this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2025
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Do you think these confirmed nazis that were punched reevaluate their ideological belief set, or it further reinforces their beliefs?
To the bystander ("normie") and especially vulnerable outcast who witnesses it, what is your hope they'd take away from that? For at least here in America many on the left hold a high standard for free speech and a strong separation of words versus physical violence. My concern would then be that we're perceived as hypocrites if we can't reason them out of this belief set but are ourselves forced to proactive violence.
To me I view nazi beliefs as a mental illness no differently than drug addiction. And also a product of parental neglect, abuse, trauma, and poor education. Beating sense into them to me sounds ironically like a conservative methodology, as dangerous and violent as their beliefs are.
The point of punching Nazis is not to convince the Nazi with violence, it's to shatter the delusion of Nazis that they can promise and advocate violence with impunity until they're strong enough to implement it, and prevent bystanders from thinking the same. Driving Nazis back under rocks and reassuring vulnerable groups that broader society isn't willing to play civility games up until they're marched into death camps are both laudable effects of punching Nazis.
That being said, punching Nazis is one of the less efficient means of activism, high risk and low reward. I wouldn't recommend anyone dedicate activist time and energy to specifically punching Nazis (if we're at the point where dedicating time to be violent towards Nazis is legitimately highly valuable, 'punching' is probably so mild as to be a waste of time and opportunity), but it's sometimes worthwhile when the opportunity arises organically.
You don't need to defend Nazis dude
Did I ever?
If that's what you took away from that, then I encourage one take a reading comprehension course.