r/AntifascistsofReddit • u/gddfyhh Marxist • 2d ago
Discussion i have a neo-nazi classmate
this classmate of mine has been a satanist and an atheist for a while now but recently just a few months ago he’s been telling everybody that he’s christian and has been hanging out with fascist people 2-3 years older than him. We were friends before he became a nazi and insulted my dead relative and after that i just thought that blocking him and ignoring him would be the best option. since then he’s been trying to get on my good side, basically licking out my ass. A couple of times i’ve confronted him about it, calling him a fascist c##t etc. he’s also showing obvious signs of racism, homophobia, transphobia and antisemitism, but denies everything. he’s also been seen making swastika graffities and telling our classmates how much he hates gay and jewish people.he recently just told my friend that me and him have made peace, which is not true. Should i confront him about it or should i continue ignoring him?
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u/AquiliferX Rock the Casbah 1d ago
Sounds like a fellow dreg that just got caught up in the neo-nazi pipeline. I've known many like that in highschool and was friends with many. The thing is these neo-nazi groups try to control access to these kids and then feed them bullshit and since there is no other perspective or other friends they fall deeper. Kind of like how cult leaders try and distance their prey from other support pillars. If you want a silver lining most of the kids that I know went down that path grew out of it and realized they were being used. But idk my advice is don't give up on someone who could use your help.
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u/SamWize-Ganji Punks For Progress 1d ago
He sounds lost, looking for a community. Sadly that’s how fascistic ideas spread. With good information and a positive community he might be willing and able to walk away.
Personally I don’t like surrounding my self with people who I don’t agree with, but if he is worth talking to, you might be able to help him.
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u/sevbenup 1d ago
What do you call someone sitting at a table of two fascists? Three fascists.
I’d make it clear that his racism and nazi shit is going to get him hurt. And then go from there
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u/G0ld_Ru5h 17h ago
I’m convinced people like this are trying to engage in class war politics but can’t seem to discern the actual enemy isn’t regular people, it’s the rich. If you ask them why they don’t like X people, it’s probably because of something some billionaire decided was a great campaign to shove in our faces. Jewish people own the world? No, but there are billionaires who are Jewish and they suck just like the non-Jewish billionaires (See Elmo Muskrat)
The fastest path to radicalization is isolation. Continuing to engage (ask why do you think that, and explain why you feel it’s wrong) helps them realize that again - other PEOPLE - aren’t an enemy.
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u/fivelthemenace 1d ago
Idk where you live but in most places hateful graffiti like that is taken seriously by schools and local communities. Report it to the staff and if they don't do anything go to the press
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u/PillowFroggu 1d ago edited 1d ago
if this is middle or highschool, a reminder that 16 and up you can be tried as an adult, so don’t try to do a physical altercation.
I’d personally continue to ignore him unless he makes a point of coming directly to you, in which case tell him straight up you don’t like his new take on life and his new vibe
as for when anyone else asks or mentions he’s telling lies like that, calmly correct them.
i know this feels shitty, and as someone who got picked on mercilessly in school, im giving you advice from my experience with the school system, they don’t care who started shit, and usually take a zero tolerance policy
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u/phiegnux 1d ago
He sounds like he believes in nothing if he's changing ideologies like bed sheets. If he's actually trying to be friends again, tell him it's conditional, "I won't be friends with nazis." Otherwise, just be careful if you do confront him. I'm guessing you, and he, are on the younger side, young nazis can be extra unhinged. You paint a picture of someone desperate for attention. His mind is weak, clearly, if he's gone from atheist to Christian so quick. Someone, or more likely some online space, has him thinking this way. Depending on who or what social media space it is, I'd be wary.
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u/Cybin333 1d ago
How old are you guys? You probably should stand up to him, especially if he keeps harassing people, but jf you're all teenagers he might be able to be deprogramed because teenagers' opinions on politicals often change many times in radical ways through out highschool so keep that in mind. It's not an excuse, but it is easier to fall for that at that age and he might even grow out of it eventually idk.
