Nazism has entered the group chat

Why is there so much Nazism in the news? And when does a “joke” become hate speech?

Politico broke a story last week featuring what it said were leaks from a Telegram group chat that included Young Republican National Federation leaders. These chats made headlines for reportedly racist and pro-Nazi messaging. But this is not the only story in the news about people in politics engaging with Nazi rhetoric. Is it happening more often? And is this kind of thing just a “joke”? 

Brittany is joined by Odette Yousef, domestic extremism correspondent for NPR, and Gene Demby, co-host of NPR’s Code Switch, to get into it.

(0:00) Young Republicans group chat screenshots go viral…
(3:40) Where’s the line between joking and hate speech?
(5:56) Is Nazi talk more common, or are we just more aware of it?
(10:29) Why white adults are considered “kids” even in their 30s
(14:45) Are there consequences for spreading hate? And what you can do about it.
(19:41) ‘Wait, What?’ – a pop culture trivia game
(23:29) Responding to listener comments 🙂

Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse

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