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METEA MEDIA

Letter to the Editor: Explaining the recent rise of the alternative right at Metea

Creative+Common+photo+by+Gage+Skidmore+via+flickr
Creative Commons photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr.

Written by Kyle Smart.

There has been a recent rise of support for Republican nominee Donald Trump and the alternative right at Metea. There are questions that many people may have about the alternative right.  What is it? Why are they behind Trump? Are they racist? What are their views? As a self-proclaimed supporter of the alternative right, I will answer these questions and analyze why this movement has become popular among some students at Metea.

Defining the alternative right has been largely debated by the media and political scientists. According to some, the alternative right is everything horrible about the world: racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, transphobic, and “basket of deplorables.” I and others who have looked at the movement without bias from the media view the alternative right as an umbrella term of many right wing beliefs (libertarianism, conservatism, tea party right wingers, etc.) with the goal of isolating the establishment of both the Republican and Democrat parties, supporting freedom of speech, and breaking the bondage of identity politics.

The alternative right “headquarters” is an imageboard online known as 4chan, however very recently there have been several media outlets embracing the movement such as Infowars.com and Breitbart.com. Contrary to popular belief, Donald Trump did not create or is responsible for the the alternative right movement. The alternative right is largely a reactionary movement to establishment politics, corrupt media, the politically correct, victim mentality, and social justice culture. Those with opinions that do not conform with progressive ideology are branded as racist, bigoted, and as using hate speech, even when such opinions may be widely supported by factual evidence. This is why some individuals in the alternative right will use controversial language to “trigger” or “troll” others. These labels have been thrown around to such an extent that they have become virtually meaningless in today’s society and unfortunately probably allows true racism to fly under the radar.  In response, some in the alternative right will “troll” with language to feed the progressive narrative.  A perfect example of this is the “Pepe the Frog” meme that has been labeled a white supremacy symbol by Hillary Clinton, media members, and the Anti-Defamation League among others. Pepe the Frog now stands in infamy with the swastika and the SS symbol.  Absurd on the very surface, it should not take a genius to discover that this is obvious trolling.

I’m sure some critics of this piece will point to institutional systemic racism and discrimination that exists in society. Perhaps there is some truth to this, the problem is that all the institutions kids my age have been involved with, public schools and college, perpetuate a progressive narrative. Where are the conservative and libertarian clubs at Metea? There are none. Would a faculty member even sponsor a conservative group?  I have my doubts. Members of the alternative right are also highly critical of many moderate Republicans, who have largely tried to marginalize us. This is a big concern to the movement because many feel like there is no place for young conservatives and libertarians in either party.

Many millennials, especially at Metea, have been extremely anti-establishment, supporting candidates on both the right and left. Many students were supporters of the anti-establishment candidate on the left, Bernie Sanders. He was against Hillary Clinton and the establishment Democrats. Millennials loved Bernie for breaking down the establishment lines. The alternative right is the same sense as the Bernie Sanders movement except it’s to the right political spectrum and still going strong. Why is the alternative right largely supporters of Donald Trump? Largely because the establishment is against him, Goldman Sachs, George Soros, the Koch brothers, the Bushes, and the Clintons among others.  If the Sanders supporters want another anti-establishment revolution to rally behind, they are more than welcome in the alternative right. The difference between the alternative right and the Bernie revolution is that the alternative right is about changing the culture to allow freedom of opinion and speech and to help place individuals in a position to succeed. We support a cultural revolution rather than a political one.

So why is there a recent rise in popularity of this movement at Metea and other high schools and colleges across America? Metea, not unlike many high schools and universities, promotes a culture of anti-conservatism. The popularity in the alternative right comes from people being fed up with this. This is why conservatives and libertarians at Metea have flocked to the alternative right. They feel like they are being silenced and the only way to not be silenced is to be as outgoing for Trump as possible because they have simply stopped caring what they are labeled. The words used to slander us have lost all meaning due to overuse.

View Comments (22)

Comments (22)

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  • R

    Read this comment, it's worth your while.Nov 1, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    Many people seem to pay no heed to the fact that this is under the opinion section. Aside from the fact that many of these comments are either people trying to mess with others, or the woefully ill-informed, THIS IS AN OPINION! We should take this article with a grain of salt and not expect it to be a grand illustration of the future of American teenagers now growing into the voting age. This election is a fairly turbulent one, but one with many sides and factors to consider. It has been proven that Hillary’s campaign has sent untreated mental patients to incite violence at Trump rallies. There is even a hidden camera video that has been released of a member of Clinton’s campaign boasting about it. Along with that, the creator of WikiLeaks has been releasing many of the e-mails that show some of Clinton’s staff and close advisors using discriminatory language and sexist speech. He is even claiming to be soon releasing information that will guarantee her arrest. Although these might seem like crazy claims, he has already released some fairly incriminating evidence as it is. We will just have to see, but for now, let me say this, everyone is entitled to their opinion, that is very true. But when people are incredibly misinformed to miss some of the most incriminating stuff and focusing on every little detail Trump does, it starts to get a bit annoying. Again, this shouldn’t be an illustration of America’s youth, but people should always look for the credible sources, and look for all of the information before burning an idea into your mind and running with it.

