This book is a vital guide to understanding the racist, misogynist, far-right movement that rose to prominence during Donald Trump’s successful election campaign. To some, the movement appears to have burst out of nowhere, but journalist Mike Wendling has been tracking the Alt-Right for years. He reveals the role of technological utopians, reactionary philosophers, the notorious 4chan bulletin boards, and a range of bloggers, vloggers and tweeters, and the extreme ideas they attempt to popularize. Analyzing what the Alt-Right stands for, based upon interviews with movement leaders and foot soldiers, Wendling provides evidence linking extremists with terror attacks and hate crimes. Ultimately the book argues that, despite its high profile support, the movement’s contradictory tendencies will lead to its downfall.
About the Author
Mike Wendling is a Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC. He works in the BBC’s Digital Current Affairs department, where he is a blogger and editor of BBC Trending. He produced the BBC radio series America’s Own Extremists. He has also presented documentaries for Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on Native Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement.
What People Are Saying
“Wendling is perhaps the ideal journalist for the task of deconstructing the alt-right’s delusional, hate-driven politics and inscrutable codewords.” - Winnipeg Free Press; “An important guide to one of the most disturbing political developments of our time.” - New York Times
Table of Contents
Introduction: Is it OK to Punch a Nazi?
The Intellectuals
The Racialists
The Channers
The Meninists
Language
Media
Neo-Nazis
Ordinary Guys
Conspiracy Theorists
The Violent Fringe
The White House
Downfall