Could Climate Change Fuel the Rise of Right-Wing Nationalism?

/

Could Climate Change Fuel the Rise of Right-Wing Nationalism?

By Joshua Conrad Jackson, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Michele Gelfand, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland. First published on The Conversation.

Two trends have defined the past decade and both have been on display at this year’s session of the United Nations General Assembly.

One has been the escalating effects of climate change, which were the focus of the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit. Forest fires, floods and hurricanes are all rising in their frequency and severity. Eight of the last 10 years have been the warmest on record. Marine biologists warned that coral reefs in the U.S. could disappear entirely by the 2040s.

The other trend has been the surge of right-wing nationalist politics across Western nations, which includes Donald Trump’s election in the U.S., and the rise of nationalist political parties around the world.

Indeed, the first four speeches of the United Nations general debate were given by Brazilian right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, Trump, Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and far-right Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Heyer's Charlottesville Assassin Sentenced To Life In Prison

/

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Hyer's Charlottesville Assasin Sentenced To Life In Prison

James Fields, Jr., the white supremacist who murdered Heather Heyer and injured dozens of others driving his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017 has received a life sentence in federal prison.

Prosecutors had argued that Mr. Fields’s racist, anti-Semitic beliefs motivated his decision to attend the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and use his automobile in an act of domestic terrorism. Thomas T. Cullen, the United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said after hearing the sentence that the case set a precedent for future instances of domestic terrorism.

Mr. Fields was one of hundreds of young white supremacists who swarmed Charlottesville in August 2017, marching with tiki torches shouting “The Jews will not replace us.”

Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise

/

Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise

The mere fact that Harper's Bazaar would feature an article on the topic of toxic masculinity tells you the degree to which the female mindset in America is changing. Even the fashion industry is concerned about toxic masculinity. Oh yes. The Trump male posse can descend on us -- throwing stink bombs and calling us libtards -- but the facts are the facts in their non-factual universe. The jigs up, gentlemen.

When Trump was elected, Mr. Brexit Nigel Farage proclaimed: "The alpha males are back." That may be so, but large numbers of alpha males -- are the very definition of toxic masculinity -- and it's a masculinity that kills, no matter how the alt-right dresses it up.

More than other countries in the developed world, the American culture worships men with guns. They are conquerors of 'weaker men' and women are eager to have sex with them. In reality, men who commit mass shootings do not have the respect of the larger culture, but their "catastrophic sense of male entitlement" gives them admiration in their own equally toxic communities. 

Charlottesville Car Killer James Alex Fields Jr. Charged With First Degree Murder

/

Charlottesville Car Killer James Alex Fields Jr. Charged With First Degree Murder

Self-professed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr., 20, has been charged with first-degree murder Thursday, after being jailed on lesser charges since the Aug. 12 for the death of Charlottesville protester Heather D. Heyer. 

Fields had been charged with second-degree murder, punishable by five to 40 years in prison. WaPo writes:

Authorities had initially said that 19 people were injured, in addition to Heyer, when Fields allegedly rammed his 2010 Dodge Challenger into another vehicle on purpose on a crowded street. But testimony at the preliminary hearing revealed that there were many more victims. Besides first-degree murder, Fields, who lived in Ohio before his arrest, is charged with eight counts of “aggravated malicious wounding,” meaning that at least eight of the 35 people who were hurt suffered what Virginia law describes as “permanent and significant physical impairment," writes the New York Times. 

ADL Confirms James Murdoch's $1 Million Gift & $1 Million Via His Email To Friends | Fox News Hires Alleged White Nationalist Sebastian Gorka

/

ADL Confirms James Murdoch's $1 Million Gift & $1 Million Via His Email To Friends | Fox News Hires Alleged White Nationalist Sebastian Gorka

In August 2017, in the days after white nationalism raised its ugly head in Charlottesville, James Murdoch, CEO of 21st Century Fox sent an email to friends and colleagues that was leaked to media. 

Commenting that he rarely discussed his family's charitable giving, Murdoch announced a pledge from him and his wife for $1 million to the Anti Defamation League (ADL) and urged others to also support the organization. 

This week the ADL confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the Murdoch donation of $1 million was received, accompanied by almost another $1 million associated with Murdoch's email. 

