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Alt-left is a neologism originally circulated on social media during the 2016 presidential campaign as a disparaging term used by moderate and conservative Democrats against progressives and others to their ideological left. The term, commonly used as a pejorative, later began being used by Sean Hannity and Fox News to describe groups, outlets, or individuals who were perceived as being critical of then President-elect Donald Trump. Trump used the term during remarks on the Charlottesville rally on August 15, 2017.

Background

Unlike the term "alt-right" (which was coined by those on the extreme right who comprise the movement), as noted by Washington Post writer Aaron Blake, "alt-left" was "coined by its opponents and doesn't actually have any subscribers".[1] According to George Hawley, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, no such label has been adopted by any members of the progressive left.[2][3] While acknowledging that there are anti-fascism activists on the left who engage in physical confrontation against members of the far-right, Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, concurred that no equivalent to those who identify as being part of the "alt-right" exists, stating that anti-fascist groups were not consciously aiming to brand themselves in the manner that white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other members of the far-right had undertaken to mainstream their ideology.[3][4][5]

Its usage eventually circulated within conservative online media, and was popularized around those circles through its use by Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity to suggest the existence of a similar ideological fringe movement on the political left. On the November 14, 2016 edition of his eponymous Fox News program, Hannity used the term to excoriate "alt-left media" together with "mainstream" and "radical" media for being "biased against President-elect Trump".[1][2][6] According to The New Republic, the term was popularized after it was "picked up" by Fox News as a way to "frame the Democratic wing led by [Bernie] Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as extreme".[7]

In an early use of the term, Gary Bauer stated on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper, "It's not alt-right, it's not alt-left; it's alt-delete. It's get the bums out," as a way of equating right- and left-wing populism.[1]

Both the term itself and the concept of an "alt-left" as a sort of opposite-but-equal mirror of the alt-right have generated controversy for "likening" the "socialist critics" of neo-Nazism "to neo-Nazis".[7][8][9] The term has also been criticized as a label that, unlike alt-right, was not coined by the group it purports to describe, but, rather, was created by political opponents as a political smear implying a false equivalence.[8][1]

Usage

According to Branko Marcetic, assistant editor of Jacobin magazine, the label refers to a faction of the political left that does not exist, as the progressive or far left segments of political ideology do not identify by any other particular collective noun.[10] Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League states that the term was made up by extremist groups to create a false equivalence between the far right and “anything vaguely left-seeming that they didn't like.”[11]

According to journalist Peter Beinart, "What Trump calls “the alt left”... is actually antifa."[12] Buzzfeed UK published an article about "alt-left media" in the United Kingdom in May 2016.[13] The article refers to "alt-left" news websites such as Another Angry Voice, The Canary, Evolve Politics and Skwawkbox, which are "hyperpartisan" supporters of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.[13]

Keri Smith, in a piece published by the Foundation for Economic Education, describes the "Alt-left", not as a movement, but as the ideology that undergirds Antifa, as well as other movements such as Black Lives Matter and intersectional third-wave feminism [14].

The term gained prevalence when U.S. president Donald Trump used the phrase during remarks on the Charlottesville rally made on August 15, 2017.[15][16][17][18] Researchers such as Mark Pitcavage state that the “alt-left” does not actually exist and the derogatory term had been made up to create an equation between the far right and certain activists and politicians on the left.[19][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Aaron Blake (December 1, 2016). "Introducing the 'alt-left': The GOP's response to its alt-right problem". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Sterling, Joe; Chavez, Nicole (August 16, 2017). "What's the 'alt-left'? Experts say it's a 'made-up term'". CNN.
  3. ^ a b Chris Tognotti (August 15, 2017). "What Is The Alt-Left? Trump Pinned The Charlottesville Violence On Them, Too". Bustle.
  4. ^ Michael Graham (December 9, 2016). "There is No Alt-Left". Progressive Army.
  5. ^ James Wolcott (March 2017). "Why the Alt-Left is a Problem, Too". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications.
  6. ^ Daniel S. Levine (August 15, 2017). "What Is the Alt-Left? 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Heavy Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Clio Chang (March 6, 2017). "Liberalism Needs the "Alt-Left"". The New Republic. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Eric Levitz (March 3, 2017). "Why the Alt-Center Is a Problem, Too". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  9. ^ Alex Horton (August 15, 2017). "What is the 'alt-left,' which Trump just blamed for some of the violence in Charlottesville?". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  10. ^ Branko Marcetic (August 14, 2017). "Burying the Lie of the "Alt-Left"". Jacobin. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Liam Stack (August 15, 2017). "Alt-Right, Alt-Left, Antifa: A Glossary of Extremist Language". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  12. ^ Peter Beinart (August 16, 2017). "What Trump calls "the alt left" (I'll explain why that's a bad term later) is actually antifa". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Media Group. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Jim Waterson (May 6, 2016). "The Rise Of The Alt-Left British Media". Buzzfeed. BuzzFeed Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  14. ^ Smith, Keri (2017-09-06). "Yes, the Alt-Left Exists and It's Terrifying | Keri Smith". Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  15. ^ What is the 'alt Left' that Donald Trump said was 'very violent' in Charlottesville? The Telegraph, 16 Aug 2017.
  16. ^ Michael D. Shear & Maggie Haberman, A Combative Trump Criticizes 'Alt-Left' Groups in Charlottesville, Washington Post (August 15, 2017)
  17. ^ Meghan Keneally, Trump lashes out at 'alt-left' in Charlottesville, says 'fine people on both sides', ABC News (August 15, 2017)
  18. ^ Andrew Rafferty, Trump Says 'Alt-Left' Shares Blame for Charlottesville Rally Violence, NBC News (August 15, 2017).
  19. ^ Emma Grey Ellis (August 16, 2017). "THERE IS NO ALT-LEFT, NO MATTER WHAT TRUMP SAYS". Wired. Condé Nast Publications.
  20. ^ Liam Stack (August 15, 2017). "Alt-Right, Alt-Left, Antifa: A Glossary of Extremist Language". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  21. ^ "What is the "alt-left" Trump was talking about?". CBS News. CBS Interactive. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
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