Eh, who cares.
You have to separate the Alt Right's real message from its admittedly flawed messengers - at least for now. Eventually some better quality white men will rise the occasion.
I don’t blame these Alt Right firebrands like Eli for wanting to have a normal life. They have rediscovered in our time our ancestors’ wisdom that man finds his fulfillment by living in extended, patriarchal families, communities and nations of people who share a common historical ancestry and a common culture.
This contrasts sharply with our elites’ childish and damaging utopianism of degeneracy, feminism, diversity and anarchic immigration. Man simply cannot thrive under the conditions of this clown world, and the Alt Right has emerged among young white American men as a quest for a way of life more in harmony with human nature.
I draw the analogy with the idea of “paleonutrition,” namely, that we would enjoy better health if we tried to eat like our ancestors. But the Alt Right’s embrace of our ancestors’ way of thinking as a strategy to improve our mental flourishing, which I call “paleocognition,” meets resistance from the intellectuals backed by our elites, who call it all kinds of names like racism, sexism, bigotry, xenophobia and so forth. Instead our intellectuals have constructed this unnatural social-justice ideology to try to shove into our minds, even though the mind organically rejects it at every opportunity as a foreign substance incompatible with its functioning.
1
Plenty of people care. Here's the problem with the picture that you just painted. That path that you described that leads to "the quest for a more harmonious life with human nature" isn't paved with good intentions. It's filled with intolerance for anyone that doesn't same similar ideologies, and disdain for anyone who happens have a different skin tone. Much like you, these groups present themselves as serious, non-violent organizations and employ the language of academia. What you just described is a nationalist's delusion, disavowing racism while promoting a broad agenda of calculated discrimination.
13
I think of man could not thrive under today's condition, he is not a real man. He is a dinosaur that could not adapt to changing conditions and therefore, it is natural for such specie to die out to create space for other species that could thrive in modern conditions. Nothing personal - just the law of nature
12
You either think white people and people of all races are equal or you don't.
You either think gender is determinant of power or you don't.
You either think killing people physically, emotionally, and economically, is wrong or you don't.
It's not about branding, you fool.
There's no such thing as a better face of a movement that wants the alienation and annihilation of people based upon things that just baffle, threaten, and scare you.
'The mind organically rejects it' because it speaks to it's worst impulses.
I'd take evolution of morality over your pseudo paleo hate anyday anyway.
At least he did not claim Native American ancestry like Warren did.
1
I’d like to flag the NYTimes on what I consider to be irresponsible journalism.
Remember when Donald Trump so frustratingly coined the term, “Fake News?” Remember how disgusted we all are every time he says it, only because it gives his ignorance power? Remember how upsetting it is to think that a marketable phrase such as “Fake News” has made it so far, still hanging on, still totally infuriating and stupid?
Remember when Hillary Clinton also stupidly made the term “Alt-Right” famous during the 2016 debates when the “Alt-Right” had previously just been known as a dumb group of racists that people largely ignored? Oh... wait. So, Clinton did the same thing? She made a dumb phrase famous on the hellacious 2016 trail.
Remember when the highly regarded New York Times published a story today that irresponsibly calls a bunch of simpleton racists the “Alt-Right” and further fans the flame of this ratings fire?
I want my $15 dollars back this month.
8
Trump did not coin the term fake news; he appropriated it. The term was floating around the media for months before the Trump campaign began. It was used to describe actual misinformation articles that were swamping Facebook. Trump latched on to the term and applied it to real news that was not favorable to him.
Whaaaatttt, are you talking about, they have named themselves the “Alt-Right, not The NY Times, the alt-right wanted to “soften” their name, to hopefully get more people to become part of their movement. And it’s a movement that I have every morning, that’s how low on the scale it is. But it’s important to keep these people in the light, because like a mushroom they grow in the dark and they grow at exponential rates. Mushrooms pop up everywhere and overnight, I’m sure most of the people the belong to the “alt-right, think that every American believes as they do, in every word their lying leader spouts.
Oh my. He lied. Yawn.
3
Thank you for giving these brave Americans a platform. They deserve to be heard, even if you disagree with their arguments.
1
Stolen valor and assaulting children makes one brave? No wonder America is failing and the alt-right is to blame.
7
Are the brave Americans you speak of the Nazis who lie about military service?
Not everyone deserves to be heard. There's a difference between not criminalising speech and asserting that everyone who has something to say should be heard. The views of the extreme alt-right are vitriolic, based on lies, deceit, and racist pseudo-science which is as intellectually valid as physiognomy and flat-earthism.
Just because the public face of the alt-right realised it's not in their self-interest to literally appear in newsreel in Waffen-SS uniforms and Klan robes doesn't mean that all-of-a-sudden engaging with them intellectually is of any benefit to our society. The fundamental premise of the alt-right worldview is racial hierarchy, and however logically consistent their arguments are, they are predicated on the idea that whiteness is better and must remain 'pure'. That was a dangerous and ludicrous idea in 1939 and it remains so today. Saying they deserve to be heard, rather than simply stating that they shouldn't be prosecuted for their speech in line with their Constitutional rights, implies that there is some worth in hearing them. There isn't. The only thing that will come of providing platforms to the alt-right is our own collective numbness to the sound of Americans shouting fascist slogans and calling for race purity.
They don't deserve to be heard, they deserve to be ostracised and ignored until their whole odious movement asphyxiates from want of attention and care.
12
Did you read the article? Mr. Kline/Mosley was exposed as a liar and a fraud? Why would you follow someone like this? If you lie about who you are, you cannot be a respected messenger or leader for your cause.
3
O.K. this guy isn't on the rise. He was booted out of Identity Europa 3 months ago for lying about his background. This article is irrelevant (Except as leftist propaganda I guess.).
4
It is not propaganda. These people are real and a danger to our country.
Since Eli's real last name is Kline, I was expecting that his lie might be that he is actually Jewish.
40
This guy is a lying weasel who's affiliated with other lying weasels. His self-hatred (which seems well-deserved) is projected onto people who he sees as "other" - thereby sparing his frail and deformed ego from further damage by the truth.
This man is a nothing - a zero - as a human being, and a complete LOSER by any standard, and he knows it! He associates with other pathetic losers in an effort to become an *important* loser. And he'd never have made it through basic training - wimps like him are the first washouts.
BTW, Eli Kline sounds like a Semitic name, so it's interesting that he is involved with anti-Semites. Perhaps that is the truest measure of how much he hates himself. The guy needs a psychiatrist, but I don't think he's got enough honesty to benefit from that interaction.
24
Substantially true about this loser and substantially true about Trump.
7
Dear Ms. Cott,
Thank you for shining the light of Truth. Can you please investigate Sean Hannity at Fox, and Rebekah Mercer and her Breitbart "journalists"? They're lying. And the entire Cabinet. And Rush: Americans can never be reminded enough times about these lying liars.
