How Racism Drives the Far Right

Years ago, I had a friend who was a card carrying klan member. We worked together while I was attending college and I was floored. He often introduced me as his "little sister" as we had the same hair and eye colors and same skin tone. (Nevermind this double standard for women versus men in that world as I have since been reminded plenty that I'm not "white" enough by racists.) He and I would have these conversations once in a while and his answer to one question I asked him has stuck with me for 28 years. 

The question was: What happens to your wife (full blooded Cherokee lady) if this "race war" comes? Without skipping a beat, with zero emotion, he told me "Well I'll have to kill her." He didn't flinch. He did not smile. It was not a joke. He looked cold; his eyes went almost dead, no reflection of the decade plus he had been married. This was a stark contrast to his normal joking, twinkle in his eyes, laughing and introducing me as his "little sister". 

Since then, I have had a curiosity about how does anyone get to that point. I've read numerous books, including a couple written by people of that mindset. Even now, I often keep up with the fascist and racist pages on various media.

Can I sum up what I've learned? This is how they think as a whole. It's confusing because there's exceptions, until there isn't. The hate is the primary thing that strings them together, but the mindset? Anything but winning is a loss. 

They see any peacemaking as capitulation. Their words can't be trusted as Obama faced in maga's tea party years. In those instances, they lied to his face (reference Bob Woodward's books about the Obama years). Then, gleefully lied to the cameras saying the Dems lied and were blocking when they know it was in fact their own lies, their own blocking. They win. 

Add on, racists have always viewed anyone that's "white" trying to be the peacemaker as supporting their racist views. In any intervention where you have tried to help a racist make peace with someone they wronged with racist abuse, verbal or physical, they have walked away believing deep down you agree with them. 

Worse, your minority friends have walked away with the exact same feeling. That you support racist ideology because you made them shake hands with the racist asshole who isn't contrite at all. You didn't make two people come together. You made one feel like they had no choice.

That is why tRump won, and why fascists like Musk are still gathering more and more support. All that matters is they win and you followed, second place, third place. They don't care. You lost. Wanting to make peace keeps giving them wins. The win is all that matters to them. We have to begin taking the wins if we have any chance of reducing their recruitment efforts, let alone getting them to stand down.