Elle Reeve

It shouldn’t escape your notice that the modern white “supremacy” movement began with a bunch of friendless virgins posting anonymously on an internet message board. But I suppose that’s what you’d expect; individuals of little personal merit living vicariously through the perceived superiority of a largely invented in-group, of which they only very superficially belong.

White supremacy is a nasty, anti-intellectual ideology. It holds up to neither moral nor logical scrutiny. The show more fact that, for example, something like IQ varies more within a race than between races—along with the corollary that it is never wise to judge an individual by group averages—is enough to dispel the myth. Not to mention that cultural diversity drives innovation, and that all humans, despite cosmetic differences, are, basically, genetically indistinguishable.

But this begs the question: Why are there any white supremacists at all, if the arguments in its favor are so poor or distasteful? The answer, as this book spells out quite clearly, is twofold: mental illness and hate.

Journalist Elle Reeve, who covered the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has first-hand experience interviewing self-described white supremacists. In this book you’ll hear directly from the alt-right’s most prominent leaders, including Richard Spencer, Matthew Heimbach, Matt Parott, Christopher Cantwell, and more.

What’s interesting is that these characters—allowed to speak for themselves—do more harm to their own reputations than any adversary could ever hope to accomplish. These are hateful, ignorant, and in many cases, mentally ill individuals. Narcissism, particularly, seems to be a common denominator.

And this makes sense. Narcissists are destructive. We’ve all known, either personally or through others, the trauma involved in forming a relationship with a narcissist. But what happens when narcissists decide to become politically active? Answer: the alt-right.

Now, instead of destroying a single life, the political narcissist can black pill hundreds and thousands of individuals into thinking the world is hopeless and that the best course of action is to tear everything down. This is a narcissist’s dream-come-true: total chaos spread at the highest levels of society.

And that should make anyone think twice before connecting with this crowd. Read this book, get nauseated, and resist being identified with any movement or politician that is even tangentially associated with these destructive bigots. show less

A harrowing and chilling account of how the alt-right evolved from a fringe movement of losers on 4Chan posting stupid memes in 2013 to motivating mass shootings, Charlottesville, QAnon, Jan 6, and foreshadowed the current situation.
Along the ways, ideas once deemed shocking or too toxic for all but the most extreme fringes of society are now being espoused from the White House and Congress. Reeve meticulously charts this terrifying transformation, with insight gleaned through a decade of show more fearless embedded reporting.

Required reading for anyone shocked or scared about what's going on right now. The author also does an excellent job with the audiobook narration, her first person accounts of interacting and interviewing some of the worst people to exist are delivered calmly and objectively, fortified by a subtle yet deep undercurrent of loathing and moral outrage. Journalism at its finest, worthy of many awards. show less

[3.5] This enlightening analysis of how the digital age has helped fuel the alt right movement relies heavily on Reeve’s in-the-trenches reporting and revealing interviews with some key players.

“Black Pill” is impressive investigative reporting. I agree with some who suggest that the work would have been further strengthened had the author explored the historical links between the rise of white nationalism in earlier eras and the contemporary movements that have flourished in “the show more darkest corners of the internet.”

Readers who have at least tenuously followed these controversies will likely derive the most insights from Reeve’s deep-dive. Those who are unfamiliar with some specific incidents or the lingo might find “Black Pill” a bit disjointed or confusing in spots. show less

Illuminating discussion of the types of men and women who are attracted to QAnon, 8Chan perspectives, by a reporter with Vice in the run-up to Charlotte during Trump's first term. Very interesting, and deeply depressing. That said, the insights about personality types associated with movements like these might show one path to better managing disaffected segments of the population.