can you elaborate? I’d love to be educated but this is my perception. full-blown fascism is alive in the US. It’s on the rise in Europe too, and both conservatives and liberals are embracing anti-immigration policies based on nationality and other us-vs-them identities.
I can’t speak to south america, africa and asia historically though, my education is sadly rather eurocentric.
Not to downplay the recent rise of far-right parties in the Western world, as it is a cause for serious concern - but what is radically racist today was mainstream just a few short decades ago, and what is unthinkable now was not even a mainstream topic of dissent then. Before globalization in the late 19th century, and accelerating ever-since, immensely xenophobic and insular attitudes were the norm in domestic politics all around the world. Shit was open and proudly stated that would make most MAGA Republicans cringe, even. There’s still a difference between mainstream British sentiment being overwhelmingly in favor of openly-stated shitfuckery like Enoch Powell and modern-day mainstream opinions, even on the right.
That shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to them supporting horrific fascists, mind you - many of the greatest atrocities in the past century were committed with immense effort by fascist leaders to hide the truth even from their own supporters. But in terms of how far from their pre-existing opinions they need to go to get from “Where they are” to “Where they need to be”, we are greatly advantaged as compared to the early days of globalization, as in the mid-20th century, and immensely privileged compared to opinions in the early 19th century and before, when the world was only marginally interconnected by the perceptions of your average Joe.
We, at least, do not have the unenviable task of convincing people who would as soon bury a hatchet in the heads of a stranger without blood relation to them as strike up a conversation that all people are equals. Hate and localist chauvinism were much stronger in the past, even if they’re still very strong today.
I’m honestly exhausted from IRL shit, and it’s not one of my favorite subjects to go over to begin with, so unfortunately I don’t have a more substantial explanation to provide at the moment.
This would require a massive amount of recent history to be disregarded.
can you elaborate? I’d love to be educated but this is my perception. full-blown fascism is alive in the US. It’s on the rise in Europe too, and both conservatives and liberals are embracing anti-immigration policies based on nationality and other us-vs-them identities.
I can’t speak to south america, africa and asia historically though, my education is sadly rather eurocentric.
Not to downplay the recent rise of far-right parties in the Western world, as it is a cause for serious concern - but what is radically racist today was mainstream just a few short decades ago, and what is unthinkable now was not even a mainstream topic of dissent then. Before globalization in the late 19th century, and accelerating ever-since, immensely xenophobic and insular attitudes were the norm in domestic politics all around the world. Shit was open and proudly stated that would make most MAGA Republicans cringe, even. There’s still a difference between mainstream British sentiment being overwhelmingly in favor of openly-stated shitfuckery like Enoch Powell and modern-day mainstream opinions, even on the right.
That shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to them supporting horrific fascists, mind you - many of the greatest atrocities in the past century were committed with immense effort by fascist leaders to hide the truth even from their own supporters. But in terms of how far from their pre-existing opinions they need to go to get from “Where they are” to “Where they need to be”, we are greatly advantaged as compared to the early days of globalization, as in the mid-20th century, and immensely privileged compared to opinions in the early 19th century and before, when the world was only marginally interconnected by the perceptions of your average Joe.
We, at least, do not have the unenviable task of convincing people who would as soon bury a hatchet in the heads of a stranger without blood relation to them as strike up a conversation that all people are equals. Hate and localist chauvinism were much stronger in the past, even if they’re still very strong today.
I’m honestly exhausted from IRL shit, and it’s not one of my favorite subjects to go over to begin with, so unfortunately I don’t have a more substantial explanation to provide at the moment.
thanks I really appreciate it