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u/Real_Sartre I.W.W 1d ago
That’s a lost person looking for a place to belong. There is great potential to steer them down a better path, though it will require socializing and understanding- two things many people lack now.
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u/Bulky_Mix_2265 1d ago
That's a tough one. It sounds like this person is going through some shit and trying to figure it out in a way that is probably going to end badly for themselves and the world around them. If this person is important to you, give helping them a shot, if not fuck them and spend your time on literally anytging else.
I know everyone reacts to trauma and struggle differently, but only assholes become hateful religious zealots or facistic dickheads. Most of the time your neonazi types have to find there own way out or they never really come to see how fucked the thing they are doing is.
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u/Musket_Metal 1d ago
You have a few choices: leave them alone, and hope everyone one is as aware as you are, or make sure everyone knows what an embarrassment they are.
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u/n_with 1d ago
Most importantly don't let him physically hurt you. It's another part of an edgelord era i guess, so I suppose he'll grow out of it eventually when frontal lobe is fully developed. But honestly I don't know, nowadays it's very noticeable how kids and teens are influenced by some kind of neo-nazi/alt-right propaganda on the internet, they see it as something "cool", "based", oftenly "funny" "dark humor". Every time someone confronts them they have basic dogwhistle excuse that they're not being serious, or it's just a joke. Maybe they're in fact not actual nazis, but very adjacent in their beliefs, so what they're saying doesn't check out.
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u/TheManWithNoSchtick 1d ago
Tell a school administrator that this person's comments and behavior are making you and other students feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and unsafe. I get the impression that this kid is just kind of a cringey little edge lord who goes through phases and personalities for attention, but these are troubling signs. Someone that weak-willed and easily influenced might not seem like a threat now, but if that shit is allowed to fester inside them, it could have disastrous, possibly even deadly results.
It's never too late to speak up.
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u/gddfyhh Marxist 7h ago
we’re graduating in a few months. if it happened earlier i would’ve done that already. my options right now are continue ignoring him or confront him and try to change his views. his parents hate me and if i did something like reporting him to the principal, his parents would bring up my past when i was doing some stuff
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u/cowboyflowerz 1d ago
He's looking for attention and for someone to get angry with him. I had a kid in my grade do this as well, he would walk into class saying Heil Hitler and all that stuff.
The best thing to do is ignore him and let him walk his own path, he clearly is having an personal crisis by somehow going from satanist/atheist to now christo-fascist. Work on yourself and the people you care about around you, let him drown in the company he's keeping.
Keep telling your truth, if anyone believes him they weren't trustworthy in the first place. Keep your energy, if anyone tries to tell you to reconcile then they can fuck off as well.
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u/EuphoricLake5395 23h ago
It seems like this is just another case of a dude trying to be edgy and different, I doubt he knows anything about anything and especially because you said he’s been talking to you and getting your attention, I think the best thing you can do about this now is just treat him like any other person. Calling him out and stuff, even though it might seem right, and treating this unacceptable behavior as unacceptable behavior could make you feel better, if he’s just doing it for attention than nothing you do will make him understand or change his mind. Just ignore this man. He’ll come around eventually, and if he doesn’t maybe take a more careful approach, get more people involved and talk to him about how concerning his behavior is. Nazism is a belief based on hate and murder, nothing about that is acceptable. Playing this up for attention is awful and by no means acceptable, don’t let him get what he wants
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u/FeuerroteZora 1d ago
Given what you said about him and the WIDE range of, uh, beliefs he's claimed to have, he sounds like someone who's picking his "beliefs" based on what gets him the most attention, and not because that's what he actually believes. Confronting him will give him more attention, which is what he wants. Ignore him, roll your eyes at him, refuse to take him seriously. Point out to others that this is what he's doing so that other people stop taking him seriously too.
If he is trying to convert others to his beliefs, talk to them, but it wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't interested in doing that because it would make him less of a stand-out.