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Alt-left is a neologism suggesting the existence of an ideological fringe movement on the political left, as a direct opposite of the alt-right. The term, commonly used as a pejorative, has been used to describe groups, outlets, or individuals who were perceived as being critical of then President-elect Donald Trump. Trump used the term during remarks on the Charlottesville rally on August 15, 2017.

According to Mark Pitcavage, an analyst at the Anti Defamation League, the term was invented to suggest a false equivalence between the alt-right and their opponents.[1]

Others, such as the Foundation for Economic Education author Keri Smith dispute this idea saying: "There is an effort underfoot, in the media and in academia, to declare the Alt-Left a myth, to sweep it back under the rug, to reduce it, in effect, back to being a sickness not spoken of, a problem that has no name. I have had well-meaning friends tell me I should not use the term Alt-Left (or any of its synonyms: Regressive Left, CTRL-Left, SJWism) because they are ‘pejoratives’ used only by the right to attack the left. In my experience, this is not true. Like canaries in the coal mine, liberals who do not (or no longer) subscribe to the Alt-Left ideology have been sounding the alarm about this creeping plague of repressive groupthink for quite a while now. I believe this attempt to dissuade our use of the term Alt-Left is purposeful (even if not consciously recognized by individuals who are doing it) — for how can we discuss something we cannot refer to by name? When asked to define Alt-Left, I would describe it as a leftist but illiberal authoritarian ideology rooted in postmodernism and neo-Marxism that supports censorship, condones violence in response to speech, is obsessed with identity politics (much like the Alt-Right), and functions like a secular religion that gives its believers a sense of moral self-worth."[2]


Background

Unlike the term "alt-right" (which was coined by those on the extreme right who comprise the movement), as noted by Washington Post writer Aaron Blake, "alt-left" was "coined by its opponents and doesn't actually have any subscribers".[3] According to George Hawley, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, no such label has been adopted by any members of the progressive left.[4][5] While acknowledging that there are anti-fascism activists on the left who engage in physical confrontation against members of the far-right, Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, concurred that no equivalent to those who identify as being part of the "alt-right" exists, stating that anti-fascist groups were not consciously aiming to brand themselves in the manner that white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other members of the far-right had undertaken to mainstream their ideology.[5][6][7]

Its usage eventually circulated within conservative online media, and was popularized around those circles through its use by Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity to suggest the existence of a similar ideological fringe movement on the political left. On the November 14, 2016 edition of his eponymous Fox News program, Hannity used the term to excoriate "alt-left media" together with "mainstream" and "radical" media for being "biased against President-elect Trump".[3][4][8] According to The New Republic, the term was popularized after it was "picked up" by Fox News as a way to "frame the Democratic wing led by [Bernie] Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as extreme".[9]

In an early use of the term, Gary Bauer stated on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper, "It's not alt-right, it's not alt-left; it's alt-delete. It's get the bums out," as a way of equating right- and left-wing populism.[3]

Both the term itself and the concept of an "alt-left" as a sort of opposite-but-equal mirror of the alt-right have generated controversy for "likening" the "socialist critics" of neo-Nazism "to neo-Nazis".[9][10][11] The term has also been criticized as a label that, unlike alt-right, was not coined by the group it purports to describe, but, rather, was created by political opponents as a political smear implying a false equivalence.[10][3]

Usage

According to Branko Marcetic, assistant editor of Jacobin magazine, the label refers to a faction of the political left that does not exist, as the progressive or far left segments of political ideology do not identify by any other particular collective noun.[12]

According to journalist Peter Beinart, "What Trump calls “the alt left”... is actually antifa."[13] Buzzfeed UK published an article about "alt-left media" in the United Kingdom in May 2016.[14] The article refers to "alt-left" news websites such as Another Angry Voice, The Canary, Evolve Politics and Skwawkbox, which are "hyperpartisan" supporters of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.[14]

Keri Smith, in a piece published by the Foundation for Economic Education, describes the "Alt-left", not as a movement, but as the ideology that undergirds Antifa, as well as other movements such as Black Lives Matter and intersectional third-wave feminism [15].

The term gained prevalence when U.S. president Donald Trump used the phrase during remarks on the Charlottesville rally made on August 15, 2017.[16][17][18][19] Researchers such as Mark Pitcavage state that the “alt-left” does not actually exist and the derogatory term had been made up to create an equation between the far right and certain activists and politicians on the left.[20][21][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Stack, Liam (August 15, 2017). Alt-Right, Alt-Left, Antifa: A Glossary of Extremist Language. The New York Times. Retrieved: September 13, 2017.
  2. ^ https://fee.org/articles/yes-the-alt-left-exists-and-its-terrifying/
  3. ^ a b c d Aaron Blake (December 1, 2016). "Introducing the 'alt-left': The GOP's response to its alt-right problem". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Sterling, Joe; Chavez, Nicole (August 16, 2017). "What's the 'alt-left'? Experts say it's a 'made-up term'". CNN.
  5. ^ a b Chris Tognotti (August 15, 2017). "What Is The Alt-Left? Trump Pinned The Charlottesville Violence On Them, Too". Bustle.
  6. ^ Michael Graham (December 9, 2016). "There is No Alt-Left". Progressive Army.
  7. ^ James Wolcott (March 2017). "Why the Alt-Left is a Problem, Too". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications.
  8. ^ Daniel S. Levine (August 15, 2017). "What Is the Alt-Left? 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Heavy Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Clio Chang (March 6, 2017). "Liberalism Needs the "Alt-Left"". The New Republic. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Eric Levitz (March 3, 2017). "Why the Alt-Center Is a Problem, Too". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Alex Horton (August 15, 2017). "What is the 'alt-left,' which Trump just blamed for some of the violence in Charlottesville?". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  12. ^ Branko Marcetic (August 14, 2017). "Burying the Lie of the "Alt-Left"". Jacobin. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  13. ^ Peter Beinart (August 16, 2017). "What Trump calls "the alt left" (I'll explain why that's a bad term later) is actually antifa". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Media Group. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Jim Waterson (May 6, 2016). "The Rise Of The Alt-Left British Media". Buzzfeed. BuzzFeed Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  15. ^ Smith, Keri (2017-09-06). "Yes, the Alt-Left Exists and It's Terrifying | Keri Smith". Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  16. ^ What is the 'alt Left' that Donald Trump said was 'very violent' in Charlottesville? The Telegraph, 16 Aug 2017.
  17. ^ Michael D. Shear & Maggie Haberman, A Combative Trump Criticizes 'Alt-Left' Groups in Charlottesville, Washington Post (August 15, 2017)
  18. ^ Meghan Keneally, Trump lashes out at 'alt-left' in Charlottesville, says 'fine people on both sides', ABC News (August 15, 2017)
  19. ^ Andrew Rafferty, Trump Says 'Alt-Left' Shares Blame for Charlottesville Rally Violence, NBC News (August 15, 2017).
  20. ^ Emma Grey Ellis (August 16, 2017). "THERE IS NO ALT-LEFT, NO MATTER WHAT TRUMP SAYS". Wired. Condé Nast Publications.
  21. ^ Liam Stack (August 15, 2017). "Alt-Right, Alt-Left, Antifa: A Glossary of Extremist Language". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  22. ^ "What is the "alt-left" Trump was talking about?". CBS News. CBS Interactive. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
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