Help! I think my friend is a fascist

[maskerade]

So for the past few years my friend has slowly been drifting from being a somewhat sensible environmentalist to being an extreme-right wing douchebag (politics wise). I have a very strong suspicion that he is a member of 'Nordic Youth', a neo-nazi organisation here in Sweden. He hates immigration, he is an ethno-pluralist, anti-feminist, and generally supports any measure to keep Sweden Swedish.

He sees multiculturalism as a greater problem than capitalism, and disregards any socio-economic reason for immigrant communities being subaltern in Swedish society (or any Western society for that reason) - instead he blames it on their 'culture'.

He is an anti-capitalist, and he still supports Hugo Chavez and Morales, and strangely enough even the Maoists in India. But on the other hand, he is on the verge of being a fascist scumbag.

I don't want him to be a fascist, and I'd rather he changed his mind, as other wise he will surely end up facing the wrath of Antifa. Any suggestions to steer him off his destructive and despicable path?

[Sensible Socialist]

Don't get in his face about it. The last thing you want to do is sound like a preacher trying to convert him to your cause. I'd talk it out with him. Discussion usually works, especially when you have the facts on his side. Explain it rationally and try and connect your point to something in his life that he can relate to. Most importantly, though, don't call him a fascist to his face. :rolleyes:

[Zealot]

Have you explained to him the role of Capitalism and Imperialism in forcing people to emigrate? If he thinks immigration is a bigger problem then he is directing anger in the completely wrong direction. Once you get him to understand this, maybe you could slowly correct his fascist tendencies.

[Flying Trotsky]

If it's culture that he has an issue with, I'd recommend trying to explain or demonstrate that culture, like all things, changes.

That's essentially what Fascism is- conservatism on steroids. Get someone to be accepting of change and the the unknown, and you defeat the core belief of Fascism.

[gendoikari]

There is a cure for fascism, and it's sitting at right around 20 cents USD.... otherwise you can only disassociate with these kinds. They are not the right people to get mixed up with.

[Delenda Carthago]

gqH_0LPVoho

[Azula]

So for the past few years my friend has slowly been drifting from being a somewhat sensible environmentalist to being an extreme-right wing douchebag (politics wise). I have a very strong suspicion that he is a member of 'Nordic Youth', a neo-nazi organisation here in Sweden. He hates immigration, he is an ethno-pluralist, anti-feminist, and generally supports any measure to keep Sweden Swedish.

He sees multiculturalism as a greater problem than capitalism, and disregards any socio-economic reason for immigrant communities being subaltern in Swedish society (or any Western society for that reason) - instead he blames it on their 'culture'.

He is an anti-capitalist, and he still supports Hugo Chavez and Morales, and strangely enough even the Maoists in India. But on the other hand, he is on the verge of being a fascist scumbag.

I don't want him to be a fascist, and I'd rather he changed his mind, as other wise he will surely end up facing the wrath of Antifa. Any suggestions to steer him off his destructive and despicable path?

If he is a member of the NU, he is already lost.

Disassociate yourself from him and proclaim loudly to everyone of your common friends that he is a racist and a fascist.

In general, fascists should be treated like plague victims. They should be put in quarantine, or persecuted and driven out of their societies.

[Ocean Seal]

So for the past few years my friend has slowly been drifting from being a somewhat sensible environmentalist to being an extreme-right wing douchebag (politics wise). I have a very strong suspicion that he is a member of 'Nordic Youth', a neo-nazi organisation here in Sweden. He hates immigration, he is an ethno-pluralist, anti-feminist, and generally supports any measure to keep Sweden Swedish.

He sees multiculturalism as a greater problem than capitalism, and disregards any socio-economic reason for immigrant communities being subaltern in Swedish society (or any Western society for that reason) - instead he blames it on their 'culture'.

He is an anti-capitalist, and he still supports Hugo Chavez and Morales, and strangely enough even the Maoists in India. But on the other hand, he is on the verge of being a fascist scumbag.

I don't want him to be a fascist, and I'd rather he changed his mind, as other wise he will surely end up facing the wrath of Antifa. Any suggestions to steer him off his destructive and despicable path?

Just ask him why he supports the Maoists and the Bolivarians. Its mainly because most of the world is poor, so that's why immigration happens. Immigration is a direct result of imperialism. Also get him to see people as individuals and hopefully some of the fascism will wither away. Then he might get out of the Nordic youth.

[Azula]

The Nordic Youth is not your local boy-scout team. They are a criminal association.

[Susurrus]

Try to talk him out of it, if that doesn't work abandon ship.

[Nox]

Try and talk to him about it and persuade him it's a bad thing, but if he is stubborn and wants to stick with it then that's his loss and you shouldn't worry about it. Friends/family and politics shouldn't mix.

[bietan jarrai]

If he is a member of the NU, he is already lost.

Disassociate yourself from him and proclaim loudly to everyone of your common friends that he is a racist and a fascist.

