ABSTRACT
Research in the area of hate propaganda often attributes the ability of propagandists to build consensus as resulting from the use of techniques of soft-sell and guilt-inducing approaches to influence acceptance of their purpose and message. Hate and fear enter all too easily here in the urge to return to an imagined nation made up of a “pure citizenry,” a dangerous vision that has become the political imaginary globally for numerous far-right extremist regimes and leaders. Through playing upon narratives of fear and naming groups in society as dangerous, hate gains traction and wins consensus as an “acceptable” response to protect oneself and the nation. In what are seen as democratic nations, as leaders are elected that employ hate and racist nativism as a cornerstone of their agenda, complicated and dangerous articulations of hate are normalized in everyday common sense. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
