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For the publication based in the United States, see Alternative Right.

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The alt-right is a segment of right-wing ideologies presented as an alternative to mainstream conservatism in the United States.[1][2] It has been described as a movement unified by support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump,[3][4] as well as by opposition to globalism, immigration, multiculturalism and political correctness.[2][5][6]

The alt-right has no formal ideology, although various sources and alt-right figures have stated that white nationalism is fundamental to the movement.[1][2][7] It has also been associated with white supremacism,[3][8][9] anti-Islamism,[10][11] antifeminism,[1][6] antisemitism,[1][2][12] ethno-nationalism,[13] right-wing populism,[7] nativism,[14] traditionalism,[15] and the neoreactionary movement.[8][16][15]

It has been said to be a largely Internet-based movement, using Internet memes to advance or express its beliefs, often on websites such as 4chan.[8][12][17]

Etymology

In November 2008, Paul Gottfried addressed the H. L. Mencken Club about what he called "the alternative right".[18] In 2009, two more posts at Taki's Magazine, by Patrick J. Ford and Jack Hunter, further discussed the alternative right.[19] The term, however, is most commonly attributed to Richard B. Spencer, president of the National Policy Institute and founder of Alternative Right.[7][20]

Beliefs

The alt-right has no formal ideology, with the Associated Press stating that there is "no one way to define its ideology."[21][22]

It has been said to include elements of white nationalism,[1][2][7] white supremacism,[3][5][9] antisemitism,[1][2][12] right-wing populism,[7] nativism,[14] and the neoreactionary movement.[16] Newsday columnist Cathy Young noted the alt-right's strong opposition to both legal and illegal immigration and its hard-line stance on the European migrant crisis.[23] Robert Tracinski of The Federalist has written that the alt-right opposes miscegenation and advocates collectivism as well as tribalism.[24] Nicole Hemmer stated on NPR that political correctness is seen by the alt-right as "the greatest threat to their liberty."[6]

Commonalities among the loosely-defined alt-right include a disdain for mainstream politics as well as support for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.[7][25]

While the label of white nationalism is disputed by some political commentators including Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos,[26] prominent alt-right figures such as Andrew Anglin of The Daily Stormer and Jazzhands McFeels of Fash the Nation have embraced the term as the core philosophy their movement is based on.[27][28]

Origins

According to economist Jeffrey Tucker of the Foundation for Economic Education, "The movement inherits a long and dreary tradition of thought from Friedrich Hegel to Thomas Carlyle to Oswald Spengler to Madison Grant to Othmar Spann to Giovanni Gentile to Trump's speeches." He states that alt-right proponents "look back to what they imagine to be a golden age when elites ruled and peons obeyed," and believe that "identity is everything and the loss of identity is the greatest crime against self anyone can imagine."[29]

In March 2016 Breitbart News writers Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos published a piece on the alt-right, which CNN described as being similar to a manifesto.[30] In that article, they described the alt-right as being derived from the Old Right of the United States as well from various New Right movements of Europe, citing modern influences such as paleoconservatives Patrick J. Buchanan and Samuel T. Francis.[26] Jeet Heer of The New Republic likewise identifies the alt-right as having ideological origins among paleoconservatives, particularly with respect to its positions restricting immigration and supporting an openly nationalistic foreign policy.[31][32]

An analysis by The Guardian described the ethno-nationalism of the New Right as the alt-right's progenitor.[13][33] Matthew Sheffield, writing in the Washington Post, said the alt-right has also been influenced by anarcho-capitalist and paleolibertarian theorist Murray Rothbard, specifically in regards to his theorizing on race and democracy, and had previously rallied behind Ron Paul in 2008.[34] Tucker, an anarcho-capitalist, has said the alt-right is opposed to libertarianism because it focuses on group identity and tribalism instead of individual liberty.[29]

Reactions

Although some conservatives have welcomed the alt-right,[23] others on the mainstream right and left have criticized it as racist or hateful,[23][35] particularly given its overt hostility to mainstream conservatism and the Republican Party.[36][37]

David A. French, writing for National Review, called alt-right proponents "wanna-be fascists" and bemoaned their entry into the national political conversation.[38]

Benjamin Welton, writing for The Weekly Standard, described the alt-right as a "highly heterogeneous force" that "turns the left's moralism on its head and makes it a badge of honor to be called 'racist,' 'homophobic,' and 'sexist.'"[39]

