‘Nazis vs. Trumpkins: The Prom Tearing Apart the Alt-Right’

Daily Beast:

This cannibalization of what was once a united pro-Trump front is indicative of a larger fight going on within the movement. Self-described “Trumpists” who organized the event are defending Treadstone’s ban by saying they want to create an inclusive celebration—one which doesn’t host people who make anti-Semitic remarks. They don’t want another scenario like the recent alt-right gathering in Washington that made headlines for literal Nazi salutes. Meanwhile, figures in the alt-right, like the notorious white nationalist Richard Spencer, are defending Treadstone and calling Cernovich the “Alt-Light,” or ego-driven individuals who are more interested in furthering their personal brands than focusing on ideology.
Treadstone, who sports stringy dyed-blond hair and a beard, has changed up his brand more than once, with a storied and opportunistic career online as a supporter of Black Lives Matter, an aspiring rapper, and even a BuzzFeed employee. According to an organizer with MAGA-3X, he was also the previous manager of the bullying bleach-blond tantrum-starter Milo Yiannopoulos, who as The Daily Beast previously reported, was heading up a scam operation intended to give money to white underprivileged males. It’s unclear just exactly how or when Treadstone had a change of heart but he went on to work on a number of pro-Trump projects with MAGA-3X including, according to an organizer, putting together public “flash mobs.”

As the online spat simmered, Cernovich and Treadstone attempted to settle the score in the most civil way possible: dueling Periscopes. In a now-deleted live broadcast from Cernovich, he accused Treadstone of being a drug addict and called him a “disgruntled employee.” And Treadstone took control of the @MAGA3X Twitter account and called Cernovich a “major cuck.”
To add to this catty fight between what these respective parties are now referring to as the “Alt-Right” and the “Alt-Light,” Treadstone took major issue with the person who was invited to attend in his place: none other than Yiannopoulos himself.
In a tweet Monday night, Treadstone shared a screenshot of a purported text from Yiannopoulos in which the previous Breitbart employee appeared to be threatening him with legal action. Treadstone also shared a screenshot of an email which appears to show Yiannopoulos saying he would not attend the event unless he is the headliner…

These kinds of squabbles are typical of squishy revolutionaries, said Spencer, who has earned global condemnation for his hardline racist views.
“The ‘Alt-Light’ faces a major problem,” Spencer wrote in an email to The Daily Beast. “People like Mike Cernovich and Milo don’t have an ideology; they don’t even really have policies that you can point to. They are Trump fans, who are vaguely conservative and a bit neocon-ish. They don’t like feminists and SJWs (social justice warriors); in other words, they pick the low-hanging fruit.
“The Alt-Light has also hitched its wagon to ‘free speech,’” he continued. “The catch is, there’s clearly some free speech they don’t like, particularly regarding race and Jewish activism and influence. In order for the Alt-Light to maintain its current position—playing footsie with the real alt-right and playing footsie with establishment conservatives—they are going to have to engage in thought-policing and disavows.”

About Luke Ford

I've written five books (see Amazon.com). My work has been covered in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and on 60 Minutes. I teach Alexander Technique in Beverly Hills (Alexander90210.com).
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