Hacker News Reader

Comment by s08148692 | Hacker News Reader

This author seems a tad obsessed. 15 times they threw the word fascist around. DHH certainly has some controversial views that many (including myself) find distasteful, but the idea that he will use his funding to suppress and take funding from politically opposed founders and push fascism is nothing short of conspiracy theory.

Use Omarchy if you like the OS. Don't use it if you don't like it. A political analysis of the founders and leadership behind every product you use must be an exhausting way to live your life

View on HN

He's on the record supporting Tommy Robinson, who is one of the most prominent fascists in England. He's on the record calling for "remigration" (which is a specific word with specific meaning and context, it's not just synonym for deportation, it's a fascist dog whistle).

I think that's plenty evidence, I'm not waiting for him to tatoo "I am a fascist" on his forehead.

Also, a minimum awareness of the politics of the people producing the stuff you use is actually pretty necessary when fascism is on the rise all around the world. Might be exhausting, sure, but it's better than the alternative

Robinson being fascist is dubious. If you look at the wikipedia on him it doesn't say he is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Robinson It has "Tommy Robinson, is a British far-right, anti-Islam activist", he was a member of the BNP briefly and called Islam fascist.

A bit disingenuous to say "he was a member of the BNP briefly" - that almost makes it sound like he left the BNP by choice!

In reality, he was kicked out because he insisted on prioritising violence over politics (contradicting the BNP's "political soldier" leadership, who said that both should have equal weight). It was this disagreement that led to him coming to prominence in the first place, and he's traded on his "too violent for the mainstream fascists" image ever since.

I agree that "some controversial views that many find distasteful" is not the same as being fascist.

And well, DHH is fascist.

What is a fascist?

Is that even a good faith question? It is not like it was an obscure word.

Accusations of fascism are rarely made in good faith either. As I pointed out in response to @undeveloped, Merrian-Webster's definition doesn't seem applicable to DHH.

fascist

noun

fas· cist also ˈfa-shist

or Fascist, plural Fascists : a person who advocates or works to further the aims of fascism : an adherent of or participant in a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascist

As far as I can tell, the only thing DHH has that is consistent with this definition is racism/nationalism, but:

1. He hasn't spoused actual collectivist beliefs, like "nothing out of the state, everything within the state" kind of BS (YET), just intra-race and national solidarity, so "exalts nation and often race above the individual" is argueable;

2. I don't see him promoting a supreme leader style of leadership, so "that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader" is not applicable;

3. I also don't see him pushing for stronger state control over the economy. If anything, he probably wants a more developmentists/startup culture economy given point 2 and 3 in (https://world.hey.com/dhh/three-sacred-cows-that-must-die-so...), so "severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition" is out.

Overall, he just seems like a white supremacist atm. Not every white supremacist is fascist.

> Overall, he just seems like a white supremacist atm.

Just.

Central autocratic government, run by a cult of personality leader, seeking loyal disciples willing to subsume themselves into the project. Proud claims to heritidge. Obsession with a veneer of beauty...

I don't know why people are finding this so hard to pin down. Maybe not nationalistic facsism but it sure dresses the same, walks the same, barks the same.

Britannica on the historic version:

>Europe’s first fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, took the name of his party from the Latin word fasces, which referred to a bundle of elm or birch rods (usually containing an ax) used as a symbol of penal authority in ancient Rome. Although fascist parties and movements differed significantly from one another, they had many characteristics in common, including extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a Volksgemeinschaft (German: “people’s community”), in which individual interests would be subordinated to the good of the nation.

Not DHH or Robertson really.

If you think him getting money from Jack Dorsey and Michael Dell has no political implications, I have a bridge in Brooklyn and a tower in Paris to sell you. This isn't conspiracy theory, this is following incentives.

We should be aware of the motivations of the software we use. This is why we've had licensing fights for decades.

>If you think him getting money from Jack Dorsey and Michael Dell has no political implications,

And the device you type this on is made by which company? Apple? Google? Microsoft? Lenovo? They all involved in politics and lobbying. And it's powered by which ASICS? Apple? Intel? AMD? Nvidia? All of them are involved in lobbying and politics you might disagree with. And yet you still use them and nobody is giving you shit about it.

You're a pot calling the kettle black here. If you wanna get online and do work, unless you're fabbing chips and laptop boards in your garage, you're gonna be directly or indirectly funding some tech business involved in politics you might not like.

So it's pretty hypocritical and somewhat mental of you to spend so many comments here trying to dunk on people willing to use Omarchy just because the owner has politics you disagree. Why can't you live your life and let others live their own in piece without turning discussions into your own political war (which BTW is also against HN rules)?

I am much more likely to get someone to stop using omarchy and actually learn something about computers doing this than I am to convince someone to stop using a Google product. If I be can active when something like this is fresh, I will. And if you think this is just about DHHs politics, think again, its also about having that maniac in any kind of position of power anywhere. I'd say the same if he were an MLM or Kim family fanatic, but those people dont really exist, where weirdo racists do, and in large numbers.

I really dont care about the guidelines on politics here. They seem to have been made by children who are afraid to have their monied friends political passion projects criticized by smart people.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com