Opinion: Propaganda and "modern" Right-Wing ideas.

   

         

"Will God Forgive Us?"

         

​Have we taken for granted the power of propaganda films? We are almost 100 years removed from WW2 and the several communist revolutions that took place during the 20th century. I believe that during this period of time, when people from the past are starting to become impossible to relate to or to understand, we often dismiss their experiences and history as something foreign, from a less civilized time, it is easier to latch on to iconography and the images produced during that era. Propaganda movies are often victims of this simplification, and no country or society is more likely to have such results as Nazi Germany.

Perhaps the biggest example of this is Triumph of the Will, in which filmmakers (and modern right-wing viewers) have distilled the 2-hour movie as a compilation of "based" content, where massive rallies, unification, standardization, and epic scenery are the only things people see value in. Perhaps this only illustrates the tendency of right-wing ideas on aesthetics to be the easiest and cheapest form of manipulation possible.

The movie that made me want to discuss this is far removed from the excesses of Triumph of the Will, one that, to my eyes, is even more sinister and evil, trying to rationalize the causes of genocide, and presenting us with a very impressive list of right-wing talking points, points that are absolutely present in the MAGA spaces and spread by many conservative accounts.

How can someone fall for such idiotic statements, and why are they being repurposed in the 21st century against marginalized communities?

The Eternal Jew is a "film" that presents us with a list of behaviors and aesthetics that we "must" wish to destroy. It attempts to radicalize Aryan Germans and non-Aryan people against a common enemy, the Jewish people. The use of newsreels, recreations of events, animal cruelty, and stolen footage from far superior movies make their point clear: These people must be dealt with.

It is not only grotesque but, quite frankly, sad to watch, it reveals how little we have changed since a century ago. While I was watching it, a sense of dread began to consume my entire body, repulsion and discomfort were indeed felt by me, not because of the intent of the movie, but the process behind making, editing, and showcasing it to the masses. Their points were clear, and my brain began to find connections to what I see daily on Twitter.

Several points were made that made the Jewish people undesirable for Nazis. Those were

• They are deceitful

• Their appearance is grotesque

• They make bad art

• They are cruel to animals

• Propensity to commit crimes

When I was watching the propaganda and looking at how aspects of a certain society were presented I wondered, doesn't it look like your average Right Wing commentary? especially against:

• Trans People

• Latinos

• Communists

• Muslims

• Black people

I bring these groups because, people don't understand that their prejudices and arguments against such communities are and have always been used to justify genocides, torture and perpetuate suffering across the world. When I've interacted with such people, they are quick to blame the victims of their bigotry: "If you only had stopped at X, maybe I would not have joined the Nazis." Is that really the best argument so-called "Christians" can make? Are you really "one bad day" from joining the Third Reich?

The following is a series of personal questions, ones that I am struggling with and may come to a conclusion later in life.

Do these people, these so-called Christians not see the value of life outside white American people? 

If I was sent to the gulag, would they feel I deserve it because "others like me have done bad things"? 

Am I worth less than a white American? 

Is this what it feels to be an ant? or a rat? or a monster? or a demon?

Those questions are not something your average white conservative, not a white leftist would ever consider making, let alone attempt to comprehend and answer sincerely, and I don't see how I and many other minority groups from around the world can attempt to fix or even to arrive to a middle ground. Empathy for us and attempts to include us in their societies are seen as weakness, a view that Nazis also had, especially with Christians, and perhaps more (or less) shocking, a view embraced and spread by the current VP of the USA, JD Vance.

As it stands, this piece of trash opened my eyes to the cyclical nature of bigotry, making me even more weary of their tactics and signs, their attempts to destroy minorities and force them to fight each other to survive. I will forever be impacted by this piece of trash, and I hate it for it.

I leave this with a final question. ​Did the US and the Allies want to fight the Nazis because of their evil nature and lack of respect for human life or was it a battle of egos trying to show who has the biggest dick in the world? If cinema has shown me something is that "doing the right thing" can be sold to people as a nice feel-good sentiment but often, behind the scenes processes have demonstrated they also understood, that a large portion of American people, would have sided with the Nazis if they knew some of their abhorrent views. It worries me that the modern-day conservative also falls for the same tactics as before.