In general, fascists should be treated like plague victims. They should be put in quarantine, or persecuted and driven out of their societies.
Why the hell would he give up on him?

OP, don't listen to that, talk to your friend, like other people have said show him that immigrants probably would prefer to have stayed in their country; they just had no choice but to look for a better place to live.

[Pioneers_Violin]

+1 to all who pointed out that emigration is very often forced upon the emigrant.

We have a lot of that over here... the USA managed a destruction of the economies of South America (amongst other places) while preventing legal immigration to the USA for average people.
The result is that the wealthy ruling classes have an abundant supply of cheap, disposable slave labor in the form of "Illegal Aliens" that everyone else in the country despises.

Being angry at the immigrants is mis-directed anger. Many if not most would rather be home.

Try to find a way of making this point.

[Dzerzhinsky's Ghost]

Don't get in his face about it. The last thing you want to do is sound like a preacher trying to convert him to your cause. I'd talk it out with him. Discussion usually works, especially when you have the facts on his side. Explain it rationally and try and connect your point to something in his life that he can relate to.

I agree with trying to use logic with him, talk to him, take him out for drinks and some smoking. Conversation, like certain portions of the anatomy, always runs more smoothly when lubricated. Don't brow beat him, just try to get him to realize he is misdiagnosing the problem.

[Susurrus]

Also see if there is any sort of external influence or underlying cause that is pushing him towards fascism

[maskerade]

I've tried to reason with him so many times, and I never accuse him and I'm never rash with him, but it usually just boils down to him capitulating and saying it is an 'emotional' thing. I've told him about how imperialism is the cause and he will either say that Sweden is not imperialist and thus shouldn't have to bear the burden or that he is against imperialism too. These days he avoids the conversation with me entirely, and when he has his anti-immigration tirades with other people and I get involved he usually changes the subject as he knows that I will call him out.

He is an avid Chomsky fan as well. When I told him about the comintern calling social democracy social fascism he avidly agreed only to later say he fully supported the social democrats until recently. He's also defended a corporatist model, though only a few times.

I need some sort of shock treatment as I've tried almost everything

[Azula]

The NU are the Nazis of the Nazis. They are ideologists, not just boneheads.

[Chris]

The NU are the Nazis of the Nazis. They are ideologists, not just boneheads.

Nazis do change their minds once in a while. Actually, it's quite often that youth who joins nazi organisations end up becoming something completely different politically. Especially those were friends and family doesn't abandon them the moment they join one of those despicable organisations. If everyone but his nazi and fascist friends abandons him, why the hell would he then leave the organisation? That's often how those people becomes nazis for life... ostracised by the rest of society, then they only have the nazis left.

[Azula]

Nazis do change their minds once in a while. Actually, it's quite often that youth who joins nazi organisations end up becoming something completely different politically. Especially those were friends and family doesn't abandon them the moment they join one of those despicable organisations. If everyone but his nazi and fascist friends abandons him, why the hell would he then leave the organisation? That's often how those people becomes nazis for life... ostracised by the rest of society, then they only have the nazis left.

If they are ostracised, fewer people will dare to join their organisations.

[Tjis]

Try and talk to him about it and persuade him it's a bad thing, but if he is stubborn and wants to stick with it then that's his loss and you shouldn't worry about it. Friends/family and politics shouldn't mix.

Friends/family and politics should definitely mix.
Being anti-fascist in speech but then turning a blind eye on your friends or family is hypocrisy. Why should different values apply simply because someone is close to you?

[praxis1966]

Nazis do change their minds once in a while. Actually, it's quite often that youth who joins nazi organisations end up becoming something completely different politically. Especially those were friends and family doesn't abandon them the moment they join one of those despicable organisations. If everyone but his nazi and fascist friends abandons him, why the hell would he then leave the organisation? That's often how those people becomes nazis for life... ostracised by the rest of society, then they only have the nazis left.

I agree with this, actually. Having personally been vaguely acquainted with several neo-Nazis (whom I didn't know were such when I was first introduced to them) who later went on to change their minds, I know it does happen... Usually sometime around 30. I personally feel like a lot of the young people who join organizations like NU are really just kind of lost and confused about the world... And the simplicity of the right's message and providing easy scapegoats tends to be appealing. It's sort of the same operating principle as what drives people into street gangs; confusion over identity, shitty home life, etc and along comes a group of people who act like a surrogate family...

OP - I also agree that the best thing to do is to engage the person regularly and try to clarify things for them. Try to remind this person of your friendship and why you became friends in the first place. When in doubt, use a guilt trip... I would begin sentences saying things like, "Well, if you respected our friendship at all..." Nothing wrong with a little emotional manipulation if it'll keep your friend from continuing down this gawdawful path.

[Susurrus]

If they are ostracised, fewer people will dare to join their organisations.

Possibly, but the existing ones will probably only retreat farther into their racist shells and grow more extreme. Plus, I doubt most nazis are socially accepted as is.