It's always been weird to me that fascism is associated with nazis and not with the italians who invented it.
That's because people who discuss WW2 in such simplistic and accusatory tones don't actually know shit about it, and probably couldn't even name Italy as a major part of the Axis powers, if they even knew that name.
They just know nazi=bad and fascism=bad so nazi=fascist, and that's basically their entire belief system.
it's the generation raised on Star Wars, Marvel slop, Harry Potter, Pokemon, etc. the world is made up of good guys and bad guys, and bad guys must always be fought. no need to understand why the bad guys are bad, or why they even do what they do.
it poisons our history classes too. through Middle School and high school, I remember being taught that we rebelled against the British because the British were bad. we defeated the Confederates because the Confederates were bad. we defeated the Nazis because the Nazis were bad (no need to pay attention to weimar Germany!). Every explanation for why the bad guys did the bad things they did was because they were bad.
hardly anyone focuses on what drove people to do bad things in the first place, or why the things they do are even bad. I firmly believe this key missing piece is why history keeps repeating itself.
What's funny is that in all the examples you listed, I can think of clear examples of "good guys doing bad things" that get called out for it and even "bad guys doing good things" and showing to be misguided and in need of help.
Shit that's the entire story of Pokemon Black and White (ironic naming), that bad guys use good and worthy ideas ideas to recruit naive people to help their evil plans and then discard them.
Which shows that even the guys who scream "media literacy" don't know shit about their own nonsense.
That's because people who discuss WW2 in such simplistic and accusatory tones don't actually know shit about it, and probably couldn't even name Italy as a major part of the Axis powers, if they even knew that name.
They just know nazi=bad and fascism=bad so nazi=fascist, and that's basically their entire belief system.
it's the generation raised on Star Wars, Marvel slop, Harry Potter, Pokemon, etc. the world is made up of good guys and bad guys, and bad guys must always be fought. no need to understand why the bad guys are bad, or why they even do what they do.
it poisons our history classes too. through Middle School and high school, I remember being taught that we rebelled against the British because the British were bad. we defeated the Confederates because the Confederates were bad. we defeated the Nazis because the Nazis were bad (no need to pay attention to weimar Germany!). Every explanation for why the bad guys did the bad things they did was because they were bad.
hardly anyone focuses on what drove people to do bad things in the first place, or why the things they do are even bad. I firmly believe this key missing piece is why history keeps repeating itself.
What's double weird is that that's one of their favorite themes when they can use it for subversion.
What's funny is that in all the examples you listed, I can think of clear examples of "good guys doing bad things" that get called out for it and even "bad guys doing good things" and showing to be misguided and in need of help.
Shit that's the entire story of Pokemon Black and White (ironic naming), that bad guys use good and worthy ideas ideas to recruit naive people to help their evil plans and then discard them.
Which shows that even the guys who scream "media literacy" don't know shit about their own nonsense.