Alt-America

Book by David Neiwert about American right-wing movements

Alt-America

Author| David Neiwert
Subject| alt-right
Genre| political analysis
Published| 2017
Publisher| Verso Books
Pages| 456
ISBN| 978-1-78663-423-8

Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump is a 2017 nonfiction book by investigative journalist David Neiwert in which provides an account of how disparate but interrelated elements of American culture ranging from the Birther movement to Gamergate to the militia movement came together to elect Donald Trump and create the alt-right.[1]

## Summary

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Unlike some other analyses of the alt-right, such as George Hawley's more narrowly focused How to Make Sense of the Alt-Right, Neiwert provides his analysis from a broad vantage point. Neiwert walks through a wide variety of cultural movements and subcultures on the right, exploring how they connect, how they affect each other, and how they interpret the outside world.[1]

Beginning with the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Neiwert examines the rise of the survivalist and militia movements during this time. He investigates the manner by which the New World Order conspiracy theory and the white supremacist movement during the Civil Rights era presaged these new growths during the Clinton administration. The federal marshal siege at Ruby Ridge and the siege at Waco siege of the Branch Davidians further radicalized the militia movement. During the Presidency of George W. Bush, the militia movement declined in prominence, but the 9/11 Truth movement grew. Following the election of Barack Obama and during his subsequent presidency, the level of far-right terror attacks rose again and federal stand-offs returned. During this time, the right-wing media ecosystem changed dramatically, impacted by the emergence of Breitbart, the alignment of Fox News with the Tea Party movement, led by Glenn Beck, and the rise of Richard B. Spencer on the far right of the party. Neiwert ties these movements together to explain the rise of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.[2]

Neiwert is largely unconvinced by the economic explanations for Trump's victory. Rather, he argues, the collision of cultural factors on the right led to the success of the candidate.[2]

## Reception

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The Washington Post highlights how Neiwert goes beyond particular conservative schisms of online subcultures to try to paint a picture of how the different facets of the alt-right, the right wing, and conspiracy theorists connect to create new dynamics and American modes of behavior. Though the Post argues that Neiwert's "analysis can be too broad," it concludes by noting that it "draws some intriguing connections" that cannot be found in a more limited work.[1]

The International Socialist Review (ISR) describes the book as a fully comprehensive "narrative encyclopedia" that provides a fully-developed, highly methodical view of the history that keeps the reader engaged through its "dramatic" tone. Though the ISR finds "Neiwert’s prescriptions for defeating the alt-right... disappointing—a focus on human empathy in talking with others, nonviolent protest, and the use of the ballot box", it comes to the conclusion that book serves as "an excellent and necessary guide".[3]

Kirkus Reviews called the book "A prescient discussion of one of the darkest issues facing America today."[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Lozada, Carlos (3 November 2017). "Where the alt-right wants to take America — with or without Trump". The Washington Post.
2. ^ a b Edgar, David (23 November 2017). "Alt-America and English Uprising review – Trump, Brexit and the far right". The Guardian.
3. ^ Strauss, Matthew E. (Fall 2018). "A primer on the US alt-right". International Socialist Review.
4. ^ "Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump by David Neiwert". Kirkus Reviews. August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2022.

* v
* t
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Alt-right

Ideas|

| Core|

* American Nationalism
* Antifeminism
* Fourteen Words
* Ghost skin
* White ethnostate
* White nationalism
* White supremacy

|

Conspiracy
theories|

* Cultural Marxism
* Eurabia
* George Soros
* Great Replacement
* Homosexual agenda
* Kalergi Plan
* Murder of Seth Rich
* New World Order
* Pizzagate
* White genocide
* Zionist Occupation Government

Related|

* Alt-lite
* Alt-right pipeline
* Boogaloo movement
* Christian Identity
* DezNat
* Identitarian movement
* Incel
* Kinism
* Manosphere
* Men Going Their Own Way
* Neo-Confederates
* Neo-fascism
* Neo-nationalism
* Neo-Nazism
* Nouvelle Droite
* Paleoconservatism
* Paleolibertarianism
* QAnon
* Radical right
* Reactionary
* Dark Enlightenment
* Third Position
* Ultraconservatism

Online
culture|

| Alt-tech|

* 4chan
* /pol/
* 8chan
* BitChute
* Epik
* Gab
* Gettr
* Minds
* Parler
* Terrorgram
* Truth Social
* Voat (defunct)

|

Websites|

* American Renaissance
* Breitbart News
* The Daily Stormer
* Infowars
* Kingdom Identity Ministries
* Kuruc.info
* Metapedia
* Occidental Observer
* The Occidental Quarterly
* Rebel News
* Red Ice
* Reddit (r/The_Donald)
* The Right Stuff
* StoneToss
* Stormfront
* TruNews
* Vanguard News Network
* VDARE
* WorldNetDaily