One more please: Can you do a story about why these people aren't being sued to bankruptcy by their lies? Why not Trump, since his 2000+ lies are causing serious pain and suffering to a majority of Americans? What's up with that?
17
A small fringe group that can on a good day turn out about 200 people warrants such angst? Fringe groups have been with us since the founding of the republic. This hysteria seems more in line with working up the Liberal base. Forget the lunatic fringe and come up with some ideas. Painting cops as murderers and thugs as martyrs was not a winning campaign. Identifying women as victims will also not work for you. Hint: The people you despise aka “the Deplorables” care about bread and butter issues.
4
White supremacy and racial hatred are not bread and butter issues. Sure there are poor and disenfranchised white people in America. Read Hillbilly Elegy. It was not black people - usually much poorer and far more disenfranchised - who “caused” the misfortunes and injustices of those whites. Its a question of whether you have race hatred driving your worldview.
6
Ha Ha! KLINE is more often than not a JEWISH surname! (As in very noted Jewish American Painter Franz Kline). These people are often lost and don't know their own true family history (or are in serious denial).
Dig that info up and reveal this guy for the hypocrite he probably is.
12
Why glorify them by using a sugar coated phrase like “deception”? Make it simple and blunt, for what it is and call it “lies”.
1
This is disgusting!
Amazing concent. Very good reporting. NYT did a good job here.
1
Keep this eye-opening journalism.
We need it urgently in Germany...
1
As what's become obvious over the last couple of years, the alt-right and indeed, the Conservative/Republican movement are the Fake News - and they know it. In order to distract people from it, they claim Fake News at everything else. That is the only way that they can confuse the public just enough so their delusional and fact-free commentaries could possibly be tolerated for so long.
1
Clearly, as with most of the members of the alt-right, Eli's dominant personality characteristic is cowardice. His origin as an internal troll confirms that he didn't and currently does not have the courage to be truly public with his racism and antisemitism. The fact that he is also a liar about his military career only reinforces my position. The false narrative isn't just about his rising position in the alt-right, it is also about how he sees himself.
2
Unfortunately, one must interview and talk to these folks. Unfortunately, white people who are angry because they cannot get the jobs or earn the money they think they ought to, will not understand that some of them will be buying into this cancerous philosophy. All of these 'Nationalist' movements rely upon the anger of those who believe themselves to be disenfranchised coupled with a creed of their innate superiority based upon something like color or race. Please keep up the good work and continue to report on the these clearly ignorant folks in the hope that others will not be sucked into their lies and enticed to join them.
2
We have devolved into a society of lies and deception, with the despotic king of lies and deception residing in the White House. The United States of America is being splintered into multiple parts as never before, with vile, vulgar and vibrant misinformation taking control of the narrative. We are witnessing the rise of consummate evil, gnawing away at our institutions, our truth and our national sanctity as a democratic Republic. It is growing like a cancer out of control and without cure. Society, like the fish, rots from the head down.
1
What a pitiful bunch of people. Maybe they need a TV producer---the US government would gladly send a certain apprentice in order to remove him from a responsible position. We don't want the Trumpet---Eli can have him---all 6'3" and 639 lbs.
(((Eli Mosley))) (((Richard Spencer)))
If these people really cared about their ancient European traditions and culture they'd know racial supremacy is a Christian invention which further stemmed from a Judaic thinking that "holy" people exist. These degenerates are nothing but false flaggers looking for political power and shaming Europeans even further just like their supposed Semitic opposition.
These are facts!
Aside from how obviously repugnant these people are, what's so striking is the fraudulent portrayals of themselves, so as to appear part of something grand beyond their ordinary lives. There's an entitlement to claim a greatness never achieved or earned. Overall, it comes across as a childish endeavor. Grown men with hardware store tiki torches singing "Dixie" in matching shirts and khakis? They are at once both petty and frightening with their fragile egos. A lot of that going around these days.
Amazing reporting - heroes are made by social media out of people without any real worth and spreads among youth looking for counter-cultural social causes and rebels. Social media was not designed to handle political speech. The use of social media to isolate and indoctrinate is now cutting across the ideologies, religions, and cause. Social media billionaires should be held accountable. NYT needs to create a forum for asking - how do we counter this tide? This reporting was fascinating. It still feels like we are too late. We can lose our democracy in this decade if we do not find a market-driven approach to clean social media. There is no greater cause or enemy of our nation.
1
Of course he lied, that is what nazis do. They lie and cheat and murder. They are poison. They sacrifice their humanity for hatred and power. Personally I think all nazis, kkks, "alt-right" thugs, should be rounded up and put on trial for terrorism.
3
Maladjusted boys with Daddy issues.
2
There is a history of seriously lying among leaders of the Alt-Right. Daniel Burros was a member of the American Nazi Party, and then a recruiter for the Klan in New York City. A NYT reporter investigated his background, and very similar to this story, found that he lied about his background - that he was raised a Jew, and had even had a Bar-Mitzva. Once the Times published the story, in 1965, Burros committed suicide. A book, One More Victim, is about him, as is a movie, "The Believer". Eeringly similar is the true tale of Frank Collin, who founded a neo-Nazi Party in Chicago. His group applied for a permit to march in the suburb of Skokie, which at that time was home to a large number of Holocaust Survivors. Skokie denied him the permit, and the ACLU represented Collins, fighting the denial all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in 1979, granted him the permit. All the while Collin kept hidden two big secrets: his father was a German Jewish immigrant (his original name was Cohn) whose parents had been murdered in the Holocaust; and Collin had sexually assaulted underage males. (His own Neo-Nazi party found a stash of child pornography he had stored & turned it over to the police). Upon his conviction for sexual assault, (he served 3 years in prison) his neo-Nazi Party, which hated both Jews and Gays, kicked him out. There are probably even more lies told by Alt-Right members that we have yet to uncover.
What a sad and sick bunch. However, I can conjure up no sympathy for their racist and hate-riddled attitudes. Lots of people with awful upbringings didn't fall into this morass. That's no excuse for descending into the muck of institutionalized hatred. A pox upon Elliott and his ilk, including the occupier of the oval office. I never thought I'd live long enough to see Germany become a paragon of democratic rule and the US sink into Nazi-like fascism a little more every day.
1
A racist liar, just like the President. Someone get him a casino to bankrupt, or maybe he can peddle steaks and vodka.
I’m glad the disgusting underbelly of America is now in the light instead of under the rocks. Disturbing how many of these reptiles there really are, isn’t it?