VICE News Elle Reeve Delivers Balanced Power Punch Interviews With White Nationalist Leaders in Charlottesville

/

'VICE News Tonight' correspondent Elle Reeve and her crew have the best coverage of the 'Unite the Right' weekend violence in which a domestic terror car attack left Charlottesville social-justice, para legal Heather Heyer dead. 

Reeve has built on a trusting relationship with white nationalist leaders, including Christopher Cantwell, Robert Ray, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach. This is not her first interview and after reading white nationalist blogs of a quality nature -- yes, they exist -- Reeve has their trust as a fair reporter. Counter protesters are also interviewed and it's rare for a journalist to get people to open up honestly, knowing that Reeve isn't setting them up. 

Dear Trump: You Can Cherish America's White Nationalist History; I Detest It!

/

Dear Trump: You Can Cherish America's White Nationalist History; I Detest It!

I do not cherish America's white nationalist history, as you said today, Trump . . . that we must cherish "all" our history and all sides are equally guilty in the Charlottesville tragedy. I've lived my life to end America's racist history because it is totally out of sync with my values. White nationalism may be your values, Sir Trump, but not mine. 

NEVER ever once did President Barack Obama incite hatred in America, as you have done -- even trying to undermine his presidency with your birther lies. So don't be dragging him and me, too, into your collective "we" speech that this tragedy today is not about you, or not about Obama. We tower over you in character and our actions are not divisive and hate-filled, as yours have been.

Young White Nationalist Christian Men Proudly Marching In Charlottesville Demand Their Historical Privilege

/

Young White Nationalist Christian Men Proudly Marching In Charlottesville Demand Their Historical Privilege

During a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and Trump supporter said the event is in line with President Trump’s “promises.”

“This represents a turning point for the people of this country. We are determined to take our country back,” Duke said. “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back.”

FORMER LEADER OF THE KU KLUX KLAN DAVID DUKE SPEAKING TO TRUMP ABOUT CHARLOTTESVILLE: "WE ELECTED YOU."

FORMER LEADER OF THE KU KLUX KLAN DAVID DUKE SPEAKING TO TRUMP ABOUT CHARLOTTESVILLE: "WE ELECTED YOU."

Writing for The Atlantic, Matt Thompson reminds us: The 'Unite the Right' gathering wasn't a Klan rally at all. It was a pride march. 

The shameless return of white supremacy into America’s public spaces seems to be happening by degrees, and quickly. It wasn’t until most journalists left the conference of the innocuously named “National Policy Institute” in November that my colleague Daniel Lombroso captured Richard Spencer leading the attendees in open Nazi salutes. Spencer’s intention—to make normal that gesture and all the sentiments that underpin it—is no more secret than the identities of his tiki torch-wielding bannermen. "I don't see myself as a marginal figure who's going to be hated by society,” Spencer said to Daniel. “I see myself as a mainstream figure.”

New York Magazine has an excellent overview of the details about what happened in Charlottesville, Va. 

Dear Trump: You Can Cherish America's White Nationalist History; I Detest It!

America's Alt-Right White Men Attack Liberalism With Pizzagate & Moral Outrage

/

Over the past six weeks, the alleged story of Hillary Clinton and other prominent members of the Democratic Party establishment participating in an international child sex ring has morphed into a front page story. "It began in October, when a baseless rumor about emails allegedly discovered on Anthony Weiner’s laptop made its way through Twitter and 4chan and conspiracy-theorist websites", writes Slate.

Self-deputized online investigators combed through the emails of Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, dumped by WikiLeaks. Finding only campaign talk and recipes, the 'investigators' concluded that innocuous terms used in Podesta’s emails were actually a series of secret codes: “pizza” for girl, “ice cream” for male prostitute, and so on. Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C. pizzeria that had hosted a Democratic fundraiser, was identified (also baselessly) as a headquarters for sex-ring activities. The conspiracy theory acquired a name, “Pizzagate.”

On Sunday a man wielding an assault rifle entered Comet Ping Pong, saying he was there to investigate Pizzagate. 4chan users are confident that the man is part of a false-flag operation being carried out by the establishment to discredit their investigation. Consider that every falsehood has another one to explain why it isn't.

The Clintons have been accused of every possible crime over the course of their 30-plus years in politics, but this one takes the cake, so to speak. We should remember, however, that America has been obsessed with child-sex-rings for the last 30 years. Slate reviews this sordid history of false allegations.

Related: Trump Fires Adviser's Son From Transition for Spreading Fake News The New York Times