Buckle your seatbelts, folks: this one is going to make the Pussification rant seem like a ladies’ tea party.
Over at some website I’ve never heard of, a guy named Spencer Quinn has some nice (and some not-so-nice) things to say about Your Humble Narrator (and you really need to read the whole article before you read any further). I feel I need to respond, and in so doing, I’ll set the record straight and make my position on some of his discussion points perfectly clear.
My problem with the alt-Right is the same problem I have with libertarians: as commenter “Pat Buchanator” once put it at Instapundit: “This is how it always is with libertarians. No matter how appealing that quart of vanilla ice cream looks, there’s always that tablespoon of dog shit mixed in that turns you off.” Thus it is too with the alt-Right and me: we start off with some common ground — quite a lot, actually — and then the conversation reaches that “Oh, bloody hell! Why did you have to go and spoil it?” moment, when Teh Crazy comes out of its hole.
My common ground with the alt-Right is this: like them, I think that Western civilization and culture is the greatest thing that ever occurred to mankind. It has elevated our society from brutishness and beastliness into civilization, quite possibly to the zenith of thought, achievement and prosperity. Just taking the period from Ancient Greece to the Internet, it is difficult to imagine how life would exist today were it not for Western culture — the sciences, economy, music, arts, literature, morals, manners and mores, the whole damn thing. Western civilization, in other words, is absolutely worth maintaining, prolonging, venerating and all that.
And here’s the first little roadblock that the alt-Right throws in my way: their distaste, and even hatred for Jews.
I have no idea why that is. Pound for pound, the Jews have contributed as much or more to Western civilization than any other group — it’s even called the “Judeo-Christian tradition”, FFS — and to discount this contribution deliberately, to me, shows a shallow intellect at best. (At worst, Hitler, but I’m not going to go there.) Of course, I know that many Jews are socialists, communists, progressives, one-worlders, and all those things that are not only themselves distasteful, but are contradictory to Western thought. Ending slavery in the Western hemisphere (an action performed solely by Western nations, lest we forget) is not the same as allowing Western culture to be perverted or submerged by inferior cultures — and let’s be perfectly honest, when compared to Western culture, all other cultures are in general absolutely inferior to ours. To say otherwise is to be ignorant of history, or to be able to consciously deny the fact of the matter despite all evidence to the contrary. Judaic culture, by the way, is not inferior to, say, Western culture and civilization because in no small part, theirs is almost indistinguishable from that of Western Europe because of their commonality. That Israeli liberals seem perfectly prepared to help bring about the destruction of Eretz Israel was always a mystery to me until it was explained to me (by one of my good friends, an Orthodox Jew) that these liberals hate the state of Israel because it is culturally closer to Western European democracy than it is to Eastern European socialism. And the liberal Israelis have camp-followers all over the world: in Europe, Britain, the United States and anywhere that Jews can be found in any numbers. Does that mean “conspiracy”? Sure, if you’re a moron, because there are many, many Jews who are conservative, too — but somehow, the Conspiracy seems to have passed them by? Not credible.
So: am I pro-Israel? You betcha. I’m even more supportive of Israel when I look at the nations of assholes who want Israel destroyed.
Do I think that a lot of Jews are liberal assholes? You betcha, again. (Don’t even ask me about Jews and their support for gun control, unless we also mention JPFO, who also seem to have missed the memo.)
Am I prepared to become an anti-Semite because of The Great Jewish Conspiracy? Think again, Adolf.
Would I stand aside if some anti-Semitic pricks started playing their little neo-Nazi reindeer games with Jews in the streets? Not only would I not stand aside, but I’d be standing between the two groups, telling the anti-Semites that they’d have to get past me first.
Ich habe Dachau gesehen.
And as long as I have breath in my body, “Never again!” will not be just an empty phrase, even if that seems to be the case with some Jews(!), who think that their tribe’s survival of the Holocaust was somehow irrelevant in today’s world.
So the minute some alt-Rightist starts with that anti-Semitic shit, I turn right off, because I will never be part of that insanity. (It doesn’t even have to be the alt-Right; over at Taki’s Magazine — which I generally love — I’ll be reading something amusing or educational, and then the Great Zionist Conspiracy gets mentioned, and figuratively speaking, I toss the magazine across the room.)
