Nazis are in the News Every Day

this is an opinion

Nazis are in the news every day.

I've been thinking about this a lot. Sometimes I worry that I'm thinking about it too much—allowing myself to be overwhelmed by the actions of those more powerful and affluent, who continually embolden the worst among us. Other times, I fear I'm not thinking about it enough—that I haven't unraveled the complexities of our culture to make them comprehensible to any passersby.

Nazis are in the news every day.

Have you noticed?

Have you quartered yourself off? Have you found it better for your mental health that, when you log on, it’s only for dopamine hits? Have you consolidated your privilege so that you never have to feel the slightest bit of discomfort?

That sounds nice.

But, maybe you want to know what I’m talking about.

Take, for instance, Elon Musk's alleged Nazi salute at a Trump rally. The internet buzzed with debates: Did he or didn't he? Everyone had an opinion, and everyone scrutinized the footage, eager to partake in political discourse that required no more context than a simple twenty-second video.

But, let’s be clear, this isn't politics—it's theater. Arguing over whether the world's wealthiest man performed a Nazi salute is trivial when he consistently amplifies far-right, neo-Nazi sentiments.

But, did he do it? We all must weigh in.

In the same week, Musk, whom we're assuming is not a Nazi, addressed a rally for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD, widely recognized for its nationalist and extremist views, has been classified by the German judiciary as a "suspected extremist" organization. Recently, the party sent mailers to immigrant and refugee households, featuring printed plane tickets back to their countries of origin—a chilling echo of the 1930s, when Nazis distributed "one-way tickets to Jerusalem" to Jewish citizens living in Germany.

During his speech, Musk declared the AfD as the "best hope for Germany. He remarked, "Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents," seemingly alluding to the nation's Nazi past. He continued, "It's good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.” The crowd of thousands erupted in cheers.

So, let’s ask the question, is Elon Musk a Nazi? Should we attempt to discern what’s in his heart? Should we then dissect an out-of-context video to determine if his gesture was an intentional Sieg Heil? I refuse to dignify these questions with intellectualization and overanalysis. What are we even talking about, right? Either way,

Nazis are in the news every day.

Let’s move off Musk, but keep thinking about this.

We’re not done thinking.

So, Asmongold, the most-watched political commentator on Twitch, recently used his platform to defend the actions of 1930s Nazis.

On his stream, Asmongold, whom we are assuming is not a Nazi, claimed that the Nazis burned down Magnus Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual Science in 1933, not because it was a haven for queer individuals, but because its materials were "written in Jewish, not German." He elaborated, "It was a retaking of Germany for Germans—that was the uprising of the Nazis... It's disappointing you can't have genuine conversations because people just try to hand-pick facts and not talk about things in an honest way."

This pseudo-intellectual posturing by Asmongold, with his worn-out t-shirt and incessant glances between the video and his chat, is nothing short of pathetic. Adopting the oppressor's narrative to justify their own atrocities is as idiotic as it is unfathomable. The Nazis propagated the notion that Jewish people, despite being German citizens, were not truly German.

Taking Nazis at their word is idiotic. It’s how they win.

Throughout history, oppressors have employed similar rhetoric to justify their actions. For instance, while it's well-established that the American Civil War was fundamentally about slavery, some argue it was about "states' rights," obfuscating the true cause. This manipulation of historical narratives serves to legitimize oppressive ideologies and actions. It makes evil more palatable to a group that wants to view itself as doing something righteous.

But let’s be clear: Nazism is not about war, nationalism, or "retaking" anything—it is about the systematic extermination of Jews, justified by the belief that they are not human beings but an infestation to be eradicated.

It hurts that people like Asmongold—who offer no study, no analysis—are free to broadcast ahistorical garbage to an audience of thousands. Some might say Twitch should ban him.

But Nazis are in the news every day.

Who’s to say how we should treat them?

So, let’s just talk about me.

What am I supposed to think? How am I supposed to react? How should I feel?

Tell me.

How should I feel when I glance at his chat and see: “nazi w,” and “damn nazi based”

How am I supposed to go about my life? To hold my privileges in one hand and my safety in the other, as if they balance? The richest man on the planet and one of the biggest streamers online are in people’s screens. In their heads.

Who, in my real life, listens to these people? Who nods along?

Who, then, hears my last name and holds judgment in their heart?

Who gets to walk around believing I shouldn’t exist?

And how many of them smile at me every day?

Okay. I think I’m done writing about this.

I think I’ve thought about it too much today—whoops.

I do wonder, though.

Who will be in the news tomorrow?

Thanks for reading all that.