What do anarchists do about right wing politics?

Question

To make this simple, what i mean by a right wing in this qestion is characterized by:

-unquestioning patriotism

-xenophobia and racism

I'm just asking this because people are still afraid of neo-nazi-esque organizations and opinions during the trump era. I can't really blame people for being afraid of the right because right wing politics can be pretty blatantly ugly. The typical anti-fa line is suppression and shaming, but it doesn't seem to work. The reason that many people have lost interest in far-right ideas seems mostly to do with the civil rights movement of the 60's and just a general cultural nihilism and skepticism towards people who seem to "have the answers".

So what type of attitude or action should anarchist take when it comes to right wing politics?

Comments

unquestioned patriotism is not just a right wing thing. i would say most ideologues are unquestioningly patriotic to their ideologies.

as to xenophobia and racism, i would treat that as i would any form of bigotry. when someone acts in ways that are oppressive and authoritarian towards another, i think they should be dealt with directly, by those being treated that way (along with their allies). how they deal is up to them. that is based on action/behavior. ideas - and words - are a different thing to me. i find it a bit hypocritical - and a slippery slope - when lefties act to prevent righties from talking (or vice versa). obviously people have very different ideas about what it means to be "free".

---

that's a good point about unquestioning patriotism, there are people on the left who advocate very patriotic and loyalist ways of thinking, it's just that unquestioning patriotism is the typical fascist line and it has a lot in common with racism and xenophobia (i.e., nationalism and racism go hand in hand)

---

the attitude or action i would take would all depend on how i encounter "right wing politics"....

do you mean in a conversation with a person? one you know well or barely at all?

and the meaning of "should" take? toward what purpose?

---

I think nihilist meant they're chauvinists. Chauvinism seems more prevalent among right-wingers than left-wingers or people that could care less. 

I gotta say, groups like the alt-right to a degree monopolized off the talking points of occupy wall street and tweaking them slightly by blaming some ethnic/racial group, usually the Jews. They've been pretty successful doing that throughout the years.

Do they even care about ethics in video game journalism anymore???

I personally will continue to ignore them for reasons that may or may not be obvious.

Answer 1

Personally, if I engage with these sorts of folks, I tend to challenge their assumptions where they come up vis a vis conversation. I challenge assumptions, ask questions that allow me to delve deeper, and state my perspective with as much candor or guard seems appropriate to the situation.

There are times that is not appropriate, and dealing with racism, patriotism, and xenophobia needs action, a quick perusal of IGD or Anews will give ideas of what this might look like in different situations. I am wary of antifa as a primary focus for anarchists, and I live in a particular place where being actively anti-fascist does feel like something that anarchists need to actively engage in, even if I find no personal drive to engage in street fighting, etc. Living in a place that has been identified as a future aryan homeland creates particular... challenges?... opportunities? IDK. It is hard to dismiss the actions of antifa living where I do, but I am wary.

(i might amend this answer, as I am not totally happy with it and suspect I am not answering your question, but I also might let it sit and let comments allow me space to further hash out what I want to say)

Comments

ba@, i doubt anything is exactly the same for anyone regardless of whether it's a material thing or not. is identical-ness required for something to impact other things (in this case, us)?

an abstractjon by definition isn't embodied, but that doesn't mean abstractions don't influence people..

---

dot,

regarding your question about identical-ness of an idea to make an impact....

no, not required to impact someone....

yes, i agree that abstractions influence people....

but i intended to mean something other than those points of yours that i agree with....so i guess it didn't come across very well.... :)

basically, that "fascism" doesn't exist "by itself" as a thing without a person.

---

shin: "why would you rather know who the fascists are than have them stay in the shadows?"

for much the same reasons i want to know where the poison oak is in the forest, or where that bug-eyed dude with the ar-15 is, or where that nuclear waste is buried. i could say the same about things/beings that i like/enjoy/feel good about. having (reliable - meaning usually first hand) information about the world around me is vital to my survival and enjoyment of life.

i happen to find many left-wingers to be every bit as annoying and (sometimes) dangerous as many right-wingers. they all think they know what is "right" (heh heh) for everyone. fuck em all.

---

@funkyanarchy yes i supposed knowing where things are is useful.  i guess i just always thought one of the good things about knowing where your enemies are is knowing where to send your -violent- opposition.  it seems to me that fascists can choose to be open or choose to hide, and thats prior to any action taken by anyone else.  there are good reasons for them to do either.  but since i dont really do anything, violent or otherwise, or know of any local fascists, well other than a couple of their faces, ive mostly run out of things to say.

---

"one of the good things about knowing where your enemies are is knowing where to send your -violent- opposition"

absolutely! i would expand that to include whatever response one chooses to have. from violent opposition/attack to conscious avoidance (and everything in between); context will always help determine what my response is.

i think there are probably times when "ignorance is bliss" makes sense. having people around that would choose to kill, injure or imprison me or those i care (which would of course include cops, etc as well as right/left wing wingnuts) about is definitely not one of those times.