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Why Mockery and 'Meanness' Are Essential in the Fight Against Fascism

  • 5 days ago
  • 9 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

In a recent email from a supporter, we were called out for a post highlighting local MAGA counter-protesters in downtown Woodstock. We showed them on video, identified them clearly, and labeled them as Nazis—because, in 2026, with the Trump regime's open support for mass deportations, family separations, and detention camps that echo the darkest chapters of history, that's an accurate description. Our supporter expressed disappointment, saying it "stooped to the level of MAGA posts" and urged us to focus solely on "positive actions" instead of giving these folks more attention. She even asked to be removed from our database.


We responded as thoughtfully as possible while explaining our approach. We don't do this for "gratuitous meanness." It's strategic. Mockery and direct confrontation strip away the veneer of respectability that fascists crave. But her email got us thinking: It's time to dive deeper into why we use these tactics, why politeness alone fails against fascism, why we are not just being assholes for shits and giggles, and how you can join in. Drawing from history, psychology, and real-world examples, let's break it down. There is no one right way to resist fascism. People are different: different temperaments, different levels of energy, different personal risks, different strengths. Some of us pour everything into mutual aid and quiet support networks. Others organize marches, write letters, run for office, or build legal defense funds. All of those paths matter and all of them are needed.


What we do not need is people tut-tutting and clutching their pearls over a valid—if more abrasive—strategy that has historical precedent and proven psychological impact. Diversity of tactics is a strength, not a flaw. If mockery and sharp call-outs aren’t your style, that’s fine; keep doing the work that fits your soul. But don’t shame or silence those who use ridicule to dismantle the fascist facade. The movement is big enough for both.


1. Why Mockery Works: Undermining the Facade of Power

Fascists thrive on projecting unassailable strength, seriousness, and inevitability. They wrap themselves in flags, arm themselves for show, and demand deference as "patriots." Ridicule shatters that illusion. It exposes the absurdity—the overcompensation, the fragility, the underlying shame. When we mock them, we're not just venting; we're demoralizing participants, discouraging public displays, and signaling to bystanders that this isn't normal.


Psychologically, authoritarian personalities depend on being taken seriously. Laughter erodes their aura of power more effectively than reasoned debate often can. Historical examples abound: In Germany, activists turned a Nazi march into an "involuntary walkathon" to raise money for anti-extremism causes, or used clowns to parody far-right patrols, making them objects of fun rather than fear. This isn't cruelty—it's non-violent resistance that hits where they're vulnerable.


In our local context, calling out Woodstock's MAGA supporters isn't about personal attacks; it's about refusing to normalize their backing for policies that tear families apart. Mockery makes their "tough-guy" posturing look ridiculous, reducing recruitment appeal and emboldening others to speak up.


2. Why "Being Nice" Doesn't Work: Politeness Enables the Rise of Fascism

We've all heard the call to "be kind" or "focus on the positive." It's well-intentioned, but against fascists, it backfires. Politeness normalizes hatred by treating it as a legitimate viewpoint worthy of gentle dialogue. Fascists aren't interested in empathy; they exploit it to gain ground. They reject compassion for the marginalized while demanding it for themselves.


History shows this clearly. Appeasement in the 1930s didn't stop Hitler—it emboldened him. "Midwestern nice" or calls for unity with white supremacists only collude with them. In modern times, "being kind" to extremists has helped normalize their rhetoric, from online memes to political platforms. Toxic kindness severs ties with the oppressed while maintaining polite relations with oppressors.


In 2026, with ICE raids and detention horrors escalating, niceness hasn't curbed the regime's cruelty—it's helped it flourish by shifting focus from content to "tone." Debating Nazis gives them a platform; refusing to engage politely starves them of legitimacy.