The next thing about the alt-Right that gets up my nose is their little unicorn-rainbow dream of a “White ethnostate”. Once again, oh FFS. Let me tell you this: I grew up in a wannabe-White ethnostate, I knew White supremacists, and oh my gawd, I was even related to a bunch of them. They were all, to a man, mean-spirited, ugly people, and their system of government — apartheid — was even uglier than they were. Even though their philosophical underpinning made apparent sense — the catastrophe that was (and is) Black Africa showed that Blacks were incapable of self-government — but their prescription to protect themselves against that was horrible and ultimately doomed to failure, as events would prove. Forget that shit; I not only hated it, and them, but I rebelled against it, stopping well short of planting bombs and shooting random White people in the streets, however, because those are what we call today terrorists. Even with the best intentions in the world, I was not going to become a White Nelson Mandela (who was, lest we forget, as much of a terrorist as Yasser Arafat despite, like Arafat, becoming somehow acceptable in his later years as a head of state). As much as I loathed apartheid, I was not going to take that next step, because too many innocent people would be harmed. Remember that, because it will be important later.
Now some people, e.g. the aforementioned Mr. Quinn, have trouble reconciling my position with my somewhat trenchant thoughts set out in Let Africa Sink (I told you I’d need to republish it). They all miss the point. Let Africa Sink was written in a mood of profound sadness, pessimism and despair, and was never meant to be some kind of rallying-cry and blueprint for a bunch of sick racists. FFS: I am an African myself; I was born there, I lived there for a third of a century, and my family first arrived in the Cape in 1692. I have every right to call myself an African, as much or even more than Jesse Jackson can call himself an American. I left Africa because I saw absolutely no hope for the whole continent, not just South Africa (which, by the way, is well on the way to joining Zimbabwe, the Congo and all the other little beauty spots over there). I left because all I could see was a future of bloodshed, hatred, venality and human ruin. I have seen nothing since that has made me want to change my opinion by one iota. Africa, as a place and as a human entity, is fucked beyond words, and there is nothing, nothing that will end or even ameliorate that scenario.
Now stay with me here, because what sets me apart from the alt-Right is that I won’t — can’t — make the leap from Africa being so screwed to “Blacks are therefore inferior to Whites”. You know why I can’t? Because of Ben Carson, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Richard Pryor and Denzel Washington (to name but some). Even an idiot like Maxine Waters, despite being a socialist to her core, has not advocated racial violence and anti-White terrorism (so far). In other words, when Black people aren’t Africans but Americans — Americans who moreover believe profoundly that Western European culture is far better than the alternative and who therefore espouse the principles of Western civilization despite their own ethnic heritage — it is impossible for me to say that in general principle, Black people are inferior to White people. Can’t go there, even if Carson et al. are woefully in the minority in the Black community. I can’t go there even in the face of evidence that Black-run cities (or, to be more correct, Democrat-run cities) are pathetic failures and African-style hellholes of poverty, corruption and homicide. I see little difference, by the way, between the looming disaster that is San Francisco (which is not run by Blacks) and the appalling tragedy of Detroit (which is, and has been for a long time). If a majority of Blacks espouse socialism, the fault is not their ethnicity but their education. (Hell, a sizable number of White people espouse socialism, too; don’t get me started on those idiots.)
If so many Blacks vote Democrat instead of Republican, and end up with failure in consequence, is that a reason to think that Blacks are that inferior to Whites? Let me point out a little-known fact: without the White (Afrikaans- and English-speaking) working-class voters, South Africa’s apartheid would have collapsed decades before it did; but like American Blacks were by Democrats, they were promised jobs, job security and social advancement by the Afrikaner nationalists, which meant that the White working classes bought into the eventual promise of apartheid: separate development. The “dumping grounds” of South African apartheid followed shortly thereafter. White voters, in other words, are just as capable of adopting an evil philosophy (apartheid) as Black voters are drawn towards supporting a different evil philosophy (socialism).
