Well, I need to get this off my chest somewhere, and I think you guys are the best people to understand it.

A friend I’ve known for almost eight years has been acting really strange lately regarding Zionism and anti-Semitism. Sure, we’ve both always been on the left and openly anti-Zionist, but in recent months he’s been very fixated on the possible sale of land in our country to Israeli businessmen, and from that point on he started falling into a lot of anti-Semitic propaganda that seems straight out of “Europe: The Last Battle.”

I’ve had conversations with him about how important it is to separate ethnicity/culture from its most fascist manifestations, and that we must remain vigilant so as not to fall for propaganda that only serves to turn you into an anti-Semite and thus “justify” Israel.

But no matter what I say, he sticks to his almost Strasserist or National Bolshevik stance, completely denying the Holocaust, treating all Jews as fake victims and claiming that “their entire culture is wrong,” yet still sharing pro-left content mixed with material typical of “traditional and conservative” 14-year-olds.

The situation makes me very sad, mainly because I know he’s a kind-hearted person who’s had a rough life, but I don’t know—I’ve been through the same thing and learned to stand firm against fascist propaganda.

Before this whole thing, he started to share a lot of anti immigrant, kinda racist things but I was able to talk him out of it, but now he doesn’t realize he is doing the same thing as before. Or maybe he does.

I used to send him a lot of anti-racist propaganda like the one in the picture but now I feel I completely lost him.

I just need a hug.

  • BarrelsBallot@lemmygrad.ml
    0·
    3 months ago

    I think that he can only be as convinced of leftist ideals as leftism is successful where you live, which it’s probably not

    Unfortunately fascist thinking is just so much more attractive, given it’s immediate gains and contemporary rise

    Bringing this up because I think you can still be friends, I’d just recommend not worrying so much over the guy- he doesn’t sound principled and will likely continue to be pulled toward what’s the most successful

    Don’t mistake my unsolicited advice as me being dismissive tho.

    I can feel the way your stomach must have wretched when you had to digest what probably felt like a slap in the face of your hard work when he regurgitated reactionary thought.

    I’ve never put in the same amount of work for anyone, but the feeling I get just speaking with someone who has genocidal opinions but is otherwise outstanding is similar.

    Hoping things work our for you.