Consider white nationalism, an ideology that went through an extended period of decline, with sharp losses starting in the late 1990s and continuing through the 2000s. The movement’s adherents were fragmented, factionalized and isolated in the face of a powerful social current against overt racism. Now, a mix of political factors and the rise of social networking have sparked a worrying resurgence.
One element of white nationalism’s decline was its marginalization from the mainstream of society. The role of mainstream media gatekeepers was crucial in reinforcing that isolation through the second half of the 20th Century. Overt white nationalism was rarely found on editorial pages, and its leading figures were rarely seen on the news, except in a negative light. Popular entertainment and culture reinforced messages promoting diversity.
Social media was not the only factor driving the return of white nationalism – the election of an African-American president, economic and demographic shifts, and a new flood of refugees from the Syrian civil war all provide important political context. But the mechanics of the resurgence were swifter and more volatile because of instantaneous global networking, and some key offline factors – including the rise of the Islamic State and Donald Trump’s racially divisive presidential campaign – have been profoundly empowered by access to social media.
Seamon joined the force in 1998, after serving three years as a reserve deputy. Allen related a call the rookie made with Dep. Billy Lawrence, that has become a bit of a local legend. The two officers responded to a church in the Pentacost community during the pre-dawn hours answering a burglary in progress call. There they found a mentally disturbed man, armed and naked in the church.
“They got into a gunfight in the church until they ran out of bullets,” Allen said, eliciting another round of laughter. “Billy told the naked man that they were out of bullets and asked if he was out of bullets. The naked man answered that he was out of bullets. Billy and Troy brought him in.”
”Hip Bircher.
(APR 30 1961; Burton Whitlock, an accountant, heads the John Birch Society at Cody, Wyo. via Getty)
Reading this New Yorker review of a new biography of John Birch though I was a little distracted by the writing (I asked myself why, went to the reviewer’s Wikipedia page, and found it insisting on his “crisp wit”…).