Review: Are Memes Upending Democracy?
In Meme Wars, so-called "disinformation" experts call for the suppression of more ideas and speakers to protect democracy.
Radical Right
Twitter Was Already a Hellscape Even Before It Was Set Free
Plus: For Halloween, the editors describe what scares them most about politics and government right now.
Both Left and Right Are Converging on Authoritarianism
The problem with American politics isn't polarization—it's rising illiberalism.
YouTube Algorithms Don't Turn Unsuspecting Masses Into Extremists, New Study Suggests
A new study casts doubt on the most prominent theories about extremism-by-algorithm.
The Reactionary Tradition Out To Annihilate American Liberty
A World After Liberalism details the rise of a young right that finds reactionary ideas relevant and appealing.
The Hidden History of the Trillion Dollar Coin
Friday A/V Club: In 1992, it was a paramilitary America Firster who wanted to #MintTheCoin.
The Campaign Against 'Extremism' Looks Like an Attack on Speech
Efforts against violence are turning into restrictions on ideas.
Americans Shouldn't Be Treated Like ISIS Insurgents
Adopting "counterinsurgency" tactics for use against wide swaths of Americans can only make the situation worse.
In 2020, We Have Forgotten How To Leave People Alone
Shopping at Target. Dining outdoors. No activity these days is too mundane for protesters to shout at you for it.
Study: YouTube's Fringe Video Viewers Aren't Passive Zombies
Plus: Cryptocurrency crashes, prison abuse protests in Florida, the death of the center-right, and more...
I Interviewed the Sage of the Alt-Right. No, It's Not Ben Shapiro.
The Economist corrects a massive error.
49 Dead in Alleged 'Eco-Fascist' Attack on 2 New Zealand Mosques
The suspected shooter is in custody.
The Wild Rise of Lyndon LaRouche
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
Far-Right German Party Tries to Recruit Jews by Attacking Muslims
But many of the Alternative for Deutschland's leaders have questionable track records when it comes to anti-Semitism.
Vietnam and the Rise of White Power
A new book ties racist reactionary politics to the war, but overreaches when it comes to militias.
Two Dozen Sad Nazis Cost D.C. at Least $2.6 Million
White nationalists were vastly outnumbered by counterprotesters at Sunday's Unite the Right II rally, but the whole affair cost the District millions.
Antifa Still Wants to Punch the Two Dozen Damp, Sad Nazis Who Showed Up at Unite the Right II
But most counterprotesters were calm and nuanced about free speech and fascism at the D.C. rally.
Russians and Reactionaries
The on-again, off-again flirtation between Mother Russia and the deplorables of Europe
The Southern Poverty Law Center Is Counting Extremists Again
Do its numbers tell a story?
Dear Media: Please Stop Normalizing the Alt-Right
Two hundred white nationalists get more coverage than tens of thousands of pro-life demonstrators.
Friday A/V Club: A Vintage Anti-Hippie Film Strip
A fever-dream film strip from 1967 calls the counterculture a communist/capitalist plot.
Hillary Clinton: The Alt-Right Has 'Effectively Taken Over the Republican Party'
Speaking in Nevada, the Democrat denounces Donald Trump as a racist and a conspiracy theorist.
Hillary Clinton to Give Alt-Right Recruitment Speech
As Clinton condemns a far-right movement, she'll be giving it a signal boost.
German "Neo-Nazi" Politician Rescued By Syrian Refugees
Asylum-seekers performed first aid on man who recently wrote "integration is genocide."
The Southern Poverty Law Center Strikes Again
What should we make of the SPLC's annual count of "hate groups" and "anti-government groups"?
Friday A/V Club: Fascism vs. Socialism vs. Communism vs. Democracy
Lawrence Dennis, Norman Thomas, A.J. Muste, and Raymond Moley debate the ideal social system.
Three Strange Claims in Mother Jones's Report on the 'Rise of Right-Wing Extremism'
Taking a closer look at the data
Deeply Confused Newsweek Story Compares Republicans to Timothy McVeigh
The weekly gets both the past and the present wrong.
What Exactly Is In Homeland Security's Report on Sovereign Citizens?
CNN got its hands on a document. It would be nice to know what it says.
Oath Keepers in Ferguson Area Condemn Militarized Police; Oath Keepers' Guest Speaker IS Militarized Police
Tensions on the populist right
The Vegas Shootings, the Bundy Ranch, and the Splits on the Radical Right
The dynamics of radical politics.
Regulating Hateful Speech Won't Stop Hateful Crimes
Glenn Miller's long trail of bigotry and violence is not an argument for censoring speech—or for spying on people who have done nothing more than say ugly things.
Southern Poverty Law Center Finds Fewer Militias, Hypes Militia Threat Anyway
Fearmongering with the SPLC
Talkin' John Birch History Blues
Them Birchers they was comin' around/They was in the air/They was on the ground.
Report: When Obama Became President, Right-Wing Violence Fell
Revisiting the Brown Scare of 2009-10.
Homeland Security Meets Office Politics
The author of an infamous report on right-wing extremism tries to defend his work.