Confronting Hate: Lessons from History and Modern Responses

By, Cliff Potts, WPS News, Editor-in-Chief
Baybay City | January 27, 2025

I’m not inciting violence, but I want to share my experience as a victim of mob judgment at the end of Occupy Chicago following the No NATO protest. I was accused of being a misogynist for disagreeing with one of the women from Occupy Wall Street in Chicago, even though I knew I wasn’t. After spending so much time on the streets, nerves were frayed. You have to be careful how you “Snitch Jacket” someone.

However, we must consider how to respond to someone who openly throws a Nazi salute and screams about their right to free speech while inciting hatred.

Looking back at history, the failures of Reconstruction in the late 1860s and 1870s played a significant role in the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. After the Civil War, there was an opportunity to achieve true equality and integration for formerly enslaved people, but systemic racism and the lack of political will resulted in the withdrawal of federal support. This allowed groups like the KKK to emerge, using terror and intimidation to suppress Black civil rights and maintain white supremacy.

Additionally, the post-World War I response toward Germany holds critical lessons. Instead of fostering stability by helping Germany recover, the Allies pursued punitive measures through the Treaty of Versailles. Seeking revenge rather than reconciliation led to economic hardship and political instability in Germany, allowing extremist ideologies to take root. This ultimately paved the way for Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler’s regime perpetrated the Holocaust, resulting in the murder of approximately 6 million Jews and around 7 million others, including political dissidents and minority groups, in concentration camps. This represents the catastrophic consequences of unchecked hatred and aggression, culminating in a conflict that claimed more than 70 million lives—about 3% of the world’s total population at the time—during a war of aggression.

Jake Blues delivered it deadpan: “I hate Illinois Nazis.” Granted, Jake Blues is a fictional character, but with the Nazi and fascist track record, can you blame him, or anyone else? So when Elon Musk, who benefited from South African apartheid, throws a stiff-arm salute at a Trump rally, is it any wonder what the response will be? The invocation of such symbols carries historical weight and elicits strong reactions from those aware of the past atrocities associated with them. In the face of rising extremist sentiments, how should we effectively address these provocations and stand against hatred in all its forms?

Klansmen in Indiana and Kentucky are now out distributing broadsides encouraging immigrants to leave their communities. The hate is out in the open, adding to the ongoing debate about what caused the last US Civil War—it was slavery—and the sides are pretty well drawn up. Many may want to embrace the idea of forgiveness for past inequities in a call for unity among the people of the USA, but that is not the message from the party in power. Traditionally, Americans tend to go along to get along, but that approach was thrown out the window on January 6, 2021, when Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

This event marked a significant turning point, revealing the depths of division and the willingness of some to resort to violence in the name of their beliefs. In light of these developments, how can we foster constructive dialogue and promote understanding while countering the rising tide of hate?

The bottom line is that it may be necessary to punch a Nazi. Many, especially young individuals who are ‘draft age,’ might feel they have few choices left. Lawlessness has taken over the USA, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. The question remains: how do we respond to this reality while still advocating for a just and equitable society? It is a complex dilemma that challenges our values and commitment to both justice and peace.