Benjamin Wallace-Wells, writing for The New Yorker, described it as a "loosely assembled far-right movement," but said that its differences from the conventional right-wing in American politics are more a matter of style than of substance: "One way to understand the alt-right is not as a movement but as a collective experiment in identity, in the same way that many people use anonymity on the Internet to test more extreme versions of themselves."[7]

Professor George Hawley of the University of Alabama suggested that the alt-right may pose a greater threat to progressivism than the mainstream conservative movement.[40]

Commentary

Jared Taylor (pictured) has been mentioned as an intellectual representative of the alt-right.[41]

In National Review in April 2016, Ian Tuttle wrote, "The Alt-Right has evangelized over the last several months primarily via a racist and antisemitic online presence. But for Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos, the Alt-Right consists of fun-loving provocateurs, valiant defenders of Western civilization, daring intellectuals—and a handful of neo-Nazis keen on a Final Solution 2.0, but there are only a few of them, and nobody likes them anyways."[41] Bokhari and Yiannopoulos describe Jared Taylor, founder of American Renaissance, and Richard B. Spencer, founder of Alternative Right, as representative of intellectuals in the alt-right.[26][41] Cathy Young, writing in The Federalist, stated that the website Radix Journal had replaced the Alternative Right website, and describes a Radix Journal article on abortion which proclaimed that the pro-life position is "'dysgenic,' since it encourages breeding by 'the least intelligent and responsible' women."[42] Kevin B. MacDonald is also mentioned as an alt-right thinker.[21]

In Newsday, Young called the alt-right "a nest of anti-Semitism" inhabited by "white supremacists" who regularly use "repulsive bigotry".[23] Chris Hayes on All In with Chris Hayes described alt-right as a euphemistic term for "essentially modern-day white supremacy."[43] BuzzFeed reporter Rosie Gray described the alt-right as "white supremacy perfectly tailored for our times," saying that it uses "aggressive rhetoric and outright racial and anti-Semitic slurs" and that it has "more in common with European far-right movements than American ones."[44][45] Yishai Schwartz, writing for Haaretz, described the alt-right as "vitriolically anti-Semitic," saying that "The 'alternative' that the alt-right presents is, in large part, an alternative to acceptance of Jews," and warned that it must be taken seriously as a threat.[46]

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Breitbart News has become a popular outlet for alt-right views.[47]

On August 25, 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gave a speech accusing Republican candidate Donald Trump of "helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party."[48] She identified this radical fringe with the alt-right, and noted that Trump's campaign chief executive Stephen Bannon has described his Breitbart News Network as "the platform for the alt-right."[48] Some members of the group were delighted; they described Clinton's speech as "free publicity", noted that Google searches peaked afterward, and suggested that millions of people were hearing of the movement "for the very first time".[49]

On September 9, 2016, several leaders of the alt-right community held a press conference, described by one reporter as the "coming-out party" of the little-known movement, to explain their goals.[50] They proclaimed racialist beliefs, stating "Race is real, race matters, and race is the foundation of identity."[51] Speakers called for a "White Homeland" and expounded on racial differences in intelligence. They also confirmed their support of Trump, saying "This is what a leader looks like."[51][52][53]

Use of memes

The alt-right's use of Internet memes to express and advance its beliefs, often on websites such as 4chan, 8chan and The Daily Stormer, has been widely reported.[12][17][54][55] Adherents of the ideology have, for instance, been credited for originating the term cuckservative, a portmanteau of "cuckold" and "conservative".[56] Another example is the use of triple parentheses or "echoes" to identify and target Jews online, which originated on the blog The Right Stuff.[3][12][57] Variations of the Pepe the Frog meme are also said to be popular in alt-right circles, leading to references of "Nazi Frogs" in the media.[58][59] These variants of the Pepe the Frog meme attracted significant media attention after the meme was criticized in an article published on Hillary Clinton's campaign website.[60][61]