3. How You Can Do the Same: Practical Steps for Everyday Resistance

You don't need to be an activist to confront fascism with mockery—start small, stay safe, and build from there:


•  Call It Out Plainly


When you see public displays of MAGA extremism—flags, rallies, online posts—don’t mince words. Label it accurately, backed by the regime’s own policies of mass deportation, family separation, and concentration-camp conditions. Use the duck test: if it looks like a Nazi, marches like a Nazi, and parrots Nazi talking points, it’s a fucking Nazi. It doesn’t need to be 1942 Germany for the word to fit. Share videos or photos (safely, legally) to expose them. Sunlight is still the best disinfectant.


•  Use Humor and Symbolism


Turn their symbols into punchlines. Flood feeds with memes that expose their “patriotism” as blind cult loyalty. Suggest petty, peaceful acts: skip shops owned by known supporters, take extra time chatting at their checkouts to withhold easy social approval. When far-right events happen, organize clown escorts or absurd counter-protests—historical anti-KKK actions proved tubas and ridicule work better than fists.


•  Build Community Without Compromise


Pour energy into mutual aid—grocery runs, rides to appointments, real support for immigrants and targeted neighbors—while refusing to give fascists a platform or polite cover. When strangers parrot regime lies, hit them with uncomfortable but factual conversations about the freedoms we’re all losing. Be bold, not brutal.


•  Online Tactics


Counter their lies with sharp, evidence-based mockery. Ridicule the absurdity: “Big tough guys hiding behind flags while cheering for kids in cages—real brave.” Call them names they’d be embarrassed to hear from their own friends: cultists, brownshirt wannabes, useful idiots for billionaires. Make it sting just enough that they think twice before posting again.


Ground every move in facts, avoid physical escalation, and always prioritize protecting the vulnerable. Remember: we’re speaking up for the millions this regime wants to deport, detain, or worse—people who can’t always fight back publicly. The very least we can do is refuse to be polite while they cheer for cruelty. Sometimes that means telling a fascist, clearly and publicly, to go fuck themselves.


4. Parallels to Past Efforts: Lessons from History



Mockery has toppled fascist facades worldwide. Charlie Chaplin's *The Great Dictator* (1940) laughed at Hitler, portraying him as a bumbling fool—robbing him of power. Mel Brooks' *The Producers* (1967) turned Nazism into campy farce with "Springtime for Hitler."


In Mussolini's Italy and Vichy France, anti-fascist satire was suppressed because regimes feared humor's threat. Post-war German groups parodied far-right aesthetics to subvert their menace. Against religious extremism, activists mailed pink panties to mock machismo. In the U.S., clowns have shadowed neo-Nazi marches since the 1980s, turning threats into jokes.


Even biblically, Jesus called out hypocrites as "broods of vipers"—harsh language to pierce denial.


5. The Difference Between "Nice" and Moral/Ethical, and "Mean" and Cruel/Evil

We never advocate treating individuals as less than human. But when fighting ideas and culture that led to the Holocaust—and are putting people in concentration camps again in 2026—you sometimes have to get your hands dirty. This isn't cruelty; it's strategic resistance to protect the vulnerable.


Being "nice" often means agreeable, conflict-avoiding behavior that prioritizes comfort over justice. Niceness can enable harm by normalizing oppressive views. Morality and ethics, by contrast, demand integrity and doing what's right—even if uncomfortable. You can be nice without being moral (e.g., smiling while ignoring injustice), but true morality often requires firmer pushback.


"Mean" can mean harsh or direct—sometimes to set boundaries or call out hypocrisy—without intent to deeply harm. Cruelty involves willful, extreme unfairness or enjoyment in suffering. Evil encompasses intentional moral corruption. Our approach is "mean" in being pointed and unflinching, but aimed at ideas and actions, not dehumanizing individuals. Dehumanization is a specific thing. It's language that frames people as less than human — vermin, animals, insects, disease, filth, invaders. It strips away personhood entirely. That's what fascist rhetoric does to immigrants ("infestation," "poisoning the blood"), and it's the precursor to justifying violence against a group. Calling someone an asshole doesn't do that. It's rude, but it still acknowledges them as a person who's being an asshole.


