The hardest part of his approach is the genuine respect he showed for the racists. He approached them as reasonable and intelligent and let that work to his benefit by essentially forcing them to deal with the resulting cognitive dissonance in their heads.
The wrong lesson from this would be "being nice to racists" is somehow a meaningfully important aspect of his approach. He didn't bake them cookies and expect their racism to melt away. He showed them respect and didn't preach or moralize to them. In fact, he didn't seem to directly confront the poisonous beliefs at all.
His approach was the same as that of the most effective leaders.
So many social groups start from the premise of zero respect for those with whom they disagree. Which is great for feeling superior to others, but not for actually making a positive impact on the world around you.
> The wrong lesson from this would be "being nice to racists" is somehow a meaningfully important aspect of his approach.
Well being respectful was probably a necessary, if not sufficient part of his approach. I certainly don't think it would have gone over similarly if he had screamed hysterically in his face or hit him with a socked padlock or something...
This feels like it could devolve into ”true scotsman” argument real quick. Much of ISIS fanbase are NOT out to kill a lot of people. Like a lot of white supremacists they are more about talking the talk than walking the walk. But the narrative and the quick fix for slights against ”your people” offered by ISIS and nazis are very similar.
Weeeell, I am sure if I go to the largest White Supremacist parade or enclave I have 90%+ probability or more of making it out alive. However, if you put me in Hawija or Mosul I will have about 1% of making it out alive.
So? Maybe I am tired but I don't see the point. Isn't that also because "they" know they are running the show in Mosul and can kill you with impunity, whereas the white supremacists know they'll likely be caught and convicted. In the current place and time.
The wrong lesson from this would be "being nice to racists" is somehow a meaningfully important aspect of his approach. He didn't bake them cookies and expect their racism to melt away. He showed them respect and didn't preach or moralize to them. In fact, he didn't seem to directly confront the poisonous beliefs at all.
His approach was the same as that of the most effective leaders.
So many social groups start from the premise of zero respect for those with whom they disagree. Which is great for feeling superior to others, but not for actually making a positive impact on the world around you.