The prevalence of memes in alt-right circles has led some commentators to question whether the alt-right is a serious movement rather than just an alternative way to express traditionally conservative beliefs,[7][12] with Chava Gourarie of the Columbia Journalism Review stating that provoking a media reaction to these memes is for some creators an end in itself.[62] Marc Hetherington, professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, sees these memes as an effort to legitimize racist views.[63]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Tierney McAfee (August 25, 2016). "What Is the Alt-Right Anyway? A User's Guide". People. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gregory Krieg (August 25, 2016). "Clinton is attacking the 'Alt-Right' – What is it?". CNN. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Ohlheiser, Abby (June 3, 2016). "Anti-Semitic Trump supporters made a giant list of people to target with a racist meme". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Betsy Woodruff. "Rush Limbaugh's Favorite New White-Power Group". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Sevastopulo, Demetri. "'Alt-right' movement makes mark on US presidential election". Financial Times.
  6. ^ a b c "What You Need To Know About The Alt-Right Movement". NPR.org. August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (May 5, 2016). "Is the Alt-Right for real?". The New Yorker.
  8. ^ a b c Dylan Matthews (April 18, 2016). "The alt-right is more than warmed-over white supremacy. It's that, but way way weirder". VOX. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Benjy Sarlin (August 25, 2016). "5 Things to Know About the 'Alt-Right'". NBC News. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Joan Walsh (July 20, 2016). "Islamophobes, White Supremacists, and Gays for Trump—the Alt-Right Arrives at the RNC". The Nation. Retrieved October 1, 2016. At the self-described "most fab party at the RNC" Tuesday night, Islamophobe provocateur Pamela Geller, not renowned as a stand-up comedian, opened with a joke. ...Before Geller and Yiannopolous spoke, the crowd welcomed the notorious Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who runs the anti-immigrant Dutch Party for Freedom. Wilders, a Trump admirer, was banned from entering Britain in 2009 for his Islamophobia (the decision was reversed in 2010) but was welcome here in Cleveland. An exhilarated Richard Spencer, a leading white nationalist who coined the term "alt-right," introduced himself to me just as Milo began to speak. 'This is the alt-right convention!...' At this first "alt-right convention," most of the influentials weren't known to the public. They're hoping that will change, under President Donald J. Trump."
  11. ^ "The rise of the alt-right". The Week. October 1, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Hess, Amanda (June 10, 2016). "For the Alt-Right, the Message Is in the Punctuation". The New York Times.
  13. ^ a b Wilson, Jason (August 23, 2016). "'A sense that white identity is under attack': making sense of the alt-right". The Guardian. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Becker, Amanda. "Clinton to accuse Trump of embracing nativist political movement". Reuters.
  15. ^ a b "A Guide to the Alt-Right, Modern White Supremacists Bolstering Trump". alternet. August 28, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Brodeur, Michael. "What's 'alt-' about the alt-right?". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ a b Jake Kivanç (June 15, 2016). "Nero, Nazis, and the New Far Right: The Phenomena of the Professional Troll". Vice. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  18. ^ Gottfried, Paul (January 22, 2016). "The Decline and Rise of the Alternative Right". The Unz Review. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  19. ^ Theodoracopulos, Taki (July 27, 2009). "Economism in the Alt Right". Taki's Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Staff writer (August 2016). "Alternative Right". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Benac, Nancy (August 24, 2016). "Clinton sees Trump ties to "alt-right" dystopian ideology". Associated Press.
  22. ^ Wendling, Mike. "Trump's shock troops: Who are the 'alt-right'?". BBC News.
  23. ^ a b c d Cathy Young (January 25, 2016). "Donald Trump's rant against political correctness is comfort food to racists". Newsday. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  24. ^ Tracinski, Robert (April 4, 2016). "Yes, the Alt-Right Are Just a Bunch of Racists". The Federalist. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  25. ^ "'Alt-Right' Hashtag Spurs Racism, Rebukes During Speech". ABC News.
  26. ^ a b c "An Establishment Conservative's Guide To The Alt-Right". Breitbart. March 29, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  27. ^ "Alt-Right vs. Alt-Wrong". Fash the Nation. September 25, 2016. One of the things I want to point out very clearly is that we are white nationalists. Period. And without white nationalism the alt-right is nothing...this is extremely important. We're not going to walk back from these principles. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ Anglin, Andrew (September 26, 2016). "Milo Attacks Daily Stormer and Fash the Nation, Says Alt-Right is Only 2-5% of the Alt-Right". The Daily Stormer. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ a b Tucker, Jeffrey (August 26, 2016). "Five Differences Between the Alt-Right and Libertarianism". Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  30. ^ Krieg, Gregory. "Clinton is attacking the 'Alt-Right' -- What is it?". CNN.
