The Deprogram Podcast

Honestly i think some right wingers may be easier to "convert" than many liberals. It all depends on how deeply entrenched their views are and how big a role racism plays in them. Because as you pointed out, there are already points of agreement which are not shared with liberals about the unreliability of mainstream media, the recognition that the system is not working, and so on which can be built upon.

The main obstacle is to get them to recognize that bigotry and racism are a false consciousness, that these are deliberate distractions by the ruling class meant to divide and impede the formation of actual class consciousness through the use of scapegoats and prejudice. This also goes hand in hand with rejecting notions that some people are inherently more deserving than others, which is an idea used to justify the exploitative hierarchies created by capitalism.

In general i would say it's not so much whether someone is a liberal or a conservative that determines how easy it is "convert" them, it's how invested they are into their current ideology. The more they think that they "know" about the world and the more their worldview is "calcified", so to speak, the harder of a time you will have in convincing them to be intellectually open and willing to rethink their beliefs.

A core conviction of fascists is, that someone else should have to suffer for their situation to get better. And they consciously choose the objectively evil, though easy way to make that happen: inflict the suffering on vulnerable people. This is easier then targeting powerful people and actually works shorterm, so no point arguing against it. German fascists for example benefitted immensely from forced labor and stealing belongings of their victims.

You can only try to convince them about mid and long-term effects (contradictions in capitalism aren't solved, crisis will happen, fascism constantly needs new victims and becomes a death cult which ultimately destroys itself every time).

But it's not just about rational arguments. To overcome their racism and bigotry, they need to reconnect with their ability to feel empathy for people they see as "others". The problem is, that they deliberately and selectively killed it off and that's not easy to reverse.

Without empathy, they could eventually agree with your arguments, but still just not care that much. Like: "Okay, maybe Israel is doing genocide in Gaza, sounds kind of bad, but... eh, whatever." That's literally the collective reaction of western civilization.

One thing, that's sure to ignite empathy and to slowly erode racism is personal friendship with someone from the group they hate. But it's dangerous, takes forever and it's probably impossible for most people.

Any other idea how to do it? Actual praxis in common struggle somehow? If it's former friends or family, there might be emotional common ground to build on.

As a mass tactic, maybe a campaign that centers solidarity and empathy in propaganda. And maybe mixed with measured violence, because some people need to feel their victims fight back to realize that they're human too.

Depends on what you see as fascists. The leftlib fascist (working class person who was disillusioned into a right or alt right stance) or the core ideologists who just want black and brown people to die?

I cant help with the latter but the former we get with "socialism with national characteristics" it is my new theory, after reading 90% of fanon (and going) it was that which capitalism prevented by inventing german national socialism.

Of course, hitlers NS being not socialist at all and hyperreactionary, murderous race science, the non-extreme-right-deviationist would have been something like germanic socialism which puts back the national and cultural consciousnes of the former german tribes and evolved german people and inspires pride which was taken through imperialist overwriting of culture.

Those are just rough outlines but I believe that the liberalist ideology is rooted in some lesser form of colonialism, making the imperialist vassal germany still a lesser colony with military bases and involuntary coups but none of the outright dehumanization of the people like in african countries.

We both hate the elite pedophile cabal, it's just that we hate the real one while they hate the fake psyop one.