On the Alt-Right

Robear wrote:

I don't think it's quite right to say that New Atheism is part of the Alt-Right, or that they focus on *science*. To me, they are co-opting both for their own uses. Would you say that science was part of Naziism, or that the Nazis cherry-picked parts of science out of context to "justify" their stances?

It bothers me to see atheism and science linked to racist a$$holes as if they were building blocks for the philosophies of racists. They aren't.

Seriously, the "junk science and pseudo-science" didn't make that clear enough? Alt-right idiots may fetishize science, but they don't understand it. As for New Atheism, Dawkins and Harris are revered figures, and oft quoted, by the alt-right. It's not that New Atheism is significantly alt-right, it's that the alt-right is significantly New Atheist.

SallyNasty wrote:

I need to listen to some Alt-J.

Left Hand Free is such a good song and I cannot get into any other part of their discography. It's bizarre. Like, how did you make this song that is SO GOOD and the rest is just... not me at all?

Demosthenes wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

I need to listen to some Alt-J.

Left Hand Free is such a good song and I cannot get into any other part of their discography. It's bizarre. Like, how did you make this song that is SO GOOD and the rest is just... not me at all?

Oh I love their first album even more.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Robear wrote:

I don't think it's quite right to say that New Atheism is part of the Alt-Right, or that they focus on *science*. To me, they are co-opting both for their own uses. Would you say that science was part of Naziism, or that the Nazis cherry-picked parts of science out of context to "justify" their stances?

It bothers me to see atheism and science linked to racist a$$holes as if they were building blocks for the philosophies of racists. They aren't.

Seriously, the "junk science and pseudo-science" didn't make that clear enough? Alt-right idiots may fetishize science, but they don't understand it. As for New Atheism, Dawkins and Harris are revered figures, and oft quoted, by the alt-right. It's not that New Atheism is significantly alt-right, it's that the alt-right is significantly New Atheist.

Yeah, I think you framed that pretty clearly. Alt-righters being largely New Athiest doesn't necessarily mean the reverse any more than traditional Right Wingers being largely religious meaning that all religious people are right wing.

Harris and Dawkins being the Falwell and Robertson of the alt-right being the case in point.

Just getting sensitive again due to working in NoVa, where atheists apparently don't exist...