Das Kapital
Something that interests him other than fascism. Idk why that has anything to do with a gift. A gift is there to show appreciation and love, not to manipulate their pov.
Yeh, this is a weird question. Kid has to know he’s going to be accepted by his own Dad and still be able to make up their own mind on things. Hopefully when they’ve more fully developed they might sway a different way but acceptance from their Dad shouldn’t really be conditional upon it.
I know, right? You can just get something else he’s interested in. Like OP, maybe the kid likes antiquities, you could get him some from Benito Mussolini’s 12000 piece collection in the Colonial Museum. Or maybe he likes art, you could buy him one of Hitler’s paintings.
I’m not joking or kidding or insincere. I actually don’t know what to do.
Get him something related to his interests. It’s weird to make Christmas political like this
Yeah, I’m not watching “why we need a war on Christmas” on YouTube. Sorry
It sounds like your question is not actually about what to get him for Christmas, but instead about how to cope with the situation and maintain a relationship with your son
Well yeah, “how do i build a lasting relationship with my child before they start throwing me and all my friends in the gulag” is a pretty good question
This is totally valid. Fascism in this country is on extreme high. Especially in schools and other public places due to how the government uses propaganda at schools and banning everything related to being a good person.
I don’t know the situation so it’s hard to recommend anything besides education, remember that there human and make mistakes, don’t dictate but strongly suggest ways that what there learning is fundamentally wrong. I have no kids. But whatever happens remember there human. And being accepting and loving can go a long way.
Bootstraps
This is my favorite one.
I used to be heading down this path as a teenager. For me, college was the eye opener. When I broke away from my normal bubble of people, I would have my opinions and biases challenged.
I like the travel suggestion as well. Also I went to some music festivals around that time that were pretty significant to my beliefs. I guess it depends on the type of music they prefer though.
…a ballgag?
Just out of curiosity, do you know what drew him to this line of thinking in the first place? Any particular media he’s consumed? Knowing how one first enters into fascism can help in undoing that damage.
It’s usually far-right dipshits on social media who disguise racism, sexism, transphobia as comedy. Gavin McInnes for example. I hate that fuck.
Probably overbearing parents trying to force an ideology down his throat without letting him developed hia own identity and personal philosophy. Trying to force anything upon someone will always lead to them rebelling. Same as conservative parents trying to force their gay kids to be strait. The irony is palpable.
You came up with an awful lot of assumptions based on absolutely zero evidence. Sounds exactly like the type of critical thinking one should expect from somebody who seems to tolerate children being indoctrinated into fascism.
I made 1 singular assumption. That being op thinks his son is a fascist when i fact he most likly is only slightly right wing and a Trump supporter at worste. I heighly doubt he is calling for a extermination of people like an actuall fascist.
You assumed the kid’s parents are pushing their beliefs on him. You assumed he was struggling to form his own identity. You assumed he is rebelling. You assumed OP equates conservatism to fascism.
Every part of what you wrote was an assumption, chief.
Plane ticket to Peru and a Ayahuasca retreat
A cooy of disco elysium
Second this, communism go brrr
Maus the graphic novel
That’s a doozie, for sure!! Some heavy shit in there.
Might be a bit of a loaded gift, however?
The article doesn’t mention this, so I am adding that you can also read that annotated version online for free at https://www.mein-kampf-edition.de/ (but only in German; not sure if there are annotated translations into other languages, I never checked because German is my first language).
My 1st thought as well
Give him a book by Robert Nozick, so he discovers what coherent conservative philosophy sounds like
Ooooh he’s a huge reader. anarchy state and utopia? I’d like a specific suggestion. He’s a huge Ayn Rand fan.
edit: I am very excited about your response because my son is too smart for the usual deprogramming tacks, but steering him away from fascism in any way would be great.
Oh god Ayn Rand? I’m surprised he has the attention span. Yeah Anarchy State and Utopia.
Steel man his perspective. Give him something he finds interesting which will also teach him to develop his argumentation.
if he likes ayn rand, i would suggest bioshock: rapture by john shirley
Is your kid into The Smiths? Back In The Day, all the Ayn Rand fans I knew were pretty annoying, but we could agree that The Smiths made some great music. So maybe get your kid some Smiths albums or a t-shirt or something.
(do kids still do albums these days? also, I know Morrisey has made some questionable statements, but we’re talking about reaching out to a fascist here…)
Give him 1984 so he can understand where authoritarianism leads.
EDIT: who the fuck downvoted this? How is teaching a kid about the horror of authoritarianism a bad thing?
Honestly it’s a very lazy tack. Imagine what would actually happen if you are a young conservative and your leftist aunt or whatever gives you 1984.
Animal farm, too.
Of course good shout
In the context of Lemmy, my best explanation is that tankies hate Orwell.
Do they not see the irony in that?
I’m not right leaning, but I live in a right leaning area, and I think most all of us could stand a bit of time back in nature. So here’s what I would consider.
- A hunting or fishing license and classes
- A long weekend camping in the woods
- A trip to a national park
- Boat license lessons
- A craft class at a local Uni, like welding or pottery. They’re usually pretty cheap and a lot of fun
- A rafting trip
Not knowing him at all nor what he likes, perhaps a guitar and guitar lessons. That’s something I truly enjoyed in my late teens/early 20s. Or tickets to a music show or comedian he likes.
A hunting or fishing license and classes
These are really educational, and I actually made a new friend at one, and I’m a middle-aged man.
I would advise against hunting, fishing, and boating. I’m part of that community and it’s mostly racist older men. You can find progressives like me, but most people he would encounter would just reinforce the kind of ideology you’re trying to steer him away from.
Have your son travel, sending him off to see how other people live and how cheerful and helpful most people are is probably going to open his eyes.
- Puerto Rico, Bahama’s, St Lucia, British Virgin Islands are all fairly safe and you can mix and mingle with the locals. Just don’t stay somewhere where you will only stay on the resort. Get a hotel or resort in the middle of a community
I had a wonderful time in St Luca several years ago and stayed at the resort below. It’s a small resort in the middle of a town with lots of interaction with locals.
I would send him to Europe over the Caribbean. Its too easy to stay on the resort and learn nothing in the Carribean.
Literally the link I posted was a small resort in the middle of a community…
