I’m looking for some advice from other guys on this. A close friend of mine in his early 20s has been getting really into a lot of online political content lately - the kind that mixes self-improvement stuff with more extreme ideology. Things like Holocaust denial, white Christian nationalism, and conspiracy theories about Jews controlling governments or media. I think some of it comes from wanting to fit in with certain online spaces and also feeling frustrated with the world in general. We’ve had a lot of debates about it. I try not to attack him directly because I don’t think that helps. Instead I’ve been doing things like: asking him questions about where his information comes from pointing out when certain claims don’t match historical evidence encouraging him to look at multiple sources trying to show him how propaganda and radicalization pipelines online work Sometimes it feels like he listens and thinks about it, but other times he just doubles down. I don’t think he’s a bad person or hateful at his core - honestly I think he’s just naive and being pulled into a very online worldview. I’m wondering what else I can do. For example, I was thinking about inviting him to watch movies like American History X or other films that deal with radicalization and how people get pulled out of it. My questions for you guys: Have you ever had a friend get pulled into extremist ideology like this? What actually helped them change perspective (if anything)? Are there books, movies, or conversations that helped? Or is pushing too hard actually counterproductive? I want to keep the friendship and help him think more critically, but I also don’t want to make things worse. Would appreciate any advice. submitted by /u/hello-travellingbard
Originally posted by u/hello-travellingbard on r/AskMen