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The Alt-Right: a Discourse Analysis/Deplatforming and the Role of Social Media in the Regulation of Speech

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The Alt-Right: a Discourse Analysis/Deplatforming and the Role of Social Media in the Regulation of Speech St. Cloud State University theRepository at St. Cloud State Culminating Projects in English Department of English 3-2020 The Alt-Right: A Discourse Analysis/Deplatforming and the Role of Social Media in the Regulation of Speech Michael Fry Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds Recommended Citation Fry, Michael, "The Alt-Right: A Discourse Analysis/Deplatforming and the Role of Social Media in the Regulation of Speech" (2020). Culminating Projects in English. 156. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds/156 This Starred Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at theRepository at St. Cloud State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culminating Projects in English by an authorized administrator of theRepository at St. Cloud State. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Alt-Right: A Discourse Analysis ***************************************** Deplatforming and the Role of Social Media in the Regulation of Speech by Michael Fry A Starred Paper Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English: Rhetoric and Writing March, 2020 Starred Paper Committee: Matthew Barton, Chairperson Michael Dando Debra Japp The Alt-Right: A Discourse Analysis by Michael Fry A Starred Paper Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English: Rhetoric and Writing March, 2020 Starred Paper Committee: Matthew Barton, Chairperson Michael Dando Debra Japp 2 Table of Contents Chapter Page 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................4 Prominent Figures ................................................................................................................5 Text Used for Analysis ........................................................................................................7 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................8 2. Main Elements of Alt-Right Style ........................................................................................13 Whiteliness .........................................................................................................................13 Culture Warriors and Imaginary Community ....................................................................14 3. Stylistic Homology of the Alt-Right ...................................................................................17 Use of Images and Memes .................................................................................................17 Visual Aesthetic .................................................................................................................21 4. Tensions and Contradictions………………………………………………………………23 5. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................26 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................29 3 List of Figures Figure Page 1. War Scene .......................................................................................................................... 15 2. Kneeling Knight ................................................................................................................ 15 3. Biracial Youth.................................................................................................................... 18 4. Soy Drinker........................................................................................................................ 18 5. Examples of Alt-Right Aesthetic ....................................................................................... 21 6. Tiki Rally ........................................................................................................................... 22 7. Salute ................................................................................................................................. 22 4 Chapter 1: Introduction Nazi. This word often conjures up a dark image of human history for those who hear it. Today those who identify with the ideology put forth by Hitler’s followers have rebranded themselves with more palatable terms such as Alt-Right or White Nationalist. While this ideology has changed its name it still largely resembles its origins from the WWII era. This ideology has changed its clothing, it has changed its style. This paper is intended to inform and bring light to the modern style of Nazi ideology. One of the more popular names for this style is the Alt-Right. The most basic understanding of this term refers to those who align themselves on the far right of the political spectrum. The term Alt-Right has wider implications than being simply a marker of political affiliation. It is a label of a certain culture and style. While this paper is intended to inform the reader about what this style looks like, it is also created with the intention to start a conversation about how we address the discourse of ideologies like the Alt-Right. Society tends to hide what it is uncomfortable with, but it is important to realize the dark side of the cycle history has come back around and has brought with it a renewed popularity around the world of Nazi like ideologies. In order to prepare ourselves for the possible ramifications that come with these ideologies, it is important to understand the values of those who engage with these ideologies and how they construct their style. Though this style can be seen as something new, in large part it is a recycling of past styles. It is part of a cycle of styles that seeks to eliminate what is different or what as seen as the other. It mirrors much of the ideology of the most well-known form of this style, which would be the Nazi’s of World War II era of Germany. Throughout this paper there will be artifacts 5 presented that show this mirroring of Nazi ideals. While I will often refer to this as a style, it is important to keep in mind that this is also a culture. It is a way of life for many that present this style. A definition of this style is provided by a writer for the Atlantic, who went to high school with Richard Spencer; a prominent figure within this style, and conducted a lengthy interview with him. In his piece Graeme Wood defines the Alt-Right as, “white European cultural and racial supremacy, with a deep contempt for democracy” (43). Of all of the attempts to define this style, this one comes closest to embodying the style. The importance of this paper is to look at an element of society that is often ignored. In an age of an ever-expanding divide between Americans, we must at least attempt to understand where someone’s viewpoint is coming from. While the main intention of this paper is to illustrate style of the Alt-Right, I will also address the question of what societal change does this style seek and for whom? To illuminate the style of the Alt-Right I will look at themes of whiteliness, how they see themselves as culture warrirors, their stylistic homology, and tensions within the style. Before going too far into the rhetorical aesthetics of this style, it is important to discuss the figures who have brought this style into the view of the general public as they will be referenced throughout this paper. Prominent Figures The formation, evolution, and promotion of this style can largely be credited to figures such as Richard Spencer, Stephen Bannon, and Milo Yiannopoulos. These are some of the prominent figures who represent this style. One of the minor players in this style would be Milo Yiannopoulos. He has fallen from grace in this style due to comments about how it should be acceptable for young boys to have sexual relationships with older men. This incident caused him to lose his position as tech editor at the online news source Breitbart. This is significant as this 6 publication is a right leaning news source and losing this position shows how those within the style felt about his comments. Milo gained fame largely as a twitter troll. A troll being someone who seeks to enrage a target for a variety of reasons, whether it is because they do not like what someone stands for, or more often is done merely for sport. His most notable claim to fame is being banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against actress Leslie Jones (Warzel). While he is no longer a prominent figure of the Alt-Right, I feel it is important to discuss him because he is a stark contradiction to the style of the Alt-Right. Milo is openly gay, and the style of the Alt-Right is adamantly anti-homosexual (Gstalter). While Richard Spencer is most recognizable as the face of the Alt-Right, Stephen Bannon may be considered to be infinitely more influential. Stephen Bannon was once the Chairman of the online news source Breitbart. Bannon made his affiliation public when he stated how Breitbart is, “the platform of the Alt-Right” (Cox). Not only did Bannon have widespread influence through a news outlet, but he would go on to be part of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Once Trump won the presidency, Bannon attained the position of chief strategist. This position came with, “an office in the West Wing and a direct line to the Oval Office
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