Page 139 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, no. 5-6: Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Conflicting Diversity, eds. Mitja Sardoč and Tomaž Deželan
P. 139
b. vezjak ■ radical hate speech: the fascination with hitler and fascism ...
the authors of the subtitles, which is to ridicule. In the cases of Facebook
users listed below; however, people do not embrace fascist nostalgia for
name-calling, nor do they wish just to play make-believe fascism; rather,
they are actually enthusiastic about it, at least from the perspective of the
“useful solutions” that the holocaust offered.
Textual evidence: Hitler’s awakening by Facebook users
from Slovenia
“Nothing ever dies on the Internet,” says Rosenfeld, the author of Hi
Hitler! – How the Nazi Past Is Being Normalized in Contemporary Culture
(2015: 9). Facebook profiles, blogs, his websites and his digital presence
are going to survive, making sure that Hitler’s presence in humanity is a
constant. And while social networks today are one of the drivers of free
speech online, providing an open platform for the expression of political
and social beliefs in a significantly more open manner than in the past,
there is a certain element of danger contained of trends of the line be-
tween freedom of speech and hate speech becoming increasingly blurred.
People create posts, upload images or videos and make comments without
being fully aware of the extent to which this may degrade and insult oth-
er groups, or individuals (Dawn, 2012).
If users are anonymous, the situation only worsens. The statements
cited below were made from August 2015 to December 2015 on Facebook.
They refer to the transit of refugees across Slovenia during one of the
peaks of the refugee crisis and represent just a small proportion of all re-
corded opinions of Slovenian users. Importantly, it must be noted that
the authors are not anonymous and have not concealed their identity. The
sample – since only a small selection is cited – is intended for illustration
purposes only. We emphasise that the statements were not sampled from
Facebook profiles given over to the expression of radical positions and the
dissemination of xenophobia, or locations frequented by aspiring radical
right-wingers or neo-Nazi followers. The personal profiles of the authors
reveal that the sample is a valid representation of a system of belief of com-
mon people, who had not been subjected to any prior ideological indoc-
trination. Below follows a list of thirty documented statements that show
readily identifiable basic elements of fascination with Hitler discussed
above:
1. “Off to Auschwitz with them! They don’t belong anywhere else.”
2. “Too late for borders – they are here already – Hitler must be brought
back from the dead. He’d sort this out fast.”
3. “Mauthausen, followed by a group shower.”
137
the authors of the subtitles, which is to ridicule. In the cases of Facebook
users listed below; however, people do not embrace fascist nostalgia for
name-calling, nor do they wish just to play make-believe fascism; rather,
they are actually enthusiastic about it, at least from the perspective of the
“useful solutions” that the holocaust offered.
Textual evidence: Hitler’s awakening by Facebook users
from Slovenia
“Nothing ever dies on the Internet,” says Rosenfeld, the author of Hi
Hitler! – How the Nazi Past Is Being Normalized in Contemporary Culture
(2015: 9). Facebook profiles, blogs, his websites and his digital presence
are going to survive, making sure that Hitler’s presence in humanity is a
constant. And while social networks today are one of the drivers of free
speech online, providing an open platform for the expression of political
and social beliefs in a significantly more open manner than in the past,
there is a certain element of danger contained of trends of the line be-
tween freedom of speech and hate speech becoming increasingly blurred.
People create posts, upload images or videos and make comments without
being fully aware of the extent to which this may degrade and insult oth-
er groups, or individuals (Dawn, 2012).
If users are anonymous, the situation only worsens. The statements
cited below were made from August 2015 to December 2015 on Facebook.
They refer to the transit of refugees across Slovenia during one of the
peaks of the refugee crisis and represent just a small proportion of all re-
corded opinions of Slovenian users. Importantly, it must be noted that
the authors are not anonymous and have not concealed their identity. The
sample – since only a small selection is cited – is intended for illustration
purposes only. We emphasise that the statements were not sampled from
Facebook profiles given over to the expression of radical positions and the
dissemination of xenophobia, or locations frequented by aspiring radical
right-wingers or neo-Nazi followers. The personal profiles of the authors
reveal that the sample is a valid representation of a system of belief of com-
mon people, who had not been subjected to any prior ideological indoc-
trination. Below follows a list of thirty documented statements that show
readily identifiable basic elements of fascination with Hitler discussed
above:
1. “Off to Auschwitz with them! They don’t belong anywhere else.”
2. “Too late for borders – they are here already – Hitler must be brought
back from the dead. He’d sort this out fast.”
3. “Mauthausen, followed by a group shower.”
137
