Transnazism and NIN, from the POV of a natalJew.
For context: I am NOT a transnazi or NIN, but I AM a natalJew who has family that was in the holocaust. I see a lot of transnazis and NINs coming onto their blogs and having to explain themselves and their identities, but I don't see many natalJews posting their takes on it in a grounded way so I wanted to go ahead and make one!
Before I get into transnazism itself, I have to clarify, the Nazi regime of the 1930s and 1940s was an era fundamentally rooted in state-sponsored hatred, systemic violence, and unmitigated human suffering. The holocaust was very real and was engineered to dehumanize and systematically murder six million Jews, alongside millions of Romani people, individuals with disabilities, Soviet prisoners, political dissidents, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Descendants of holocaust survivors still suffer genetically from health issues, most notably Tay-Sachs disease, Gaucher disease, and Canavan disease. I will not allow people to come onto my blog and debate the reality of the holocaust or the damage done to millions of bloodlines.
The origins of the term transnazi obviously began in the Radqueer community, it describes someone who identifies as, feels they were meant to be, or desires to transition into a Nazi in some capacity. Obviously, as a natalJew, spotting this identity for the first time was scary. It took me a moment to really grapple with it. That is why I am thankful to those that so wonderfully tacked on a very important piece of information when I was first struggling with it, "explicitly rejecting the political ideology, hatred, and bigotry of the historical regime."
An N.I.N, or non-ideological-nazi is term for someone who identifies wholly with the identity markers, structure, or cultural placement of being a Nazi, but holds zero belief in or alignment with the actual fascist ideology.
These labels seem to have a lot of overlap in my mind, but aren't necessarily one-to-one. For more information regarding these identities, please go check out this post since they can explain it better than I ever could.
From every transnazi I've come across, they always insist upon the same thing. Their connection to 1930s Germany is entirely involuntary, however I found that a lot of them have trouble putting into words why these feelings exist. Obviously, I can not tell them why they do, but I can do research into possibilities leading to such an attachment to an inherently bigoted era.
I would like to refer to this as "identifying with the aggressor." When a victim undergoes extreme amounts of abuse, chronic helplessness, and severe trauma, said victim often forms a style of attachment to said abuser parallel to Stockholm Syndrome. However, instead of identifying oneself in relation to said abuser, they identify themself as or with said abuser's reasonings and identity. To escape the terrifying feeling of being the victim, they attach themselves to the abuser and maintains some feeling or illusion of control over the situation. Or, they will find a perceived "more powerful" identity to attach to and illusion themselves to be in a hierarchy over their abuser.
The 1930s to 1940s nazi regime was created to inherently invoke a sense of power. The uniform and discilpined environment of the nazi regime is undeniably one of the most visually powerful and most intimidating aesthetics, because it was built this way on purpose. That's why we often have a "jump" at things that even slightly resemble nazi aesthetics, even if they are far removed from said aesthetics. It is just such an influentially traumatic era for all people to learn and understand.
If the mind attaches to this era, it is likely seeking an image of ultimate power to enfold its own vulnerable or broken identity. The attachment arises out of the desire of the mind to shield itself from feeling vulnerable or weak.
Note from @sschutzstaffel who is an open victim of neo-nazism: "Might I add with Stockholm Syndrome, this is more specific to growing attached to abusers and ending up wanting to stay the specific way you were made up/groomed to be due to missing said attachment."
Neurodivergence undeniably affects how so many people see and process the world around them, even when it comes to things like nazism. We have all met that one kid in highschool who knew a little too much about 1930s Germany. These fixations are especially common in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive disorders. People who have neurodiverse brains are usually prone to obsessive thoughts known as hyperfixations or special interests. Hyperfixations are commonly brought about by elaborate visual structures, historical timelines, and clear design patterns, qualities that are inherent in the propaganda, uniform, and military architecture of the state in Germany during the 1930s.
Some neurodivergent brains don't automatically see the era through a historical or moral lense, it usually interprets it from the perspective of its structure and patterns. I would argue that since the obsession is a byproduct of the brain circuitry of the person, forcing one’s mind to suppress it will only result in psychological agony and guilt.
Carl Jung believed that every individual psyche contained a "shadow" or a part of the mind that was home to dark, taboo, or socially unacceptable thoughts, desires, and archetypes. There are many communities that actively engage and integrate said "shadow" identity, namely darkshipping communities. Many psychologists recommend finding safe and healthy outlets to explore this part of the mind. Good psychological development means accepting the existence of the shadow rather than ignoring it. Additionally, media and history demonstrate that our mind uses the "Safe Distance" theory and the fact that we can explore all dark sides of the human mind and villains is due to the understanding that we are far away from it in this day and age.
Since 1930s Germany represents the ultimate taboo in history, it provides the ideal setting for a person to project their own thoughts, dark fantasies, sexual fetishes, and feelings of isolation onto said era.
I compiled a quick little list of benefits that come from identifying as a transnazi or N.I.N, based on the information above.
Through active adoption of the identity, it becomes possible for the person safely step out of the "victim" mindset. It takes a historical symbol of terror and transforms it into an identity one can feel safe in, providing a sense of psychological boundaries and safety that the individual may lack in their real life.
Human psychology focuses on sublimation, which refers to the practice of channeling negative or destructive urges within oneself in a way that makes them socially acceptable. Through examining such issues within an online environment that involves no physical violence or spewing of hatred, the person safely lets out their traumatic reactions without harming oneself or others.
The act of applying a label such as N.I.N becomes an act of cognitive isolationism. It allows the neurodivergent individual to fully engage with their deep interest in the era's history, aesthetics, and uniforms, while creating a strict mental barrier that explicitly actual political hatred and bigotry.
Where someone is compelled to keep their strong fixations relating to 1930s Germany secret, they can be very susceptible to isolation, which inadvertently pushes them into real, harmful neo-fascist echo chambers simply for people who will talk about the topic. By creating a subculture that overtly combines the fixation with the aesthetic and anti-fascism and charitable connections with the Holocaust, it fulfills the cognitive fixation of the mind and totally removes the risk of politicization.
The engagement with the identity leads to an emotional release. This gives people the opportunity to play around with their inner contradictions, order versus chaos, submission versus dominance, within a sandbox setting.
Members can freely investigate all the psychological archetypes without breaking any ethics. It permits them to unite their inner shadow and find mental balance and be completely peaceful and productive members of modern society.
Now... I am not entirely supportive of every "expression" of an identity like this. I only support consensual or non-aggressive outlets. So, a quick non-exhaustive list of things I will never support a transnazi or N.I.N for:
Wearing nazi symbols or uniforms in public
Proudly displaying authentic hate paraphernalia
Targeting or harassing marginalized groups
Intruding into Jewish or Holocaust memorial spaces
Using historical imagery without content warnings (Hi, oomfs. Stares you down. Get better at this, please. /aff)
Interacting with genuine neo-fascist groups
Defending or minimizing genocide/the Holocaust
Voting in support of authoritarian political policies
So, you probably could tell by now, but I am incredibly pro-transnazi. But I am also pro-curating your own online space, so if you are uncomfortable with transnazis or N.I.Ns, please go out and utilize your block button for your own mental safety. Love you <3
And reminder to please love victims more than you hate their oppressors.
Accounts from transnazis: goebbelsboy