And that’s another part of alt-Right philosophy that pisses me off. If I may use the rhetoric of Albert Jay Nock: suppose that you’re right; suppose that we Whites should create an exclusive White ethnostate that bars (among so many others) Blacks and Jews: how, exactly, are you going to create this little White nationalist Nirvana? How are you going to move this from a unicorn’s wet dream to ugly (and it would be ugly) reality? It sure as hell isn’t going to happen in the United States, no matter how much you want to create the White Man’s Paradise in, say, Utah or Idaho, because there will have to be some rearrangement of peoples for that to happen — and I repeat, that ain’t gonna happen anywhere in the U.S. Good luck trying that elsewhere — well, maybe in South Africa’s Orania, but guess what: you alt-Righters won’t be welcome there because you’re not Afrikaans. See how this ethnic superiority thing works?
I saw at first hand how the South African government went about creating the reality of “separateness” in a multi-racial society, and let me tell you, it was revolting, appalling, and made me want to join Mandela’s Spear Of The Nation organization, albeit only for a short while. I’ll tell that story another time, because if I do so now, it will engender a red-hot anger in me that would make Pussification seem like a scholarly discourse.
Let me tell you all: underneath all the words about “White pride”, “promoting Western European values and culture” and “cultural superiority” are some really, really ugly beliefs, philosophies and plans of action; and I want absolutely no part of them.
I know that my way of supporting Western civilization might seem weak and ineffective to the alt-Right. I prefer to vote for politicians who prefer capitalism to socialism, Western culture over, say, Muslim culture or African culture. I prefer to write about Western civilization and extol it, letting people read my stuff and thereby (I hope) being persuaded to follow my example and in turn persuading others to be likewise. I raised my children in the Western tradition, and have drawn maybe thousands of people to my way of thinking — even if only by reading my stuff, they realize that they aren’t alone in their beliefs, and that our mostly-Anglocentric Western way of life is the right one.
Most of the human condition is dealing with The Pendulum: as our societies develop, the pendulum swings from Right to Left and back again. Often, the reverse swing is overly long, and that leads to all kinds of trouble. (The French Revolution’s Reign of Terror is an excellent example, by the way, albeit an example of showing that even Western civilization can screw things up.) The alt-Right, to me, represents just such an over-correction of The Pendulum’s erstwhile swing to the Left, and frankly, I don’t find much to recommend their fantasies.
I am aware that the alt-Right may turn on me and start with the name-calling, e.g. “race-traitor” (which sounds so much better in the original Afrikaans, volks-verraaier, and which has been used on me before), or their favorite, “cuckservative” (one who is nominally conservative, but actually in thrall to liberals), and all the other cute little epithets they’ve come up with to describe those who, if they aren’t with them, must be against them.
Guess what? I am against you. I’m against your anti-Semitism, your White supremacism, and all the other bullshit that you hide under camouflage phrases and euphemisms. I know exactly who you are, and I’m not one of you.
There is no “paradox” in my philosophy; I just refuse to succumb to the temptation of ascribing societal failures to outside influences such as the “Jewish Conspiracy” or “negroid inferiority”. (Historically, it reminds me too much of Weimar Germany and pre-1917 Bolshevism.) As Quinn noted, I don’t take that extra step in “logic” that will move me over to the alt-Right because quite simply, it’s a step too far. Sorry if that puzzles you. Life isn’t a simple case of black and white, or even Black and White: it’s far more complex than that, and I’m sorry if you can’t see it.
And one last thing: in his essay, Spencer Quinn has many kind words to say about my bravery and “brass balls” (as he puts it). Do not for one moment think that any of that is going to disappear should someone decide to confront me in person. Please remember that as a young man, I once stood up against the guns and sjamboks of Afrikaner apartheid; and I’m prepared, even in my old age, to stand up to you. I am a lot meaner now than I was then, and I have a lot less to lose. That’s not a challenge, by the way; as Quinn noted, I really just want to be left alone — and in the alt-Right’s case, that means not co-opting my writings in support of your foolishness.