This aligns with biblical righteous anger: "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Psalms 7:11). Jesus overturned tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13) to confront exploitation. Righteous anger confronts evil motivated by justice, not hatred.


6. Why This Fight Isn't the Same as the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights movement remains a powerful model of nonviolent resistance—leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. used peaceful protests to expose injustice and appeal to the nation's conscience. We build on that tradition today.


But the dynamics differ. In the Civil Rights era, the oppressed—primarily Black Americans—fought systemic subjugation from below, using nonviolence to force the white majority to confront complicity. Today, fascism under Trumpism draws on white nationalism and exclusionary identity, with the majority—white people, who largely voted for Trump—holding cultural and racial power.


We fight from a place of privilege, adapting nonviolence: not only peaceful appeals, but also mockery and confrontation to undermine fascists' facade of strength. Fascists exploit moral appeals; satire exposes absurdity and erodes authority without violence (as in Otpor! against Milosevic). White allies have a unique role: breaking pessimism in parts of the Trump base while resisting neo-fascist policies like mass deportations. This isn't rejecting nonviolence—it's expanding the toolkit for current realities.


7. Calling Out Individuals: Matching Harm, Punching Up, and Defensive Transparency


We do call out individuals when warranted. When possible, we reference publicly available information from their social media profiles to counter their harmful positions. We don't do this for good-faith disagreement; we match tone and the level of harm conveyed in their comments.


This is asymmetrical: MAGA-aligned forces leverage advanced tools—Palantir databases (including systems like ImmigrationOS and ELITE for tracking and targeting), facial recognition (via apps like Mobile Fortify and Clearview AI), and other surveillance tech deployed by ICE—to monitor and target opposition. In that context, highlighting who in our communities publicly supports policies enabling family separations or detention abuses serves as defensive transparency. It warns neighbors about potential risks without inciting harm.


We follow "punching up" principles (as in Freedom Over Fascism guidelines): targeting those amplifying power through groups like the Heritage Foundation or Turning Point, not the powerless. Local enablers leverage small influence in service of a larger regime threat.


Nothing we do calls for physical violence. We advocate social shunning and verbal consequences—the least we can do against those who support physical violence and torture against fellow humans. We fight fire with fire strategically, to win against this grave threat.


8. The Importance of Arguing: Applying Social Pressure Online and Offline



Arguing with fascists—whether online or in real life—isn’t just venting; it’s a crucial tactic. Social pressure matters: It reminds them (and onlookers) that their views aren’t normal or acceptable. Silence lets hatred spread unchecked; speaking up creates friction, making it harder for fascism to feel comfortable or inevitable.


That said, don’t let it consume you. Protect your mental health—set boundaries, take breaks, and remember this fight is a marathon. Apply pressure without letting it hurt your soul. Focus on strategic engagement, not endless rage.


Online, it’s especially vital for algorithmic reasons. Platforms amplify what’s engaged with, so countering lies pushes resistance narratives higher in feeds. Even arguing with trolls or bots disrupts their echo chambers and models bravery for others. Your reply might inspire a silent bystander to speak up next time, turning isolated voices into a chorus.


In person, the same applies: A firm, factual pushback at a family gathering or community event shows that complicity has consequences. It’s about building collective courage—proving we’re not alone in rejecting this poison.


Conclusion: Join the Laughing Resistance



Fascism fears ridicule more than rage because it exposes the emperor’s nakedness. We’re not stooping to their level. We’re strategically lifting the veil.


We respect different styles, and positive aid is vital. But in 2026, with lives on the line, we can’t afford just “niceness.” This grave threat overtaking our nation demands we combine approaches: Build community while mocking the menace.


If this resonates, share your stories of confrontation below. Unsubscribe if it doesn’t—we get it. But for those ready: Mock on, resist smart, and protect each other. Freedom over fascism.


Citations


Biblical Righteous Anger Citations


“Nice” vs. Moral/Ethical and “Mean” vs. Cruel/Evil Citations


Political, Historical, and Contextual Citations (Fascism, Civil Rights, Modern Threats)

 
 
 

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