Don't Be a Sucker is an anti-fascist propaganda film produced by the United States Army Signal Corps.
[2]: 1 It shows all the different demographic groups that make up the U.S., and the narrator warns that Mike is a potential victim of those who wish to rob him of his birthright to live in a multicultural U.S.
Hans believed that he would benefit from the Nazis by sacrificing the rights of minorities, but he instead lost his own freedom, dying far from home for a fascist regime.
[14] Don't Be a Sucker was created under the initiative of the National Conference of Christians and Jews,[15] and it was the final short film produced by the Army Signal Corps in World War II.
[5][6][16] It was originally produced for viewing by American soldiers in World War II,[16][17] and it sought to challenge the ideas of segregation that were common at the time.
[2]: 7 Instead of addressing why fascist beliefs take hold in society, the film remains palatable to the audience by portraying Nazis as manipulators.
[2]: 9 A 1951 study conducted by Eunice Cooper and Helen Dinerman found that viewers of Don't Be a Sucker engaged in selective perception for arguments that conflicted with their preconceived beliefs.
In some cases, this included viewers interpreting the film to support ideas that do not reflect the intended message or contradict it outright.
[16] A two minute clip from the film was widely shared on the internet in August 2017 in response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Many celebrities and public figures shared the video, including Congressman Keith Ellison from Minnesota and Professor Michael Oman-Reagan of Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Those sharing the video made comparisons between the plot of the film and more recent nativism in American politics, deeming it relevant to Trumpism and white nationalism.