It's courtesy of a Guardian article about the rise of far-right elements in Mongolia. Neo-nazi gangs are on the rise there, seemingly in reaction (or over-reaction) to foreign influences, particularly the dominance of China. They express admiration for Hitler's devotion to ethnic purity; bizarrely unaware that Mongolians would be first against the wall if Adolph was in charge.
The whole article is worth reading, but I wanted to focus on several selected paragraphs which I think say a lot about far-right extremism as a whole:
Once again, ultra-nationalists have emerged from an impoverished economy and turned upon outsiders. This time the main targets come from China, the rising power to the south. Groups such as Tsagaan Khass, or White Swastika, portray themselves as patriots standing up for ordinary citizens in the face of foreign crime, rampant inequality, political indifference and corruption.
But critics say they scapegoat and attack the innocent. The US state department has warned travellers of increased assaults on inter-racial couples in recent years – including organised violence by ultra-nationalist groups. Dayar Mongol threatened to shave the heads of women who sleep with Chinese men. Three years ago, the leader of Blue Mongol was convicted of murdering his daughter's boyfriend, reportedly because the young man had studied in China.
...
"We have to make sure that as a nation our blood is pure. That's about our independence," said 23-year-old Battur, pointing out that the population is under three million.
"If we start mixing with Chinese, they will slowly swallow us up. Mongolian society is not very rich. Foreigners come with a lot of money and might start taking our women."
...
Hip hop tracks such as Don't Go Too Far, You Chinks by 4 Züg – chorus: "shoot them all, all, all" – have been widely played in bars and clubs. Urban myths abound; some believe Beijing has a secret policy of encouraging men to have sex with Mongolian women.
...
"We have heard of instances [of violence]. They are not necessarily all right or all wrong," said Javkhlan, a Tsagaan Khass leader. But the group is simply a "law enforcement" body, he maintained: "We do checks; we go to hotels and restaurants to make sure Mongolian girls don't do prostitution and foreigners don't break the laws.
That confirms to me the common theme that seems to bind fundamentalists and ultra-nationalists everywhere, from Mongolia to Al-Qaeda to the Ku Klux Klan; the keeping of women in their place, and control of their sexuality.
From culture to culture, you'll see the same thing again and again in different forms, with the honour of a group being inextricably tied to the honour of their females. A few examples:
* Paranoia about another ethnic group messing with "our" women.
* Soldiers raping women to symbolise the humiliation and violation of their nation/culture as a whole.
* "Honour" killings to punish females who step outside the male-defined restrictions on their sexual behaviour; even for those who commit the sin of "allowing themselves to be raped".
* Female genital mutilation and infibulation designed to inhibit female sexual expression and desire (seen as dangerous things that must be controlled).
* Insults directed at a man's mother (or sister) are almost universally among the worst things you can say to a man.
Remember Zinedine Zidane's headbutt at World Cup 2006? That was allegedly in response to a sexual remark about his sister.
Check, for example, this comment from an article about race in Korea:
“Even a friend of mine confided to me that when he sees a Korean woman walking with a foreign man, he feels as if his own mother betrayed him.”
Remember that one of the primary obsessions of the KKK was preventing the violation of white women by black men; violation of course could mean something as minor as a black man even looking at a white woman, or heaven forbid, having consensual sex with one.
Or consider the behaviour of Hindu nationalists in India who attacked women for daring to drink in pubs - to "protect" the women of course, out of "love and respect".
Or the Taliban's obsession with keeping women in their place - preventing girls from being educated, gaining employment, or leaving the house without a burqa.
The double standards Western cultures have towards male and female sexuality - a promiscuous male is a "stud", "player" or "ladies man" while a woman seen to be promiscuous is a "slut" or "whore" - is merely one part of a very ugly continuum.
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