Coquetear con el nazismo

Coquetear con el nazismo
 

I was listening to a podcast and learn about the liberal co-host breaking with a liberal friend on the grounds of one of them considering Elon Musk to be a Nazi and the other one considering him not to be that.

Besides thinking a friendship would have been kept if both had used a bit of E-Prime, as I try to use "S-Prime" myself unless I want to be deliverately divisive, I thought what would have I said in that situation, and it came to me "Musk coquetea con el nazismo" without being able to translate that notion into English.

It certainly isn't "he flirts with Nazism", or "he dabbles in Nazism", not even "he toys with Nazism". No seductive winks nor transitory commitments are at play here, not even a fleeting interest.

I mean "coquetear" in the sense of willingly exposing oneself to something, more than what safety, decency, good taste or even common sense would demand, like in "coquetear con el peligro", that is, to expose oneself to danger just for the excitement of it. "Coquetear con algo" is exposing oneself to that something just to see what happens, or just for its transgressional value.

How could be that said in English? How can I describe what this political daredevil Mr. Catinga (musk in local Spanish) was doing when he sigheiled half way Hitler style and The Producers style?

In English, the verb 'flirt' has both meanings you gave for the Spanish coquetear.
It can mean amorous winks, touch, moves, suggestions, etc., or we can say 'flirt with danger/disaster', which may be equivalent to saying «experimentar con algo».

The latter sense of 'flirting' deals with the idea of exposing ourselves to something that can harm/kill us, but take it on, come what may (perhaps not for the excitement of it all, but we certainly accept any outcome). We can flirt with ideas, proposals, or projects of all kinds.

'Toy with' and 'dabble' are not synonyms of 'flirt', with the latter meaning above. They mean to do something occasionally, which I suppose some would consider another meaning of 'flirt with'.

In addition to flirt with, you may use the verb to court. To court and to flirt with fascism can both be used in this case.

Thank you very very much, Rusty and poli.

I think I denied that flirt also allows the utter lack of compromise, or even lack of real interest, that coquetear does.

Flirting may or may not reveal serious interest. Courting is more likely something serious although coquetry may be involved there too.

Yes, I was thinking the same about cortejar. But all the negative consequences aren't there when you use cortejar. We prefer a set of expressions using invoke or tempt.

Drinking and driving is courting disaster = Beber y conducir (es invocar a la desgracia/ es tentar a la suerte).

In English to tempt fate seems similar to tentar a la suerte.