This is just hair-raising to see film of someone as morally dead as "Eli." Are these people totally oblivious to history? I found out first hand from my father, who lived through the 1930s and survived the war in Germany, about what lies at the end of that road. The euphoria of thinking you had a bright future as a member of the "master race" soon gave way to the agony of a grinding war that saw the complete destruction of your country and finally the humiliation and shame of facing the crimes your country had committed against humanity. Before the 2016 elections, I kept telling anyone who would listen that America was experiencing its 1932 moment, the year when Adolf Hitler was elevated to power. Our Groper-in-Chief got 46% of the vote, Hitler only got 37%. I hope we don't have to pay the same price as Germany. The 2018 midterm elections might be our last chance: VOTE OR DIE!
2
Heads up, NY Times: It would be VERY nice if this article didn't AUTOPLAY this disgusting video. I'd like to have the choice of whether to play it or not, thanks!
1
@L. Press the pause icon. That's what I did. Hope this helps. Good day to you.
These people have been around for a long time. I started subscribing to the SPLC's Klanwatch magazine in 1991. They've come out of their caves, apparently emboldened by Trump, but I fear that the infrastructure of white supremacism is deeper and more strongly established than we think. They are not just a bunch of fringe lunatics crashing on couches.
5
It's astonishing that the NYT can't find a way to point out Mosley's mendacious cowardice without denigrating the National Guard and its thousands of men and women who provide vital service to our country and stand willing to deploy, fight and die if called.
2
How does this denigrate the National Guard???
They simply stated/confirmed that his unit did not deploy during his time in it, thus showing all his claims about Iraq, being embedded with Iraqi Army, killing "muds", etc, are lies. I don't see how that denigrates or cast aspersions on the National Guard at all?
1
I am not sure what I missed, but which part of the article was denigrating to the National Guard?
The trouble is that so many white Americans believe them, and the further trouble is that Sean Hannity has high ratings. This is a disaster worthy of Kafka.
3
I think it's safe to say Lyin' Eli has a massive crush on Richard Spencer.
6
Note the hilarious Freudian slip at 16:45, where he refers to himself as "Eli Posely."
4
Just curious — if his real last name is Kline, is there some chance that this man is a Jewish white supremacist?
4
@Marshall I'm in Kline-d to agree with you.
We live in a world lacking in role models. All these young white men grew up playing violent video games without any intellectual development. Once these young minds get sucked into Fox or breitbart they absorb the hate and agenda of far more nefarious clowns. Where have all the leaders gone? Ironic I know.
7
Cott and crew deserve a big round of applause not only for their investigative and videography skills, but for their bravery. This is journalism at its best.
15
So many young white men. So much entitlement. So much testosterone. So little heart and even less brain power.
46
@Nnaiden Reignite the 'Draft" that will burn a hole in their testosterone and their ego. Been their done that in 1968.
I am a Vietnam era Veteran who was not sent to Vietnam and I went to Charlottesville to photograph and oppose the Unite the Right Nazis and the Klan. I went there with another Vet who did serve in Vietnam and is disabled with an artificial leg. I am not surprised that this man lied about his military service and uses stolen valor to inflate his status and I find him to be a dishonorable Vet . I also want to say that , I believe, most Veterans do not agree with him and remember that our relatives fought the Nazis in WW2. I was also at UVA on Friday night when the Tiki mob ganged up on a group of students which they outnumbered by about 30 to 1. I can personally say that I witnessed a mob of cowardly bullies that night and what they did was disgraceful. I want to commend the Times for outing this liar and suggest that you interview some Anti-Nazi Veterans in the future.
57
I understand the Times, other media outlets, and heck every individual in the world feels under assault right now from Twitter mobs, angry commenters, and the broader internet community. But I find this insertion of a journalists personal story completely unnecessary and patently diverging from countless standards and practices of journalism. I know the Times must adapt to our times, but for all that was once sacred please also lead. Interrogate criticism you receive but do not be bullied. Leave the personal narratives to your columns. Please.
2
I empathize, Matt, but I treated this as less of a news story and more of an inside reflection. I hated watching it, but it's good to be reminded once in a while about how much hatred dwells within our borders. It's also a good reminder that one cannot tell the internal enemy by its skin color, a comment that works bi-directionally.
Let me also add that if the NYT went to this kind of feature in place of its regular journalism, I would be sadly disappointed. But I found it illuminating, if a bit overlong. But that's just me - others may differ.
4
Life is like high school. If you didn't succeed there, you probably won't succeed later. These guys are all like that. Doing hard work to further oneself just isn't in their DNA. Instead, they use their genetic makeup, something you don't even have to work for, to make themselves feel important. Well, they're not. They'll figure that out soon when they realize they have no one to blame except themselves for their nowhere life. But in the meantime, let them lie to themselves as they lie to others. That's the set-up. Karma will be their punchline.
20
The United States is going through difficult times. As someone whose life spans from FDR I must declare I have seen worse. It might not seem that way to many who are far younger than I, and unaware of our tumultuous history. And because that's in our past, we have made it through and survived. The scariest thing about our current dilemma is we don't know how things will turn out. However, we must take heart. I maybe an optimist, but I have many reasons to believe our tenacity will see US through. When confronted with demagogues like Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon, we did what had to be done. It wasn't easy, but it got done. I have every reason to believe the overwhelming decency and goodness of the American people will come through once again. The divisiveness being sown by these neo-Nazi we have faced before. It is a cancer which must and will be removed. For now, we of good conscience must keep the faith.
DD
Manhattan
29
I so appreciate your comment. I have spent the last year reading accounts of collective American courage and ingenuity -- the Apollo missions, the polio vaccine, and JFK's Profiles in Courage, among others -- to remind me what this country has endured and can overcome. I hope and believe you are right. And I admire your continued optimism after so many years.
7
BUT, Trump said these are very good people. Is it possible that you are mistaken?
@Erik Nelson Sarcasm? If so, kudos, Eric Nelson!!
1
Mr. Kline worked in human resources. This is a field where one is charged to recruit diverse talent, protect employees from discriminatory practices, and ensure that those moving on, whether by choice or because they have been let go, can have as trauma-free a transition as possible.
The deeply offensive audio played from a podcast in the video reveals Klein bragging about committing discriminatory abuses towards minorities in his job in HR. He may just have been "trolling," but whether or not what he said actually happened, he was clearly deeply unqualified for that career.
I hope some of the many compatriots of his we saw in this video can be successfully identified. If these people are willing to push a racist agenda of white nationalism publicly, the organizations and companies that they work for should be entirely aware, and will hopefully respond appropriately.
14
This guy is not any more dangerous than the wannabe cutters of Social Security and Medicare like Paul Ryan and the GOP who are essentially alt-white as well. In fact, the establishment GOP, whose numerous governors refused to expand Medicaid in their states (under ACA), are therefore already responsible for the early deaths of many of their state's citizens. Why do we not approach them with the same trepidation?
16
I think that young white men are still reeling from the loss of a life they thought was a given. They grew up in a world where white men were king. Kings of politics, business, the home, everything. They dominated everything.
