Was interested when I saw the headline, but this article revealed little the Alt-Right hasn't publicly stated https://t.co/mLRArjcaxJ
— George Hawley (@georgehawleyUA) September 20, 2017
Homosexual Patrik Hermansson went undercover with the Alt Right for a year to aid the group Hope Not Hate and all his research so far has apparently revealed nothing we didn’t already know. He’s made no contribution.
It’s not as though I think that critics of the Alt Right have nothing to say. On the contrary, another homosexual wrote a penetrating critique of the Alt Right for Slate recently (Donna Minkowitz writes for Slate June 5, 2017). But Patrik Hermansson has so far proved to be unimpressive. He’s a bit of a drama queen and a shallow thinker.
Here are excerpts from his recent dialogue at NYTimes.com:
Robert Bruce: Fundamentally, all the alt-right stands for is the idea that ethnic Europeans have the same moral entitlement as every other people on earth: namely, a land of their own. They ask why it is that ethnic Europeans, uniquely, face a moral obligation to turn themselves into ethnic minorities and hope it all works out for their descendants. And, so far, no one has been able to answer that question.
PH: I’m afraid I fundamentally reject the premise of this question on several fronts. First, it’s based on the premise that ethnic groups have an “entitlement” to certain pieces of land. Ethnic groups have moved around the globe for millenniums so when exactly did this become static and certain ethnic groups became “entitled” to certain bits of the planet? Second, you state that Europeans “face a moral obligation to turn themselves into ethnic minorities.” Where is this the case? This is the sort of spurious demographic nonsense the alt-right uses all the time.
Norman: Why was it necessary to go undercover? Elle Reeve from Vice identified herself as a reporter to cover the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, and produced a dramatic documentary in which the alt-right participants were just as candid as they were with you.
PH: This is an important question and one that many have asked. The reason that Hope Not Hate uses undercover research and asks people like me to spend long periods inside far-right movements is not to just catch racist people saying racist things. Of course, in some cases far-right people and organizations cloak their true extremism and portray a more moderate image to the world to try to avoid criticism and gain new supporters. Going undercover allows us to expose this.
However, more important is understanding how a far-right movement operates, organizes and functions. This is invaluable for finding the most effective strategies for opposing and undermining them. I spent hundreds of hours with these people and came away with a real understanding of what drives their activism, the tactics they seek to use, and what they were planning to do. This allows Hope Not Hate to always be one step ahead, and to plan responses and opposition earlier than anyone else.
