White Supremecists Slay 49 in NZ Mosques

[Dill]

(03-22-2019, 03:45 PM)samhain Wrote: I don't know statistics or official numbers, but something has certainly changed with young people as it pertains to how they view white supremacist philosophy and views.  

When I was a teenager (25 or so years back), even the most red-blooded right wing people universally condemned and were reviled by Naziism.  I see a lot more young people joking about it these days as it's just another lifestyle choice.  I've been fairly surprised to see co-workers, all in their 20's looking at Nazi-themed memes and casually joking about them.  That shit would have been totally unacceptable 20 years ago to any sane person.

I think that as the WWII generation dies and less people are around that actually saw it's consequences, the more potential there is for far-right movements to become acceptable to the mainstream.  People think the Holocaust was made up because they only see it in books and movies. 
People can act like nothing has changed, but it has.  It's a slippery slope when something once considered intolerable slowly becomes accepted or deemed harmless.  There are a lot of teenagers out there that are pissed at the world because they can't get laid and they have no future prospects for success, and those kids are ripe for radicalization, much like kids in the Muslim world who are drawn toward extremism.

I agree, and taking it a step further, the kinds of personal and identity crises to which fascism speaks are rampant again. 

Still further, I would add that all the measures constructed to make sure we don't get another WW, like the UN, military alliances and treaties, the IMF, etc. are now perceived as outdated, full of free riders soaking the American taxpayer.  The U.S. is pulling back its diplomatic investments in regions of the world precisely where the vacuum can be filled by authoritarian states like China and Russia.  The former is quietly constructing a competing world order with soft power as it strengthens its military.

All this while Trump's authoritarian leadership is cheered because it IS authoritarian and criticism of it is dismissed as "Trump hate." 

Vacuum of knowledge.  Vacuum of power.