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I know a few alt-right types in real life (one unfortunately being one of my roommates). They are absolutely as insufferable face to face as they are online. If

I know a few alt-right types in real life (one unfortunately being one of my roommates). They are absolutely as insufferable face to face as they are online. If anything I hate them more because I have direct confirmation that they are despicable people and not just trolls with poor taste.

DougN7 10y ago
There are despicable people in all groups - left, right and center. The trick is not to assume they're all the same, and stop listening to all of them. Most importantly, they'll never learn from you and perhaps change if they have to put their guard up when you're around. They don't realize the same is true for everyone that disagrees with them too.
- dabbledash 10y ago
  The problem with this idea ("you find jerks everywhere") is that it doesn't account for groups whose unifying ideologies make their members noxious. You might run into an unpleasant Lutheran or bird watcher or deficit hawk, but it's just a personality thing. A white nationalist is despicable by virtue of being a white nationalist. Of course, you're still right that the ability to look past that and try to communicate with people regardless is sometimes the only thing that can make a difference... https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/opinion/sunday/why-i-left-white-nationalism.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/opinion/sunday/why-i-left...
- kmicklas 10y ago
  Of course there are despicable people of all political stripes. There are no non-despicable white nationalists though, which is the difference I am pointing out.
  - DougN7 10y ago
    I'd bet most of them were raised that way and just don't have enough outside experience. I have two data points: 1. I worked with an otherwise very bright guy who thought I was insane for wanting to visit Western Europe, because they'd slit my throat for being American. And this was 10 years ago! He's lived a sheltered life but doesn't realize it, and get too much news from one source. 2. My grandmother, one of the sweetest people ever, warned me about "negroes" and staying away from them. She was just a product of her upbringing. Over the years (and after moving out of her small town), she very much changed. Not that many people really want to be evil. Some do, but not most. I find it's usually ignorance. Talking nicely with them is what changes them. I personally hold a belief, and someone from the opposite side of the issue has engaged with me. I ponder it quite a bit, and see their side more humanely than previously.
  - gydfi 10y ago
    Are you conflating "alt right" with "white nationalist"? If so you're either falling victim to, or participating in, a propaganda campaign designed to discredit all opposition by conflating it with its least savoury elements. You can't just go around calling everyone you don't like a "white nationalist", that's a term with a specific meaning. It's like saying "all leftists are communists".

DougN7 10y ago

There are despicable people in all groups - left, right and center. The trick is not to assume they're all the same, and stop listening to all of them. Most importantly, they'll never learn from you and perhaps change if they have to put their guard up when you're around. They don't realize the same is true for everyone that disagrees with them too.

dabbledash 10y ago
The problem with this idea ("you find jerks everywhere") is that it doesn't account for groups whose unifying ideologies make their members noxious. You might run into an unpleasant Lutheran or bird watcher or deficit hawk, but it's just a personality thing. A white nationalist is despicable by virtue of being a white nationalist. Of course, you're still right that the ability to look past that and try to communicate with people regardless is sometimes the only thing that can make a difference... https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/opinion/sunday/why-i-left-white-nationalism.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/opinion/sunday/why-i-left...
kmicklas 10y ago
Of course there are despicable people of all political stripes. There are no non-despicable white nationalists though, which is the difference I am pointing out.
- DougN7 10y ago
  I'd bet most of them were raised that way and just don't have enough outside experience. I have two data points: 1. I worked with an otherwise very bright guy who thought I was insane for wanting to visit Western Europe, because they'd slit my throat for being American. And this was 10 years ago! He's lived a sheltered life but doesn't realize it, and get too much news from one source. 2. My grandmother, one of the sweetest people ever, warned me about "negroes" and staying away from them. She was just a product of her upbringing. Over the years (and after moving out of her small town), she very much changed. Not that many people really want to be evil. Some do, but not most. I find it's usually ignorance. Talking nicely with them is what changes them. I personally hold a belief, and someone from the opposite side of the issue has engaged with me. I ponder it quite a bit, and see their side more humanely than previously.
- gydfi 10y ago
  Are you conflating "alt right" with "white nationalist"? If so you're either falling victim to, or participating in, a propaganda campaign designed to discredit all opposition by conflating it with its least savoury elements. You can't just go around calling everyone you don't like a "white nationalist", that's a term with a specific meaning. It's like saying "all leftists are communists".