And then, the internet gave everyone else a voice and it all shifted right before their eyes. Suddenly, the lives of those who were different than them held importance on the same scale and maybe even higher. The world they grew up in was gone and the white man was no longer king, but a reviled despot in the public's view. They still dominate across the board for sure but this is no longer seen as a matter of course. It's being challenged and it will eventually (and rightfully) slip away.
This isn't to say that white men are bad. I married one and I'm raising another. They in the past however, have benefited from a system in which they dominated with ease because they already had an "in". Then came along the talk of racial inequality and they all seemed so shocked. How could POC speak out about racism? Don't they know how much better it is than it was? Shouldn't they be grateful? Don't they realize that talking about racial injustice is inherently racist?
It didn't matter that racism was real, what mattered was that it was being talked about and gaining attention. The status quo has started to shift and it will continue even with the alt-right pressing so hard for the past. They are desperately trying to hold onto a world that is fading away.
16
As a rule, I don't watch videos, too much opportunity for sensory manipulation but we live in a video oriented world where printed words mean less and less. The story is a bit underwhelming--hardly Deep Throat and the conclusion is quite weak--the Alt-Right is built on lies and liars. The whole thing misses the point about why this paper, and the left bubble-opolises, missed the rise of the Alt-Right and its role in this election- we look down on these people because we disagree with how they see the world instead of asking the better question, "Why, do they see the world this way?" The author dismisses the why completely in her remarks about his unremarkable life. When people start focusing on the why, then we might start getting somewhere.
3
What's your theory of "why" they see themselves as victims?
My theory of our current president is that he validates his supporters feelings of victimhood ("he tells it like it is!") which results in a dopamine rush. He's the head victim, and they lap up his behavior like a drug.
3
@McDiddle I suggest a sit down with "Eli" and ask him the "Why" of your question. Yes?
Although Emma Cott opens this article with a few observations on what she takes to be the ethical challenges of covering white supremacists, I wondered when watching the video whether she and Andrew Michael Ellis had reflected sufficiently on its aesthetics, which do for Kline/Mosley a lot of what she claims he tries to do for himself.
Training videos, bus rides, dramatic music, shots of white nationalists alternately marching in uniform and buttoning up tailored suits, interspersed with night time footage that looks like it comes from an embedded military reporter? Come on! It's like the aesthetic cues were taken from a mixture of sports movies and cheesy spec ops flicks.
5
@Jake Hey Jake, please produce a much better investigative report then you'll have my adoration. DEAL?
1
I'm very sorry, but the Alt-Right is the GOP. They differ only in degree, not in kind.
22
Some people are saying that the subject’s lies were either not a surprise or not a big enough deal to warrant an article. But, as a woman of color it felt important to me.
As the Alt-right gets slowly normalized in our society, it is frightening to think of the Alt-right people as formerly being our average veterans and good citizens. I don’t want to think of my normal thinking neighbors, friends, and coworkers as possibly adopting these views.
The NYT reporting him as a person with what seems to be an underlying character problem gives me a little more hope for the world.
10
Thank you for this important article.
It illuminates how a man who cannot succeed anywhere else can become a leader in the 'alt right' with its 'alt universe' of 'alt facts.'
I wonder if it does not indicate best responses to such demonstrations: either no one attends or people simply turn their backs. Nothing expresses disdain quite as well as silence.
8
Pass.
Seems altered and fashioned for a specific response.
1
@Crossing Overhead Please elaborate.
In other words, Kline/Mosely is mentally ill and ethically defective. But isn't this the common denominator for anyone who would subscribe to the alt-right world view?
3
What is the point of this piece? I checked back through to see if I missed anything. It sounds like the retelling of a teenage date night. So far, the only point I see is to waste readers' time - and to frighten them, if this is what you call "covering" the rise of neo-Facism in our country.
It saddens me that this article should be so lauded as an exceptional piece of journalism. This kind of background research and analysis should be standard of all journalistic enterprises, for no other reason than it is just not that difficult. It’s back to basic research skills 101: ask the questions, find the anomalies, do your research. I commend the author for this piece but this is not earth shattering stuff here. Hold your journalists to a higher standard.
18
Read an interesting fiction book, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult that was about a white supremacist couple, their community and a black nurse. While it was fiction, she based her story on real people. Very insightful. I learned that most people who follow this sad path, often come from homes where there was no love, lots of abuse and little education. Eli fits the profile. Bottom line, super insecure about his ability to succeed. Actually, Trump fits the profile too.
23
Why is there scary music in this video?
I understand that music is a part of video production, but this music seems designed to manipulate and alarm.
I want to be informed, and I may be alarmed by what I learn, but I consider using this frightening music to be irresponsible, counterproductive, and, frankly, the kind of tactic we should be fighting against not embracing.
6
I agree. Wagner, anyone?
1
Wait... you're saying that the music is what you find alarming and manipulative? Not the hateful words?
The music isn't setting the tone, it's fitting the tone. These people intentionally go out to "trigger" the public; to intimidate and terrorize them. I think they are the ones that alarm no the music.
1
This morning, on my way to work, I drove beneath a freeway overpass which held a huge, handmade banner: "America For Americans. All Others Must Go, #bloodandsoil"
Having just watched morning news video of violence that occurred on Saturday when a group callied Bordertown Patriots showed up at Chicano Park to protest having city land dedicated to a permanent display of First Nation and Hispanic icons and art, I felt a deepening sorrow.
Instant access to a global audience makes it easy for bullies and fools to feel like they can change the world.
Mass communication at the speed of light is the proverbial double-edged sword. Our love of infotainment is making us slaves to any idiot with the ability to make a sensational display.
28
And so another brown shirt is born. In today’s environment where our President offers lies at a rate that should make any Boy Scout blush, how is this lie a surprise. But if others believe it, it will become his fact.
36
So what? This isn't exactly a major scoop, that a hanger-on to a splinter extremist political movement lies about his military service. Losers do that, and worse, all the time. It's not worth a column.
6
I respectfully disagree. I think it's important that we should know and expose from where this noxious stench in our cities and towns emanates.
4
This racist should have been asked if he actively sabotaged the employment of any minorities while working as an HR assistant. He was a racist long before he came out to the public, and it is the covert actions that do the most damage while reinforcing stereotypes. He probably has done a lot more damage than khaki goose-stepping while chanting racist, and anti-semitic slurs. It's just that no one will ever be able to prove it.
43
“Couldn’t believe he would lie so boldly...on camera (about being deployed.)”
As a Vietnam Vet and widow of a West Point vet the guys who talked continuously about deployment were the ones who never went. Anyone could walk into our small rental home in Hawai’i and have NO idea that we were vets. Not even an American flag outside, no plaques, no shadow boxes of medals and ribbons. We had lived it once--that was plenty.
