Counterculture Analysis: Neo National Socialists

James Blackburn

The group chosen for this assignment would be the Neo-National Socialists (Neo-Nazis), modern culture that fits well within the definition of a counterculture. A counterculture is a subculture that rejects the major values of the larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas 39). An obvious trait of these “modernized” National Socialists, is that they indulge themselves with the idea of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is viewed as a negative value in most of society, yet Neo-Nazis embrace this horrific hatred against the Jewish population and their culture (Southern Poverty Law Center). Evidence also leads to the conclusion that Neo-Nazis were not only anti-Semites but are very homophobic as well. Members of the Hogar Social Madrid had spit out homophobic slangs at a gay couple. This couple made out in front of the neo Nazis as a protest against them. The neo Nazi group was apparently protesting against taking in refugees near Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Malasaña (Wong).

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The term Nazi comes from the rising Soviet propaganda during WWII when Hitler decided to invade Russia. Nátional Sozíalistische Deutsche Arbeiter partei, Hitler’s party name just in Deutch. The Russians wanted to name Hitler as not a true socialist so they would mock him with the term of Nazi. If a person named the National Socialist party as the Nazi party, they would have been killed. The Russians pulled out the stressed syllables of their party and create the propaganda term of Nazi (Passyn). Going towards the ideology of the party, Hitler viewed his party as being Left-Wing instead of Right-Wing but media has showcased his ideology as Right-wing. In the pre-revolutionary France during the National Assemblies, the reactionaries sat on the right and the revolutionaries sat on the left. The Nazis viewed themselves as revolutionaries according to Mr. Hanson. The Nazis wanted the downfall of the Old Order and reestablish a new system of government; this seems appropriate because the Nazis had already deemed the government as unfit to govern and tried to overthrow the government during the Beer Hall Putsch which failed on a large scale. On top of this, Germany was basically on its hands and knees in terms of economics, nationalism and power after the horrific defeat in WWI (Hanson). As a view from the Right-Wing, Mr. Klein states that there was actually no true socialism within the National Socialist party. He claims that Hitler outlawed Socialism and executed communists and socialists which are considered Left-Wing. Evidence shows that in 1933, a concentration camp called Dachau held leftist and socialists exclusively. Furthermore, Nazis had arrested more than 11,000 Germans for illegal socialist activity in 1936 (Klein). So if it was illegal to have true socialist or communist ideas, would that make the Nazi party lean more towards the Right-Wing in our understanding of contemporary politics? An American leader of the neo-Nazis would be Richard Spencer, though he hides behind the name of the alt-right or old-right in German. Spencer and his party are considered to be white nationalists and supporters of anti-Semitism (Kestenbaum).

Sociological perspective can be defined as looking through the commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings of human actions (Thomas 4). A clear example this would affect American politics would be the relationship between the neo-Nazis and Donald Trump. For most societies, they will demonize neo Nazis their new ideology of the old national socialism. However, if the majority of the public hates Nazism but a big political figure has hints of supporting it, would that make neo-Nazis feel more comfortable sharing their ideology with the public? Now not all trump supporters are neo-Nazis however, he has earned some supports of them. There was a name at a trump rally who was yelling out Jew-S-A at the press pen in Phoenix. Joyce states that trump has attracted a sometimes strongly anti-Semitic following which has not been a big issue within the 21^st century (Joyce). The term sociological imagination is the ability to connect an individual’s life with the larger world (Thomas 5). A neo-Nazi site called the Daily Stormer stated to vote for a man who actually represents our interests. Andrew Angiln, the head of the Daily Stormer endorsed Trump and had enthusiastically supported his campaign. The site also regularly defends Hitler’s actions and ideology of National Socialism (Hananoki). With this information, there is an understanding of how the individual feels of a neo-Nazi. Because of a rise in a political leader that has a better fit of their ideology has finally risen, they feel comfortable facing the norms of society and fight against them.

