Cruelty wrapped in a punchline routine

Conservative “jokes” just blow my mind, because they’re almost never actually jokes - it’s always just cruelty with a punchline stapled on. Whenever I see Fox News hosts or Turning Point USA speakers making “jokes” about trans people, immigrants, or anyone who doesn’t fit their mold, it’s obvious they mean every word. It’s like they’ve mastered this Schrodinger’s Asshole routine: if you laugh along, suddenly they’re “just being honest,” but if you call them out, it’s all “chill bro, it’s just a prank, typical libs can’t take a joke!” They flip the script depending on the reaction, and the cycle repeats, always at the expense of people with less power. And it’s not just about the jokes - it’s the way their so-called humor lays the groundwork for nastier stuff down the line. Every time they accuse people they don’t like of being “groomers” or “corrupt,” it’s usually just projection - either they’re already doing it themselves, or it’s what they’d do if nobody stopped them. Most people don’t even notice how these “jokes” and accusations are part of a slow, step-by-step slide into fascism, with the average person going along, making excuses, and pretending nothing’s wrong. By the time anyone wakes up, the far right has already moved in, helped along by rich “moderate” elites who use all that hate to block real change. But when those extremists finally break loose from their handlers, it always ends the same way: violence, oppression, sometimes even civil war. Honestly, I’d love to see these guys try the “just joking” act somewhere real, not in a staged YouTube prank, and see how far that excuse actually gets them.