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View Full Version : Undercutting The Reactionaries



Red Romeo
4th July 2008, 06:43
I live in a mostly white blue collar area and one of the things I have noticed since coming here is a groing trend towards "soft fascism". Basically many of the youth in this in my neighborhood and the sorrounding ones have been shaving there heads, spraypainting racist and anti-immigrant slogans, and generally just being angry kids. Although there has so far been no violence or real action comitted by these kids it worrys me that we seem to be losing perfect recruits to the cause to street gangs and the like. Currently me and some friends just walk around and talk to the kids trying to convince them that their problems are inherent to the capitalist system and not caused by "immigrants and foreigners". So far the general respect that the military personel living nearby, who of course don't stand for racism and other kinds of discrimination, seriosly, seems to be keeping things under control but it's got me wondering. What drives these kids to the fascists and how do we st least prevent it and at best bring them to our side. (If i have posted this in the wrong forum please move but this seems to be a oppurtunity for learning to me.)

Decolonize The Left
4th July 2008, 08:51
Firstly, I would caution you against approaching these kids as "perfect recruits." These are people, with feelings and apparently a lot of unspent energy, who deserve some respect. They are not merely fodder for the revolutionary machine...

Secondly, I believe your approach so far has been admirable. I would encourage you to continue to speak to them in a relatively passive manner, addressing the issues from an alternative perspective to which they are not accustomed. Should you do so successfully, they will begin to make a change in the way they relate to the world. This change will not be abrupt and you may not notice it immediately - but it will be significant in the end.

- August