This is certainly the way to win next elections..
If someone is really concerned about so-called fascism I don't think smashing VW Beetle windows in 1935 would've helped anything - in fact it would've just made things worse.
If someone is really concerned about so-called fascism I don't think smashing VW Beetle windows in 1935 would've helped anything - in fact it would've just made things worse.
What don't get is your idea that things would have been worse. Worse how? Within a few years the nazis were beheading people for distributing postcards critical of the regime. It's equally arguable that they might not have got as far as they did if people had been more willing to stand up to them in the first place.
Even the Nazis had to consider what their citizens were willing to put up with, so targeting everyday people with stunts like this would just undermine support for any viable opposition. "Worse" just meant having more unconditional support even earlier - that couldn't do a good thing.
Graffiting a Telsa may make the vandalizer feel good, but it doesn't win votes for the opposition.
I just don't think that ultimately wins elections, hearts, or minds.
Or as a more recent example, look at the January 6 2021 protests. Trump supporters quite literally stormed the national legislature; although a lot of the rank and file ended up in prison, none of the organizers even faced charges, and 4 years later Trump regained office, in part based on his promise to pardon all the J6 defendants (which he subsequently did). Now one could argue about what proportion of hearts and minds hold him in affection by comparing various opinion polls, but the reality is that he holds power and is wielding it like it's going out of fashion.
So while I agree with you that it's an unlikeable tactic (the more so when it impacts individual consumers; I don't much care about the dealerships), I disagree about its longer-term effectiveness. There's a lot of evidence pointing to the conclusion that violating norms frequently pays off. Protests that go out of their way not to offend or inconvenience anyone may attract some sympathy but seem to yield little in the way of results.
And besides, if someone turns to fascism just to piss off the anti-fascists who smashed their car windows, then it was never about the car windows, they're just looking for an excuse.