Cringe fascism can reduce deadly serious policy debates to the level of online memes

Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Politics and Culture

Published November 4, 2026 6:00AM (EST)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a ceremony at the Pentagon commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

This article was originally published on The Conversation .

Against the backdrop of an unpopular war in Iran , Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on July 15, 2026, that the Pentagon would begin testing male service members 30 and older for low testosterone .…