
…ll not fall for the rhetoric tricks and recruitment traps. In this we must look out for each other. If someone you know begins to espouse this ideology it is important that it is confronted. Ask the person you know why they feel that way, ask them if they feel alone or powerless, ask if they need a friend, discuss why dehumanizing others is wrong, and strive to facilitate empathy. Part of saving our friends and acquaintances who feel isolated or sad or angry from being preyed upon by bigot groups is us being supportive while clearly condemning hateful ideology or beliefs. This of course is not a call to go out and actively befriend deeply fanatical neo-Nazis, those sort…
Jokes are powerful. People are far more likely to actively participate in communities when group interaction is entertaining and humorous. Neo-Nazi groups will use humor as a coating to spread ideas and sow the seeds of bigotry. They are well aware that their messages will be spread and shared in far larger ranges when packaged appealingly as jokes. They know that jokes will be spread organically through friend groups making the work far easier for a neo-Nazi group to reach the larger audiences. Masking ideology in humor also allows plausible deniability for when the recruiter pushes the target too hard too fast, it is easy to lighten up and back off as “just a joke” and then later once the target’s guard lowers to resume the indoctrination. Humor and entertainment are quietly weaponized in these fashions then to reach larger audiences and to hold on to the attention and energy of current members.
…re and spread, and require low effort on the part of the person using them as educational material. A three minute Youtube video about Hitler loving animals is far more accessible to young people than accurate historical books that can seem long, boring, and tedious.