Sincerely,
Kim du Toit
You could easily design a course of study around this single pair of essays. Fact is, I’d actually encourage you to do so, except for the fact that I don’t think there’s yet one University to be found, with the necessary commitment to courage, independent and critical thought, and the contests of ideas.
Which, was once their calling.
As for the so-called “alt-Right” crowd, your indictment would see them convicted at trial. Well it should, ’cause it really is as you said, that teaspoon of dogshit in the ice cream.
ANY thing which seeks to justify anti-Semitism, starts from and ends with being simply a logic-pretzel, at best.
But it is a very useful “tell”, as to a given person’s heart and mental acuity, isn’t it? Not an indictment of “stupidity”, of course. Some very smart folks fall for that schtick. But as you’ve made clear…they’ve really not thought out their “goals” to their clearly logical and inevitable conclusions.
Meanwhile, Kim, I’d suggest you go ahead and paste up some asbestos wallpaper there. I’d wager some shitty alt-Right ice cream is going to be flying your way from every direction.
Sucks, too. They’re *that* close, to being natural allies, save for that stink of the anti-Zionist, conspiracy-seeking true believer.
And it’s that trait which must be defended against, always.
Never Again, damn straight.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I agree. While I want to support the AR, and agree with 9/10s of their positions, I simply cannot tolerate anti-semitism for its own sake. Having been raised a Southern Baptist, most of which I have put behind me, I remain a Christian Zionist. (SB’s may not care for a particular Jew but they love Israel.) This is reinforced by my dislike of what Islam is doing to Western Civ. Nevertheless, we may have to ultimately embrace them when the SHTF. The perfect is the enemy of the acceptable.
My thoughts exactly!
I’ve been so betrayed and disappointed by mainstream Republicans over the years – so of course I’ve looked for alternatives. Conservatives who actually mean what they say (unlike the scum running Congress right now).
But when I read alt-right types, I have exactly the same reaction – halfway through an article they toss in a racist or antisemitic turd as if it’s some kind of accepted truth. Then it’s back to the drawing board for me.
The hard-core libertarians at Reason can’t bring themselves to defend western civilization. The hard-core alt-right can’t defend it without getting ugly. Mainstream Republicans can’t do anything.
I am looking for the right words to describe the dreck I just read posted by Spencer Quinn. I guess I live in a naive world because I was unaware there were actual goblins out there spewing racism and trying to justify their evil point of view. There have been plenty of problems and this life stuff is always a work in process thing but here in Texas my experience has been live and let live and my life with plenty of ups and downs has been pretty good.
Now I am old and since I don’t have to go to work in the morning I would be more than happy to drive up to the Dallas area and stand with Kim and my wife and I support and adimire Israel as a nation. What a sorry world it would be if I could no longer have my Monday morning coffee with a retired pilot, a semi-retired black man, a retired conservative judge and his friend sitting next to him a retired liberal college music professor and a neat guy in his 50’s who works enough to support his sky-diving on the weekend.
Along the same lines and along the way to his white world Spencer Quinn want’s us conservatives to give up our ‘hispanic’ friends who make up a good deal of the population in my neighborhood with great families raising good kids and taking care of neighbors. I am supposed to dislike my friend who came from Mexico two decades ago, became an American, makes his home in San Antonio, and loaned me his pistol when mine malfunctioned shooting in a steel competition Saturday morning.
Last thing, I think our Western Civilization owes so very much to the Judeo part of the Judeo-Christian teaching of good and evil and the relationship of people to one another and in my case, to the Lord and I know not all agree with that and the road has been rough getting here and there is no reason to ever expect it to be smooth in the future.
Anyway I don’t color code my friends and I would appreciate people not wanting to mess with any of them just because they are different. I guess that’s enough to say about that.
Joseph
OldTexan
Hill Country of Texas
One thing the alt-right doesn’t seem to recognize is that their anti-Semitism and anti-black racism is making the same basic mistake that the Marxists make – defining a philosophy based on collectivism that doesn’t recognize individuals and individual differences. Sure, studies indicate that in general blacks are not as smart as whites, and Ashkenazi Jews are the smartest people in the world. That doesn’t mean that any particular black is dumb, or that any particular Jew is smart. Any political movement that doesn’t recognize the individual, and tries to bury them in the collective, is abhorrent.
