That’s an interesting way to put it, “self-crypto-fascism.” I’m inclined to agree that there isn’t really a coherent ideology in liberalism. Much of the platitudes of it seem to be based in magical thinking, when they aren’t simply saying what the fascist says but putting it more nicely. Like the fascist is convinced that some people really are subhuman and deserve to be treated that way, but the liberal has convinced themself that calling the marginalized person a thing like “problematic” instead of subhuman is somehow escaping having the same views.

In essence, I think a lot of the delusion hides behind a belief that saying something in a nice way is the same as having a nice view. But it’s not and as much as I like diplomatic practice myself, I would say authentic diplomacy comes from a place of real respect for the other person/entity. And said respect doesn’t even have to mean liking them, it’s more about understanding what their struggles are and holding space for that. The problem for liberals in this regard being that they often don’t actually respect the person they’re speaking to or about. Their elitist beliefs get in the way of that. So they can say the lines like “I hear you”, but actually hearing the person, allowing it to get past what they believe, is difficult.

I’m tired and thinking it through as I type this out, but something like that.