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s own culture and group to be superior than other cultures or groups (Thomas 35). Just as the original National Socialists found that the Jews were inferior, the neo-Nazis would find their hearts and minds to be in the same place. Mr. Passyn would explain that the old stereo type of the Jews would be that they are manipulative. This old stereo type can be seen within the Alt-Right or neo-Nazis. The neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer publishes an image of Auschwitz with a yellow Star of David and the word Jude as invite to march in Whitefish, Montana. This is the home of a white supremacist named Richard Spencer. This site announced that there will be an armed march by white supremacists in Montana where there is a large Jewish community. The primary goal of this march was just to harass the Jewish population and displace a cultural dominance upon the Jews. Anglin, the head of the neo-Nazi site sated that they could easily march around the Jewish community with powerful guns due to the town’s low gun regulations (Haaretz and JTA).

The belief of judging cultures based on their culture rather than the individual’s cultural is called cultural relativism (Thomas 36). Since there is very little difference between both ideologies of the National Socialists and neo-Nazi party, evidence of the ideology of the National Socialists party to help justify the Neo-Nazi actions. Going towards the notion or the ideal race, Nazis wanted full power for only the Arian race, which was being white with blond hair and blue eyes. In Mein Kampf, Hitler explains how the life was the struggle between races for living space and how he would move to the West of Europe and conquer the Slavs for German interests. Then lastly, he believed that the Jews were nothing but the devils of hell and the Arian race, the pure-race would grow due to the deaths of the impure-races (Hitler). Though the Neo-Nazis supported Hitler’s ideology, they would focus on just the white race rather than get into the nitty gritty of having blond hair and blue eyes (Diffrence Between).

I heavily disagree with my counterculture and how they act towards other societies. They are nothing but barbarians who cry because most subcultures believe in racial inequality. Even though neo-Nazis are part of the story of racial discrimination, they most likely agree with other white supremacists outside of their counterculture. To put sociological imagination to the test for myself, I would say the best reason why neo-Nazis are so hostile towards the Jews, homosexuals, gays, and other races or anything that is out of their norm, they once saw white power in their history and or just by their family. To explain more, what I mean is that the white man could do whatever he wanted with the black or other races if they had total power and laws were in their favor. Like in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it pointed out the horrors of a white racist man beating and brutalizing a black man just because he had power. And depending on the type of social environment the individual grew up with in, their parents might have had racist or homophobic ideals and they just happened to grow up like their parents.

References

Diffrence Between. Difference Between Nazi and Neo-Nazi. n.d. 11 March 2017.

Haaretz and JTA. Neo-Nazi Calls for Armed White Supremacists to March Against Montana Jews. 26 December 2016. 11 March 2017.

Hananoki, Eric. UPDATED: The Complete History Of Donald Trump’s Relationship With The White Nationalist Movement. 16 November 2016. 11 March 2017.

Hanson, Bradord. National Socialism – A Left-Wing Movement. 6 October 2016. 11 March 2017.

Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Boston: Ralph Manheim, 1971.

Joyce, Andrew. The man who shouted ‘Jew-S-A’ at a Trump rally is now blaming Mexicans for his anti-Semitism. 31 October 2016. 9 March 2017.

Kestenbaum, Sam. ‘Alt-Right’ Leader Slams Rabbis and Mocks ‘Righteous Gentiles’ as Neo-Nazis Plan Montana March. December 27 2016. 10 March 2017 .

Klein, David. Hitler, Nazis, Socialism, and Rightwing Propaganda. January 2011. 11 March 2017.

Passyn, Andrew. National Socialism James Blackburn. 10 March 2017 .

Southern Poverty Law Center. Neo-Nazi. n.d. 5 March 2017.

Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology the Study of Human Relationships. Auston: Holt,Rienheart and Winstion, 2003. Textbook.

Wong, Curtis M. Gay Couple Stands Up To Neo-Nazi, Homophobic Mob With A Kiss. 24 May 2016. 9 March 2017.