Nothing Good Comes From Trading Patriotism For Nationalism – “Alt-Right” Is Wrong On Every Level
The Shocking Reality of Nationalism
No one should be surprised at the mayhem that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia yesterday.
Shocked? Yes. Horrified? Yes. Disgusted? Yes.
After the eight years of racial tension and provocation by the Obama administration, Americans without a firm moral compass, historical perspective, and Constitutional understanding chose to endorse a man who campaigned on the premise of vengeful Nationalism.
Donald Trump never represented Patriotism. As a demagogue, he used powerful populism to whip up the reactionary emotions of his followers to accept a type of replacement theology of Nationalism.
From DifferenceBetween.net:
Nationalism means to give more importance to unity by way of a cultural background, including language and heritage. Patriotism pertains to the love for a nation, with more emphasis on values and beliefs.
From Quora.com:
The Difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does , and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does ; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility while the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to a war .
No one should wonder why President Trump loves to threaten other countries with military intervention. He is not a Patriot. He is a Nationalist.
In late January, Donald Trump did something that would have sunk almost any other presidential campaign: He retweeted an anonymous Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist who goes by the not-so-subtle handle @WhiteGenocideTM. Trump neither explained nor apologized for the retweet and then, three weeks later, he did it again. This subsequent retweet was quickly deleted, but just two days later Trump retweeted a different user named @EustaceFash, whose Twitter header image at the time also included the term “white genocide.” – Fortune.com
David Duke Praises Trump
At the “Unite the Right” rally yesterday, White Nationalists took their stand, including David Duke, who endorsed candidate Trump and reiterated his support:
Former KKK leader David Duke invoked President Trump’s name at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. “This represents a turning point for the people of this country. We are determined to take our country back,” Duke said. “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back.” – KATC.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jhtF_pUbLc
Vehicular Vengeance
When interviewed after the deadly vehicular attack, the mother of the accused said that her son made specific plans to attend the “alt-right” rally.
“I told him to be careful,” Ms. Bloom said. “[And] if they’re going to rally to make sure he’s doing it peacefully.”
It didn’t appear that happened, she said tearfully.
She had returned from dinner Saturday evening unaware that her son was involved and had not yet been contacted by authorities.
He had told her about the rally last week, but didn’t offer details about its extremist nature.
“I thought it had something to do with Trump,” she said. – from Toledo Blade
James Fields Jr. was photographed at the rally, dressed in white shirts and khaki slacks similar to the golf outfit favored by President Trump. He and the other White Nationalists were holding shields representing the Vanguard America hate group.
No Condemnation from President Trump
As Stephen Hayes, a writer for the Weekly Standard noted:
We know by now what it looks like when Donald Trump wants to condemn someone. Brit Hume is “a dope” and a “know-nothing.” Mika Brzezinski is “dumb as a rock” and “crazy.” Bill and Hillary Clinton were “the real predators.” Ted Cruz is a “wacko” and “weak.” Chuck Todd—“pathetic” and “very dishonest.” James Comey—“nutjob.” Intel leakers are “low-lifes” and Democrats are “phony hypocrites.” Republicans are “disloyal,” “naive” and “dishonest” while European leaders are “weak.” You get the idea.
Trump is quick to condemn—in specific and harsh terms—anyone he doesn’t like. He’s blunt, he’s direct, and he’s politically incorrect.
So it was striking on Saturday when Trump refused to denounce the white supremacists and neo-Nazis whose public rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to violence. The racists marched the streets hauling Nazi flags and torches, chanting, “you will not replace us” and “blood and soil.”
Is our President a racist? There is no evidence to support this.
There is plenty of evidence to indicate that Donald Trump welcomes the support of racists who endorse vengeful Nationalism.
