Racist 'alt-right' movement reeling after string of setbacks

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Abner, Jun 16, 2018.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  2. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    I'd never heard of this "most recognizable" guy.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Neither have I.
     
  4. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

  5. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  6. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    That's because you are liberterians. :)
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    To think, there was a time when the alt-right was not predominantly racist. Flash forward just half a step and all the sane people completely abandoned ship and it's become nothing but a dumping ground for some of the least competent, most vile specimens of humanity.

    Anyway, I have no idea who any of the aforementioned people are.
     
    Abner likes this.
  8. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Right on!
     
  9. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    There was? That term is recent and of political origin so of what past time do you speak?
     
  10. heirophant

    heirophant Well-Known Member

    Why isn't this thread in the 'Politics' forum? Is it really necessary that 'Off-Topic' become 'Politics-2'?

    Politics by its nature is divisive. It turns people against each other who might otherwise share an interest in distance education. It emphasizes differences rather than commonalities and erodes friendships and social solidarity.

    I take 'alternative right' to mean the populist tendency in the Republican party (and in Europe) in which the focus in conservative parties is being redirected from the interests of rich business elites and the investor classes, towards the interests of working people and the middle class. It's the tendency inside the US Republican party that doesn't insist that lowering taxes on the rich is the country's most pressing priority and that listens more to voters than to lobbyists.

    In past years (think 2012 and Mitt Romney) the Republicans were caricatured as rich capitalist fat-cats concerned only with screwing the little people. But now the Republicans are actually speaking to the little people and listening to their concerns. (MAGA!) Meanwhile the Democrats have seemingly turned themselves into a decadent party of trendy celebrities more concerned with the interests of illegal aliens and transvestites than with the interests of less-stylish regular Americans of whatever race. It's why Hillary lost the 2016 election. (Her loss had nothing to do with Russians.)

    And now that it's become more difficult for Democrats to use the old familiar 'party-of-the-rich-elites' stereotype against the Republicans after the Democrats have themselves turned into the party of the elites, the response seems to be the old familiar knee-jerk response of calling anyone who disagrees with them a "racist". It fits well with the fear that much of the Democratic coalition has for mainstream America. (Minorities fear the white majority, Jews fear the Christian majority, gays fear the straight majority...) So it turns into some variation on 'The rednecks are gonna get you!'

    In real life, I don't see a lot of set-backs. An alternative Republican sits in the White House, alternative Republicans have been doing well in the recent primaries and lots of old-guard establishment Republicans have seen the writing on the wall, the fact that they no longer have the trust of the electorate, and have announced their retirements.

    In Europe, populists have taken over the governments of several countries from Hungary through Austria to Italy. Brexit won in the UK. Just this weekend Angela Merkel faces one of the biggest crises of her career that may crash her coalition government and bring an end to her Chancellorship.

    Doesn't look like "reeling" to me. It's a movement seemingly on the rise.
     
  11. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    I can't agree with the above. The alt-right meme was heard little, if at all, before the last election and mostly died out after. It's purpose was to tie any non-leftist candidates to bigoted groups. That didn't work so new tactics are in order.
     

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