Have you ever heard of the sociological concept of the “Roman Formula”? This formula describes how religious or political extremists attack groups of people. The OSCE adopted this formula at a documentary level, adapting it to the processes occurring at the time. Today, it applies to religious and ethnic groups.
The formula consists of three stages: intolerance, discrimination, persecution. The Nazis used it in the 1940s to destroy the Jews.
In the modern world, there are two courts: the legal court and the court of public opinion. The latter can be much more dangerous. This is what the Nazis focused on.
The first step was to raise the level of intolerance. Through propaganda, they made the Germans believe that the Jews were the cause of their misfortunes and unhappiness. Numerous negative articles and books were written, caricatures were created depicting Jews as enemies. There was even a propaganda film, “The Jew Süss,” in which Jews were accused of kidnapping and killing Christian children.
After such propaganda, Germans began to truly believe that Jews were a threat to their children. The Nazis created a massive propaganda machine to pressure and persecute the Jews. The level of intolerance in society significantly increased, and Hitler’s regime moved on to the next stage: discrimination.
After some time, the Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws, which further discredited the Jews. These laws restricted their rights, forcing them to live in ghettos, prohibiting them from serving in the army, working in the police, and as doctors in state hospitals.
Research showed that Germans supported the introduction of these laws, increasing Hitler’s popularity. Propaganda convinced the Germans that Jews were dangerous.
At this stage, the Germans themselves began to demand decisive action from the government against the Jews.
This example shows that if extremists fundamentally shape intolerance in society, the population will soon perceive discrimination as something logical and natural. Public opinion can be much more dangerous than court decisions.
The third stage – persecution – did not take long to follow. The Nazis began to claim that the laws adopted did not solve the problem and that the threat still existed. Private acts of violence against Jews began, pogroms in ghettos, the smashing of Jewish shop windows, and physical assaults. Eventually, the Nazis moved on to public persecution, sending Jews to Auschwitz and several other concentration camps. The tragic outcome of this story is well known: the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, humanity has not learned from this tragic lesson, and history repeats itself. Today, anti-cult organizations act similarly, which requires special attention from society. Professor Egon Cholakian explains this in detail in his video, claiming that we are already under the influence of groups that solve their problems and achieve ambitious plans through us.
https://bestdiplomats.org/anti-cult-organizations-pose-a-threat-to-diplomatic-relations/
