More on the rise of racist talk and hate among rank and file young GOP activists … When will this stop?
Inside the GOP struggle with bigotry among young activists
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/26/gop-feuntes-trump-antisemitism-nationalism/
Affirming Democracy, Gathering Resistance 
Very disturbing, Dan. Faith in the young is so often what keeps us going in difficult times, and that certainly takes a hit from these reports.
A late friend of ours had a father who had been in the Hitler Youth as a child. Our friend talked about how for his father it was all about hiking and camping and learning different skills — not unlike the Boy Scouts. The indoctrination was insidious and embedded, as his father later came to see. Clearly that is worse in many ways than what these articles portray, but perhaps not in all. The insidiousness of “influencer” culture and superficial, performative elements of social media that seem to be in play here carry very real dangers.
You are very right, Gary, on both ends of the timeline. Hitler Youth (and the Reich Church) had real ideological effects on participants. It seems like there’s a new element in educated conservative young men — the “own the libs” impulse that draws them to extreme racist language and statements. The Young Republican chat group that surfaced in the fall included statements like “I love Hitler!” and a range of racist and sexist slogans. How deep does it go — does it extend to sympathy with violent hate-based activists? Hard to tell …