James Payne
Jul 23, 2017 · 3 min read

Well, here’s the problem — the complaints about Mike Cernovich stem from what he actually stands for. Many of the things he believes in are absolutely and certainly mutually exclusive with what progressives believe in. This is a man who states, quite clearly, that he believes “tolerance” is code for “white genocide.” He compares Black Lives Matter to ISIS. He says date rape isn’t a thing, because it’s not “forced.” This is what is meant by “alt-right.” They’re folks who are racist, sexist, and extreme in their ideology. That’s why, as Brittany B pointed out in her article, what would have otherwise been a well-received premise from Caitlin was tainted by that particular example.

And rather than accept the criticism and consider it, Caitlin instead twisted everything around and painted herself as the victim of an attack, not just once, but several times, with several people, including an American woman of color. As Brittany points out in her article, Caitlin even said, and I quote, “Deliberately misunderstanding me to destroy me is pure violence.” But Caitlin is the one who is not understanding. She refuses to consider why people object to her example, who, in the article in question, she raises up because he shared an article of hers.

And again, I stress, WORKING WITH THE RIGHT IS POSSIBLE. But the most extreme right? I’m not so sure that would work to our favor, either for the majority of the people in this country, nor for the progressive left. Fighting the establishment is all well and good — in point of fact, we MUST fight against the establishment, because it is working against our best interests. But people like Cernovich don’t disapprove of Washington because Washington works to enrich the wealthiest among us or to favor the corporations over the good of the country — they disapprove because they think a country that protects, say, the rights of black individuals, is somehow stealing the rights of white individuals to do so. They absolutely approve of what the Republicans are doing in terms of women’s rights (that is to say, making decisions for women’s health for them), and are fine with rape culture. Why would we want to work with those particular individuals? Just to make something go viral? We can do that with rank-and-file Republicans or right-leaning independents, too, who tend to be far less extreme in their views. And as I also noted in my comment, alt-right and anti-establishment right are not necessarily the same thing.

My disappointment in Johnstone stems from her refusal to even consider the criticism she’s received, as well as her own advocacy of more extreme viewpoints. I present as exhibit A, her article about John McCain that is title “Please Just Fucking Die Already,” in which she repeatedly reiterates that she absolutely wishes death upon him (and which is a stance she has further maintained in Twitter and Facebook posts). Many of her recent articles have also featured a clear theme of “I’m right, you’re wrong, and you’re either with me or against me,” as well as a doubling down on some very troubling ideas.

Should we truly work with rape apologists and racists, all in the favor of “beating the establishment?” With respect to you and Johnstone both, I disagree. The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend, and I suspect that if people like Cernovich seized the reins, we’d see things in our country worsen rather than improve. I’d rather not tout Cernovich — even if I wrote an article and he shared it — as a perfect example of “Right + Left = BFFs!” I’m certain there are far less extreme folks on the right, who did indeed vote for Trump, who would be better representatives of America as a whole in that regard.

    James Payne

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