The Dissident Right: What is it and why should we care?

In my ongoing research on Antifascism and NeoFascism in the U.S., I have had contact with certain white identity Twitter accounts who are quite open about their beliefs. I decided I would monitor them for a bit just to get a feel for what they talk about, and in the network I follow, it’s pretty easy to detect the overriding ideology.

These are not the same people that “troll” or “meme” on chan boards. In fact, they present themselves as well read (although reading choices are selective) and consider themselves to be intellectuals, strategizers and gentle recruiters through information sharing.

Like-minded white nationalists sometimes label themselves “Right Dissidents” or part of the “Dissident Movement.” These dissidents seem to be what’s left of a discontented alt-right, former followers of Richard Spencer, which they now consider to have been a failed movement. For his part, Spencer dismisses the dissident right as not much more than a trollish spectacle of edgy conservatives.

Within this loosely knit ideology, President Donald Trump is considered to be a complete and utter disappointment, having promised to deport all illegal immigrants. In addition, they find his friendliness with Israel to be extremely troublesome. They view Trump supporters as potential recruits and would certainly like to have them on their team, but Trump supporters are not part of the “Dissident Movement.” Generally, they consider Trump supporters to be old-fashioned, hard-working and good and honest conservatives–but not dissidents.

Similary, this “movement” disdains the GOP as they assert it will facilitate a Non-White USA if a high skill immigration policy is put into place. Why? Because, according to the “dissidents,” the white doctor/lawyer class will be replaced. They believe the ultimate goal of such a policy is to make white people completely dependent on everyone else by reducing whites down to a powerless working class people.

“Right Dissidents” talk very seriously about how to reorganize politically, perhaps on an international scale, with other white nationalists who believe in the value of a white ethnostate. They brainstorm about how to fundraise and how to find back-up platforms in the event they lose any they now have. They hope for a legitimate political party and sophisticated candidate of their own in the U.S., while also considering the possibility of moving beyond isolationist nationalism and gathering strength on the world stage.

In a recent piece for Truthout, counter-far right researcher and activist Spencer Sunshine, PhD, observes that “the revived white nationalist movement has split into different wings. One wants to go mainstream, while the militants are promoting a campaign of terror.” 

The Right Dissidents active on Twitter are reflective of the mainstreamers, those who want to organize politically and not through violent means–but continue to spread these elaborate conspiracy theories that can inspire actual violence. Sunshine warns that the more militant groups are now reorganizing on the Telegram app, where content is not regulated.

And most disturbingly, a large part of what they talk about is Jews.

Imagine a worldview in which Judaism is a fake religion used as a cover for a global elite to infiltrate each country one at a time until ultimately they achieve global domination. 

Some believe it is already too late in the U.S.–the “Jewish Masters” are already in control of the West, and are moving on to infiltrate India (they’ve already infiltrated Bollywood) and China will be next.

Adherents refer frequently to “ZOG.” According to the ADL, “ZOG is a white supremacist acronym for ‘Zionist Occupied Government,’ which reflects the common white supremacist belief that the U.S. government is controlled by Jews.”

The “Right Dissidents” believe Jewish people have some sort of supernatural mind control abilities. This ability is the equivalent of a Weapon of Mass Destruction. They believe some of this mind control is observable, such as the way Jews are the producers of pop rap music that is listened to by Third World Immigrants living in the U.S. Belief in Jewish control of the media and entertainment industry contributes to the brainwashing. They call it a “mindfuck.”

Within this belief system, Jews are behind the flooding of Europe with immigrants. Within this ideology, this is a distraction strategically employed by Israel and the Jews in order to achieve their ultimate goal, which besides world domination, is the extinction of white people. 

Likewise, they suggest Jews and Israel are behind much of the  immigration to the U.S., especially encouraging Third World Immigration and granting asylum to refugees. In fact, according to them, Bari Weiss admitted as much in an NPR interview. 

Why do the Jews do this? 

Within this belief system, Jews are not white, and hope to propel the white race into extinction through this constant flood of refugees and immigrants. This will help them to blend into society unnoticed and fulfill their prophecy.

Some of the “Right Dissidents” are also “truthers,” believing the Holocaust (they say there is no evidence except three people were tortured into a false confession) and 9/11 (they share with one another the true culprit was Israel) to be hoaxes. Some just go full on Neo-Nazi, declaring Hitler to be a great man, and becoming incensed if Trump is compared to Hitler, because Hitler was a passionate and great leader and Trump is an idiot.

Why should we care what members of fringe movements think and say?

Under normal circumstances for most of us, we are not going to encounter this kind of chat in our Twitter feeds. You have to kind of go out of your way to find it. So why is it important?

The FBI Report on Conspiracy Theories and Domestic Terrorism

In May of 2019, the FBI Phoenix Field Office issued a bulletin titled “Anti-Government, Identity Based, and Fringe Political Conspiracy Theories Very Likely Motivate Some Domestic Extremists to Commit Criminal, Sometimes Violent Activity.” 

The FBI report states that “throughout history, such conspiracy theories have fueled prejudice, witch-hunts, genocide, and acts of terrorism.”

