Maybe you have heard the term “alt right”. I am well aware that this is not the first diary to address the concept. But I felt the need to add this one. These White Folks are scary as hell. Imagine a group of movements all preaching their own brand of hate coming together under one place. This is happening, has been happening, and will continue to happen.
Mainstreaming Hate Speech
I seriously hope that you don’t watch Hannity. I don’t but I do have Mediaite in my Facebook feed. (If their motto isn’t “We watch so you don’t have to” it should be.) Anyway, Kelleyanne Conway was on the program last night where she said, “We’re treating these adolescents and Millennials like precious snowflakes”.
This should scare the shit out of you because it means that Steve Bannon’s alt-right mindset has crept its way into the official language of the transition team. Even if Bannon himself goes away, his hateful mindset is left behind. I probably don’t have to tell anyone here how absolutely frightening the hate is over at Breitbart News, but I wonder how many here know about the slanguage that is making its way into the mainstream.
How far has the alt right seeped into the Trump transition? Well Stephen Bannon called Breitbart the "platform for the alt-right" in an interview at the Republican National Convention. And now, he has the ear of the President elect, making me really miss Karl Rove right now. The Daily Stormer called Bannon “our man in the White House”.
The Hate Is Strong On The Dark Side
Don’t want to listen to me? Check the Southern Policy Law Center.
The Alternative Right, commonly known as the Alt-Right, is a set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that “white identity” is under attack by multicultural forces using “political correctness” and “social justice” to undermine white people and “their” civilization.
Characterized by heavy use of social media and online memes, Alt-Righters eschew “establishment” conservatism, skew young, and embrace white ethno-nationalism as a fundamental value.
The term “alt-right” was coined by Richard Bertrand Spencer, over at the White Nationalist think tank the National Policy Institute. He called it “a big-tent ideology” that pretty much unites all of the hate on the extreme end of the conservative sphere. Not only do they violently reject anything “liberal” or “progressive”, they are also at war with “mainstream conservatism”.
Spencer describes Alt-Right adherents as younger people, often recent college graduates, who recognize the “uselessness of mainstream conservatism” in what he describes as a “hyper-racialized” world. So it’s no surprise that the movement in 2015 and 2016 concentrated on opposing immigration and the resettlement of Syrian refugees in America. Although such stances align with older forms of white racism, Spencer insists that the Alt-Right is “a liberation from a left-right dialectic.”
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Trump is a hero to the Alt-Right. Through a series of semi-organized campaigns, Alt-Right activists applied the “cuckservative” slur to every major Republican primary candidate except Trump, who regularly rails against “political correctness,” Muslims, immigrants, Mexicans, Chinese and others. They have also worked hard to affix the Alt Right brand to Trump through the use of hashtags and memes.
Not A Monolithic Movement
If only it were as easy as stopping Spencer or Bannon. Like the hydra, the alt right has many heads.
The diversity of far right ideologies that it includes has resulted in some disagreement with regard to Jews, and whether to blame them for the perceived plight of white culture—a belief that has undergirded many sectors of white nationalism for decades.
While some Alt-Right leaders are unquestionably anti-Semitic, others, like Jared Taylor, are not, seeing Jews simply as white people. For his part, Spencer has repeatedly brought in anti-Semites to speak at his events.
And No, It Is Not Just A Bunch Of Disaffected Kids
At least twice a year, Spencer reserves the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., for a coat-and-tie gathering of his followers. The events are open to reporters but also cloaked in secrecy — attendees regularly use false names or refuse to identify themselves for fear of being labeled as racists. Topics and themes vary.
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Each of the speakers featured there addressed a different facet of Trump’s influence of politics and American culture. Kevin MacDonald classified Trump’s rise as part of an implicit white backlash against present-day politics, while Spencer declared that Trump was merely creating a political space, intentionally or not, in which the Alt-Right could grow.
Make No Mistake, We Are the Enemy
The rise of the alt right is a reaction to the very gains that the progressive movement has made since pretty much forever.
"They see political correctness really as the greatest threat to their liberty," Nicole Hemmer, University of Virginia professor and author of a forthcoming book Messengers of the Right, explained on NPR's Morning Edition.
"So, they believe saying racist or anti-Semitic things — it's is not an act of hate, but an act of freedom," she said.
For that reason, as well as for fun and notoriety, alt-righters like to troll, prank and provoke.
A Quick Glossary of Terms
BETA: Alpha males are leaders, like Trump; beta males are portrayed as weak and emasculated.
CUCKSERVATIVE: "conservative" and "cuckold" used to describe Republicans who are perceived to be emasculated or "selling out." Frequently shortened to "cuck," the term has come under scrutiny for its racist implications.
HUMAN BIODIVERSITY: Despite the fact that many say racism is at the heart of its platform, the alt-right is very sensitive about being called racist. They use the term “human biodiversity” as a more scientific-sounding way of referring to issues of race.
MASCULINIST: A word meant to embody the opposite of feminist, celebrating “manliness” and the traditional “heroic” nature of men. To the alt-right, "masculinist" principles are ones that serve and advocate for men. Critics say they primarily reinforce antiquated gender roles.
NEO REACTIONARIES: Also known as NRx and the "Dark Enlightenment." A group of people who call for stripping away anything other than supposedly rational thought, as opposed to a “feelings first” mentality. They advocate for libertarianism, traditional gender roles and neofascism.
SNOWFLAKE: Short for "special snowflake," a pejorative for an entitled person. Most people protesting Trump are "snowflakes," according to the alt-right, as are anti-Trump celebrities and most liberals.
SJW: Short for "social justice warrior," this insult is mostly reserved for young women who try to argue on behalf of liberal or feminist ideas.
WHINY CRYBABY: Anyone who disagrees with them or their preferred candidate, particularly protesters and people who complain that the alt-right is embracing racism and anti-Semitism.
WHITE GENOCIDE: What many alt-right members feel is the natural conclusion of liberalism and pro-immigrant policies. The alt-right views just about anything that benefits nonwhite people, particularly ones who aren't American citizens, as a risk to whiteness and a step on the road to the eradication of the white race.
A Final Note
Just in case you remain skeptical. Glenn Beck, yes him, called the alt right "truly terrifying" on CNN.