Alt-right concepts

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The alt-right is a loosely defined political movement that emerged in the 2010s, made up of right-wing reactionaries who reject mainstream conservatism as being too left-wing, or as having hidden motives to serve elite interest groups. The alt-right has no single leader or universally binding principles, and, to some extent, has been variously defined by its opponents.[1] There are different versions with sometimes diverging interests.[2] Some alt-right concepts (such as "Based") were originally inspired by liberal terms.[3] After the 2017 Unite the Right Rally and other clashes at college campuses in the USA and elsewhere, more divisions have emerged between the moderate alt-right (otherwise known as the alt-lite) and more ethnonationalist far-right activists.[4] By the late 2010s, the alt-right was said to be in relative decline,[5] and being replaced by far-right and race-realist ethnic nationalism.

Alt-right terms could be divided into left-wing, right-wing, racialist, cultural, gender-related, and other categories. These are not necessarily linked in a single coherent framework. Alt-right notions appear in many different forms, are used as memes, and are claimed to embody deeper truths, even if they may be oversimplified for rhetorical reasons.[6] The following concepts have not been formally defined, and the list is incomplete:

Left-wing politics

The alt-right is opposed to traditional progressive politics, which it sees as an alliance of both left-wing and most mainstream conservative politicians.[7] Some concepts popularized in these discussions include:

Term invented by Mencius Moldbug. Said by many alt-right commenters to be the consensus worldview of Western civilization in the postmodern era, it is described as a liberal alliance with a globalist outlook that enforces certain cultural orthodoxies.[8]

Said to be the social "religion" of the Cathedral. It supposedly emphasizes the importance of culture over genetics, and believes that in the future the whole world will be liberal. There is no conflict between this worldview and existing conservative cultures like Islam. In practice, the Cathedral supposedly acts like an emergent conspiracy theory, with senior members helping each other behind the scenes, and suppressing dissidents.[9]

(Or PC.) Allegedly a set of widely accepted political beliefs that holds that all races and genders, and most belief systems, are equally competent and valid in every way, but that also avers the viewpoint that some have been held back through discrimination by mostly white men, and that their victim groups may not be criticized as they have suffered too much already. A unifying alt-right trait is opposition to political correctness.[10]

One component of political correctness is known as race censorship, whereby interracial assaults by white people on minorities are said to be given greater weight in mainstream media stories than the reverse. Reports of civil disturbances in minority neighborhoods are claimed to be de-emphasized through the use of euphemisms like urban youths. Increasing non-white ethnic violence is said to be underreported.[11]

People

(Or cucks.) A disparaging name that has been used for mainstream conservatives, whose views are somewhat further to the right than those of traditional liberals, but are not said to be in conflict with them. Cuckservatives are also "PC". Examples are claimed to include American politicians such as Jeb Bush, George W. Bush, Spencer Cox, Liz Cheney, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, and the late John McCain, all of whom have favored Hispanic immigration.[12] The term was further popularized in the book Cuckservative: How "Conservatives" Betrayed America. Cuckservatives appeal to America's alleged Judeo-Christian heritage, a concept which is mocked by some alt-right commenters as the Judeo-Christ meme. Cuckservatives are sometimes accused of practicing "Churchianity", a humanist version of Christianity that replaces the religion's theological basis with secular/progressive social politics.[13]

(Or SJW.) A term invented to describe an activist liberal who supposedly wants to move society further to the left. Usually a modern-day feminist, also concerned about the interests of minorities and immigrants. Supposedly, they practice virtue signalling, seeking to appear "more holy" than their rivals and opponents. Disparaging names for such liberals include snowflake, trigglypuff, libtard, crybaby, woketard, alt-left, etc.[14] Some of their alleged behaviors are narrated in the book SJWs Always Lie: Taking Down the Thought Police and its sequel SJWs Always Double Down: Anticipating the Thought Police. They allegedly practice SJW convergence as a cultural infiltration method. Many SJWs think of themselves as being woke.

Said to be mostly white, politically correct Millennials who have internalized the progressive cultural consensus. They might include "White Knights", who defend women's feminist desire for sexual gratification. Their cultural opponents are known as Generation Zyklon.

Reactionary politics

Racialism and culturalism

The alt-right largely believes in human biodiversity, holding that someone's life outcome can be predicted to some extent by their racial group, and such predictions become more accurate the larger the group.[15] This highly controversial viewpoint has started an online debate on human biodiversity, mostly among those who already accept the premise. The alt-right is generally opposed to non-Western immigration into Western lands, considering this to be part of a process of population replacement. They are mostly opposed to the right of asylum, but instead want to help refugees in their own lands. Even then they appear not as generous as liberals, supposedly because one must think of one's own people first. These positions are sometimes justified by appealing to certain essential laws of nature (or of God), embodied in the concept of Gnon.