Memes|

* "Basket of deplorables"
* "Beta male"
* "Cuckservative"
* Fashwave
* Happy Merchant
* "It's okay to be white"
* Moon Man
* NPC
* OK gesture
* "Owning the libs"
* Pepe the Frog
* "Red pill and blue pill"
* Right Wing Death Squad
* "Remove Kebab"
* "Shadilay"
* "Snowflake"
* "Social justice warrior"
* Trash Doves
* Triple parentheses
* Undercut

Groups|

* AltRight Corporation
* American Freedom Party
* Anti-Communist Action
* The Base
* Deplorable Pride
* Diagolon
* Groypers
* Hundred-Handers
* Identity Evropa (defunct)
* Les Identitaires
* National Policy Institute
* Patriot Front
* Patriot Prayer
* Proud Boys
* Rise Above Movement
* Traditionalist Worker Party (defunct)
* Vanguard America
* Washington Summit Publishers

Events|

| Incidents|

* Berkeley protests
* Comicsgate
* DeploraBall
* End Domestic Terrorism rally
* Gamergate
* Macron e-mail leaks
* Unite the Right rally
* Unite the Right 2

|

Attacks|

* Assault of DeAndre Harris
* Charlottesville car attack
* Christchurch mosque shootings
* Murder of Blaze Bernstein
* Murder of Timothy Caughman
* Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
* Portland train attack

Lists|

* Timeline of activities involving the Proud Boys

People|

* James Allsup
* Andrew Anglin
* Andrew "weev" Auernheimer
* Steve Bannon
* Theodore "Vox Day" Beale
* Carl "Sargon of Akkad" Benjamin
* Owen Benjamin
* Peter Brimelow
* Christopher Cantwell
* Mike Cernovich
* Alain de Benoist
* John Derbyshire
* Jack Donovan
* David Duke
* Mike Enoch
* Guillaume Faye
* Haakon Forwald
* Daniel Friberg
* Nick Fuentes
* Jean-François Gariépy
* Ben Garrison
* Austin "Augustus Sol Invictus" Gillespie
* Tim "Baked Alaska" Gionet
* Jim Goad
* Faith Goldy
* Paul Gottfried
* Matthew Heimbach
* Michael A. Hoffman II
* Sam Hyde
* Dillon Irizarry
* Charles C. Johnson
* Greg Johnson
* William Daniel Johnson
* Alex Jones
* Jason Jorjani
* Ruuben Kaalep
* Tom Kawcyznski
* Jason Kessler
* Douglas Murray
* Steve King
* Elliott Kline
* Nick Land
* Lana Lokteff
* Laura Loomer
* Norman Lowell
* Kevin MacDonald
* Jeremy MacKenzie
* Stephen McNallen
* Merlin Miller
* Stephen Miller
* Stefan Molyneux
* Paul Nehlen
* Paul "GypsyCrusader" Nicholas Miller
* Ethan Nordean
* Jack Posobiec
* Bronze Age Pervert
* Paul Ray Ramsey
* William Regnery II
* Colin "Millennial Woes" Robertson
* Thomas Rousseau
* Steve Sailer
* Martin Sellner
* Lauren Southern
* Richard B. Spencer
* Brett Stevens
* Jared Taylor
* Tila Tequila
* Daryush "Roosh V" Valizadeh
* Paul Joseph Watson
* Lucian Wintrich
* Curtis Yarvin
* Milo Yiannopoulos

Opposition
and
criticism|

| People|

* Antifa
* Steven "Destiny" Bonnell II
* Ian "Vaush" Kochinski
* Harry "Hbomberguy" Brewis
* Ian "Innuendo Studios" Danskin
* Robert Evans
* Emily Gorcenski
* Daryle Lamont Jenkins
* Angela Nagle
* David Neiwert
* Shaun
* Abigail "Philosophy Tube" Thorn
* Natalie "ContraPoints" Wynn
* Donna Zuckerberg

|

Media|

* Alt-America
* Angry Goy II
* Culture Warlords
* Devil's Bargain
* Feels Good Man
* I Don't Speak German
* It Came from Something Awful
* Kill All Normies
* Knowledge Fight
* White Right: Meeting the Enemy

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