It’s not a “coup.” It’s a “putsch.”

What’s happening to our federal government, I mean. I’m identifying it as a putsch, more specifically a Putz* Putsch.

It’s another thing I grasped from Babylon Berlin, which dramatically details the 1930 attempted overthrow of Hitler by the Nazi SA leader, Walter Stennes. That failed, as you might surmise.

The important thing I got from this was a reminder of what such an uprising is called: “Putsch.” Here is the definition I found through Perplexity.com:

Putsch

  1. Derived from Swiss German, meaning “knock” or “push”.

  2. Often associated with unsuccessful, clumsily executed attempts to seize power.

  3. Typically involves a minority reactionary group.

  4. Usually implies a sudden, violent action with less sophisticated planning.

  5. May involve paramilitary groups or armed militias rather than the official military.

Now, let’s contrast that with…

Coup (a/k/a Coup d’État)

  1. French term meaning “blow to the state.”

  2. Generally implies a well-executed, successful takeover.

  3. Usually conducted by those already close to power, such as military forces or political elites.

  4. Often occurs quickly, within a few hours.

  5. Requires broader cooperation from various sectors of society to consolidate power.

*For those who for some weird reason don’t know the definition of “putz,” here (again from Perplexity) it is:

  • Yiddish Slang: Pronounced “putts,” it carries a negative connotation, typically referring to a foolish, contemptible, or inept person. In vulgar slang, it can also refer to a penis.

  • Verb: In U.S. English, “putz” can also be used as a verb meaning to waste time.

Posted in Corruption, Fascism, Government, MAGA, Politics, Propaganda, Racism, The Facts of Life, Trumpism, War on women | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Just finished “Babylon Berlin” and am sort of transfixed

I’m sure you’ve heard about the four-season German TV series streaming on MhZ (the service on which I’ve been watching it). And I’ve just, today, been delighted to learn there will be a fifth season. Which is good because the end of the fourth season was…either promising or menacing but, hey, that’s Babylon Berlin.

Set in the Weimar Republic in 1928 through 1933 (the last season), it’s complex in plot, in history (quite a lot of it), in characters (some of whom were actual people), in political and gangster groups, and in mood, shifting as in real life through all the human and historical possibilities of that time and place. Or any time and place. Oh, and cabaret, big time. Maybe they resurrected Busby Berkeley for some of the numbers. (CGI, actual locations and stunning production values which must have cost a fortune.)

Sometime it gets freaky and nightmarish (morphine enters the story, as well as PTSD from World War I, which also enters the story). (I attribute the wildly imaginative stuff to Tom Twyker, whose work I’ve followed since Run, Lola, Run, but maybe I’m wrong and if so apologize to the wild imaginations of anyone else connected to Babylon Berlin.

But here’s the thing. There are some personages who seem to be take-offs on Trump-world. F’r’instance, Alfred Nyssen, a madman industrialist who keeps changing his hair color (platinum is favored), dresses in golden suits, jumps up onto platforms as he holds his arms up in triumph, lives in a ridiculously ornate castle where he is building a rocket in which he intends to ride to the moon…well, guess who?

But Babylon Berlin started filming in 2016, before Trump’s improbable White House venture, and the upcoming fifth season was filmed before Trump’s second improbable and horrible White House venture.

So did Musk see Babylon Berlin and think, yeah, this is me, why not?

 

 

Posted in Corruption, Culture, Fascism, Government, MAGA, Politics, Propaganda, Racism, Technology, The Facts of Life, The filthy rich, Trumpism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Notice of resistance from Encyclopedia Brittanica!

Picked this up just now from BlueSky:

Encyclopædia Britannica will continue to use ‘Gulf of Mexico’ for a few reasons: -We serve an international audience, a majority of which is outside the U.S. -The Gulf of Mexico is an international body of water, and the U.S.’s authority to rename it is ambiguous.

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