Some alt-right beliefs are extremely controversial and may carry harsh social and economic penalties. Most controversial of these is occasional alt-right criticism of Jews as an ethnic and/or religious group, and more often of Muslims.[16] Because of this, left-wing critics claim the entire alt-right movement could be described as being irredeemably white supremacist, racist, Christian hegemonic, xenophobic, and misogynist.[17]

A slur sometimes used for the millions of (mostly) young men who sought to immigrate to the West during the European migrant crisis in the wake of the Arab Spring. There have been reports of sexual assaults of local women by these refugees, that the alt-right claims are being suppressed by the mainstream media. The use of this term may aim to increase public support for returning these migrants to their lands of origin.[18]

Disparaging term for mass immigration from the Third World to the West. Some alt-right blogs consider immigrants to be stealth invaders, who subconsciously seek to subjugate and then replace the local population. This includes alleged cultural changes like the creation of Muslim neighborhoods termed no-go areas (such as parts of Molenbeek). Terrorist attacks by Islamists are said to be part of this process, aided by the mainstream media banning criticism of Islam.[19]

This term describes the perception among quarters of the alt-right that the white race is in numerical decline through a deliberate policy of population replacement imposed by somewhat shadowy "elites". Some demographic changes have been wrought by Third World immigration into the West, though their long-term impact remains unclear. While whites have become a minority of births in the USA, they are not being killed, but are being slowly replaced according to the alt-right. This process would take centuries to play out, and white genes would not disappear completely, but blend with those of other groups.[20] The term is not considered to be politically correct, and, as such, is often condemned as a conspiracy theory.

Claimed divisions by 2017

  • Alt-White

An alt-right faction that reportedly wants to preserve the demographic majority of white people in the countries where they live now, and repatriate or expel illegal (and some legal) immigrants. Many believe in white pride or are white nationalists and/or white separatists.[21]

  • Alt-West

An alt-right faction that reportedly strongly believes in Western cultural principles, including many reactionary ones that have been rejected by mainstream conservatives.[22]

A moderate version of the alt-west movement, reportedly respecting the rights of gays and other minorities. However, it is still condemned by left-wing commenters.[23][24]

  • Others

The loosely defined online movement known as the Dark Enlightenment, with strands like NRx or Techno-futurism, that consider the forces driving human society and evolution.[25]

Theories

  • Affordable family formation

A political theory invented about the Red State/Blue State divide in the USA and elsewhere. Areas where housing is still cheap and where there are enough jobs are said to be likelier to be Red States.[26]

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is one of the main debating tools (the other being dialectic, which uses logical arguments). Rhetoric could sometimes be described as a form of verbal combat that can be nasty. Supposedly, the aim is not to persuade the opponent but to weaken them, by making them appear ineffective or demoralizing them. Alt-righters hold that rhetoric is a necessary tool when debating SJWs, since PC has blinded them to reason.[27]

This has been described as an effective form of rhetoric against an opponent whom the troll considers unworthy of respect, and deserves to be mocked. Trolling is said to be a major alt-right method.[28]

According to the inventor of this alt-right term, liberals are also skilled at rhetoric; allegedly by using the hidden guilt of conservatives to force them to defend themselves from exaggerated versions of their own beliefs.

  • No enemies to the right

Said to be an alt-right rule that discourages members from condemning extremists among their own ranks. Instead they are supposed to save their energy for fighting the "real enemy" on the left.[29]

Memes

Memes used in alt-right subcultures of the mid-2010s include a panoply of characters like Pepe the Frog, Kek, Liberal College Girl, Pajama Boy, Dindus, cat ladies, blue hairs; numerous short comics, anime art, captioned photos, or even altered versions of Ben Garrison cartoons. Rhetorical memes include "It's the Current Year!" By 2016, European nationalists were opposing the influx of male surplus immigration from the Third World into southern Europe with variations of: "Seal the borders; Sink the boats; Send them home".