People commenting here seem surprised that vets would be so racist, so bigoted...one needs to understand that MANY enlisted as they had no job skills, didn’t do well in high school, weren’t going to college and DANG that Marine uniform looked really great in those NFL commercials!
My late spouse’s family were all military. It wasn’t until my late spouse retired and joined the private sector that he realized the immense difference between vets and non vets. Vets NEVER had to apply for a job, never had to plan a move, look at changing jobs, heck they didn’t have to shop for clothes! The uniform of the day was on each day’s assignments. You’d get medals for simply serving at the time of a war, or “not getting caught” (Good Conduct ribbons). These folks make GREAT members of the alt-right as they love authoritarian leaders who told them how to think, what to say.
Just as they learned “Jody calls” (the limericks called out while marching), they also learned the terminology and dog whistles of the alt-right like cucks and snowflakes. Just do NOT think!
73
"How Our Reporter Uncovered a Lie That Propelled an Alt-Right Extremist’s Rise"... May I point you to a similar case where someone actually lied his way to the White House and continues to do so?
53
Frightening and disturbing. This one young man has pretty much thrown his life away and turned to cowardice and hatred to fulfill himself. Thanks for piecing this together, and showing how hate groups are exploiting social media to spread their poison and falsities.
39
So R. Spencer, one of the leaders of this movement, is a near 40 year old man living in a one bedroom apartment where he frequently allows people he meets online to crash on his couch and sleep on the floor? Sounds pathetic .
Perhaps if these men were less worried about black and brown people, and dedicated their time to advance their careers, they would be able to afford a hotel room and sleep like civilized adults
46
How chilling to know our President has giddily opened the closet door to welcome every alt-right, socio and psychopathic extremist out there and has even hired a few in his Administration, just for a vote and poll numbers.
33
Just like their leader, DJT, they thrive on lies. Because actual accomplishments are quite difficult to achieve. Hence blame everyone but themselves for their inability to live up to their dreams.
38
Does he -- or does he not -- stand while the national anthem is played at a sporting event?
That's the only true gauge of patriotism.
13
Great comment!! That’s certainly Trump’s definition of patriotism.
2
Why, exactly are you giving this man coverage?
8
Because sunshine is the best disinfectant.
5
They have learned from their hero Trump to lie, keep lying and never back down when caught in a lie. Heck, it got him elected President!
25
This is exactly the kind of reporting we need more of. Expose these frauds as what they are and maybe some of them will be shamed into quitting this ridiculous pursuit. He says he found his calling? Being a hate filled horrible person isn’t something well adjusted people strive for ‘Eli’ instead you might consider doing something constructive with your sad existence, like literally anything else. What a wasted life.
18
It appears the only "accomplishment" this guy has is white skin.
24
Stop giving racists a platform. No video needed. If the NYT wants to explore what drives disaffected people into racist cults - by all means. But giving every quack or racist a platform and video validates him and every other disaffected kid who wants to be famous. Take away from watching this: If you don't have talent or discipline then fame can be yours via racist rallies and speech. There are many other thoughtful ways of reporting what factors are driving people into racist and fascist beliefs and actions.
10
Your takeaway explains why this is an important story to give exposure. Without shining the light of day on the hypocrisies, lies and smallness of these people, others might be persuaded.
2
Real vets despise punks like Kline. He would be smacked by any one of them if ever showed up somewhere among them and lied about his deployment. Among Spencer's crew he's likely a real hero.
22
Another Basement Keyboard Warrior who wants to be the hero of his own fantasy. Pathetic.
30
Its all very well to expose him as a liar but you're preaching to the choir. Do you really think that fans of white supremacy read the NYTimes? If you could get fox news to carry this story it might have some effect.
20
Let me count... Yes, 72 years it's been since we thought nazism would have been eradicated globally.
Instead it became a defensive mechanism for unskilled (yes, even trump) white people. Globalization really posed a threat to those who can't adapt.
13
The tiny little steel ball of white nationalism bounces around the twitter sphere, making lots of noise and baiting the the bailable. Yes, I know: “First they came for....” But it’s a big world out there. And they’re a joke.
5
In the Middle East these poor directionless boys would be called Al Qaeda.
16
Well, with the election of Donald Trump lying’s become fashionable, even encouraged.
12
Elliott Kline is a perfect example of what the alt-right is: Silly, entitled little boys playing dress up because they have nothing else really going on. Or in the parlance of The Great Donald Trump: Losers.
13
Why am I walking away from this story thinking that there should have been so much more depth in regards to the sentiment expressed at the end of the piece. If you were going to judge this guy, you should have judged him with the appropriate level of horror at his acts and words. It would have been very easy to frame his "alpha male" couch comment as a reflection of an insecure bully as opposed to the innuendo I read. That goes over 90% of peoples heads. I am not trying to tell a writer what or how to write, but until someone stands up and connects these guys to the potentiality of their horror show predecessors, these stories come across as "wow these guys are shallow middle class angsty middleclass burb born dumb liar Nazi's ". When they should be seen as the rise of Trump emboldened evil. Give these guys enough room and time without being taken seriously, and it won't be "burb Nazis" organizing, it will be focused, well organized men and women like Trump who know how to push idiots over the edge and do things that people never thought they would ever see agian. We cannot let these people have any level of normalcy in anyones mind. That could lead to people thinking that maybe they are right.
17
I think this is what she meant when she said "deplorables".
18
Historically, the earliest recruits to fascist movements are young military veterans and current and former law enforcement personnel. They are highly prized by fascist leaders. They tend to be disciplined, follow orders without questioning and, of course, know weaponry.
As capitalism sinks further into crises, you will inevitably see more fascist formations come out of the woodwork. Financed by super wealthy benefactors. You will also see more of what we are starting to witness: The fracturing and break up of the two major parties. Some elements of which will go over to the new, incipient and overt fascist groups.
The best way to combat fascist groups is not by shouting them down, trying to prevent them from speaking or picking fights. One of their tactics, as happened in late 1920's Germany, is to try and provoke leftists and others. In Germany the Nazis organized large, disciplined marches into neighborhoods sympathetic to the Communist and Socialist Parties. Brawls and riots would ensue. The Nazis then claimed to be victims and called for the restoration of public order. We are starting to see the same thing today in the U.S.
The best way to take on the so-called alt right is to employ the model that was used in Boston last year: Large, peaceful protests of immigrants, unions, workers of all nationalities, people of color, Muslims and others.
In the final analysis, it will come down to a battle of ideas and who can mobilize the most people in the streets.
11
Would you please reprint the famous Times story about the American Nazi who grew up Jewish? That's often cited in examples of great reporting, and I think this story belongs is that category.
3
Yep, reporter McCandlish Phillips wrote that story in the mid sixties, about the pathetic self-hating Philadelphia-area Jew (in this case,the label fits perfectly) who marched to a Nazi drumbeat. A couple days after the story ran, he (the Nazi, not Phillips) killed himself.
