Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump

It's surprising how far back Neiwert starts this book, but it makes sense. Movements built on eliminationism, misogyny and racism have been around for a long time. In this context, Neiwert is able to illustrate that extreme right-wing movements have always helped skew American political discourse and theory towards extremism even as the fringe championing it was publicly denounced.

What you have as a result is more of a historical look at the ingredients that constructed and fueled the rise of the Alt-Right and it makes Neiwert's analysis far more useful and interesting than shallower reads such as Angela Nagle's Kill all Normies. The "this" of the proverbial rant against pro-Trump/Fascist political forces is not just a sudden show more radicalization or disaffection of the right. Neiwert gives you two big tools: history and analysis of authoritarian psychology to explain the appeal that extermination, hatred of women and fear of minorities will always hold in a country where the right-wing traditionally absorbs such sentiment as almost normative. show less

Utterly horrifying, shocking and disgusting this book is as necessary to read as it is difficult to stomach. David Neiwert, a journalist who has had the unenviable task of researching and reporting on American racist and right wing extremist groups for decades, brings his vast experience and knowledge to bear on the dangerous phenomenon of the “Alt-Right”. As exhausting and infuriating as it is to read about the numerous hate groups that have formed in America it is also crucial to understanding the apparently spontaneous mobs of Tiki Torch wielding racists we all witnessed in Charlottesville in August of 2017. What seemed like an out of the blue explosion of hate and vitriol really had its roots in various right wing, show more anti-government minded organizations from the 80’s and 90’s. These groups, long exiled to the fringes of society and awareness have shown a disturbing resurgence and shift to the mainstream in the wake of innovations like the internet and social media and, of course, the incendiary, hateful presidential campaign of Donald Trump. While I do disagree with one claim the author makes in his conclusion, that empathy and understanding are our most potent and essential tools to stand against the rising tide of MAGA hatted, pepe idolizing young neo Nazis (and I only disagree because I think it downplays the imminent physical danger these groups pose, especially to minorities and women), this book is an indispensable history of and treatise on this terrifying and newest wave of hate plaguing our country. show less

I wish Alt-America were fiction, I would like it so much better if it were telling the story of what happened in another multi-verse, but it’s all terribly true and so it is depressing. However, if we want a just and decent society, we have to look at reality no matter how sad, depressing, and frightening it may be.

David Neiwert has spent decades reporting on rising extremism on the right. When the rhetoric of talk radio became increasingly violent, he coined the term eliminationist to avoid calling them fascist since many of them were not fascists in ideology, just using fascistic communication styles and means. In this book, he notes that the various movements among the right have coalesced into the alt-right, weaving together true show more fascists and neo-nazis with white nationalists, misogynists, racists, and dominion theologists into a movement that threatens democracy and our system of pluralistic government.

Since I follow the news and Neiwert’s blog closely, many of the events in this book were familiar, but even for me, there were many eye-opening things. Of particular interest for me was how the media narrative often erases the political motivation of mass killers. Even when they have political tracts, books, and their own manifesto, if they are white, they are often reported as troubled and singular, their motives found in mental illness rather than in response to stochastic violent incitement. When Sarah Palin tweeted, “Don’t retreat, RELOAD” she was playing with fire and she knew it, she was appealing to those who applauded Michael Douglas in Falling Down and make millions for vigilante films.

I think Alt-America is an important book, but dang, is it depressing. The alt-right is coalescing several different extremist movements united by a sense of grievance, a taste for violence, and a love of authoritarianism. They are gaining power.

I wish there were more information on how to combat the alt-right and rising extremism. Neiwert is right that conversations are where we must start and includes some advice on how to start and what to avoid. This is useful.

What disappointed me was his acceptance of caricatures of liberals that are generated from the right, you know the elitist latte-drinking, merlot-sipping elites who despise the ignorant hayseeds. I know they exist. They are called the Real Housewives and some of them are Republicans, too. But demographically, conservatives are whiter and wealthier than liberals. So who is more likely to be elitist? He also talks about the neglect of rural areas, though the Democratic Platform was full of programs to help rural America and one of the first things slated for cuts from Trump’s budget is the subsidy for high-speed internet in rural America.

I also would like to know what he thinks about the philosophical dilemma of tolerating the intolerant. When does speech go from protected first amendment speech to unprotected yelling fire in a theater speech? Are universities obligated to give a platform to hate speech? After Richard Spencer’s recent speech in FL, three men fired at protesters. Can the argument be made denying him a platform because he is dangerous?

Nonetheless, these are minor flaws in a strong and important history that everyone needs to read. Neiwert is scrupulous about using the terms Nazi and fascist, but when reading this book, I could not help thinking that the Nazis did not start out with concentration camps, they started out with firing teachers.

I was provided an e-galley of Alt-America by the publisher through NetGalley

Alt-America at Verso Books
David Neiwert Author Site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/9781786634238/ show less

Neiwert explores how the American far-right has been growing since the 1990's and how that growth and influence has been accelerated by the presidency of Donald J. Trump. It's useful for insights into the nature of such groups, but the analysis is marred by the shrill leftist partisanship of the author. That said, it's a good overview of "alt-right" networks, personalities, and history. As a thumbnail sketch of a social movement, I'd recommend it. I'm far less likely to recommend some of the progressive assumptions that form key vectors of Neiwert's reasoning, such as his endorsement of the notion that all forms of discrimination are equivalent.

I am stupefied at the level of participation in the Trump campaign from across the country by militias, white nationalists, and christian identity groups! I knew it was bad, but certainly not to the extent the author has revealed. A scary but excellent read.

Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump by David Neiwert is a book I requested from NetGalley and the book's publishers and the review is voluntary. I want to thank them for the chance to read this great book. This book shows the reader that although the 'Alt-Right' seems to have popped right up out of thin air, it has been around for a long time. This takes you back to the the 1990's and follows many of the extremist as the movement grows. Many I have forgotten for a reason, and some I just didn't know that much about at all.

There was one paragraph that sums up the whole book for me :
"Ladies and Gentlemen: In Amercian public life there is an alternative dimension, a mental space beyond fact or logic, where the show more rules of evidence are replaced by paranoia. Welcome to Alternative America---Alt-America, for short."

It goes on to list what Alt-America believes such as... Obama not an American citizen, a Muslim who is a terrorist and with Clinton is part of the New World Order to impose global government.
Global Climate Change is a hoax.
These same global elites want to gut the second amendment to take all the guns away.
Our current government is really illegal.
Prejudice and oppression against white people now is greater than ever.
Minorities, especially blacks and illegal immigrants are sucking up taxpayers dollars through welfare programs while homeless veterans go hungry.
Illegal immigrants, especially Latinos, are in with liberals and Democrats to overwhelm the country with welfare-dependent parasites to vote liberal agenda.

You have to be so stupid or so racist to believe any of this nonsense! But, Trump got elected and the weak majority in Congress are doing his bidding. What a shame for the once mighty America. Taken down by a bunch of fools! May the 2018 elections bring some sanity to the country if Mueller hasn't restored order by then! Wonderful book to remind us of what happened and why. show less

Neiwert provides a catalog of the many and diverse extreme right-wing groups active in contemporary America. The result is frightening. Telling their stories and reviewing the events that they have been associated with helps the reader understand today's news articles mentioning these figures. The book's main weakness is that it does not provide any quantitative information about how big each of these groups actually are or explain how they are funded.