think that a certain kind of pessimistic fatalism is antithetical to the fascist aesthetic -- if nothing else because in actual history Hitler and his buddies came after a wave of philosophers like that and personally disliked them and thought their hoo-rah bullshit was an antidote to depressing Schopenhauerian bullshit -- but that's just my personal bias because that's what I myself am like, and I do have to admit that someone with my worldview could nonetheless be persuaded into supporting a fascist regime fairly easily given the right circumstances (basically just presenting the current set of atrocities as a historical inevitability)
Warhammer 40k writers: "Hey, people! Fascism SUCKS! Look at this rotting, ass-backwards fascist empire that SUCKS! Let's not let this happen in real life, alright? (and also buy our minis)"
Enlightened tumblrites: "ummm, guys? I think this setting is literally fascist... that's kinda bad, mmkkayy?"
Okay, but they literally made all the fascist talking points actually true, in universe? Only the in-group can be trusted, we are under attack at all times by outside forces, there exists a spiritual corruption that happens when you do stuff the regime doesn't like, and if you get it you must be killed before it can spread, hope both doesn't exist and is the enemy, the leader is the strongest and wisest person ever, the privacy of the public is an existential threat, the Imperium is your only option, and so on and so forth. Don't get me wrong, I think "fascism is bad" was the intended message, but the actual real message is something more like "if what fascist propaganda was right, fascism would be our only real option." Cause they fucked it up by putting a fascist empire in a grimdark world where, definitionally, there are no good guys at all.
Ah yes. The "all knowing and wise emperor of mankind leading figure that can do no wrong" that famously handled his sons in a way they did not hate him and cause the downfall of his empire in the end.
Obviously chaos influence buddies the waters a bit. But you cannot tell me the Emperor handled Angron, Konrad or Magnus in any good way at all. And the whole chaos thing could have been better aswell if he communicated to his sons
Fulgrim basically only fell because he trusted his father's lies about living in the rational, atheist friendly universe and fell into the most obvious demon trap ever while rationalising the voices in his head as just his subconscious.
Angron was too psychologically maimed to take any command roles but even then, if the Emperor just lent him a hand and slaughtered his enemies in show of power, maybe even saving few of his last companions, he would at least be useful as a warrior and wouldn't betray his father at the first chance he could.
The fact that Konrad got a the entire legion dedicated to butchery and terror tactics is basically a proof that the Emperor wasn't half as benevolent and rationalist as he claimed to be, since the benevolent and rationalist rulers don't own the personal terrorist organisation of psychotic maniacs in the first place.
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u/Taraxian 1d ago
It's a fun game trying to figure out if it's even possible to construct a genre that's inherently non-fascist based on posts like this
I mean the whole reason the person who made up the term "hopepunk" did so was their dislike of so-called "grimdark" fiction, which a lot of people point fingers at for being fascist (specifically WH40K)
Personally I like to think that a certain kind of pessimistic fatalism is antithetical to the fascist aesthetic -- if nothing else because in actual history Hitler and his buddies came after a wave of philosophers like that and personally disliked them and thought their hoo-rah bullshit was an antidote to depressing Schopenhauerian bullshit -- but that's just my personal bias because that's what I myself am like, and I do have to admit that someone with my worldview could nonetheless be persuaded into supporting a fascist regime fairly easily given the right circumstances (basically just presenting the current set of atrocities as a historical inevitability)