Here's the deal as far as I'm concerned:
I don't know much about the "alt right." However, from the get go, fantome, I see an issue with objectivity because as I stated earlier, just because a fringe group (you quoted "The Daily Stormer" which is definitely a fringe group) self identifies as part of a group, doesn't mean that the group itself is an embodiment of the fringe group's ideology. After all, radical Islamist terrorists self identify as Muslim - are they representative of the majority of Muslims? Westboro Baptists self identify as Baptists and Christians - are they representative of the majority of Baptists/Christians?
Secondly, I'll use a quote from your source: "Richard Spencer, publisher of AlternativeRight.com, describes the Alt-Right as essentially “trying to build a philosophy, an ideology around identity, European identity.”
The issue I have with this quote supposedly being representative of racist ideology, is that apparently it's OK for ideologies and movements and groups - seen as legitimate and good and even necessary - to be built around, for instance, African identity, or Hispanic identity, or Asian identity, or (fill in the blank). But it's racist if the ideology is built around European identity? I see a lot of inconsistency in that stance.
For instance, I am overwhelmingly northern European genetically (98 percent according to my DNA test - which was frankly a surprise to me because our family tree and family lore is full of Indian princesses and Jewish refugees). And believe it or not, even before I knew I was the whitest person I had ever met, I was very, very interested in and drawn to all things Northern European, especially from the British Isles. I love British and Scottish history and culture. In fact, I celebrate it. It resonates deep within the core of my being. It's all I can do to keep from scaring my neighbors by celebrating Guy Fawkes Day! Our family holidays are full of Northern European influences, on purpose - from a Yule log to poppers at each place setting. While I enjoy experiencing holidays and seasons and occasions from other cultures, I am not drawn to those cultures and am not particularly interested in incorporating those other traditions into my own personal life, other than as a courtesy to those of other ethnicities (in my case Hispanic or African American or Asian due to intermarriage in our family as well as living in Texas where non Hispanic white folks are the minority). For instance, last year we had a Panamanian Thanksgiving meal, which was great fun, and I enjoyed it, but I have no real interest in incorporating those traditions into future holidays. Of course, I would do so if my grandchildren, who are part Panamanian, wanted to - and I'd enjoy it, but frankly, I prefer my own northern European traditions. A few years ago we hosted an authentic Korean meal - oddly enough, we have several Korean family members (none of whom are directly related to each other by blood - it's an unexpected but fun aspect of our family). We had a lot of fun, and I hope we do it again some day because the food was delicious, but it didn't "speak to my soul."
In other words, while I enjoy experiencing other cultures, frankly I don't prefer them over my own personal cultural heritage (southern US and Northern European). If the truth be known, I prefer my own cultural traditions and values and norms. In fact, I love them. I want to see them carried on and passed down. I enjoy studying the history of my ancestors and passing on their traditions.
And I don't see how that's any different from a Hispanic person embracing their own family's history and traditions, or an African American person doing the same, etc, You get the picture. Is there something wrong with that?
I think we're seeing a push back by some people of European ancestry - who don't identify with "white guilt," and who are tired of their own culture and ancestry being categorized by some as offensive, or somehow shameful, or oppressive today somehow, or somehow racist simply because of genetics.
We are all human. Not a one of us has an ancestry devoid of less than honorable people, or devoid of people who may have been oppressive or racist or misled or violent or ignorant or (fill in the blank). But each and every one of us has an ancestry that is also filled with interesting and evocative people, places, things, and traditions. What's racist about embracing the good in our personal ancestry and its traditions?
Now - to clarify - I do not know much about the "alt right" movement and do not consider myself to be aligned with it. But I guess my question is this - why does this particular movement or ideology evoke such outrage among liberals when groups based on identifying with other ethnicities - groups which often disparage or denounce folks of European ancestry and those traditions - get a pass on the racist smack talk? I guess I just don't get the inconsistency.
