The Alt-Right Playbook: Why Don't You Respond to Criticism?

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Debate may or may not be productive, depending on circumstances.

Back when I was in college in the late 1970's and early 1990's, I think I was pretty effective at countering anti-gay bigotry by debating with homophobes, both in-person and in the campus newspaper letter column.

Such debates are less likely to work well in today's social media landscape, unfortunately.

Alt right folks who become spokespeople are getting more sophisticated at defending their warped sense of thinking. One trick is to recruit historically marginalised groups (Praeger U do this) to be the face of their philosophy. People have forgotten about Milo Yiannopoulos or Kanye West being poster boys, like we aren't "ists", we have friends who are "insert group".

But the average conservative generally avoids debate because it takes some effort/energy to support outdated ideas or lend credence to debunked theories. Also (in my experience) conservatives don't care to debate or advertise their beliefs. they keep quiet and at election time vote for their favourite right wing conservative politician.

I just saw this vid the other day.

It's part of the broader alt-right strategy of never playing defense. Always accuse, always deflect, always insinuate, always avoid responding to criticism of your own alt-right beliefs.

It's like how they treat global warming. If you ask them, climate change activists all completely refuse to hear arguments to the contrary. If a liberal or leftist position becomes the mainstream, the alt-right has to spin the narrative that the left succeeded only because they stifled dissent--not because they won out in the "marketplace of ideas". All leftist victories are the result of cheating, mindless fanatacism, or violence. Ergo, if you believe those leftist ideas, then you must refuse categorically to listen to criticism from the right. After all, conservatism would be SO much more popular if only those liberals and leftists weren't so intolerant and closed-minded.

I feel the title of Joe Walsh's last album (before he joined the Eagles) pretty well sums it up: You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind