Especially timely in the age of Trump, Michael Perlman’s documentary outlines the development of extremist right-wing movements in Europe and America from the early 20th century to the present, with an emphasis on recent years. The broad historical background—beginning with the origins of fascism and modern anti-Semitism and continuing up through the resurgence of rabid nationalism and anti-immigrant prejudice in Europe and the rise of the alt-right in the United States—is delivered through collages of archival footage and talking-head commentary by Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Professor Mehnaz Afridi, a Muslim who specializes in Holocaust and interfaith studies. Both are articulate and eloquent, skillfully connecting the dots to show that what is happening socially and politically in the contemporary world is not a frightening new phenomenon, but rather has roots in the not-so-distant past. Adding a personal dimension to the argument is Christian Picciolini, who describes how he was indoctrinated into the American neo-Nazi movement as an impressionable young man and later came to detest white supremacist ideology and now speaks out against it. Perlman’s attempt to cover such an enormous amount of material in a short time often feels rushed, but The Politics of Hate offers a salutary warning that our present political climate could lead to disastrous consequences. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
The Politics of Hate
(2018) 68 min. DVD: $59.95 ($350 w/PPR from edu.passionriver.com). Passion River (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 4
The Politics of Hate
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