What Is The Alt-Right, And What Does It Say About American Politics?
“The rise of the Alt-Right forces us to ask some poignant questions, if for no other reason than self-discovery.”
Several years ago, I was flying home on a long flight with some friends, when I fired up the second Twilight movie to pass the time.
About halfway through, I took my headphones off, and with a “dead-in-the-eyes” look, I stared at my friend sitting next me.
He asked, “What?”
“This movie is terrible,” I replied.
He saw what I was watching, and while chuckling asked, “What did you expect?”
Opening my hands to speak, I said, “I have to believe there is something worth redeeming about this movie.”
He laughed and replied, “Sean, that’s why I love you. You have hope even when there is no hope.”
I’m sorry if you liked the Twilight movies. You’re allowed to. But I did not.
The movie had several issues (for me), but I couldn’t stand the female lead. Something about her bugged me.
When I got home, I watched a humorous YouTube critique of the movie.
The video described the female lead as a character who lacked any distinct personality. The critic argued this was done on purpose so the predominantly female audience could overlay their own personalities onto Bella. In this way, they could more easily insert themselves into the story.
And the critic was right! That was one of the things I did not like about the movie. It lacked character depth. The main characters didn’t have definitive personalities.
This phenomenon happens in other areas as well. It is easy for us to overlay our own ideas onto undefined concepts.
Take the Alt-Right for example.
What Twilight and the Alt-Right Have In Common
When the term “Alt-right” first started popping up, I didn’t know what it was. And I think very few people did.
But some started throwing it around like a dirty word equating it with racism and bigotry.
In many ways, the term has become the “Bella” of the political world.
Since most didn’t know what the “Alt-Right” was, it was easy to overlay our own ideas (and dare I say prejudices?) onto the term.
Many people started calling the “Alt-Right” white-nationalists, and since we didn’t have anything to reference their claims against, it was easy to believe.
Then, when Trump announced that Bannon would be his Chief Strategist, the term exploded, and people really freaked out.
Based on the news coverage, I was very concerned as well.
However, I’ve learned over the years to take the media with a grain of salt.
Not because they’re malicious, but because reporters aren’t experts on every subject, and it is easy for them to get things wrong.
So, I decided to investigate the “Alt-Right,” and see for myself who this Bannon guy was.
Just a heads up, I am not an investigative journalist. I don’t know the trade.
So, my amateur study is probably incomplete. But, I believe it is thorough enough to start defining the “Alt-Right.”
What Is The “Alt-Right”?
The “Alt-Right” stands for Alternative Right.
Apparently, these are conservatives who feel like the conservatives in Washington D.C. have left them behind.
It’s hard to pin the Alt-Right down. They are a widely disparate group. It’s a big tent that holds a lot of people with a lot different ideas.
Some of them are white-nationalists, but not most of them.
According to Colin Grunwold, a self-proclaimed member of the Alt-Right, the movement is mostly defined by what they’re against, rather than what they are for.
So let’s start there, and put the big rocks in first.
1. Those in the “Alt-Right” reject virtually every form of Marxism, socialism, or welfarism.
A hallmark of leftist, progressive politics is an optimistic view of humanity and the world.
I personally love this about the left.
However, their optimistic outlook usually involves some form of socialism. In fact, socialism requires the belief that people are basically good and self-less (otherwise the philosophy cannot work).
The Alt-Right does not hold this view.
To quote Grunwold:
“[Those considered “Alt-Right”] have an understanding that life is brutal, tribal, chaotic and difficult. It is not just a “fun ride”… We’ve all been taught that life is basically good and humans are all part of this egalitarian experiment called ‘The West’ which has ‘diversity’ as its greatest core value.”
He goes on to say: “The base state of human behavior is essentially animalism not ‘peace and love.’ In the absence of capitalism and growth, sectarian and racial violence are the norm, not the aberration.”
They believe the nature of the world rejects some basic tenets of the left: mainly that everyday people are good and can be trusted.
To the Alt-Right, capitalism and limited government are the only ways to ensure peace among people.
They reject the idea that government can build a utopia, and don’t want other people’s values forced on them.
