Open AccessThe Ugliness of Trolls: Comparing the Methodologies of the Alt-Right and the Ku Klux Klan
Author(s) -
Nathan Eckstrand
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
cosmopolitan civil societies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.31
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 1837-5391
DOI - 10.5130/ccs.v10.i3.6026
Subject(s) - deliberation , nationalism , politics , amusement , ethnic group , white (mutation) , religious studies , political science , law , sociology , aesthetics , psychology , social psychology , art , philosophy , chemistry , biochemistry , gene
The alt-right claims it responsibly advocates for its positions while the Ku Klux Klan was “ad-hoc.” This allows them to accept the philosophy of white nationalism while rejecting comparisons with prior white nationalist organizations. I confront this by comparing the methodologies of alt-right trolls and the KKK. After studying each movement’s genesis in pranks done for amusement, I demonstrate that each uses threats to police behavior, encourages comradery around ethnic heritage, and manipulates politics to exclude voices from public deliberation. Differences between alt-right trolls and the KKK originate in the technologies they use, not out of a concern for responsible advocacy.