(mods pls remove post if it violates rules)

TL;DR:

My 19 yo little brother who had a rough childhood (which I unfortunately contributed to) is convinced that Israel’s actions and impunity is because “modern jews run the Western world”. I’ve tried countering this with a historical materialist explanation of Israel’s role in US imperialism to no avail. I suspect my treatment of him in the past may be an obstacle here, and that the key to changing his mind might require an emotional rather than logical approach. Please advise.

=========== Pre-October 7th ===========

We live in the West and grew up in a conservative Muslim family, both male, I’m 24 and he’s 19. We have been pro-palestine since birth. Some channels he watches are Gattsu, Geopold, GDF and Badempanada, doesn’t like Hasan much. He’s not really into socialist politics/history like me but I think he sympathizes, although he has edgy humor which is sometimes borderline centrist/center-right.

He’s a lot better now but as a kid he was really difficult, and my dad and I handled this extremely poorly. I was never physical (unlike sometimes my dad), but I said some putrid shit to him throughout my teens. Regretful shit that makes me stay up at night and breakdown from guilt if I think about too much.

5-6 years ago I mellowed out and thought “man, what the fuck am I doing” and asked him if he wanted to be normal brothers again, to which he enthusiastically agreed. Since then we’ve had a decent relationship and talk about shows, politics, history, movies, uni stuff, etc. We seldom talk about our feelings, and we never processed that traumatic 10 year period when I was a shitty older brother. Despite going through all this he turned out relatively fine, mostly well-adjusted all things considered.

========== Post October 7th ==========

At some point in the past 2 years of genocide, he started believing in ZOG (zionist occupied government), which quickly morphed into “jews run the world”. According to him, “90% of Israeli and US Jews are pedophile rapist murderers”

  1. He thinks that in modern times, Jews control western nations including US through the media, banks, legal institutions etc.
  2. He knows that Zionists != Jews, but says it doesn’t matter to him at this point
  3. Despite my best efforts to explain Israel’s role in US imperialism, he still thinks “the middle east wouldnt be as bad” if not for Israel
  4. I’ve tried explaining that its a symbiosis for US and Israel, and that Israel can’t do anything without green light from US, but he thinks Israel can do whatever they want because they’re blackmailing US politicians with Epstein
  5. He sends me reels of Israeli rabbis saying crazy shit with Havah Nagilah playing in the background
  6. sent me an Amin al-Husseini x Hitler edit (he joked saying how husseini saw the future and wanted to save his people, and that maybe Hitler was right)
  7. His “evidence” includes verses from the talmud condoning pedophilia and other insane things that many religions also say
  8. He thinks Nick Fuentes is funny, and likes that he is “one of the only far-right people who doesn’t utterly despise Muslims/Arabs”

======== Potential solutions =========

Basically I’ve tried explaining with logic why he’s wrong but he won’t budge. I suspect part of it is because I was shitty to him during his formative years so maybe that’s causing some friction. I think the solution will hinge on an emotional approach rather than logical, but I’m not sure what to do.

  • Commiejones@lemmygrad.ml
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    4 days ago

    Don’t panic or react much that’s what groypers are after. Just keep calm and deboonking. Groypers these days are are acceleration nihilists. They don’t really believe in anything. Half of the shit he is saying is just for shock value. The other half isn’t far off from the truth when you ignore the hyperbole. When you correct him and he shrugs it off its not because he doesn’t care he is bouncing ideas off you because he respects your opinion. He’s also mining for new ideas to pitch to his online community. The more cutting and extreme your rebuttals the more likely he is to absorb them and use them.

    Amazing how applicable 96 year old quotes are:

    National and racial chauvinism is a vestige of the misanthropic customs characteristic of the period of cannibalism. Anti-semitism, as an extreme form of racial chauvinism, is the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism.

    Anti-semitism is of advantage to the exploiters as a lightning conductor that deflects the blows aimed by the working people at capitalism. Anti-semitism is dangerous for the working people as being a false path that leads them off the right road and lands them in the jungle. Hence Communists, as consistent internationalists, cannot but be irreconcilable, sworn enemies of anti-semitism.