Since the 2016 election drew media attention to the very controversial and amorphous alt-right, a name that has recently found its way into our lexicon, our country seems to be on the cusp of change as a result of the backlash against the forward progression of society. The alt-right’s transitioning process from its dark recess of the internet, clustered with memes based on hate and dark humor, to the national spotlight is not a new phenomenon, yet advocates of simply denouncing alt-rights as “wanna-be-fascists” and thrusting them back into the dark as a way of reversing the normalization of their estranging ideologies, will only give this movement, based in hate, more power. The only way to bridge the wide gap between beliefs and work towards real progress is to come to an understanding to the origins of the group’s radical, alienating opinions.

Alt-righters are acting upon their senses of fear, betrayal, and resentment to push against anything outside of their narrow world view that might impede upon their positions as white males: foreigners, gays, transgender people, Jews, etc. Troll culture, which encompasses the dark and murky pockets of the Internet, is attractive to white supremacists because it offers a medium to merge irony with fascist tropes, a venue to adopt far-right ideas without acknowledging commitment, and a space to popularize anti-establishment ideas. Thus, public sentiment labels the individuals as repackaged Nazis or KKK enthusiasts who have an affinity for photoshopping President Trump’s iconic toupee over the head of Pepe the frog, a popular symbol used by the alt-right.

Milo Yiannopoulos, a political commentator often described as a member of the alt-right, attempted to mainstream the alt-right and correct the stereotype that it is “little more than a vehicle for the worst dregs of human society” by conjuring images of change and vitality. Yiannopoulos wrote, “The alt-right has a youthful energy and jarring taboo-defying rhetoric . . . [They] have delighted in attention-grabbing, juvenile pranks,” and expanded the membership beyond “1980s skinheads”—the alt-right also includes intellectuals, natural conservatives, and “meme teams.” He normalized the alt-right, espousing the parallel between the alt-right’s rebellious nature and the 1960s long hair, promiscuity, drug use, and rock’n’roll. They are simply rebelling against the system that tells them horror stories of the racism in times too far past and parents who don’t understand them. However, this view of the alt-right has dangerous consequences for our society, especially among the impressionable young, and is at the forefront of our country's issues.

Despite the enclosing world of memes, Yiannopoulos’ manifesto and the hashtag “#AltRightMeans,” which trended on Twitter minutes after Hillary Clinton incriminated Trump for merging with the alt-right, claiming that “a fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party,” dragged the alt-right under the scrutiny of media and gave it significant power. As our country’s leader tweets memes of himself symbolically beating up CNN and of trains running over reporters, Trump supporters and alt-right members overlap. Some spend hours creating memes that are viewed by thousands to celebrate their “God Emperor” and bash his enemies. The group recently took the media by storm after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville descended into violence and Trump’s inappropriate response implicitly suggested that the protesters and counter protesters were moral equivalents.

The similarity between Trump and the alt-right is a cause for concern to many, but it is not a valid argument for completely ostracizing the alt-right and letting the shadows reclaim it. Those advocating for the reversal of events, for the return of the alt-right to dingy basements and web forums, believe that the movement is becoming too influential and a source for news of a caliber lower than fake news: pure opinion, outburst, and excess. Trust in news is at an all time low and fan bases of alt-right individuals are only increasing, as they claim that they have an authentic, uncorrupted point of view different from that of the elitist, majority-silencing news. Thus, average Americans and our president believe in a radical, opinionated Reddit user more than CNN. However, hiding the problem does nothing to solve it. The alt-right will always be there in the depths of the fast-growing internet culture, churning out more memes and expanding its viewership. 

The only solution is to bring more light and awareness to the issue, especially since the movement is online, making it difficult to distinguish satire from sincerity. Ryan Milner, a professor of Communications and author of The Ambivalent Internet, believes that ironic and playful content can be misconstrued as significant. He often cites the example of Edgar Welch, the “Pizzagate” gunman who took an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory created by Internet trolls seriously and gunned down a pizza restaurant, believing it to be the hub of an elite pedophile ring. Through humor and irony, racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, and every other quasi-taboo ideals are normalized in an extremely polarizing environment, one that is appealing to young generations. Teenagers and young rebels, Yiannopoulos argues, are drawn to the alt-right “because it promises fun, transgression, and a challenge to social norms they just don’t understand.” Attracted to the grungy, glamorous world of memes and web forums, susceptible minds are slowly desensitized and indoctrinated to alt-right beliefs. Even more light needs be shined upon the alt-right. Rather than focusing on the superficial tangle of memes that only show affective positions, the alt-right needs to answer this question: what do they really believe in?

The situation may seem hopeless, but the power of the individual’s voice cannot be forgotten. Charlottesville, despite its tragic ending, is a testament to the highest ideal in our country. When white supremacists, brandishing Confederate flags and swastikas, took to the streets of Charlottesville to protest the removal of a Confederate statue, the counter protesters marched out in equal force to combat an ideology they disagreed with. Just as the alt-right slanders CNN with macabre memes, so too do news organizations, just in a more palatable form. The ability to speak up against the injustices one sees in the world is what makes our country truly great. The alt-right movement is finally emerging from its polarizing, isolating den, gaining power with each of its swings. As much as it is tempting to cast the first stone, the power to speak up against it, to shine a light behind the facade of memes, to come to an all-encompassing solution, is a privilege that must be exercised.