This is largely true, but I think it goes a step farther. While communists and radical libertarians have reduced mankind to an economic entity and no more. The Alt types have reduced them to a cultural entity and no more (and with that culture being an unalterable by-product of one’s skin color / etc…) Either path is folly.
We are complex, economic, cultural, social, intellectual, changing and practical beings. Any concept which tries to pigeon hole us into one spot is worthless. In the end, the Alt-right is the more like the counter New-left – and it leads down the same dead end alley.
So, what you are saying is that they don’t recognize all the ice cream mixed into the dogshit?
I would say that both the Ctrl-Left and the Alt-Right just argue over what flavor of icecream should be mixed with the dog crap. The Left wants more chocolate, and the Right wants vanilla.
I’m still not convinced the so called alt-right thing isn’t a construct of the left to discredit all conservatives. It took them awhile to tea bag the tea party, alt-right is ready made for painting all conservatives as bigots. I guess they’re tired of waiting for a real conservative to do something horrific, although they seem to claim it immediately after each indecent only to be proven wrong time and time again. If they were smarter their Machiavellian conspiracies might be dangerous. Luckily they’re not.
I’m getting rather sick of all the hysterical blather though. Common sense, we need more of it, a lot more.
The Alt-Right is basically re-branded Leftist collectivism.
Sure, they say outrageous politically correct things, but the end goal is the same- absolute power to the state.
My war is with culture, not race. I don’t care what flavor you are. If you embrace traditional Western values, Welcome aboard. I am disturbed by the alt-right, therefore, and cannot accept them as allies.
Note that during the Spanish Civil War, the Anarchist and Libertarians allied themselves with the Communist to defend the government, and the Communist pretty much took over.
A Correction?
“…Even an idiot like Maxine Waters, despite being a socialist to her core, has not advocated racial violence and anti-White terrorism (so far)…”
Hard to square with her gleefulness in describing the Rodney King Riots as a “Rebellion”; but, that just may have been confirmation of her idiocy.
Question asked, and answered. You have to balance rhetoric with actions.
Technically speaking the jury acquittal of the murderous bastard OJ Simpson was an actual rebellion.
Thoughts in a similar vein:
https://fredoneverything.org/notes-for-a-white-kid-in-universityan-introduction-to-the-blindingly-obvious/
Ironically, for all the Alt-White praise of the Nordic races, the Nordics are more socialist, collectivist, pro-Social Justice, and actively working towards a Leftist run One World Government than the Jews they accuse of conspiracy.
Likewise, the Anglo-Saxons have embraced SJW nanny state socialism with a vengeance- check out the white ghettos of London or Glasgow for a good example of how the dole ruins people of any race or culture.
In regards to the Jewish question- note which side in WWII was able to develop the nuclear reactor and the atomic bomb, plus many other actually useful weapons, thanks to “Jewish physics”.
And that brings up an interesting point about any form of collectivism, from classism, to racism, to Marxism: by ranking individuals based on membership in the collective, you will utterly cut yourself off from genius because it didn’t originate from the right group. It wasn’t the elite Anglo-Saxon British General Staff that broke the deadlock of WWI, but a low born Canadian and an Aussie Jew, to use just one of numerous examples.
As you may have noticed, I really don’t like these people. That’s because I don’t like Statist. I don’t care if it’s a “Right” Statist, or a Left Statist- do you really care if it’s the left or right boot stamping on your face?
Well Kim, I agree with all that, but there’s a few pieces of dog shit in your ice cream too. You wouldn’t notice, so much, because of your age and upbringing. For me, I am smack dab between the Boomers and Gen X and I can see both generational perspectives equally well. You make a lot of valid points.
