I missed Biden's Thursday-night speech in real time, but when I woke up yesterday morning, I discovered that what I thought were memes were actually soundbites and unmanipulated images.

Staging by Leni Riefenstahl. pic.twitter.com/IGRFT11jA1

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) September 2, 2022

(Leni Riefenstahl was a German cinema star who aided in the production of Nazi propaganda.)

The lighting and staging of Biden's speech evoked pure dystopia — all I could see was the wicked High Chancellor Adam Sutler from the film V for Vendetta.

No doubt, his rhetoric was deeply unsettling — he actually said, "MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."

However, what I found most disturbing was my own countrymen's rabid enthusiasm to devour the callous polarization.

When we were told Biden received "the most votes of any candidate in history," I was highly skeptical — he still can't even fill a high school gym.  I assumed he received some legitimate votes, but to this day, I remain distrustful regarding the integrity of the 2020 elections.  Since then, I've been unable to find an out-of-the-closet Biden-supporter — no one donning Biden "merch" like how I still wear my Trump t-shirt.  The bumper stickers have apparently all been scraped off, and even the leftists I meet say, "I didn't vote at all" (yeah, okay).

I assume that the culprits are all too ashamed to admit they had a hand in this laughable yet destructive regime.  (Heck, I don't blame them.  I'd feel the same way.)

But then, Friday morning, I skimmed Twitter and came across the hashtag #DarkBrandonRises, which was being used to share content in support of Biden's freaky address.  Below is some of what I found:

Republicans were not ready for Dark Brandon. What we are seeing is their collective shock of having a Democrat call them out, sometimes by name, for their b-------, fascist or otherwise. This is strong leadership and I am here for it.

...and...

Anyone who is Pro-Democracy isn't triggered when the President calls out Fascists. Anyone who is Pro-Democracy wants a President to call out Fascists.

...and...

If you're offended and angry at President Biden's speech tonight, you should know you're a facist [sic] and he was speaking directly to you.

...and...

Joe wasn't my first choice, but damn if he isn't giving me goosebumps now. *Whose side are you on?*

Some of the users even shared the sinister image from above as though it was a good thing.

In the 1990s, academician Dr. Gregory H. Stanton developed a "formula" for how a society begins on the path towards genocide.  According to The Genocide Education Project:

Genocide cannot be committed by an individual or small group; rather, it takes the cooperation of a large number of people and the state [emphasis added]. The genocidal process starts with prejudice that continues to grow.

Well, we are now solidly at the fourth step, dehumanization.  According to Genocide Watch, it looks like this:

One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated with animals, vermin, insects or diseases. Dehumanization overcomes the normal human revulsion against murder. At this stage, hate propaganda in print and on hate radios is used to vilify the victim group. The majority group is taught to regard the other group as less than human, and even alien to their society [emphasis added]. They are indoctrinated to believe that 'We are better off without them.' ...

They [the victim group] are equated with filth, impurity, and immorality. Hate speech fills the propaganda of official radio, newspapers, and speeches [emphasis added].

Biden referred to "MAGA Republicans" as a threat to "our" democracy — as if America belongs to him and his anti-democratic ideologues.  To Biden, MAGA Republicans are simply interlopers or, in other words, "alien to their society."

Genocide can be accomplished only with the willing collaboration of the masses, so to witness my fellow Americans take the bait hook, line, and sinker...I find that scarier than one would-be murderous maniac.

Image: Twitter video screen grab.