As a side note, I did not get the impression that the Alt-Right thinks the world is bad and that life is going to be hard no matter what.
They believe life can be amazing, they just don’t trust the government to make it happen.
2. The Alt-Right is extremely anti-establishment.
Most of those in the Alt-Right believe politicians are crooks, and that Congress has been purchased by big business and left-leaning media outlets.
They feel rejected by establishment republicans. They feel the GOP has accepted too many tenets of the left and no longer represent their interests.
To them, the GOP has given up too much ground on issues, and has thrown the Alt-Right under the bus to save face with the mainstream public.
Therefore, they resonated with Trump’s message to “drain the swamp.”
3. They resist all forms of the Politically Correct culture.
This is the big one.
According to many who identify as Alt-Right, they feel shutdown by the left. Instead of engaging with the Alt-Right about issues, they feel like the left has shamed and slandered them by calling them bigots.
Instead of being allowed a seat at the table, the Alt-Right feel like both the right and the left refuse to talk to them.
Instead, they’re written off as xenophobic racists. Their opinions don’t matter. Their voices don’t count.
Most people in the Alt-Right do not believe they are racist. And some of them are minorities themselves.
So, the accusation of racism not only makes them angry, it tells them the establishment has become disconnected from the people.
This is huge. People in the Alt-Right feel as though they’re being judged, convicted, and exiled before they’re allowed to speak.
They feel like they can’t ask certain questions without being ostracized by both the right and left.
For instance, the left holds diversity and cultural equality in high regard. If you question that, those in the Alt-Right feel that you’re often labeled a bigot.
People in the Alt-Right want to ask, “Why should we value cultural diversity so much? By what criteria have you determined that we should embrace and celebrate other cultures as highly — if not higher — than our own?” And they feel like they don’t get an answer, but an insult.
People in the Alt-Right want to ask, “Why should we value cultural diversity so much? By what criteria have you determined that we should embrace and celebrate other cultures as highly — if not higher — than our own?” And they feel like they don’t get an answer, but an insult.
However, it’s a valid question. If we value something, we should be able to say why.
Some people in the Alt-Right see their position as very similar the left. The only difference is whose culture we value.
According to some of those in the Alt-Right, the left appears to value other cultures by default, and without question.
This brings up 2 issues I’ve observed.
First, according to some in the Alt-Right, we are being forced to accept (and celebrate) other cultures without any proof that those cultures deserve acceptance or celebration.
They want to ask, “Why should I value this other culture? What about it makes it worth celebrating or adopting?”
But, the PC culture doesn’t allow those kinds of questions. If you question a culture’s value (and even more so if you reject it), you’re deemed a close-minded bigot.
Secondly, according to those in the Alt-Right, not only are we supposed to accept other cultures without question, but it appears to that the left wants us to value other cultures over American culture.
The Alt-Right perceives that the left feels embarrassed by American culture, and elevates other cultures as “better,” or more virtuous.
By contrast Alt-righters value American culture without shame. They love America, and they want to protect American culture, just as the left wants to protect other cultures.
Someone in the Alt-Right might think, “Okay, so you’re allowed to celebrate other cultures, but we can’t celebrate ours?”
Even though I don’t consider myself Alt-Right, I can appreciate these questions.
5 Types of Alt-Right, As Described By An Alt-Righter
Again, the Alt-Right doesn’t have official policy positions. They don’t have official values. And they don’t all agree. This is a grassroots movement.
However, the 3 elements above seem to run through most Alt-Right positions. But, there’s more to it than that.
Grunwold broke the Alt-Right into 5 groups. Obviously, you don’t have to fit into these categories to be Alt-Right.
1) Anarcho-Capitalists 2) Nationalists 3) Conspiracy theorists 4) Religious conservatives
5) “Race Realists” — The racists
Anarcho-Capitalists: These individuals believe in unbridled capitalism and extremely decentralized government.
They aren’t necessarily anti-government (what most people assume “anarchy” means–it doesn’t). They tend to support highly localized, and sometimes overlapping and even competing municipalities.
