21 votes

A former alt-right member’s message: Get out while you still can

14 comments

  1. [6]
    The_Fad
    Link
    Has anyone else been getting the feeling lately that alt-right groups are closing ranks? Seems like they're not putting as much effort into expanding or spreading their message. Or maybe people...

    Has anyone else been getting the feeling lately that alt-right groups are closing ranks? Seems like they're not putting as much effort into expanding or spreading their message. Or maybe people are finally wising up to it? I don't know, maybe I'm totally off base.

    7 votes
    1. [4]
      alyaza
      Link Parent
      i think it's more that they're less trendy to be in now, they're less able to get away with the rhetoric they espouse since it's well documented and mainstream, they're increasingly associated...

      i think it's more that they're less trendy to be in now, they're less able to get away with the rhetoric they espouse since it's well documented and mainstream, they're increasingly associated with violence and terrorism, and most of them are unstable and have been for awhile.

      13 votes
      1. [2]
        Grawlix
        Link Parent
        I think that's it. It's harder and harder to deny the racism, violence, and overt fascism. Plus, as I've seen in certain communities, there's a kind of brain drain that inevitably happens. If a...

        I think that's it. It's harder and harder to deny the racism, violence, and overt fascism.

        Plus, as I've seen in certain communities, there's a kind of brain drain that inevitably happens. If a community both demands unity and tolerates an extreme element, then the people who dissent will either leave or be forced out. That moves the community, as a whole, further and further towards the extreme. People uncomfortable with that are the next ones to go. It keeps repeating itself, constantly skimming off anyone who disagrees, until all you're left with are the "true believers."

        It's also like that adage about a frog in boiling water. Some people might go along with the crowd, then realize how much hotter the water has gotten.

        (The frustrating this is that they'll point the finger at other communities for "doing the same thing" by ousting trolls. I know it's nothing new for Tildes, but it's the paradox of tolerance: you don't have to tolerate intolerance.)

        10 votes
        1. just_a_salmon
          Link Parent
          That drain has been happening for years with RINOs.

          That drain has been happening for years with RINOs.

          3 votes
    2. NaraVara
      Link Parent
      As soon as people decided they weren't a joke they started getting punched in the mouths any time they showed their faces. Their coy, too-cute-by-half tactics to pretend they're not pushing an...

      Has anyone else been getting the feeling lately that alt-right groups are closing ranks?

      As soon as people decided they weren't a joke they started getting punched in the mouths any time they showed their faces. Their coy, too-cute-by-half tactics to pretend they're not pushing an agenda and just "asking question" also stopped working once people wised up.

      We shouldn't mistake that for thinking the threat is over though. They're not as free to roam the streets as when people were fixated on "civility" discourse, but law enforcement and a lot of other levers of power are still lousy with them.

      5 votes
  2. [5]
    nothis
    Link
    Interesting. I literally never heard that before. Maybe because it's such a young phenomenon?

    A Former Alt-Right Member

    Interesting. I literally never heard that before. Maybe because it's such a young phenomenon?

    3 votes
    1. [5]
      Comment removed by site admin
      Link Parent
      1. [4]
        The_Fad
        Link Parent
        I think they meant the word "former".

        I think they meant the word "former".

        4 votes
        1. [3]
          nothis
          Link Parent
          Yea, never heard of someone who actually left the alt-right.

          Yea, never heard of someone who actually left the alt-right.

          4 votes
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. nothis
              Link Parent
              I’m talking about the “alt-right”, specifically, though. I assume you mean it’s just a rebranding of traditional white nationalist movements? I just feel like the alt-right felt no shame until...

              I’m talking about the “alt-right”, specifically, though. I assume you mean it’s just a rebranding of traditional white nationalist movements? I just feel like the alt-right felt no shame until very recently and a lot of members generally saw themselves as a “rational” (facts and logic!) counter-culture to mainstream liberals running out of control. Maybe it’s becoming more clear that, by subscribing to the label, you inevitably invite associations with the old school racism and bigotry of the ultra right.

              From the article, it seems to me like she wasn’t really on board with the full-on neonazi stuff and rather wanted to “out-balance” liberal bias with some reasonable, right-wing counter points. That’s still the brand of Fox News and Breitbart. So this would be, ultimately, a story about the slippery slope of questioning basic human rights principles (and plain good manners when talking about sensitive topics like race politics, which is basically “political correctness”), ultimately arriving at a severe case of foot-in-mouth that has consequences—for you and others.

              1 vote
          2. Micycle_the_Bichael
            Link Parent
            maybe they are ashamed? Like they don’t believe that anymore and see how people react to members of the alt right. Maybe they’re afraid people will shun them.

            maybe they are ashamed? Like they don’t believe that anymore and see how people react to members of the alt right. Maybe they’re afraid people will shun them.

            1 vote
  3. [3]
    culturedleftfoot
    Link
    Sorry, a bit off-topic here, but... are her eyebrows stuck on? What is that?

    Sorry, a bit off-topic here, but... are her eyebrows stuck on? What is that?

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I think they are prosthetic eyebrows, yeah. And she also has a wig on too... you can see the cap weave in the gap of her parted hair. So given those and the fact she doesn't appear to have...

      I think they are prosthetic eyebrows, yeah. And she also has a wig on too... you can see the cap weave in the gap of her parted hair. So given those and the fact she doesn't appear to have eyelashes either, I would assume she probably has a severe case of alopecia from a medical condition or maybe even from recent chemotherapy. Which honestly makes me question why Buzzfeed chose to use such a high res, close up photo of her and didn't bother digitally touching it up in any way. Was it done intentionally to make her look bad?

      3 votes
      1. culturedleftfoot
        Link Parent
        Huh, I didn't catch the no eyelashes. You're probably right. I'm left with the same question.

        Huh, I didn't catch the no eyelashes. You're probably right. I'm left with the same question.

        1 vote