I know I am a bit late to the Charlottesville discussion, but too many people these days are desperate for the latest and greatest "hot take" and too few people are actually digesting what's going on around them. I felt that I should wait to make this post until the white noise had subsided.
There are a lot of you on Steemit that reside outside of the United States, so I'll include a quick summary of what transpired. This past weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia - home of the University of Virginia and founding father Thomas Jefferson's sprawling estate - there was a rally held by white identitarians (nationalists in some people's eyes, supremacists in others) in order to come together and "Unite the Right." Led by the likes of Richard Spencer and Jason Kessler, the demonstration quickly devolved into chaos and violence. Counter-protesters arrived in full force and the madness came to a head when a presupposed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer, James Alex Fields Jr., drove his car into a group of people, ultimately killing a one Heather Heyer.
In the spirit of Ben Shapiro's analysis, here's my take on the situation and what it means for the near future of the American social experiment.
While the mainstream media had begun to catch on to the re-branding of white nationalism in the months following the general election, this rally was likely the large-scale event to alert people to the fact that identitarianism comes in a variety of shapes and forms. In the case of white identity politics, the image isn't always an uneducated yokel from the Deep South. Richard Spencer and Jared Taylor, two of the alt-right's leaders, are Ivy League graduates. They are well-spoken, media savvy, and even well-dressed. Jason Kessler, another figure integral to the weekend's events, is a University of Virginia graduate. Though their ideas may be old and steeped in the stink of good old American racism, these are people that are able to marshal their followers through speech and carefully thought out logic. Jared Taylor has gone so far as to reframe racial supremacy in academic terms - a sociological field of sorts. This is the face of white supremacy in the 21st century. Not white hoods and rope, but tailored suits and PHDs.
Marchers were reportedly chanting the phrase "White Lives Matter" as they congregated on Friday and Saturday. As identity politics have taken hold of the Democratic Left, movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Women's March have become rallying points for those who feel disenfranchised because of their gender, sexuality, and race. In theory, I have no issue with these movements. These groups are historically marginalized - to deny that is to deny reality - and I am more than happy to witness a peaceful assembly. After all, that right is explicitly mentioned in our Constitution. However, when so-called Progressives hijack these movements in order to virtue signal, bully people who have done nothing wrong, and create a hostile environment rife with violent vandalism, it comes as no surprise that White Nationalists feel more comfortable gathering in public. The "if they can do it, why can't I?" mentality is indeed very powerful. Perhaps this past weekend will cause the white identitarians to run for cover. But I doubt it.
I'm sure many of you have seen pictures of these jokers. I'm going to keep this one brief. The answers to abhorrent ideas are not groups of GI-Joe wannabes cracking people over the head with bike locks. Historically, violence answered with violence has done nothing but escalate conflict. Roughly 50 out of 65 transitions out of authoritarianism in the 20th century were done with non-violent resistance. If you want to prove that you are morally superior to a distasteful group, then show it through your actions. Thuggery is not an appropriate response.
P.S. I have personally witnessed anti-fascists in New York flying the flag of the Soviet Union. This is abhorrent. Stalin killed millions and millions of people. This is arguably as bad as wearing a Swastika. Both of these groups are reprehensible.
Probably not, but who knows. Anything is possible after Tuesday's despicable showing. However, he knows damn well who voted for him. This is the most likely explanation to his tepid response. I wasn't surprised by his unwillingness to commit to the counter-protesters. Trump has proven that his loyalty lies with his base, and that includes those that marched in Charlottesville. As centrist Republicans and business leaders distance themselves from his administration, he will seek refuge with those that continue to stand by his side. Regrettably, that group includes some unsavory individuals.
No matter the perspective, this past weekend was a disaster and a tragedy. And to be clear, I disapprove of identity politics. The Democratic Party, once the proud bastion of blue-collar workers and the middle class, has become a breeding ground for coastal elites that take great joy in demeaning the American Heartland. I am a New Yorker - I have seen the condescension first hand. However, it is wrong to equate Black Lives Matter and other related groups with white nationalists. Black people have suffered for centuries in this country at the hands of white people. Even so, that historical inequity does not give anyone the right to be violent. There are not many reasonable voices left in this discussion, and I see this situation escalating in the coming months. I hope it doesn't - but the American precedent tells us otherwise.
