[Red Slinger]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Suffice to say, it is more unthinkable than a noose hanging in the garage of a black driver, or someone walking around in a white pointed hood. It is truly the most evil symbol in all of human history, and that's saying something. I cannot fathom how someone could be so obtuse as to think it was acceptable to wear that in public, even as a political statement.

Quick story time: During WWII my parents were children living in Moscow. When the Germans closed in on the city almost everyone was evacuated to Siberia where they lived for months under less than ideal conditions. They also had relatives and family friends that died in the Holocaust. So, my parents (dad is 87 years old, mom is 81) have some very real psychological scars from the actions carried out by those brandishing swastikas. Later, my parents were part of the Diaspora movement of Jews fleeing Russia to escape the systematic antisemitism. They are now living in Calgary where they've been for the past 43 years and have felt generally safe.

A few weeks back they were walking in the Eau Claire area and they were passing a man on the street at night. They described him as youngish (early 30's), white, well-dressed and good looking. As they passed each other the man audibly exclaimed "######ing Jews". My parents don't wear any sort of Jewish identifiers but they have, what are considered, somewhat typical Jewish facial features. Even in Calgary, the behavior of Trump has encouraged the worst people, who previously hid in the shadows like cockroaches, to brazenly express their hatred for other human beings. Frankly, I'm surprised we don't see more swatiskas around, but four more years of Trump would likely provide additional encouragement for these people to come out of the shadows. Part of me thinks it might be a good thing to expose these people and allow sunlight to be the disinfectant but on the other hand hatred generally produces more hatred especially when it's not challenged. I thought a lot about what I would do if I was with my parents when they ran into the man and the truth is, I don't know. I'm not a violent person but there are certain things that can trigger me. Months later, I still don't know what the best reaction would be in that scenario.

In the case of the people in the video, I don't think they're actually using the swastika out of hatred but rather, as you stated, they're obtuse or just plain dumb. Ignorance is a necessary way-point on the path to hatred but it's not hatred itself. If I'm being charitable I think most people in the modern US have a firm grasp on the meaning of a white hood, maybe even more so than the swastika. Ultimately, they're all symbols of violent hatred against others but the response to these symbols should at least partly be based on intention. Based on the video I think they're intentions are more misguided foolishness than hatred.

Secondly, America used to be a haven for Jews driven out of Europe, especially in the mid 20th century. Now it has become equally inhospitable, with antisemitic attacks on the rise across America. What has happened to the soul of this nation?

It's true that the US was a haven for Jews driven out of Europe for a while but they have an even richer, deeper and longer history of fascism. Considering slavery, Manifest Destiny, Jim Crow, segregation and more(!) it could be argued that fascism is baked into the DNA of America. In the 1930's there was a great deal of antisemitism in the US, including all levels of business and government. I sometimes wonder that if it wasn't for a certain confluence of events in history if the US wouldn't be a full on right-wing nationalist state today. When the US entered WWII Germany and Japan became mortal enemies and by extension, fascism became an ideological enemy (except for Ford, GM and others who supplied Germany during WWII). If it wasn't for the sudden cultural full-on push back against fascism would America have continued it's evolution towards fascism?Americans like to call themselves the land of the free but when has that ever been the case in their history? Even today there is systematic racism, inequality among genders, violence against LGBTQ and an overtly wanna-be fascist head of state. I don't think Trump has changed the soul of the nation but rather it's being uncovered more and more for what it really is.

Somebody, please feel free to talk me down. I'm pretty ####ing pissed right now.

I can't talk you down and besides that would be to whitewash the situation. I think it's more valuable to discuss and try to understand what is going on.

My reaction to that video was quite a bit different than yours (not saying it's better). When I saw that video it didn't make me angry. I felt an odd combination of pity and resignation: pity because the people in that video don't think of themselves as bad or evil. They are confused, not too bright and manipulated by dishonest actors such as Trump, Fox News, the GOP, internet trolls (including those that are state sponsored) and even parts of the so-called "Intellectual Dark Web". Their whole lives they've been manipulated to think of themselves as exceptional and better than people from other countries. The resignation comes from the feeling that this is inevitable; of course this would happen. It's the natural progression of the American experiment. It's only by historical twist of fate that fascism hasn't already taken full hold of America. The good news is that there are even more smart, well-meaning liberals in America that truly believe that all people are created equal and everyone deserves the same opportunities in life regardless of how they worship or what they look like. Hopefully, starting in November some of those people can renew the long process of steering the giant ship in parallel with the the arch of history.

Everyone needs to vote.