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FEAR, LOATHING AND VITRIOL: THE FAR RIGHT IN NORTH AMERICA

BILL LEE

April. 8, 2020


There was a disturbing story recently about Right-wing groups disgorging all manner of insults and making death threats against Dr. Anthony Fauci the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the USA. (Groth, 2020). But he has also become a public target for conservative pundits and bloggers who say he is undermining the administration. 'One article in the right-wing outlet, American Thinker, called him a “Deep-State Hillary Clinton-loving stooge.'" (Drury, 2002) His offence was, and is, that he has been forced to correct various pieces of misinformation, and often downright inanities, uttered by President Trump about the Covid-19 pandemic, how it works, what its effects are or what should be done about it. The fact that he requires protection is disturbing, to say the least, but the lashing out by right-wing zealots has been a growing and very unhealthy tendency, of the North American Right, and not only in the USA. The infection has permeated this country as well. It is apparently the almost knee-jerk reaction of some to howl with rage, shake their fists in anger, bellow a range of lies and, far too often, utter dark threats against whatever or whomever they disagree.


Though it is imagined insults to their leader Make America Great crowd that seems to drive many of the people into these fits of unhinged rage, there are other triggers that may be contributing to this. We have seen some of these folks work themselves into paroxysms of anger by the statements and/or actions of women demanding an end the male violence. Others of them fume at the “threat to law and order” by Indigenous people who have the gall to cause disruption of any kind. They also take issue with Indigenous people who dare to defend their territory or rights that are being threatened by resource extraction projects (which will disrupt their rights, lives and cultures considerably). And of course, there are the pleas for high powered police actions against those supporting the cause of Black Lives Matter. This anger, many suggest, results from the fear that their privilege, which they see as the natural order of life and which requires the boot of class (or being male or being white or colonial etc., authority) to be placed on the necks of the offending marginalized. 

But it is aimed at those who would dare to point out and criticize the colonialism, sexism homophobia, etc. that exists in our society. It seems that any word or act has the potential to unleash the anger of those who somehow interpret that because of challenges to racism, homophobia, patriarchy or to racism or colonialism, etc. that their (fragile) identities as superior human beings or their comfortable lifestyle will have to change. But to be fair, it is hardly the whole population of individuals who consider themselves conservatives who engage in this disgustingly puerile and threatening behaviour. Though indeed, some have come all over hate-filled wacko there are other conservatives, like David Frum (of all people) and David Brooks, both citizens of the USA.1 We have this species in Canada as well. Certainly Joe Clark would fit that bill though, he is not very active these days. Mischa Kaplan, the Ottawa entrepreneur and freelance writer is a more recent example2. It is clear that the right has, in its population, segments who do not partake of the verbal hysteria. But I think it is useful to engage in a bit of observation and analysis of the differing actions of some members who do not actually bray hate and violence, but who abet the vile antics of their cousins.

 Sounds of Silence


First, there are those who have adopted a stance of firm silence. They may speak in very general terms of the importance of "civilized discourse", and perhaps privately some bemoan the mean-spirited and dangerous blather of their co-Cons but, in public, not a discouraging word escapes their lips. One gathers from reading and listening to some of the USA punditry that there are more than a few of the GOP politicians who fall into this group. Almost certainly they are in mortal fear for their political lives because of the malign screeching that will be unleashed against them by the head of their party, the chief hater, DJ Trump. But even the rank and file conservative who has no practical ties to the President may fear the vengeful wrath of their more extreme cousins. Anyone who peruses Facebook (I do) or Twitter (I don't) has stories of posts of stunning and violent vitriol. So, they keep their silence and don’t rock the alt-right conservative boat.


Aiders and Abetters


The second group, when asked to comment on the vile codswallop spewing from their far-right relatives, attempt to construct a false and mealy-mouthed equivalency with activists and politicians who occupy the centre of, like me, the Left of the political spectrum. These committed conservatives don't provide just passive pass to the bellowers and purveyors of hatred but put forth a kind of disingenuous rationale. “Yes, the language is harsh, and unacceptable, but what about those far-left maniacs, look at what they say?” And invariably they come up with an example, or perhaps two. They point to people in the USA calling Bush Jr. a warmongering fascist, or Trump a sociopathic mendacity machine. In Canada somewhat similar things have been said to excuse the statements former Prime Minister, Steven Harper by his minions, like Pierre Poilievre, and to a lesser extent, the present Premier of the Province of Ontario, Doug Ford. Rather than taking the risk of getting into a, frankly mind-numbing and interminable, discussion of what constitutes a Fascist or a warmonger or a sociopathic liar, I will simply observe two things. First, the examples that are trotted out are often dredged up from the past while the inflammatory insults against Centrists and Leftists invariably occur in the present. Another difference is the sheer quantity of dimwitted conspiracy theories and vicious comments launched from the far right.3 The differences in amount and vehemence are simply not in any way equivalent to whatever comments appear from "far Left" activists.


Our Stance
But my point here is that both the silent brigade and the equivalency pedlars are, in effect, acting as enablers of the purveyors of mendacity and violence. So, while it is the far-right we should loathe and fear, we cannot and must not allow the other two segments of the conservative persuasion to obtain a pass. They must be called out and confronted constantly and engaged and countered vigorously. If we take our positions on social justice, civil rights, free speech and equality we cannot stand by and hope that the far right will simply embarrass themselves into oblivion. We need to take an active position against their lies and mistreatment of public figures, who may, but may not, fit our sense of what genuine progressives look or act like. Anything less is to give these bullies a free pass and if that happens public discourse is further debased and opportunities for progressive positions become more difficult to articulate.

______________________________________________
1 Admittedly Frum was born in Canada but he long ago moved to the USA and took out citizenship there. He worked for Bush Jr. as a speech writer and is now an Editor at the Atlantic. 
2 Mischa Kaplan (2017) wrote an approving article in the National post about the demise of Ezra Levant’s The Rebel as a welcome cleansing of the loonier voices of Canadian conservatism. 
3 The ludicrous story that Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring from the basement of a Washington pizzeria is the most infamous but not the only example of insanity. One of gullible dim bulb actually armed himself heavily, drove to Washington and got into the building. Fortunately he was disarmed by the coppers before he could wreck any havoc.

Resources

Drury, C. (2002) "Coronavirus: Dr Anthony Fauci ‘given security detail after receiving threats from far-right extremists". The Independent. April 2. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-anthony-fauci-trump-threats-far-right-extremists-a9441596.html

Kaplan, M. (2017). "How to rescue Canadian conservatism from the hard right". Ottawa Citizen. Aug. 25. https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/kaplan-how-to-rescue-canadian-conservatism-from-the-hard-right/

Groth L. (2020). "Fauci Assigned A Security Team After ‘Uncomfortable’ Encounters And Threats." Yahoo Lifestyle. April 2. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dr-fauci-assigned-security-team-064706822.html



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