A lot of these virulent alt-right racists and anti-semites are kids or younger men. They are the ones being left behind by the Snowflake generation and their enablers, and they are the young men that have refused to be pussified despite state sponsored efforts to figuratively castrate and indoctrinate them. Whenever some crybully trips over her shadow or her milk curdles – it’s always the fault of white men that are expected to fall over themselves to apologize and haul out their wallets to start peeling off bills – until the crying and accusation stops. Ditto for every race whoring Dindu. They can’t get good jobs they are qualified for because a vibrant and diverse workplace is more important than a productive and qualified one. They get shat on in the workplace if they are lucky enough to even get a job, and the ones playing video games in the parents’ basement get it again in spades for being lazy, supposedly unemployable and being unambitious.
Because of feral feminism, approx. 50% of their girls are certifiably bat-shit insane. 25% of American women are on anti-depressants. If a young man makes the mistake of marrying one their lives are pretty much over as they will be lawyered into penury later on in divorce court. A large majority of them were raised in single parent homes by their mothers after they replaced their husbands with alimony and gubbermint cheques. They can’t grow up because they have no proper role models to emulate, and no opportunities to assume leadership roles. Unless you understand these younger Alt Right types – you can’t hope to deal with them. They have legitimate beefs, and they were ignored on the soap box. Trump is where he is because they went to the ballot box. I personally do not like where this is headed myself. These kids ARE mean and ugly and us old farts stood around and picked our noses while progs and liberals made them that way. Look at the shit storm you ignited just by noticing the truth in your articles about pussification and letting Africa sink. Can you imagine having your enemies as fathers, teachers, and leaders, Kim? And having to defer to them and live by their decisions?
Ideologically I find myself right in between you and your targets. I won’t oppose them because they will never have the opportunities that you and us old farts had, and in all probability they will inherit a big fat depression and sporadic race wars they had no hand in creating. This could break any number of ways and could put any of us at odds. I dunno which way I will shoot when the time comes – because I think it most certainly will – and if we find ourselves at odds I will thank you to keep your aim and marksmanship true. 😉
Kim, I have to agree with Ferguson Rifleman. The anti-semitism of many on the Alt-Right I find obnoxious, but the fundamental belief that American civic nationalism has failed…unfortunately, they can make a case that it has. Many people identify first with a racial, ethnic, or sexual group first, Americans a distant second if at all. And they ALL want my money, my freedom, my dignity, or all the above. Usually the latter.
Under those conditions, I can’t be too harsh on people who think the only remaining option is to trade an unshared civic loyalty for an ethnic loyalty. My fear is that neither side has any idea what the butcher’s bill for Civil War II will really be.
The left has been trying for a century to run its Marxist class warfare scam on Americans and always failed. They failed because Americans detest classes. We “were” taught that as Americans we could become anything we wanted to be if we were willing to put in the time and effort, and the biggest impediment to climbing the social/economic ladder is ourselves. We have refused to become divided into classes. Ethnic groups jumped into the melting pot and over a generation became Americans first, tribe second, as it was with the Irish, Germans, Italians, and in my family case, the Finnish/Swedes.
Its a recent phenomenon that they have used cultural equivalence studies, gender studies, and social justice studies to finally get some traction in dividing Americans into classes. All so they can once again run the Marxist “other is to blame for your oppression” scam, and the solution is always more government control.
Jumping in on Forrest point above, the Alt-Right is just an edgy attempt to sell Leftist mindset to the Right. They want us to embrace the victim mentality, group identity, and a collectivist mindset based on unchangeable birth factors.
Because if they can get you to think that you are a hapless victim because of your group identity, you will then happily embrace the totalitarian state as the solution to your problems.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and disagree with something Kim wrote:
“My common ground with the alt-Right is this: like them, I think that Western civilization and culture is the greatest thing that ever occurred to mankind.”
I know that’s true for you, Kim, but I don’t think it’s in essence true for the alt-Right. They hold a childish attitude, and it is a fatal one for Western civilization: They think that they get to make the rules for Western civilization. They don’t. They like to assume politically incorrect attitudes, but if they have a philosophy beyond a collection of attitudes it is not Western civilization.
Lincoln saw it perfectly: “Dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
The Declaration didn’t instantaneously transform human nature. It said: This is the standard. America is about striving to get there. Western civilization is about striving to get there.