Great job New York Times.
6
When the apotheosis is your life is getting to sleep on Richard Spencer’s couch, I guess you’ve gotta embellish stories about your past ..
14
If he lost all his photos of his deployment in Iraq or anywhere else, then his fellow soldiers will have photos which include him.
What is it going to take for NYT & the rest of the 'liberal' press to start calling them alt-reich, nazis (there's nothing 'neo' about them, or fascists?
Afraid of the words?
4
Why I subscribe. Good show. Expose the Nazis to the harsh light of truth.
6
Wonderful journalistic work!
As for the subjects of this documentary...what a bunch of pathetic looser!
5
Total loser. I wonder if he is might be in trouble with his fellow Nazis, but i doubt that.
3
Bwahahahaha!!! That's an awesome piece of journalism right there. Good job at revealing (yet another) neo-Nazi fraud.
6
Why is it alright in these guy's minds to play "identity politics" with their racial and national backgrounds but when African Americans or Hispanics or women or Jews want to be treated as complete citizens that is scorned as "identity politics" and is condemned and brutalized?
I believe it has more to do with their own personal identities, and their poor self esteem as people, than with anything that emanates from their souls.
They are not some alt-right movement springing from actual persecutions by their Country. They are a criminal gang exactly like the ghetto gangs that terrorize some neighborhoods in Chicago and L.A. Except of course for the color of their skins. And the actual history of persecution and racism that has dogged the member of those Chicago and L.A. gangs.
7
Claiming falsely to have served in the military to gain some kind of benefit or opportunity is a misdemeanor crime in Pennsylvania, the state where this man's National Guard unit was based. http://wnep.com/2017/06/27/pennsylvania-enacts-stolen-valor-law-penalizi...
14
Let me guess, exposing this lie has done nothing to alter this man's "credibility" with his peers? Do they even care about facts to the point it is even worth us engaging them? If all we get are lies from them, why do you insist on continuing to cover them? Oh look, another lie! Meanwhile giving them this platform only serves to bolster their numbers. Ignore them. Stop giving them the press. They do not deserve it.
3
This article exemplifies just the kind of reporting we need on the new and improved white supremacist movement.
Attacking them emotionally just feeds their narrative of rational control, cultural superiority, and unfair persecution. Coolly presenting evidence of their lies reduces them to the insignificant and unimportant men they really are.
Bravo Ms. Cott!
7
When the President lies repeatedly and regularly, on a daily basis, without repercussions, why should it matter that some low level white supremacist lies about his military background?
It doesn't matter, it sadly doesn't have any impact on the narrative these days.
3
That was it. He lied about his military record.
Why was this even a story?
I'm truly confused.
1
They all lie about everything. All of their 'beliefs' are based on lies.
No surprise.
6
This is pure magnification. Well done, Times. You're a paragon of journalism.
Here's a challenge for you; why not give equal time and production love to the progressive left? I've seen no lovingly lit, beautifully framed documentaries about any of the grassroots groups aiming to mount primary challenges to incumbent Democrats this year.
I'm going to guess the danger your reporters ostensibly face pursuing violent sociopaths is nothing compared to the danger of magnifying an equally timely and relevant political POV (at least as relevant as the alt-right) that might actually challenge your readers' ideas about the corporate "centrists" you'll no doubt be endorsing and they'll no doubt be voting for so I won't hold my breath.
3
Fantastic reporting - this is exactly the reason I pay for the NYT.
The documentary struck exactly the right tone: It didn't glorify or amplify these people's message. It simply held their actions and statements up next to reality, and pressed them to explain themselves.
The reality of the alt-right isn't very interesting: garden variety losers and frauds looking for a community to make them feel powerful and validated, having failed to achieve that in real life. They need to be media savvy because when people see the reality of who they are, instead of seeming principled, they just look pathetic.
More of this, please.
11
This little docudrama added nothing to our understanding of this movement nor did it provide some great new tidbit requiring our attention. So, he lied about his non-existent combat experience. In the internet world, his generation inhabits a whirling pool of half-truths, exaggerations, and outright deceptions. Therefore his generation will find you've not dented his armor at all.
I already knew that many of his peers are blue collar, non-college degree, limited job prospect man-child types. No savings, no ownership of real property, limited career choices. Now tell us who is bankrolling these folks. Now tell us whether foreign governments have infiltrated them to guide or maneuver them. Now investigate whether some American politician has met with them or praised them as "good people" (other than Trump post-Charlottesville).
That is the reporting we need not this gauzy softball profile.
6
Wow! That wasn’t just a lie, that was a whopper! Personal integrity apparently is not a desired trait among the leadership of this group.
4
Democrats need to consolidate around solid public policy while they chart a course for a better America. Anything else is an indulgence and distraction they can ill afford.
1
As disgusting as it is, the alt-right is filling a need. What we have here is a young man like many others who joined a gang because his life is empty, meaningless, without purpose. He is no different than the African American and Latino boys who join their local gangs for the same reasons. See the alt-right for the appeal it has in a society that has so little room for so many people. It is a hate group that firmly delineates the insiders from the outsiders. It offers Eli a chance to "be somebody", in a world where he is nobody.
This is what needs to be fixed. We have created a society that is shallow and fails to fill our need for belonging and a sense of purpose. Shopping and social media are empty pursuits and they are about all we offer to far too many people. We need a sense of community.
The alt-right is another dangerous boy gang. Let's find a way to make them unnecessary.
9
I almost feel sorry for the guy.
A truly confused soul. To outright lie about something so fundamental to his narrative reflects such naiveté and sense of insecurity.
I would imagine most of these guys (and gals) of the alt-right were bullied or emotionally neglected as children. What else but deep pain and ignorance could create such monsters.
When I listen to them spew hate online, I hope that soon they will look inside themselves and heal what ailes them. Until you are at peace with yourself, you cannot be at peace with others.
6
"Couldn't believe he would lie so boldly"? And this makes him different from our President how?
5
Great journalism. Thank you!
3
To maintain the level of income inequality we have in this society people like Eli Mosely are necessary tools. This extreme income inequality cannot be maintained without this kind of extremist racism. In another society the scapegoats would be different, but the system would be the same. He probably joined the service in order to belong to something greater than himself while also hoping to make a better life for himself. Increasingly a better life is unavailable to ordinary people, so to find what he is looking for he turns to white supremacy. This is by design, brought to you by those at the top pulling the strings of our government through the power and influence of their wealth. It is satisfying to play gotcha with such reprehensible people, but it obscures what is really happening.
2
We have a President who is models lying as a tactic to achieve success. Why would we be surprised that this behavior would take root, especially amongst his supporters.
4
Thanks for exposing Elliott for what he is.
