I think another point to consider with European 20th century fascism is the distinction between Judeophobia and antisemitism and the latter’s creation in response to the social and economic rise of Jews in the 19th century. Judeophobia died down in the West but antisemitism is still quite prevalent. As @Beat_da_Rich pointed out, the same thing is being done today against China (example 1, example 2), and we also see some Chinese people joining in on the anti-China rhetoric. We also see other far-right movements in the West using the same tropes of “conspiratorial cabal” or “controlling elites” - for example in transphobic or anti-“woke” messaging (which is sometimes also linked to anti-China messaging).
Roderic Day summarizes the distinction between racism in general and the specific phenomenon of antisemitism/sinophobia by defining the latter as “Racism but specifically against ‘races’ that are powerful enough to challenge the ‘white race’” which I think is a good description. It highlights how the phenomenon is created and centers the fact that the main targeted group can change in relation to its economic and social status.
Today’s Nazis still do hate Jews, but the main enemy now seems to be China and Chinese people. Many fascist groups today even like Israel due to it being a colonial, apartheid ethno-state. At least from what I’ve seen, a lot (most?) of the more mainstream, specifically anti-Jewish propaganda today is targeted more towards individuals like Soros or specific organizations/companies rather than Jewish people as a whole.
The frustrating thing in the states too, is that the point of view of Chinese and other Asian people are often excluded or disregarded from these cultural conversations and even activist circles because the conversation about race is so often binary between Black and White struggles. Because of our “model minority” status, other marginalized groups just see us as off-brand Whites that are aiming to control everything (not to mention the working-class and militant Asian history in America is completely left out of our education system). Even in so-called progressive spaces dominated by Black voices will these conspiratorial takes on Chinese spies and CCP “elites” pop up. It’s depressing as fuck and tempers a lot of my hope in the American socialist movements. It’s not even just the “White Settler Left” which gets called out all the time for this shit. It’s the Western Left in general, across all racial/identity lines, that has this problem that needs to be ruthlessly struggled against.
Gonna be completely honest, as an Asian it just makes me feel like I’ll need to gtfo of this country soon because the scapegoating isn’t just coming from the mainstream fascist right. I’ve heard it from people who should be my goddamn comrades.
Even apart from white chauvinism, people seem to be buying into western chauvinism in general, and from there it’s not a long road to this kind of sinophobia and anti-Asian racism.
I think another point to consider with European 20th century fascism is the distinction between Judeophobia and antisemitism and the latter’s creation in response to the social and economic rise of Jews in the 19th century. Judeophobia died down in the West but antisemitism is still quite prevalent. As @Beat_da_Rich pointed out, the same thing is being done today against China (example 1, example 2), and we also see some Chinese people joining in on the anti-China rhetoric. We also see other far-right movements in the West using the same tropes of “conspiratorial cabal” or “controlling elites” - for example in transphobic or anti-“woke” messaging (which is sometimes also linked to anti-China messaging).
Roderic Day summarizes the distinction between racism in general and the specific phenomenon of antisemitism/sinophobia by defining the latter as “Racism but specifically against ‘races’ that are powerful enough to challenge the ‘white race’” which I think is a good description. It highlights how the phenomenon is created and centers the fact that the main targeted group can change in relation to its economic and social status.
Today’s Nazis still do hate Jews, but the main enemy now seems to be China and Chinese people. Many fascist groups today even like Israel due to it being a colonial, apartheid ethno-state. At least from what I’ve seen, a lot (most?) of the more mainstream, specifically anti-Jewish propaganda today is targeted more towards individuals like Soros or specific organizations/companies rather than Jewish people as a whole.
The frustrating thing in the states too, is that the point of view of Chinese and other Asian people are often excluded or disregarded from these cultural conversations and even activist circles because the conversation about race is so often binary between Black and White struggles. Because of our “model minority” status, other marginalized groups just see us as off-brand Whites that are aiming to control everything (not to mention the working-class and militant Asian history in America is completely left out of our education system). Even in so-called progressive spaces dominated by Black voices will these conspiratorial takes on Chinese spies and CCP “elites” pop up. It’s depressing as fuck and tempers a lot of my hope in the American socialist movements. It’s not even just the “White Settler Left” which gets called out all the time for this shit. It’s the Western Left in general, across all racial/identity lines, that has this problem that needs to be ruthlessly struggled against.
Gonna be completely honest, as an Asian it just makes me feel like I’ll need to gtfo of this country soon because the scapegoating isn’t just coming from the mainstream fascist right. I’ve heard it from people who should be my goddamn comrades.
Even apart from white chauvinism, people seem to be buying into western chauvinism in general, and from there it’s not a long road to this kind of sinophobia and anti-Asian racism.