    Reply
  • A

    A Concerned CitizenOct 18, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    We are the future of America, and these comments make me more afraid for that future than conspiracy theorists before the turn of the millennium.

    Reply
  • A

    asedfOct 17, 2016 at 1:33 pm

    kevin, in order to state a fact, evidence has to be used, which there is not. Why do people make these arguments without any evidence and think its a valid “argument”?

    Reply
  • B

    BooboobearOct 17, 2016 at 1:03 pm

    Both runners suck in my opinion. But in the end.. onepumptrump. Cant stump the trump. Go Trump

    Reply
  • M

    mike brownOct 17, 2016 at 12:04 am

    trump a good boy he din du nuffin
    he goin to church and going to college to get his life back on track

    Reply
  • V

    VoteDaddy2016Oct 16, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    TRUMP 2016 MAGA!

    Reply
  • U

    u killed the best meme, be ashamedOct 15, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    rip pepe, remember those days before the 4channers took u away

    Reply
    • /

      /pol/Oct 17, 2016 at 4:04 pm

      4 chan created pepe lol. Anyone who spends a decent amount of time on the Internet knows that. Go to http://www.knowyourmeme.com

      Reply
  • A

    asedfOct 14, 2016 at 1:29 pm

    I would love to see the facts and evidence behind the “neo-nazi” movement

    Reply
  • A

    asedfOct 14, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    umm Anon, he doesn’t openly hate women. He called Rosie O’Donald, who was making fun of him, a fat pig, because she is. He called a beauty pageant contestant “Miss Piggy” because she gained a lot of weight and guess what, in a contest, you get judged! She, Alicia Machado, threatened to kill a federal judge, aiding murderers in Venezuela, she was the getaway driver for an armed robber/ murder. If a fat, ugly man was talking trash and someone called them out on their weight, it’s OK, that happens to trump all the time, but if it happens to a women, wouldn’t that be treating them equally. He doesn’t trash talk his opponent, he uses facts and evidence that CNN won’t dare say and when someone does they’re a radical conspiracy theorist.

    Reply
    • K

      Kevin BarnesOct 15, 2016 at 12:14 pm

      Asedf, it’s people like you that inspired Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment, which I don’t think she should’ve apologized for. People should not apologize for stating facts.

      Reply
      • /

        /pol/Oct 17, 2016 at 10:34 pm

        Facts usually have to do with statistics and absolute truths, not name calling and subjective opinion

        Reply
  • T

    Thomas CarragherOct 14, 2016 at 8:02 am

    The boiling point for the election is coming up fast and it would either be certain doom for our country if we vote Hilary Clinton or our country’s revisal if we vote Donald trump to become the President of the Untied States and this is going to be close presidential race for both presidential candidates

    Reply
    • S

      subhumanOct 14, 2016 at 8:52 am

      are you kidding me?

      Reply
      • M

        Metea StudentOct 14, 2016 at 3:30 pm

        No

        Reply
    • K

      Kevin BarnesOct 14, 2016 at 9:34 am

      I’m sure voting for a racist, sexist, lying and hypocritical buffoon will surely *revive* our country. Too bad it’s not going to be as close as you think, considering that he’s losing support of his own party left and right and digging his hole deeper and deeper with his hateful and immature speeches paired with his childish twitter feed. Maybe think about how his presidency will affect demographics other than your own, instead of selfishly supporting someone who will only benefit you.

      Reply
    • J

      JadeOct 14, 2016 at 11:14 am

      It’s funny because when I’m trying to type a comment on this article it warns me not to use rude or obscene language, hate speech, or insults toward a specific person yet Trump uses all of these things every time he opens his mouth: the mouth that has forcefully kissed multiple women without their consent. Please do not use the name of an accomplished political leader with the name of a sexual harasser in the same sentence.

      Reply
  • A

    a tired studentOct 14, 2016 at 7:45 am

    ah yes, what could possibly be wrong with a neo-nazi political movement that wants to create a white homeland
    lol thanks metea media u guys are doing great work here

    Reply
    • A

      a tired humanOct 14, 2016 at 8:34 am

      ah yes, a tired student that doesn’t know what a letter to the editor is.
      lol thanks for the comment u are doing great work here

      Reply
    • A

      anon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Oct 14, 2016 at 8:39 am

      Don’t you just love it how they are supporting someone who openly hates women and trash talks his opponent?
      Making threats towards another candidate. I agree with you, “a tired student” Also, Metea media, stop posting opinions, post real news.

      Reply
      • A

        a tired studentOct 14, 2016 at 1:32 pm

        it’s just really funny that on metea media, we’re required to be sensitive on our comments to make sure they don’t contain hate speech or anything similar, yet the articles themselves are really just allowed to contain anything as long as they’re justified with an “opinion”

        Reply
    • C

      Crusader for truth and justiceOct 16, 2016 at 3:59 pm

      Neo-Nazi is a little strong don’t you think? It’s like the author said, it is a reaction to certain things making people feel like their opinions are being dismissed unfairly. To be honest you seem to be only proving their point by dismissing the movement with words that really lack any kind of true meaning

      Reply
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Letter to the Editor: Explaining the recent rise of the alternative right at Metea