  31. ^ Heer, Jeet (January 22, 2016). "National Review Fails to Kill Its Monster". The New Republic.
  32. ^ Weigel, David. "What's the alt-right? A primer". Washington Post.
  33. ^ Heather Digby Parton (August 25, 2016). "The disturbing dawn of the alt-right: Donald Trump's the leader of a dark movement in America". Salon.
  34. ^ Sheffield, Matthew. "Where did Donald Trump get his racialized rhetoric? From libertarians". Washington Post.
  35. ^ Robert Tracinski. "Yes, The Alt-Right Are Just a Bunch of Racists". The Federalist. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  36. ^ "An Open Letter to Mitt Romney". The Weekly Standard.
  37. ^ Shapiro, Ben. "The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America: Then and Now". National Review.
  38. ^ French, David (January 26, 2016). "Donald Trump & Alt-Right's Rise – Not Conservatives Fault". National Review. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  39. ^ Welton, Benjamin (February 1, 2016). "What, Exactly, is the 'Alternative Right?'". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  40. ^ George Hawley (January 25, 2016). Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism. University Press of Kansas. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7006-2193-4.
  41. ^ a b c Tuttle, Ian. "The Racist Moral Rot at the Heart of the Alt-Right". National Review. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  42. ^ Young, Cathy. "You Can't Whitewash The Alt-Right's Bigotry". The Federalist. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  43. ^ "All In with Chris Hayes, Transcript 12/9/2015". MSNBC. December 9, 2015.
  44. ^ Allan Smith (August 25, 2016). "A deep look inside the 'alt-right,' the movement Hillary Clinton just excoriated in a major speech". Business Insider. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  45. ^ Gray, Rosie (July 7, 2015). "How 2015 Fueled The Rise Of The Freewheeling, White Nationalist Alt Right Movement – BuzzFeed News". Buzzfeed. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  46. ^ Schwartz, Yishai (May 31, 2016). "Banal, Incoherent, anti-Semitic and pro-Trump: Why We Should Take the Alt-right Seriously". Haaretz.
  47. ^ Piggott, Stephen. "Is Breitbart.com Becoming the Media Arm of the 'Alt-Right'?". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  48. ^ a b Flegenheimer, Matt (August 25, 2016). "Hillary Clinton Says 'Radical Fringe' Is Taking Over G.O.P. Under Donald Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  49. ^ Harrington, Rebecca (August 26, 2016). "The alt-right movement was practically giddy that Hillary Clinton attacked them in a major speech". Business Insider. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  50. ^ Weigel, David (September 10, 2016). "Four lessons from the alt-right's D.C. coming-out party". Washington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  51. ^ a b Levy, Pema (September 9, 2016). "Alt-Right Movement Presents Its Vision for an All-White Society With Trump Paving the Way". Mother Jones. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  52. ^ Maxwell Tani (August 25, 2016). "Hillary Clinton: 'A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party'". Business Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  53. ^ Michelle Goldberg (August 25, 2016). "How the "Hipster Nazis" of the Alt Right Got Big Enough for Hillary Clinton to Denounce Them". Slate. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  54. ^ Jesse Singal (May 26, 2016). "Explaining Ben Shapiro's Messy, Ethnic-Slur-Laden Breakup With Breitbart". New York. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  55. ^ "David Duke and other white supremacists see Trump's rise as way to increase role in mainstream politics". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  56. ^ Weigel, David. "'Cuckservative' – the conservative insult of the month, explained". The Washington Post.
  57. ^ "(((Echoes))), Exposed: The Secret Symbol Neo-Nazis Use to Target Jews Online". mic.com.
  58. ^ Olivia Nuzzi (May 25, 2016). "How Pepe the Frog Became a Nazi Trump Supporter and Alt-Right Symbol". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  59. ^ Adam Sewer (September 15, 2016). "It's Not Easy Being Meme". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  60. ^ Abby Ohlheiser (September 14, 2016). "Why Pepe the Frog's Nazi phase doesn't worry his creator". Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  61. ^ Sam Thielman (September 14, 2016). "Pepe the Frog artist supports Clinton 'even though she's talking smack'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  62. ^ Gourarie, Chava (August 30, 2016). "How the 'alt-right' checkmated the media". Columbia Journalism Review.
  63. ^ Patrik Jonsson (August 27, 2016). "Donald Trump's candidacy and the rise of the 'alt-right' movement". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
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