Further, “In the context of domestic terrorism, extremists often view the activities of alleged conspirators as an existential threat that can only be stopped through drastic, or even violent means.”

So, again, why should we care about the Dissident Right? The danger lies in the real possibility that an individual or a group will resort to violence or terrorism to confront the “evil force” behind this “existential threat.”

The Dissident Right is at its core conspiratorial in nature. Butte College has published a handy Tip Sheet titled “Conspiracy Theory and Conspiracism.” 

According to the Tip Sheet, “The comfort of conspiracy theory is that it provides a well-defined enemy and a sense of control (or at least structure) in the face of upheaval and disempowerment; the tendency to perceive conspiracy is more common in groups experiencing social isolation or political marginalization. The freedom fighters of conspiracy theory need not see themselves as being at the mercy of irresistible, inexplicable, or random natural or social forces, but as soldiers in a just cause.”

Upheaval. Disempowerment. Social isolation. Political marginalization. Let’s take a look more closely at the Dissident Right with respect to these societal triggers.

UPHEAVAL: The Great Replacement, or Slow White Genocide

The “Dissident Right” claims the U.S. is a white homeland not because whites were here first, but because they are descendants of the builder race. They believe racism is now a weaponized word used to make whites believe that any preference for their own kind is inherently evil. However, they assert, in-group preference is natural and healthy, so it is therefore noble to try and preserve an endangered species.

“Right Dissidents” offer a variety of “scientific facts” to support their belief system, and if there is any alternative information, it is easily dismissed as propaganda because only low-IQ people will fall for these lies.

DISEMPOWERMENT: “The Anti-White Agenda” or “The War on Whites”

Presumably, since “Right Dissidents” believe Jews run academia and the media, the anti-white agenda is purposeful and targeted. (The roots of these conspiracy theories may be found in a fraudulent document called “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion” forged in 1897.) 

In addition, the “Dissident Right” claims Jews are perceived to be behind any tension that exists between blacks and whites in order to sow societal discontent. They complain that white people are sick of being lectured about white privilege because the real privilege in society is elite privilege–money and power. In fact, they are happy to report black separatists and black nationalists are on the same page as the white nationalists and could even join up with white nationalists to advance the ideal of an ethnostate–a segregated ethnostate, of course.

SOCIAL ISOLATION

“Dissident Right” enthusiasts complain of an anti-white male agenda where men are portrayed as predators to be profiled and feared. They espouse outdated ideas about the role of women, preferring females return to childbearing and homemaking to stabilize society. Women have been “pozzed” (an alt-right term for cultural and societal degeneracy), especially by universities. (Remember, Jews are controlling academia.)

The epitome of social isolation is seen in incels, or involuntary celibates, who feel they are nice guys being rejected by women as a direct result of extreme feminism and this all-pervasive anti-male agenda. At school, in the media, and on social media men are being taught they are toxic, good-for-nothing idiots. 

POLITICAL MARGINALIZATION

Right Dissidents feel stigmatized and victimized. They believe the Alt-Right made progress but it wasn’t aggressive enough. Right dissidents complain deplatforming has slowed their progress and troll culture has made them look bad. They hope to complete what the alt-right tried to start, finding a solid leader and formalizing a party. Then they can begin to attract more to the movement, beginning with conservatives and libertarians.

What can we do?

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon–they have always been with us, but the rapid proliferation was not. With the powerful growth of social media, the ease with which conspiracy theories may be shared and promoted, sometimes even disguised as legitimate news sources, the problem is on the rise.

However, there are always those that may be on the fence–dabbling in conspiracy theories, but not yet wholly committed. These are the people we may be able to sway through facts–the problem is how.

Education and Social Media

Many conspiracy theories are harmless. If Elvis and Tupac are still alive, this is not going to inspire domestic terror. If Keanu Reeves is immortal, good for him! 

Social media echo chambers contribute to the problem. In a 2018 BBC article titled “The Enduring Appeal of Conspiracy Theories,” author Melissa Hogenboom writes, “we live in a polarised world. One study looking at how conspiracy theories spread online, revealed that there is no overlap between those who share scientific news, and those who share conspiracies or fake news.”

While social media companies have tried various attempts to flag fake stories, the onus will always be on the consumer of information to make the right decisions.

Encouraging digital literacy–learning how to separate fake news from legitimate resources–should be ever more important in today’s curriculum. Understanding how to fact check from more than one source or ideally from the original source, can be a learned skill. 

Furthermore, students should understand that bias in media exists, and should know how to recognize or check that as well. A sense of becoming a good digital citizen should be valued and praised. Sharing fake news is poor digital citizenship. 

Attempts at recognizing fake news sources can be fun and engaging. Take the game Factitious, for example, available for free online. The Center for Media Literacy also offers some great resources for parents and teachers. 

Awareness and Conversation

Regardless of partisanship, we must open this conversation and familiarize ourselves with the proliferation of the more dangerous conspiracy theories, some of which have already inspired domestic terror attacks. Awareness needs to be ongoing as new conspiracies arise.

Remember this. 

“All Jews must die.” This is what the shooter reportedly yelled out as he opened fire on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October of 2018.

And this is why it’s important and this is why we should care.