3
Why is the claim of service in Afghanistan and Iraq the propulusion mechanism
for this guy to become the head of one of the largest groups in the alt-right? The service claim is false, which is meaningful to most people, but why would this be important to the steady stream of young men (and the occasional woman) flowing in and out of that apartnemnt in Alexandria?
To all who are saying they shouldn't cover this, or that they sensationalized him, I understand your feelings, but please understand that it is actually a defensive response usually born out of subconscious embarrassment by feelings of association that lend to this popular, but misguided response.
Ignoring and downplaying them is what has gotten things to this point. So far, in fact, that now they are making inroads in countries like my own, which is majority black. It's comfortable to say "Don't give them airplay" when you're not likely to be their next target. It's easy to say "Don't show me that!" (subconsciously) masked as "Don't make them look good!" when you're not the one they're likely to go after next.
You don't like that fact that this report was made because it makes you uncomfortable? That's unfortunate. To you, this report is like sports. Don't like it? Don't need to see it. For people who look like me, this report is like the weather report in Tornado Alley. Don't pay attention? It could be your house blowing in the wind tomorrow.
We don't get to turn a blind eye. We don't get to simply feel uncomfortable.
People who look like me don't get that luxury.
9
Extreme-right wing are not a political opinion.
They are a pathology.
National-socialism has been dissected, very well, and the sentences above found correct.
In that pathology, lying is central.
Lying to oneself, lying to one's comrades, and if you have already lied that much, then lying to the outside world is nothing.
How many truths does the Donald utter every day ?
Respect to the NYT reporters for the thorough research and tactful reporting. However, it doesn't matter that he lied - only that he is getting press, and moving his message forward. NYT readers see this article and say "See?
We got him!" However, supporters of the alt right have proven time and time again that they view being caught for lying as a nuisance, but only a speed bump on their road towards their goals of getting their message out. Ultimately, Eli Mosley was able to get more press in the NYT, and that's all that matters in this conversation.
3
Good article; thank you.
One note: You write that "mud people" is an alt-right derogatory term for Arabs. I think that is not quite right. While a little amorphous, it is widely used as a term for brown people, including South Asians, Arabs, and Latinos/as. In some cases, it's used more broadly to include everybody the organized racists hate, including black people & Asians.
2
I can't believe on some level that we even have to have short docs like this. The choice to broadcast his hateful/ignorant/dangerous words in any form is always going to be a debatable. It's not like they haven't established their own vile ways of getting their platform out there and "triggering" their target audience and I can clearly see how they'll spin this (and even comments like mine) to their own agenda.
But what bothers me the most is that I find this to be far more softball piece than the subject matter deserves. I would attribute this at least partially to the filmmaking aspects of it (the soft focus interview close ups, the editing, the sometimes objective/sometimes subjective narration, even the scoring and sound design). But what exactly was the end goal of this beyond exposing a lie that was pretty easy to see coming from even that first interview? What was the next thing that happened...the next act in this doc? It feels like we maybe got enough for a first challenge to that (the reveal of the falsehood he was peddling to his followers) and then a bunch about the subject, tied with a lot about this tertiary Charlottesville rally that doesn't really give me more about the thesis (the fact that this reporter caught him in a lie) and then the short ends. Exposing the fact that this man is a liar isn't all that satisfying of a conclusion (or even a truly "gotcha" moment that this piece might have been going for).
1
Talk about great reporting! Wow.
3
In as much as this gentleman might have lied about his credentials, it is the excessive valorization and deifying of the military by some conservatives and Americans which gives these hate groups the confidence that they can associate themselves with it and still get a pass for their hate and bigotry, after all they served in the military.
4
This guy’s no gentleman.
1
Thank you NYT. You are our last hope to expose the evil and try to save us. The video was hard to watch.
3
While the concept of this article is very interesting, it gave very little actual insight. I was simply informed that he's lied and can be selfish because he never offers up the couch to anyone else. Everyone has lied and can be selfish. When discussing toxic viewpoints, we should be talking about what cultivates them and how to eliminate them in a way that doesn't squash freedom of speech.
1
What a brave young man lying about combat duty. He is a perfect leader for the brave alt right, whose members hide in dark corners of the internet and can only come out in public in groups. The epitome of bravery.
17
Well done! Even though I know the alt-right exists (it always has in some form of other), it's disturbing that many are Veterans. These articles must continue to unveil the enemy within.
8
Very few of them are veterans. There are very few of them in total, and the veterans within the groups have generally been discharged for cause.
2
As a teacher of elementary school children, I take this reporting very seriously. How many Eli's have I had come through my door? Lots- children who are not taught from an early age, (and yes, this is taught, not necessarily intrinsic) where their power lies. The "victims" that the alt-right are made up of are simply little boys (and some girls) who have a problem of power-where to get it and how to use it. I almost felt sorry for him as he stumbled and hemmed and hawed when the reporter "caught" him in a lie. Boy, have I heard that before.
We need to find ways to help people feel empowered without having to march with tiki lamps and crisp white shirts. It starts from an early age. Do me a favor, parents-teach your kids to have some agency, that they have power in the way their lives go, that they are not pinballs in a pinball machine, with everything always, "happening to them".
Yes, they are a small group when marching, but think of the millions of "trolls" out there, sitting in front of their computers. Whether or not the media does them a favor by giving them this exposure is not important. What's important is that so many people feel not just powerless, but helpless and cruel.
I would like to see some reporting on why so many hearts are hurting, wanting, in turn, to hurt others.
14
Terrific use of the access you gained, and kudos to Mr. Ellis, who's shooting and editing shaped this fascinating (if despicable) man's story. Thank you for telling it so well.
6
I thought the piece was well done overall. However, at the end of the narration, Ms. Cott refers to Kline as a "weekend warrior" in a way that I though was disparaging to the men and women of the National Guard. She could have exposed Kline without appearing to insult those who serve in the guard/reserves.
8
"Ms. Cott refers to Kline as a 'weekend warrior' in a way that I though was disparaging to the men and women of the National Guard." Oh stop it already. Sometimes an "insult" is solely in the eye of the hair-trigger beholder. I read "weekend warrior" to mean that National Guard enlistees/soldiers are often able to live at or go home. I have a couple of friends in the National Guard and they call themselves "weekend warriors" then complain about some long deployments that really stressed out their families.
1
"...who spout unsubstantiated theories about the science behind racial difference." Wouldn't it be better to replace "theories" with "hypothesis" or even "conjectures".
Real theories are well-thought out ideas that either have mathematical or physical proof. Einstein's relativity theories were based on employing mathematics to certain observations. These were later corroborated with physical proof.
4
Theory in day-to-day speech is a much looser term than it is in science. It generally used for an idea that hasn't been proven--a hypothesis, in other words. So the evolution deniers call evolution "only a theory", as if that means that other ideas can be equally valid. But Darwin's theory is the basis of all modern biology; no other "theories" have any legitimacy.
