[zamazingo]

This conversation would go so much smoother if we used the actual descriptive term for "alt-right" and "far right": fascism.

However conflicting it may sound, arguments against freedom of speech and freedom of expression cannot be supported in an economic of free speech / expression. This is not actually a dilemma, because fascist politics are incompatible with these freedoms; one cannot exist when the other is the norm.

And just like in any culture and community, the best way to counter fascism is not incarceration and bans but heavy investment in high quality education, on the one hand, and heavy communal shaming and stigmatization of fascist politics and policies, on the other hand.

[scohesc]

Good point, but I think part of the problem is that some people are champing at the bit to call someone alt-right or facist when that person does something that they don't like or doesn't align with their own views. (Even if those views are relatively tame compared to what the pure definition of alt-right or facist is.

People are getting increasingly segmented into their own belief systems and are un-willing to even slightly concede to differing opinions, or aren't willing to even associate with people who believe in different things.

Seems like religion is phasing out of style and political beliefs are becoming the new religion.

[whatthesmack]

> heavy communal shaming and stigmatization That sounds like the new brand of fascism we’ve seen from Antifa by shouting down and silencing people they disagree with, including very moderate people. Not saying “far right” is okay, but we’ve seen it swing to the other “far left” extreme in Portland, OR recently, and that’s not okay either.

[dariusm5]

You can say the same thing about the "far left". After hearing about how groups like Antifa are operating in Portland, I can unironically only think of one word to describe them: fascists

[yeahigotgoats]

anyone that is conservative, supports trump, and thinks the left has gone insane is labeled alt right

[krapp]

> anyone that is conservative, supports trump, and thinks the left has gone insane is labeled alt right

Given that anyone in the alt-right would likely have all three of these traits, it doesn't seem like an unfair assumption to jump to.

[yeahigotgoats]

i am all three, there is nothing alt about me

[krapp]

Then why didn't you support a more traditional Republican candidate?

Trump was the alt-right candidate, his campaign was as much a repudiation of mainstream conservatism and Republicanism as anything else.

[scohesc]

You can support the party even though you didn't support the representative being voted in.

[marcusverus]

The only purpose of conflating these terms is to co-opt the term 'fascist' into yet another meaningless rhetorical bludgeon.

[repolfx]

Yes. The original fascists were Italian and had hard-left policies, like very heavy state involvement in industry and communist-style dictatorship.

This rebranding of "fascists" and "Nazis" as right wing has been going on a long time, but when you look at what these groups of people actually did when in power their actions were all but indistinguishable from the USSR: The hardest of hard left power structures. They were both "alt left".