The main reason I recommend everybody study at least a little history is that it really brings home that the past was just completely fucking awful
In seriousness, I think this is actually an underappreciated element of anti-fascism.
A core element of fascist ideology is the idea that there was once a perfect, ideal past, that we through our degeneracy let slip away. The fascist promises to bring us back to it by being a stern ruler who will punish us for our sins.
So it's important to help people understand that there was NEVER a perfect, ideal past. There was just people and their various screw-ups. And people now are fundamentally the same as people then. The clothes change, the rituals change, but people are people.
@jalefkowit Great point. The "good old days" narrative being fascist-adjacent is one of the reasons I have a real problem with a lot of (mainstream, US-radio-played) country music.
I don't think that the musicians are necessarily consciously promoting fascism, but the uncritical romanticization of a past that never really existed seems to feed directly into it.
The last time the US was majority-rural by population, women couldn't legally vote.
@kadin Yeah. You don't HAVE to be a fascist to long for the Good Old Days.
But, you know. It helps
@jalefkowit @kadin so, do all facists long for the good ol days?
i... actually havent ever heard one who didn't preach that
@ketmorco @jalefkowit Off the top of my head, it seems like a nearly universal part of #fascism.
There are probably exceptions, though. I've run into some "accelerationists" who are uncomfortably, uh, fascist-adjacent. Some seem to have a good enough grasp of history to not fall into the "good ol' days" narrative, but still think a Dear Leader-run ethno-state is a good way forward.
@kadin @ketmorco @jalefkowit accelerationists are either hopeless optimists who haven't studied enough history, or false flag fascists keeping the hope alive for the first group.