The BS Filter

27/11/2025

In this final instalment of the Fascism miniseries, Cameron and Ray trace how fascism didn’t die after 1945 but simply changed its wardrobe. Once openly discredited, fascist ideology went underground, hiding behind anti-communism, Catholic conservatism, Cold War geopolitics, and the language of “law and order.” The pair outline how the same structural anxieties that fuelled Mussolini and Hi**er found new hosts in post-war regimes like Franco’s Spain and Salazar’s Portugal, apartheid South Africa, Cold War dictatorships in Latin America, and today’s far-right populists in Europe and the United States. They explore how neoliberalism, manufactured fear of socialism, weaponised Christianity, resentful middle-class voters, and billionaire backing continue to make fascism useful to the powerful. The conversation ends by drawing uncomfortable parallels between classical fascism and modern MAGA politics, arguing that America is not on the verge of fascism — it is living through it in a new, suited, media-savvy form.

https://thebu****itfilter.com/2025/11/27/142-fascism-goes-corporate/

18/11/2025

This episode dives into the rise of Spanish fascism, the Spanish Civil War, and the long shadow of Francisco Franco. We unravel how Spain’s brand of authoritarianism differed from its Italian and German cousins, how the Civil War became a proxy fight between democracy and fascism, and why Spain’s dictatorship endured for decades after WWII while the Axis regimes collapsed. We dig into the murky politics of the 1930s, the church’s role, the elite’s fear of socialism, the failed Popular Front experiment, the bloody purges on both sides, and how Franco cleverly played Hi**er, avoided WWII, and rebranded himself into the West’s “acceptable fascist” during the Cold War. It’s a sweeping tour from Primo de Rivera to Guernica to the Pact of Forgetting and the strange evolution of fascism as it mutates into new forms.

This episode dives into the rise of Spanish fascism, the Spanish Civil War, and the long shadow of Francisco Franco. We unravel how Spain’s brand of authoritarianism differed from its Italian and German cousins, how the Civil War became a proxy fight between democracy and fascism, and why Spain’...

03/11/2025

In this episode of *The Bu****it Filter*, Cameron and Ray trace the evolution of fascism from Mussolini’s Italy to Hi**er’s Germany, drawing unsettling parallels to the modern American political climate. They unpack how post–World War I trauma, economic collapse, and fear of socialism created the perfect storm for extremism to flourish. The conversation moves through Hi**er’s infiltration of the German Workers Party, the myth of “National Socialism,” the violent consolidation of power through the Night of the Long Knives, and the weaponization of antisemitism that culminated in the Holocaust. Along the way, they compare the cult of Hi**er to modern political movements, dissect propaganda’s emotional hooks, and explore how faith-based thinking can be twisted to serve authoritarian ends.

In this episode of The Bu****it Filter, Cameron and Ray continue their deep dive into the history of fascism — tracing its emergence from the ashes of World War I to Mussolini’s rise in Italy. They unpack how the trauma of the war radicalised millions, creating fertile ground for authoritarian m...

14/10/2025

In this episode of The Bu****it Filter, Cameron and Ray continue their deep dive into the history of fascism — tracing its emergence from the ashes of World War I to Mussolini’s rise in Italy. They unpack how the trauma of the war radicalised millions, creating fertile ground for authoritarian movements that promised strength, unity, and a return to national glory. Through sharp wit and historical insight, they explore the socioeconomic chaos of postwar Italy — labour strikes, land seizures, and political paralysis — that allowed fascism to masquerade as a stabilising force. Cameron and Ray discuss how Mussolini, once a socialist firebrand, transformed into the prototype fascist leader by weaponising propaganda, street violence, and elite fear of socialism. The episode draws unnerving parallels between Mussolini’s Italy and modern political movements, showing how democracy often erodes not with explosions, but applause.

In this episode of The Bu****it Filter, Cameron and Ray continue their deep dive into the history of fascism — tracing its emergence from the ashes of World War I to Mussolini’s rise in Italy. They unpack how the trauma of the war radicalised millions, creating fertile ground for authoritarian m...

01/10/2025

In this second episode of our fascism series, Cameron and Ray trace the roots of fascism from the French Revolution through the 19th century and into the early 20th century. They explore how nationalism, the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, industrial upheaval, social Darwinism, Nietzsche’s philosophy, Bismarck’s realpolitik, futurism, and mass psychology all fed into the eventual rise of fascism. Along the way, they compare past anxieties about modernity with today’s fears of AI and technology, dig into the religious devotion of MAGA Trumpism, and unpack the Italian Fascist Manifesto of 1919. By the end, the groundwork is set for how Mussolini and others fused these cultural, philosophical, and political threads into a movement that would reshape the 20th century.

In this second episode of our fascism series, Cameron and Ray trace the roots of fascism from the French Revolution through the 19th century and into the early 20th century. They explore how nationalism, the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, industrial upheaval, social Darwinism, Nietzsche’...

02/09/2025

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/02/business/trump-us-autocracy-ray-dalio-intl

The United States is sliding into 1930s-style autocratic politics, billionaire Ray Dalio has warned.

01/09/2025

In this first instalment of a new series on fascism, Cameron and Ray dig into what the word really means beyond the marching boots and fiery rallies of 20th-century Europe. They explore the difficulty of defining fascism, how it manifests differently across time and place, and why the term is often misused today. Drawing on historians like Robert Paxton, Jason Stanley, and Michael Mann, as well as political thinkers from Trotsky to Hannah Arendt, the discussion asks whether the United States is sliding toward fascism, and what makes Trump’s brand of politics similar or distinct from Mussolini or Hi**er. Along the way, the hosts look at epistemology and heuristics—how we know what’s true and whose voices we trust—as a framework for analysing complex social movements. This episode sets the stage for a deeper historical exploration in future parts of the series.

In this first instalment of a new series on fascism, Cameron and Ray dig into what the word really means beyond the marching boots and fiery rallies of 20th-century Europe. They explore the difficulty of defining fascism, how it manifests differently across time and place, and why the term is often....