A highly controversial rhetorical meme that looks like this: ((( ))), also referred to as the (((Echo))) meme. Between the triple brackets appears the name of a left-wing Jewish person, organization, or concept; who is being quoted saying something that would secretly benefit Jewish interests, according to the person quoting them. Use of this meme is considered beyond the pale by more moderate alt-righters who seek mainstream status, respectability, or acceptance, since it has been described as anti-Semitic. Some Jewish online figures have used triple brackets in order to co-opt this meme, however.[30]

This seemingly moderate slogan started appearing on posters in public places in 2017 in the USA and elsewhere, causing anger and discomfort among mainstream media commentators. It has subsequently been heavily condemned and described as racist by "politically correct" organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center.[31]

A seemingly neutral term coined by the since-deceased American conservative Bob Whitaker in 2013 as a replacement for terms such as white pride and white nationalism, which have been seen as problematic and are sometimes used in a disparaging manner by left-wing critics.[32]

Gender roles

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Main article: Manosphere concepts

Alt-right bloggers have used new arguments to endorse "traditional" gender roles, based on alleged biological imperatives causing men and women to have different desires and skills.[33] Supposedly, instead of pursuing careers, it is preferable for women to spend their reproductive years starting their families.[34] Alt-right bloggers are generally opposed to the women's liberation movement and feminism, and consider the very principle of gender equality to be misguided.[35]

These concepts were partially developed in the Manosphere community, where the Red Pill philosophy encouraged men to view women more "objectively". They don't think women should play leading political roles,[36] which has led to allegations of misogyny.[37] Discussions of alleged bias in family law and child custody cases sometimes called "divorce theft" or divorce rape were then extended into political debates regarding the organization of society, and to the existence of alleged differences between racial groups.[38]

Alt-right media

A number of "Masculinity" and self-improvement blogs have emerged from the "PUA" or "Game" or "MRA" communities, and became more politicized over time.[39] Many contributors are self-described former libertarians. Numerous small alt-right blogs emerged in the 2010s, along with a few large opinion and news sites. The latter's comments sections can attract hundreds of comments, many of which are more right-wing than the articles themselves. Many alt-right websites are accused of propagating racist and misogynist viewpoints.

Online (incomplete list)

Publications

The best-known alt-right author is Milo Yiannopoulos. Publishers include Simon & Schuster's conservative Threshold imprint,[40], and also small publishers like Castalia House. Books like MAGA Mindset: Making YOU and America Great Again and The Nine Laws claim that men should combine traditional principles with a new outlook on the world. The authors present this combination of paleo-conservative and new insights, and the rejection of modern orthodoxies, as a revolutionary change.
Other works include "Alien Nation" by Peter Brimelow of VDare.

The mainstream conservative magazine National Review has condemned the alt-right,[41] and is vilified by them in return, while the Weekly Standard has been more ambiguous.

Online, controversial podcasts like the white nationalist "The Political Cesspool", and Walt Bismarck's "Uncuck the Right", have attracted different groups of followers. Media figures who have been associated with the alt-right include Richard Spencer, Jared Taylor of "American Renaissance" magazine, Sam Francis, Joe Sobran, and John Derbyshire.

Alleged liberal media and organizational bias

Portions of the alt-right claim that mainstream media distort the truth to favor left-wing viewpoints, and that they actively "censor" right-wing viewpoints through the method of "de-platforming".[42] It is claimed that some types of racially motivated crimes (like Black on White violence) are covered up by mainstream news sources, as are the significant differences between racial groups. Instead, only a narrow band of speech can be permitted, known as the Overton Window, which will only get narrower. This alleged SJW Narrative is said to be followed by SJW Attacks, aiming for an alleged SJW convergence. Some disputed examples that have been cited by various alt-right commenters include but are not limited to:

  • Pizzagate, which refers to a claimed cover-up of a news story by mainstream media to protect left-wing wrongdoers. Those who make the allegations may be subject to libel lawsuits and future prosecution however.[43]