It is an interesting political philosophy, but it isn’t racist. In fact, anarcho-capitalism assumes society operates based on peoples’ abilities, not their ethnicity. So you could argue that anarcho-capitalism is incompatible with systematic racism.
Nationalists: Nationalists want to put their country–and their people–first. Period.
These individuals are not racists. When people hear “nationalist,” fascist images come to mind. But nationalism doesn’t have to be defined by ethnicity. Nationalism simply means prioritizing the interests your nation over the interests of others.
Bannon described himself as an “economic nationalist”:
“I’m an economic nationalist. I am an America first guy,” Bannon said. “And I have admired nationalist movements throughout the world, and have said repeatedly strong nations make great neighbors. I’ve also said repeatedly that the ethno-nationalist movement, prominent in Europe, will change over time. I’ve never been a supporter of ethno-nationalism.”
Ethno-nationalism is nationalism based on race, i.e., true, systematic racism.
Economic nationalists love America more than other countries. And they want to preserve American culture. They don’t care what color your skin is or what religion you are.
Even though nationalism and racism can be bed partners, nationalism in and of itself isn’t racist.
You may not be a nationalist, and you may not like nationalist policies, but you can’t call nationalists racists for being nationalistic.
Conspiracy Theorists: I was surprised that Grunwold put this on the list.
I know many conspiracy theorist who are not Alt-Right. But these themes that can be present; they don’t have to be.
I think this is self-explanatory. They believe there is a conspiracy to keep the little guy down. But, there are people in every political party that believe that.
Religious Conservatives: Grunwold didn’t give a detailed definition of this term, but I assume he refers to people who want to “restore Christian values.”
That’s a lot of people. Most of whom I would not consider Alt-Right.
However, if you’re a religious conservative who holds the above tenets, then you’d probably be very comfortable around those in the Alt-Right.
Race Realists: According to Grunwold, this was the group Hillary and other pundits identified as the Alt-Right. These are the racists.
They believe that one race (usually white people) are genetically superior to other races. Meaning, people who are not white are incapable of accomplishing the things white people can.
They are less intelligent and morally inferior. Meaning they value “lesser” and sometimes evil things compared to the virtuous desires of white people (or whomever).
This is bad stuff.
Furthermore, my friend Cody Libolt (IfWeWillLive.com) pointed out the ugliness of the term “Race Realists.” It implies that that they are being realists concerning race, i.e., racism is real.
It also implies that the rest of us aren’t being “real” and are living in a daydream, where all the races can peacefully coexist.
This is tribal brutality at its worst. But according to Grunwold, the “race realists” are a tiny fraction of the Alt-Right.
Here’s a summary of the Alt-Right so far:
- They strongly oppose any form of socialism or Marxism.
- They are strong nationalists. They believe America is the best, and don’t want other cultures forced upon them. They don’t care what color your skin is, and they don’t care if you bring your culture here, they just don’t want it forced on them.
- They oppose the PC culture of the left, and the “pandering” to the left by the right. They feel shutdown by politicians who’ve discredited them in the media through name calling.
- They feel abandoned by establishment republicans for not representing their interests (and sometimes throwing them under the bus to save political face).
- Some of them are white-nationalists (racists).
How Does Breitbart Fit Into All Of This?
From what I can determine, Breitbart highly values the freedom of expression. If you post a racist comment, that represents you, not Breitbart. And they aren’t going to moderate it.
It is easy to see how people who felt censored through name-calling would flock to a site that didn’t censor them. Especially one that leans pretty far to the right.
You don’t have to spend very much time on Breitbart to tell it is very conservative. But after spending 30 minutes or so on the site, I can’t say its racist.
They had several favorable front page articles about minorities and women. One in particular examined solutions to the wage gap between minorities and white people.
I had to ask, “Would a racist news outlet have articles like that?” Maybe if they were trying to pull the wool over our eyes. But that seems unlikely.
Like I said, it is clearly conservative; I’m not saying it is a bastion of objectivity.
Breitbart made headlines when one of their executives called it “the platform of the Alt-Right.”
For people who believe the Alt-Right are white nationalists, Breitbart just become enemy #1.
