BlueBoxDave writes:

“This week, The Economist, one of the most respected outlets in the world (and arguably one that is fairly centrist), falsely labeled pundit Ben Shapiro as “the sage of the alt-right.” Shapiro, and then seemingly every conservative on social media, expressed outrage at the accusation. Before long, The Economist corrected itself, instead labeling Shapiro a “radical conservative,” whatever that means. …”

I agree this is an absurd mischaracterization.

Shapiro agrees with the classical liberalism which The Economist was launched to be a mouthpiece for in the 19th century. It is weird to see them at odds.

“Something very similar has happened with the term alt-right. But alt-right is not far-right, the “alt” is there for a reason. It is an alternative or a departure from actual mainstream conservatism. …”

Bravo, you’re right.

I don’t agree with “mainstream conservatism” at all. I’ve been shopping for an “alternative.” I don’t see anyone who isn’t a grifter or a hack in “conservatism.”

via GIPHY

“None of this describes Shapiro. Nor does its describe outlets that have the name thrown at it such as Breitbart, Quillette, and The Federalist among others. The problem is that while this fact is as obvious to conservatives as a coffee stain on a bright white T-shirt, far too many on the left cannot see the distinction at all. …”

Ben Shapiro is Jewish.

The rules of political correctness don’t apply to him. That’s why he can write Townhall.com articles endorsing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. He also doesn’t have anything particularly interesting to say about Western civilization, but nevertheless is on television.

“When the left fails to draw a bright line between Shapiro and Spencer, when they, either out ignorance or malice, conflate conservatism and the alt-right, they embolden the latter and make it appear far more palatable to people the alt-right is trying to attract. …”

I draw a bright line.

I would never conflate “conservatives” with the alt-right. The former are paid to write shit posts for various billionaires who finance their websites. There is no money in the alt-right which championed the cause of White America against political correctness.

I do this free. I don’t do it because I am getting paid to be a grifter.

“When Kevin Williamson can’t work at the Atlantic, when the very moderate conservatives at the New York Times are pilloried as extremists, and when the Washington Post pretends its ex-conservative columnists represent anything but a small cabal of die-hard NeverTrumpers, readers get a skewed and distorted vision of conservatives that blurs the very real and bright line between the right and the alt-right. …”

I must admit … I laughed when Kevin Williamson was fired by The Atlantic.

What better proof is there that “conservatives” are losers who always lose culture war issues? See also the explosion of leftwing censorship and violence under the Trump presidency.

“Favoring control of the border and more limited illegal immigration is not an alt-right position unless it is rooted in the belief that such immigration forebodes white genocide. Opposing affirmative action is not an alt-right position unless it is rooted in pseudo-scientific babbling about the racial superiority of white people. Opposing foreign wars is not an alt-right position unless it is rooted in the belief that Jews and Israel are pulling the purse strings that send American soldiers to their death.”

Sure it is.

The alt-right is serious about wanting to control illegal immigration. It is serious about ending affirmative action. Why don’t the “conservatives” on the Supreme Court … just end affirmative action with their expanded majority? Is 40 years of it enough?

Why don’t they secure the border? They only control the White House and the Senate. Until 2018, they also controlled the House of Representatives. Is there a reason?

Conservatives are also champions of foreign wars. They supported the invasion of Iraq; we didn’t. They support the ongoing 18 year occupation of Afghanistan (see their recent vote in the Senate); we don’t. They supported attacking Syria twice over fake gas attacks; we didn’t. They’re trying to overthrow the government of Venezuela right now. Clearly, this is because they are warmongers.

” … a duty to not engage with very mainstream conservative ideas. Calling Ben Shapiro a sage of the alt-right is meant to do exactly what protesters who de-platform his speeches do: Keep people from hearing his ideas rather than simply disagreeing with them.”

Conservatives have a lot of ideas.

We should engage with those ideas. They support Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights. They support the colonization of the West Bank by Jewish settlers. They will really support anything Bibi Netanyahu puts in front of them like declaring Israel a Jewish ethnostate last summer.

Note: Please stop being so mean to Ben and Dave. They literally had to endure The Holocaust in 2016.