References

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  1. ↑ The Washington Post, Aug 24 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/24/whats-the-alt-right-a-primer/
  2. ↑ The Economist (Nov 12, 2016) http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21709986-france-austria-identitarian-movement-gives-xenophobia-youthful-edge-meet-ib
  3. ↑ LA Times, Nov 15 2016. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-alt-right-terminology-20161115-story.html
  4. ↑ Vox Popoli and Alternative Right interpretations (Sep 8, 2017) http://voxday.blogspot.com/2017/09/nazi-anti-white.html | (Sep 12, 2017) https://alternativeright.blog/2017/09/12/vox-day-andrew-anglin-and-the-misunderstanding-of-naziism/
  5. ↑ (Jun 27, 2019) http://greyenlightenment.com/twilight-of-the-alt-right/
  6. ↑ Know Your Meme article, retrieved Jan 5, 2017. http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/alt-right
  7. ↑ Jeff Goldstein (Sep 6 2016) http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/06/alt-right-mirror-image-new-left/
  8. ↑ Arimathea blog (Feb 18, 2016) http://www.arimathea.org/index.php/j/p/more_on_moldbugs_cathedral
  9. ↑ The Guardian, Jan 18 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/19/cultural-marxism-a-uniting-theory-for-rightwingers-who-love-to-play-the-victim
  10. ↑ NPR, Aug 26 2016. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/26/491452721/the-history-of-the-alt-right
  11. ↑ (May 9, 2018) https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/prince-william-county/ms-13-gang-abduction-killing-in-woodbridge-was-completely-random-police-say/65-550532183
  12. ↑ Buzzfeed, Jul 27 2015. https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/behind-the-racist-hashtag-some-donald-trump-fans-love
  13. ↑ Bro. Jimmy Randolph (retrieved Jun 19, 2018) http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/beware-of-the-rising-cult-of-end-times-churchianity/
  14. ↑ The Spectator, Oct 10 2015. http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/10/i-invented-virtue-signalling-now-its-taking-over-the-world/
  15. ↑ Ari Feldman (Aug 5, 2016) http://forward.com/opinion/national/346533/human-biodiversity-the-pseudoscientific-racism-of-the-alt-right/
  16. ↑ The Stream, Nov 23 2016. https://stream.org/trump-the-alt-right-and-white-racialism-a-mainstream-media-myth/
  17. ↑ https://jewschool.com/2016/11/78086/alt-right-antisemitism-structural/
  18. ↑ Frontpage Mag, Jan 29 2016. http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261643/germanys-rapefugee-crisis-stephen-brown
  19. ↑ Term used by this anti-immigration political website (Retrieved Mar 7, 2017) http://www.immivasion.us/index.html
  20. ↑ White Genocide Project, retrieved Jan 5 2017. http://whitegenocideproject.com/
  21. ↑ Vox Popoli blog, Sep 10 2016. https://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/09/alt-white-and-alt-west.html
  22. ↑ Vox Popoli blog post (Sep 21, 2016) https://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/09/of-alt-west-and-alt-white.html
  23. ↑ Anti-Fascist News, Sep 6 2016. https://antifascistnews.net/2016/09/06/alt-light-or-alt-right-understanding-what-the-alt-right-really-is/
  24. ↑ Occidental Dissent, Nov 23 2016. http://www.occidentaldissent.com/2016/11/23/alt-right-vs-alt-lite/
  25. ↑ Explained at: http://neoreaction.net and at: http://reddit.com/r/nrxn
  26. ↑ iSteve Blog, Mar 15 2011. http://isteve.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-affordable-family-formation-theory.html
  27. ↑ https://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-importance-of-rhetoric.html
  28. ↑ Gregory Krieg, CNN, Aug 25 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/25/politics/alt-right-explained-hillary-clinton-donald-trump/index.html
  29. ↑ Jim's Blog, Nov 24 2016. http://blog.jim.com/politics/no-enemies-to-the-right/
  30. ↑ New Statesman, Jun 7 2016. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2016/06/why-are-there-triple-brackets-around-names-social-media
  31. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_okay_to_be_white
  32. ↑ http://www.whitakeronline.org/blog/2013/07/20/white-nationalist-or-pro-white/
  33. ↑ http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-alt-right-terminology-20161115-story.html
  34. ↑ Aylmer Fisher (Apr 8 2016) http://www.radixjournal.com/journal/2016/4/8/the-pro-life-temptation
  35. ↑ Cecilia Davenport (Feb 2 2017) http://altright.com/2017/02/02/a-womans-touch/
  36. ↑ Matt Forney (2012) http://mattforney.com/cares-women-think/
  37. ↑ (Oct 16 2013) http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/women-battle-online-anti-women-hate-manosphere/story?id=20579038
  38. ↑ Dota "Manosphere Rising" (May 14 2015) http://alternative-right.blogspot.com/2015/05/manosphere-rising.html
  39. ↑ Rod Dreher (May 25 2016) Reader Grotto comment: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/retribalizing-america/
  40. ↑ The Guardian, Jan 18 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/18/alt-writing-how-the-far-right-is-changing-us-publishing
  41. ↑ National review, Apr 5 2016. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/433650/alt-rights-racism-moral-rot
  42. ↑ James Soderholm, Breitbart column, Dec 1 2016. http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2016/12/01/deplatforming-milo-langton-grammar-school/
  43. ↑ Noah Feldman, BloombergView, Dec 16 2016. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-12-16/free-speech-libel-and-the-truth-after-pizzagate
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