It seems like the alt-right has an identity problem. It can’t figure out what it wants to be or what it wants to be called. This confusion is driving a wedge between those deplorables who identify with the label “alt-right” and white supremacist Richard Spencer who has become the face of the movement, and those who identify with the almost the exact same things he stands for but are uncomfortable publicly aligning themselves with his brand of racism and anti-Semitism. That must be deeply difficult for them, poor little things.
And before you ask, yes, they are serious. They actually see a distinction in their ideologies which is splintering the movement in two.
During the Presidential campaign, the term came to denote several intersecting phenomena: anti-feminism, opposition to political correctness, online abuse, belligerent nihilism, conspiracy theories, inflammatory Internet memes. Some pro-Trump activists adopted this big-tent definition, allowing any youthful, “edgy” critique of establishment conservatism to be considered alt-right.
But a core within the movement always insisted on a narrower conception of the alt-right, one that was inextricably linked with white separatism, and with Spencer specifically. [...]
Now the boundaries are set. Spencer and his allies have won the branding war. They own the alt-right label; their right-wing opponents are aligning themselves against it, working to establish a parallel brand. It has become increasingly clear that this is not a mere rhetorical ploy but a distinction with a difference.
This is truly laughable so it’s hard to know where to begin. But they are right on one thing—labels and language do matter. In politics, branding is everything. Mistakes have huge consequences and can be disastrous for one’s party and career. George H. W. Bush, for instance, became synonymous with the one liner he uttered at the 1988 Republican National Convention: “Read my lips: no new taxes.” Of course, he did the exact opposite of his promise and raised taxes, which his opponent, Bill Clinton, made sure to remind us of four years later in his presidential bid. And we all know what happened after that. So who can blame these folks for trying to perfect their name and brand so the outside world knows exactly who they are?
“They care about the white race. We care about Western values [said Gavin McInnes, founder of a group called the Proud Boys].” This is a view that has come to be known as “civic nationalism,” as opposed to white nationalism—or “alt-light,” as opposed to alt-right. [...]
Most of the activists who agreed to speak at the Rally Against Political Violence [a rally in Washington that competed against an alt-right rally called the Rally for Free Speech where Richard Spencer was a speaker] now identify themselves with the alt-light, or the New Right, or civic nationalism, or American nationalism, or one of a few other variations. All of these labels are attempts to leave behind the baggage of the Republican Party without taking on the baggage of white separatism. “For a while, alt-right was the perfect catchall for anti-establishment conservatism,” Wintrich told me. “A lot of us are still frustrated that Richard Spencer ruined the term for the rest of us.”
The thing is, even though they seem to be thoroughly confused on what to call themselves, it’s clear to the rest of us exactly who they are. But since they remain bewildered and are trying so very hard to get the nomenclature and branding of their movement right, let’s help them out. These are white supremacists—plain and simple. There is no distinction between the two. Alt-right, alt-light, American nationalism … whatever they want to call it, they are vile and vulgar. They have no platform or policies to speak of short of repugnant racist ideologies worthy of Hitler. Richard Spencer is just bold enough to claim them. The folks who don’t want to publicly do so are feigning disdain at being called racist but are perfectly comfortable with believing and doing racist things. So what’s the difference? Absolutely nothing. A racist by any other name is still a racist. Or a white supremacist. There, you go alt-right—problem solved.
