4 ms·

I think worrying about the alt right is similar to worrying about antifa. Both seem to be fringe minority groups that get disproportionate amount of media atten

I think worrying about the alt right is similar to worrying about antifa. Both seem to be fringe minority groups that get disproportionate amount of media attention. I've never met anyone in real life who claimed to be alt right, or repeated alt right talking points.

api 7y ago
I've met a few and I run into them online a lot. It depends on your circles and where you live, but it's not nearly as small as you think.
luckydata 7y ago
You're lucky. There's a LOT of crypto fascists in this country.
- darkpuma 7y ago
  Are we talking a lot in relative terms or absolute terms? How many is a lot and how did we get these estimations?
  - lobotryas 7y ago
    That’s a good question, but a bit pointless. Usually when people say “crypto fascist” it’s just shorthand for “people whose opinions I find inconvenient or with whom I don’t agree”.
    - luckydata 7y ago
      I mean "people that can be bonafide described as fascists by any reasonable standard but are smart enough not to broadcast their horrifying beliefs in polite society" but sure, be cute with words, it's the right moment for that historically.
      - darkpuma 7y ago
        I am sure a fascist can hide in plain sight. But my currently unanswered question is how can you measure that? Is there any objective data here, or are we talking about our subjective perceptions of society?
wincy 7y ago
I live in Kansas City and the alt-right people definitely exist and I’ve had a long chat in person with at least one. It was even more bizarre because he was half Jewish and seemed really excited about an approaching race war, it was really shocking and scary to hear. It was also strange because he was convinced this coming race war would be fine for him because he “wasn’t raised Jewish”. For some reason I was convinced I could dissuade him, he stopped talking to me though. The vast majority of people I know, even the conservatives, are nothing like that though.

api 7y ago

I've met a few and I run into them online a lot. It depends on your circles and where you live, but it's not nearly as small as you think.

luckydata 7y ago

You're lucky. There's a LOT of crypto fascists in this country.

darkpuma 7y ago
Are we talking a lot in relative terms or absolute terms? How many is a lot and how did we get these estimations?
- lobotryas 7y ago
  That’s a good question, but a bit pointless. Usually when people say “crypto fascist” it’s just shorthand for “people whose opinions I find inconvenient or with whom I don’t agree”.
  - luckydata 7y ago
    I mean "people that can be bonafide described as fascists by any reasonable standard but are smart enough not to broadcast their horrifying beliefs in polite society" but sure, be cute with words, it's the right moment for that historically.
    - darkpuma 7y ago
      I am sure a fascist can hide in plain sight. But my currently unanswered question is how can you measure that? Is there any objective data here, or are we talking about our subjective perceptions of society?

wincy 7y ago

I live in Kansas City and the alt-right people definitely exist and I’ve had a long chat in person with at least one. It was even more bizarre because he was half Jewish and seemed really excited about an approaching race war, it was really shocking and scary to hear. It was also strange because he was convinced this coming race war would be fine for him because he “wasn’t raised Jewish”. For some reason I was convinced I could dissuade him, he stopped talking to me though. The vast majority of people I know, even the conservatives, are nothing like that though.