Lincoln was right about this, too:
“If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove; and that He gives to both north and south this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope — fervently do we pray — that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
I read that address as placing the responsibility for slavery on the whole country, not just the South. To me, the alt-Right is attempting, just as the South did, to abandon that responsibility and reframe evil as a virtue.
I know you’re an atheist, Kim, but I suspect that you agree that Lincoln was right in seeing that there is a price to be paid for bad decisions, for abandoning virtue.
Going down that pathe, you might start out with small things, get a kick out of violating taboos. In That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis points out that this can be a brainwashing:
“On the floor lay a large crucifix, almost life-size, a work of art in the Spanish tradition, ghastly and realistic. “We have half an hour to pursue our exercises,” said Frost, looking at his watch. Then he instructed Mark to trample on it and insult it in other ways.
Now, whereas Jane had abandoned Christianity in early childhood, along with her belief in fairies and Santa Claus, Mark had never believed in it at all. At this moment, therefore, it crossed his mind for the very first time that there might conceivably be something in it. Frost, who was watching him carefully, knew perfectly well that this might be the result of the present experiment. He knew it for the very good reason that his own training by the Macrobes had, at one point, suggested the same odd idea to himself. But he had no choice. Whether he wished it or not, this sort of thing was part of the initiation.
“But, look here,” said Mark.
“What is it?” said Frost. “Pray be quick. We have only a limited time at our disposal.”
“This,” said Mark, pointing with an undefined reluctance to the horrible white figure on the cross, “this is all surely a pure superstition.”
“Well?”
“Well, if so, what is their objective about stamping on the face? Isn’t it just as subjective to spit on a thing like this as to worship it? I mean–damn it all–if it’s only a bit of wood, why do anything about it?”
“That is superficial. If you had been brought up in a non-Christian society, you would not be asked to do this. Of course it is a superstition: but it is that particular superstition which has pressed upon our society for a great many centuries. It can be experimentally shown that it still forms a dominant system in the subconscious of many individuals whose conscious thought appears to be wholly liberated. An explicit action in the reverse direction is therefore a necessary step towards complete objectivity.”
Some taboos are there because violating them really does undermine civilization. Abhorring antisemitism – however that abhorrence may have been exploited – is one of those; abandoning “all men are created equal” is another.
With you 100% Kim. Now my only real exposure to the so-called “alt-right” comes from Taki’s Mag and from what I’ve seen, most of the crazy antisemitism comes from the trolls in the comment sections, not the columnists themselves. They’re quite good at name-calling and gratuitous insults and with all that they come across more as angry teenagers than serious commentators.
As far as why they need to construct some shadowy conspiracy, I’d recommend a book called “Voodoo Histories”, https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=voodoo+histories+the+role+of+conspiracy+theory+in+modern+history&sprefix=voodoo+histories%2Caps%2C250&crid=1W0UY8UNK71T2
Thanks for writing this. “No matter how appealing that quart of vanilla ice cream looks, there’s always that tablespoon of dog shit mixed in that turns you off.” Exactly, and it’s the problem that I have with capital-L Libertarians too. I’m going to use it. 😉
I used to be a Libertarian. Then I grew up. 😉
Splendid Isolation indeed. Young white men today certainly won’t be enjoying any splendid isolation as they grow older. They’ll be lucky if they can find any isolation at all, splendid or not. And they won’t be staring vacantly off into space, their backs turned on a world they would rather ignore, choosing not to look at what they don’t want to see. No, reality will get in their face and force itself into their space, like it or not. Nor will they be getting any ice cream, shit-topped or not. They’ll be getting a full shit sandwich, courtesy of a system their fathers and grandfathers have either supported, acquiesced in, or “opposed” with little more than impotent whining. And if you want to know who they really hate, it’s not blacks or even Jews, but smug, clueless boomers who claim to be fighting for truth and justice, for Western Civilization and against liberalism, but who reserve their utmost condemnation for the only movement that speaks for them and their interests. And I say that as a boomer myself. If you want to argue against the Alt-Right, you should deal with the actual positions they hold and arguments they make, rather than with the strawman caricature you’ve constructed only to demolish. Countercurrents and the writings of Greg Johnson are a good place to start.