Bannon, who used to be a part of Breitbart, has said many times he doesn’t support racism, and thinks it is terrible … but he believes in freedom of expression.
In this context, you could see why Breitbart become the platform for the Alt-Right. All the other news outlets rejected them.
And you can see why Alt-righters would camp around a site that didn’t ostracize them.
Who are the Alt-Right according to Breitbart?
When I was on Breitbart, I found an article called, “An Establishment Conservative’s Guide to the Alt-Right,” and I found it quite interesting.
Allum Bokhari & Milo Yiannopoulos (the article’s authors) broke the Alt-Right into 4 groups.
These classifications are a little different than Grunwold’s, but they help fill in some of the gaps.
The Intellectuals: These are thinkers who argue heady philosophical and sociological subjects.
They aren’t afraid to question some of our most cherished values. Many of them are more than willing to put modern democracy under a critical microscope.
They are encouraged to “strip away self-censorship” and explore ideas divorced from the divisive rhetoric of mainstream media.
Obviously, this is going to produce some ideas that don’t fit the norm of society.
And it is easy to vilify something we don’t understand.
The Natural Conservatives: Many people consider these people racists. But, that’s not fair, and it depends on your definition of racism.
These people want to protect American culture.
Some of them want to limit how many other cultures can enter the country (by tightening immigration), but most simply don’t want other cultures forced upon them (and then being called a bigot for resisting).
Think of small town America. I am not calling small town America “Alt-Right,” but a small town can help us visualize the motivation behind natural conservatives.
If you grew up in a small town, you may resist a large influx of people who wanted to dramatically change the culture of your home.
You may even resist such movements.
But it wouldn’t have to be about race.
It could merely be about preserving your sense of “home.” You wouldn’t care if new people came, but you wouldn’t want your traditions and customs destroyed.
Many in the Alt-Right believe the left worships at the altar of tolerance, acceptance, and diversity.
The Alt-Right is mostly ambivalent toward the love of diversity. But they feel like those on the left are forcing their love of diversity on everyone.
To them, they’re being asked to sacrifice their traditions, culture, and values out of some sense of altruistic and unearned love for other cultures.
They feel like they’re being asked to love other cultures precisely because they are not our culture. As if the definition of a good culture is one that isn’t ours.
Then, they feel like you must agree with the left, otherwise you’re labeled a bigot. They feel like there isn’t any middle ground.
Natural conservatives are like the small town inhabitants who don’t want their town’s identity taken from them.
They don’t care if people from other cultures want to live here… or even import their culture into their own home. They just don’t want their culture destroyed in the process.
I personally like diversity, so I wouldn’t want to be in a homogeneous community like that. But I can understand why they value it.
So, the left values others’ cultures, and the natural conservatives value their own culture.
But it isn’t on ethnic grounds. It’s cultural. Are you American? Or are you trying to force your values on others under the guise of “tolerance”?
Natural conservatives say, “You’re more than welcome to come to our country, just please respect the values of our country.”
I should point out that some natural conservatives do border on racism, and some would call them racists.
These people want to specifically protect white culture. They don’t think less of other races and ethnicities (they don’t make value judgments based on skin color), they just want to be surrounded by white people because they’re more comfortable with that.
Again, you could call this racist, depending on your definition of racism.
But according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, racism is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.”
To call these people racist, you’d have to get at the root of why they want to live in predominately white areas. If they do so because they think the white race is superior, then they’d be racist.
But, if you grew up in a predominantly white area, a deluge of other languages and cultures might stress you out. You wouldn’t feel “at home.” Not because the people themselves are bad (you aren’t making a moral judgment about them), but because the environment is very foreign.
You can call these people many things (if you want…), but I’m not ready to call them racists.
The Memers: These are predominantly young people who post extraordinarily insulting comments and memes on the internet.
Allum Bokhari & Milo Yiannopoulos describe the memers as young people who mock the abuses of PC culture by intentionally using racist, sexist, and bigoted comments. They aren’t actually racist; they just hate the political atmosphere around racial issues.
