White privilege isn’t about guilt or blame, it is about identifying how racist social structures perpetuate inequality so that we can dismantle them. Concepts, such as white privilege, white fragility, structural racism, intersectionality, and the importance of a ‘call-out culture’ associated with the #MeToo movement, have become critical to the way English-speaking scholars approach the… Continue reading “Why It’s So Important For Us To Discuss White Privilege”
Begging for money is a well-known device of far-right agitators, and it by far exceeds the simple request to donate a few dollars every once in a while. In September, the former darling of the alt-right, Milo Yiannopoulos, used the messaging app Telegram to complain to his followers that he was “talking to the same 1,000 people,… Continue reading “Great Little Men: Why the Alt-Right Begs for Money”
Why did the movie become a new cultural touchstone for the alt-right? The far right has long used popular culture as a means of promoting their own ideals. It is a common misconception that extremists live and act within their own, fringe cultural sphere. Whilst much of far right literary and musical culture is produced… Continue reading “Joker, the far right and popular culture”
Cartoonists are modern jesters but, unlike those merrymen of yore, they are no longer safe. It has been traditionally accepted in modern societies that the media play a key role in the way they function. Journalists counteract the abuses of power by governments, frame political issues and are implicitly recognized as being part of the… Continue reading “In Sri Lanka, Cartoonists Take on the Alt-Right”
Authoritarianism, a characteristic of the far-right, has developed anew in the 21st century and has presented itself in multiple guises and in multiple loci to an extent that poses an increased threat and risk to democratic societies. For good or ill, I choose to label this phenomenon as the Alternative Right (Alt-Right), although recognizing that… Continue reading “The New Authoritarianism and the Glorification of Amoral Calculation”
Understanding how hate groups cohere in online spaces is essential toward understanding their growth and capacity to radicalize. Online radical-right extremist groups exhibit a massive range of ideological stances and approaches, which vary from country to country. These include the affirmed political stances of alt-right groups, the social movement-like practices of groups like Generation Identity,… Continue reading “Understanding Digital Hate Culture”
In his latest book, David Neiwert, journalist and leading expert on the radical right, details how the rise of the far right lead to the election of Trump. Since the unprecedented presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016, there has been a flurry of publications attempting to explain the “alt-right”, the “fringe”, and to make… Continue reading “The Radical Right Built Trump, And He Returned The Favor”
The “Goldwater Rule” established that health experts wouldn’t comment on the mental health of public officials. Trump caused experts to break that rule. Back in 1964 the Republican nominee for president Barry Goldwater received strong support from members of the John Birch society. Among other things, they expressed admiration for his commitment to winning the… Continue reading “Psychiatrists Raise Alarms About Trump After Mueller Report”
His thinking appeals to men who seek an encompassing, empowering theory of the world where they do not need to feel guilt and are not designated as oppressors. Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychology professor and self-proclaimed Professor against political correctness has struck a cord amongst the radical right. For his radical right audience, Peterson is not… Continue reading “Jordan Peterson – reluctant darling of the radical right?”
At what rates and in what capacity do women participate in radical right communities? Gathering precise demographic details – such as gender, age or location – for members of clandestine or extremist groups can be difficult. However, in the wake of the deadly “Unite the Right” event in Charlottesville, Virginia, one expert claimed that 20%… Continue reading “Women of the radical right on Facebook”