Ep 10 We Need to Talk About Nazis

In this episode I build on and take a different approach to things that I have written and spoke about in the past. Our vision of Nazis as the ultimate expression of political evil is not wrong in that Nazism is morally unsupportable, but exceptionalist views of Nazism blind us to dangers of Nazism returning. Obviously as a particular movement of a particular time it is unlikely (though unfortunately not impossible) that an overt self-identified "National Socialist" movement will become the ruling party in any contemporary state. That being understood, it is clear that all of the important and dangerous aspects that went into making Nazism what it was are on the rise in world politics, particularly the US and Europe.

Soon after Trump's 2016 election I wrote of the "straw Nazis", the street thugs, whose alarming presence was useful but ultimately expendable (https://ongenocide.com/2016/12/15/trumps-straw-nazis-a-horror-story/). I won't say I was brilliant to predict that things would become more fascistic under Trump - anyone could see that. Looking back though I wrote a segment on how fascism would also have deepened had Clinton won with a less street-thuggish and more war-crimesy tone. I think Biden's term in office bore out that point.

The truth is that Nazism was significant, but the individual Nazis weren't any different than the other shitty people around the world. As Nazi ideas take hold more and more people become Nazis until it is just you random run-of-the-mill hairdresser or barista. It isn't even about what these people believe either, it is about what they consent to be part of.

As long as we keep looking for straw Nazis we will be looking the wrong way when the actual Nazis take over.