4d ago

Families fighting to keep loved ones out of extremist groups struggle to find intervention programs

www.abc.net.au Emily recognised her son on TV. He was standing with a group of Neo-Nazis

These families never imagined their loved ones would be drawn to Neo-Nazi groups. Now they're fighting to get them back and begging the government to help.

These families never imagined their loved ones would be drawn to Neo-Nazi groups. Now they're fighting to get them back and begging the government to help.

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17 comments

It would really suck to see your kid get caught up in this.
- I have two teenage boys. It is a worry.
  I know that older men have been targettimg boys for over a decade now, seducing them with edgy memes, porn or whatever then exploiting their social awkwardness with appeals to misogyny and twisted versions of gender roles which is a pipeline to other bigotry and the whole alt-right movement. Radicalised young men are the emerging threat now as boomer power dies out.
  You hear of little kids talking about their favourite social influencing sex trafficker rapists like it's socially acceptable now. I worry that the social progress women have made is going to go backwards, perhaps a lot, and I have a daughter as well.
  Despite being very competent gamers and consuming plenty of online media my boys seem to have escaped with their critical thinking intact so far. I don't hover over them. They could be into stuff of course and I wouldn't know. We have walked into this with our eyes closed.
  
  Yeah so I have a son and daughter who are too young to encounter this stuff but I'm definitely concerned about it. I don't have any experience at all in navigating this type of dynamic.
  I suspect that in the coming years I'm going to realise just how difficult it is to maintain a relationship with your kids where you have some level of influence while simultaneously earning some level of respect, camaraderie, kinship, and ultimately have them share things with you. It kinda sounds impossible honestly.
  I know that the fitness angle is also a recruitment tool used by these organisations. You know, come to the gym, learn to work out, learn kickboxing or whatever, acquire role models, be influenced.
  I guess one strategy is to encourage relationships with better role models so they have a point of reference when they encounter someone with ulterior motives and differing views.
  
  Opens Lemmy.
  You hear of little kids talking about their favourite social influencing sex trafficker rapists like it's socially acceptable now.
  Closes Lemmy.
  
  Yeah, sorry. Its a bit much. I have read about school teachers frustrated with the situation..I don't know how common it is.
  
  that’s just the tates
- Not my kids, but my wife is American and I lived there for 10 years before moving our family back here in 2015. I thought all my in-laws were decent people, but found out that they all voted for trump last November, and I have to say it's got me feeling very conflicted. I doubt I'd be able to maintain a relationship with any of them if I were still there, knowing what they chose to support.
  
  I have relatives living in the US who are Trump supporters.
  I would struggle to talk to them about anything even unpolitical now.

17 comments