We know that NONVIOLENCE is MORE POWERFUL than violence.
We know that DIPLOMACY WORKS BETTER than war.
These truths are very well documented. See the “Nonviolence” and “Peace” parts of my blog, www.parallaxperspectives.org
Here are some insights and strategies for opposing right-wing extremists, fascists, etc.:
The “white nationalism” that has become popular lately really is a form of racism: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/15/1826385/-Why-White-Nationalism-is-Bigoted-A-Primer-for-Congressional-Representatives-from-Iowa-Others?detail=emaildkre
Nazis design their rallies and rhetoric to fool mainstream journalists into thinking Nazis are reasonable folks: https://truthout.org/articles/those-nazi-rallies-are-not-for-the-left-theyre-for-centrist-journalists/
George Lakey wrote this article, “How to take on fascism without getting played” — https://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/how-to-take-on-fascism-without-getting-played/
Use these eight lessons of history to help us deal with today’s Right Wing: https://truthout.org/articles/eight-lessons-from-history-to-help-make-sense-of-the-far-right/
HERE IS A RADICALLY FRESH APPROACH:
Political liberals and progressives want to DEFEAT right-wing extremists. Certainly we must stop right-wing extremism. But some of the attempts to DEFEAT them simply continue the polarization and make it worse. Some “anti-fa” (anti-fascist) behaviors only reinforce right-wing extremists by causing them to feel defensive.
Some so-called “anti-fascists” (“anti-fa”) people use the same tactics as the fascists themselves do: physical attacks, etc. Fascists imagine that they (white people, etc.) are being oppressed by minorities, immigrants, etc., so they need to use violence against them. Using violence against fascists only reinforces their paranoid sense that they are victims. Physically attacking fascists will NOT change their minds or change their hearts! Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot. Think of some issue you care about (e.g., peace, or climate, or human rights), and somebody with the opposite viewpoint punched you in the face. Would that cause you to change your mind and agree with the attacker’s anti-position? No, you’d dig deeper into your values for peace, climate, human rights.
The Cold War and nuclear arms race persisted for decades because the USSR and the US each reacted to the other nation’s perceived threats by escalating the fears in their own populations and by building even more nuclear weapons.
In order to reduce right-wing extremism in the U.S., we need to HEAL right-wing extremists of their fears and hatreds and other negative feelings. This needs the best insights from mental health professionals and from the first-hand experiences of persons who have left the right wing.
Use these eight lessons of history to help us deal with today’s Right Wing: https://truthout.org/articles/eight-lessons-from-history-to-help-make-sense-of-the-far-right