Educational Media Reviews Online

Christian Piccolini, a former leader of the Chicago Area Skinheads, gives us an inside view of violent alt-right thinking from its roots in early 20th century Western countries through 2017. The movie explains how fear of “other” people is exploited to manipulate unquestioning followers into committing crimes around the world. The common alt-right mantra is that society would be better off without the “other” people, be they Jews, Arabs, Japanese, Korean, Christian, Polish, gay or whatever group is singled out for attack by fascists. The alt-right stands for “purification” of society by white supremacists.

Powerful, disturbing scenes chronicle fascist hate during the past 100 years. The message against fascism and hate is strong. People and organizations funding hate are named. From beginning to end, this documentary stays focused and on point. It does not acknowledge “good people” among the alt-right, as Donald Trump does. It does not address intolerance on “the Left.”

Piccolini explains how he came to realize he had been lied to his entire life. He urges those involved in the alt-right movement to investigate the truth for themselves. Alt-right believers are encouraged to escape hate and its violence through a network of former extremists.

Because this documentary exposes violent fascism and alt-right extremism, members of these groups object to this movie. There is a palpable risk of violence to those who screen this movie. The threat of library copies of the film being targeted for destruction exists, however libraries have included controversial materials in their collections for decades.

Everyone who watches The Politics of Hate will have an opinion and it may be difficult to lead a peaceful discussion. Possible classroom discussion starters might be better served by focusing on the manifestations of hate in society such as “What are your thoughts about mixed romantic relationships among various ethnic, religious or racial groups?” “Should former extremists be made to pay for their crimes?” “What conditions need to exist for hate groups to exploit ignorance?”

This documentary was made in association with the Southern Poverty Law Center. The story line is riveting, but the production values are not the best. Expect heavy pixilation resulting in muddy images on larger displays.