I did not know it was basically a formality. It sounds like it used to be a good arrangement (seeing as borders ought to be just a formality anyways).

You are right. Fascism is rarely if ever a popular movement. They rely on terror. They need to make the consequences of being good worse than the revulsion one feels for a hateful ideology. By hating in response I risk becoming more like them.

I appreciate the effort taken to help me snap-back from my reaction to seeing yet another public demonstration of anti-lgbt bigotry and Russophobia.