The authors found individuals hurling derogatory terms at each other in one comment thread, and the same people showing genuine care for each other in other comment threads.
They say this: “Whenever such pressure arises in a society [self-censoring because of the PC culture], there will always be a young, rebellious contingent who feel a mischievous urge to blaspheme, break all the rules, and say the unsayable. Why? Because it’s funny!”
Later they say, “It’s hard to know for certain, but we suspect that unlike the core of the alt-right, these young renegades aren’t necessarily instinctive conservatives. Indeed, their irreverence, lack of respect of social norms, and willingness to stomp on other people’s feelings suggest they may actually be instinctive libertarians… [But] are they bigots? No more than death metal devotees in the 80s were actually Satanists.”
And the “1488ers”: These are the “race realists” Grunwold described. These are the racists. But their numbers are quite small.
“Anything associated as closely with racism and bigotry as the alternative right will inevitably attract real racists and bigots. Calmer members of the alternative right refer darkly to these people as the ‘1488ers.’ And for all their talk of there being ‘no enemies to the right,’ it’s clear from the many conversations we’ve had with alt-righters that many would rather the 1488ers didn’t exist.”
Why are they called the 1488ers? It comes from the first 14 words of neo-nazi slogans: “We Must Secure The Existence Of Our People And A Future For White Children.”
Then, 88 comes from the 8th letter of the alphabet ‘H’, so 88 signifies HH or “Heil Hitler.”
Allum Bokhari & Milo Yiannopoulos go on: “Not very edifying stuff. But if you want to use the 1488ers to tarnish the entire alt-right, you need to do the same with Islamist killers and Islam… Which you might well be fine with — but let’s be consistent.”
What can we take away from all of this?
The Alt-Right is a very complicated and diverse group of people.
They are loosely connected by their reaction to the left. They have strong nationalistic tendencies (albeit, not necessarily racist tendencies). They reject the GOP, deeming them fake conservatives. And they are generally anti-establishment.
The only members of this group who are racists are the “Race Realists” and/or the “1488rs.” And a bulk of the Alt-Right wishes they didn’t exist.
I am not Alt-Right, but after doing some reading, I can understand some of their positions.
I would challenge us to look at our own values. The rise of the Alt-Right forces us to ask some poignant questions, if for no other reason than self-discovery.
From my earliest memories, my public education taught me the virtues of diversity and tolerance (they also defined those terms for me, but that’s a different subject…).
Because of this education, I never questioned the value of diversity.
But if we’re going to be mature humans, we must ask ourselves why we believe what we believe.
During this study, I came up against a question I wasn’t comfortable asking: “Why should I value other cultures over my own?”
Something about it felt wrong.
During this study, I came up against a question I wasn’t comfortable asking: “Why should I value other cultures over my own?”
If I’m not alone in this feeling, then it says something about our culture.
Why don’t we feel comfortable asking questions like that?
What values have we accepted; what definitions of “right” and “wrong” have we established that makes us feel like asking these questions is wrong?
It also spawns other questions, like:
“What about other cultures makes them ‘better’ than ours (almost by default)?”
“Why can’t I be proud of American culture, and love it more than other cultures?”
And those in the Alt-Right might say, “Why can’t I ask these questions without being called a xenophobe?”
Researching this topic opened my eyes to a lot of perspectives I had not considered. And I hope you were able to benefit from them.
This study made me think about why I value what I value, and what I think of other people’s values.
And that is never a bad thing.
Now that we have an idea of what defines the Alt-Right, I think we can safely reject the notion that they are racist, and we don’t have to fear them either.
And now that we have this broad understanding, we can reference it against what we hear in the media.
No longer can the Alt-Right be the Bella of the political world (again, sorry Twilight fans…).
Thank you for reading.
— —
Here are the major resources I used for this article:
An Establishment Conservatives Guide to the Alt-Right, Breitbart.com
The Alt-Right Rises, Left’s Frankenstein Claps Back, Laissez-Faire (lfb.org)
9 Things You Need To Know About The Alt-Right Movement , USAToday.com
Originally published at www.seanedwards.com on December 20, 2016.
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