Alright, so we are stuck in some sick and twisted Putin-Trump version of Freaky Friday. Except in this case, it’s not work and romantic relationships that are at stake, but rather the relationships between foreign countries and the future of America as a whole. So, let’s attempt to dissect some of the rhetoric of this living nightmare and dispel the controversy surrounding the so-called “special snowflake, flaming liberal, far left” labels that are forced upon us time and time again by people such as Tomi Lahren.
Yet, has anybody ever talked to a far-right person on their opinion of immigrants and jobs? Or, about their opinion on education quality in the inner cities, or LGBTQ rights, or the institutionalized racism against POC? Lucky for us, historians have- and they branded them the Klu Klux Klan. That’s right, the very same hate group that has permeated the United States since its foundation in 1865. They haven’t gone away- in fact, just before the election they publicly endorsed Donald Trump as a candidate. And with Steve Bannon (the driving force behind the alt- right Breitbart News) as Trump’s assistant and chief strategist, whispers of white supremacist movements have successfully embedded themselves within the White House walls.
It can be confusing to dissect the spectrum of political views in this country, as of course a two-party system doesn’t limit other movements. It is enforced time and time again that the extremes of any side aren’t good- for example, extreme feminists, extremist religious groups, etc, but people are quick to label liberals as such. Those who oppose Trump’s policies, especially if they are republicans, are labeled “cucks” or “traitors,” and liberals are given our favorite, “special snowflake” label. And yet, in the United States, there is no true Alt-Left movement. If there is one, it would appear to have been created by those who also call journalists reporting on the President the enemy.
It shouldn’t be too hard for people to condemn white-supremacist’s views, and yet when liberals speak out against Nazis such as Richard Spencer and against the appointments of several questionable people to Trump’s cabinet- such as Jeff Sessions, who was at one point deemed, “too racist to be a judge,” they are scoffed at for being “extreme leftists.” An alt-left movement could be socialism or communism, which of course have problems of their own and have proven to not be feasible methods of government. Karl Marx himself often went against the more “progressive” parts of his ideology in some of his writings. Liberals are not that, though. There is a difference between being able to identify the problems with capitalism and wanting to overthrow the government and start again.
The alt-right is far more concrete- they have roots in our government, they have a platform, they have a voice, whereas the alt-left is a concept created BY them and AGAINST all other ideologies. So, the next time you or someone you know is branded an extremist liberal for questioning the principles of the government or for speaking out in general, remember the disparities between a movement that doesn’t quite exist, and a fringe-group of people are already here.
