You are among politically-minded individuals who range in flavors of leftism. Then one of the members says that they used to be a neo-Nazi. How would you react?

"Glad you got out."

Curiosity.

First and maybe only question is why their perspective changed, likely followed by getting a better understanding of what shaped their previous point of view...

Is a person who has been studying neo-Nazism I can probably tell you.

The answer is things like insecurities and hang ups that people have. For example this one person was living in an abusive home. He didn't really feel respect ed and his stepfather was incredibly abusive.

But then there were some people that actually paid attention to him and cared about what he had to say. He felt a connection and joined a neo-Nazi group. He left at some point because the book is about a former neo-Nazi but yeah.

It was easy for him to hate minorities because he already hated the world. The world that wasn't kind to him.

He was convinced by these neo-Nazis that the reason why his father is a drunk and alcoholic and why his life is so s*** is because of the Jews. Yep. somehow the Jews are able to do that.

And he fell for it too because he was only 14 years old.

My first question is "how long ago?" Because if I'm talking to a 30 year old who was a nazi at 20, then I'm not even suspicious. If it was much more recent, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt but I'll keep an eye on em. I don't want people whose sympathies are changing from far right to far left to think that they will always be unwelcome, but I have to be wary of bad faith actors.

Sounds like an interesting story to me. If we want people to change, we should respect their change.

I have no issues whatsoever with someone who used to have distasteful or evil beliefs. I only have problems with people who have them now.

Change is hard. People who put the effort in and change their upbringing generally have my respect.

Driving people out because of their past isn't fruitful. Someone used to have bigoted views but something made them change their mind, and they pushed hard enough to reform their life? Sounds like they wanted it, and are probably a changed person.

I know a few people like this. They help others leave similar situations. Great people doing important work.

Walk away, because the conversation would be boring as fuck.

By the time, everyone had made it known that they're politically minded, I'd have left before the Nazi had even spoken up, tbh. Nobody that thinks of themselves as politically minded can ever have a normal conversation. They just keep looking for ways to bring politics up, and derail anything else

So, I don't waste time any more.

Um, What about political activist groups?
- I was once roped into attending a few political activist group board meetings, followed by dinner with a few members. I gotta tell you, each and every weekly meeting made me feel like I was slowly drowning (although perhaps too slowly).
- What about them? The same people are involved usually, and they're just as boring and single minded when they aren't working on their goals.
  
  Hell, I participate in efforts at change on a local level myself. But I leave that shit "at the office" so to speak. And that's the difference. People that self label as political do so because their political opinions are part of their identity. If one's identity is built around a single thing like that, one is going to be boring as hell.
  
  You ever meet someone that only talks about their job, or their kids, or whatever? They have wrapped their sense of self up in external things. Which, to an extent, is expected. We build our identity kits from various things. But when we do so around singular, or very limited, external roles and activities, the self part of self identity becomes empty.
  
  It's the same thing with politics, or religion, or anything.
  
  Having political beliefs and opinions is not always boring. Being political is.
mfs say shit like this and then live their lives not questioning why they spend hours a day stuck in traffic, why their job treats them like shit, and why they're so lonely all the time