1
Wow, the NYT really socked it to the fascists this time... he lied and used naughty words.
How about actually using a condemnation of white supremacy and fascism as a frame for reporting on the rise of both?
Neo-Nazi are not merely armed fraternity boys. They are a violent brutalist hatemongers who have embraced an agenda to harm millions. The 'fraternity' analogy was itself a display of the NYT's reporting and editorial staffs' reflexive understanding of how to young white men's crimes and hatred, as social and for fun, as opposed to the violent, marauding gangs that they are.
These people are racists. ALL these people are racists.
54
Another racist anti Semitic liar trying to glorify himself because he is white. The hatred is blatant and the empowerment given by Trump is obvious.
32
I believe the surname "Kline"is of German-Jewish origin; how will Elliott-Kline-Eli Mosley rationalize his active hatred of his family origins to his children?
6
Actually the name Kline is German, not German-Jewish. Jews were forced to change their surnames to German surnames in 19th century Germany.
1
Kline is often an Irish name. I worked for an Irish American named Kline.
1. They are fascists. Please use this term. It is an euphemism for "white 'identity' politics."
2. We know from whence the core of the pathetic pathological brown shirts will be recruited.
3. Thank you
33
4. The are indistinguishable from the antifa demonstrators.
To get a sense of the emotional impact of this video (and ones by Vice, etc.) try watching with the sound turned off-- that's how people who don't want to hear the truth will experience it. The Times is turning these morons into movie stars, with dramatic cinematography and snappy editing, just as their beautiful images of war and poverty turn suffering into entertainment.
11
The pictures you post on Facebook are copies of the ones you have on your computer. When this liar had his account shut down he did not lose his photos. He never had them in the first place.
This reminds me of Trump still claiming that he can't release his tax returns because they are being audited even though the IRS has stated that the audit, if there really is one (the IRS hasn't said one way or the other and shouldn't) is no reason for not releasing them.
I think the NYT is giving both of these creeps way too much ink!
23
I occasionally post on FB photos from my phone which I then immediately delete to save space. It's possible he's telling the truth about this. It's roughly as possible that the moon is made of Bleu cheese.
5
You have your useful idiots, we have ours. You know the type - those with the messianic fervor - and the requisite lack of peripheral vision - who we each trot out there with the signs we made, the slogans we crafted, the outrage we whipped up. It's the game we are both in, and it pays really well. While your haters and our shouters expend their energies detesting each other, threatening each other's political champions with retirement, impeachment, scandal or doxing, we go merrily on our way consulting, charging hourly, ratcheting the volume up or down depending on the desired effect. It's actually much easier than one would have thought -- moving millions, that is. You might think a country full of simpletons is a danger. To their wallets, yes. To us, nah.
3
Deception, denial, and the newly politically constructed alt-facts are not unique to " white supremacists, or a range of other agenda-driven, violating-"the other," individuals and systems.Documenting what "THEY," say, and do, is only a beginning when one considers the levels and extent of increasing complacency by many about daily critical processes, and outcomes, as civility, disrespect, mistrust and mutual help are lessened. Amidst willful blindness in terms of both choosing to look as well as see.
Willful deafness; choosing not to hear, listen to, become aware of, pay attention to, painful existential cries, as well as muted, exhausted efforts.
Willful ignorance about available and accessible generalizable FACTS associated with achieving and sustaining viable, equitable, well being for all, nurtured by menschlichkeit as a consensualized life styled-norm- value-ethic.All of US are challenged to learn how best to cope, adapt, and function more and more effectively, ourselves as well as with others whom we know, and those who are still "strangers, " within this daily toxic, stigmatizing, dehumanizing, excluding, marginalizing, destructive reality.Logical arguments, and documented facts, all too often are not adequate to engage "haters," and their principles of faith."THEY" are using democracies' vibrant traditions, tools, and frameworks to destroy democracy, and metaphorically, there may not be enough " white blood cells" to take on and destroy the impending infection.
3
Great diligence in reporting, but this article reveals the weakness of the erudite media to challenge alt-right narratives in the Trump era.
So he lied. Now what? The article is dripping with smugness that the reporters, using classic journalism revealed the undeniable truth. But at what point do appeals to objective truth challenge the alt-right narrative?
Journalists, classically trained, believe that as long as they point at facts, the pure truth will be born out. But clearly, this has little purchase now. Dear EC, you must not be satisfied with receiving your records from the national guard, and ending you article with "he is a liar, so there." The facts play no role in a wave of narrative and emotional messaging. You play right into their playbook.
16
No, I learned allot and have formed an opinion, excellent article.
The fact that a NYT reporter is still surprised by a horrible person lying and as a strategy when confronted with that lie, doubling down on the lie, after all that has happened these last two years is itself truly frightening.
21
OK, you of course need to cover white supremacist activity. But do you need to give this what's-his-name a twenty minute film in which he gets to voice over dramatic action in which it's not clear who is beating up on whom? That's ridiculous. It would take two or three well written paragraphs to inform readers of the deceptions to which your teaser refers, and describe this guy's position in the movement. An audio segment of his racist rant might be to the point. But this little video project is tabloid trash dressed up as journalism. Is that where the NYT is headed?
14
Why is the New York Times running articles such as this which are essentially infomercials for the alt-right?
Is this a news article or paid content?
12
Quick question.....did his unit not go to Kuwait, either? While not considered a war zone that would still be considered a deployment. This guy is a total loser.
3
@Leila: Read the article; he didn't deploy ANYWHERE. (And yes, he's a total loser!)
3
The article states his unit was never deployed overseas.
1
Good story until the last sentence. You can't really pull off objective AND snarky.
3
I think alt-right is not what they should be called; you can't print what I REALLY think here! I prefer White Supremacist or Neo-Nazi.
13
That you even have to ask how you interview a white nationalist is distressing. You are supposed to be a First Amendment champion. You should follow the lead of the leading first amendment champion out there, the ACLU, which treats everyone the same. And if that scares you, talk to the foreign correspondents, who interview some real head cases.
2
I don't want to even admit that I read/watched this.. I do wish these despicable people would not get this kind of coverage. In the end I don't think it's provided anything we didn't already know and probably only serves to expand their base .. cast a wider net - and that's not good. I wish things like the Florida event wasn't covered at all.. isn't NOT covering events also considered freedom of the press?
On another note if any good can come from this I hope the company and community where he worked as an HR person (if that is even true) is made aware of this. If he did have any hand in hiring and firing then there's people out there who clearly have a valid claim against his employer.
6
This is not to cast aspersions on your reason for covering white nationalists.
Editing part of the paragraph in italics:
Covering DONALD TRUMP poses difficult challenges for Times journalists. Are we simply providing a platform for HIM to recruit followers and spread hate? Are we casting AN AMORAL MAN in a sympathetic light on A PERSON who should only be condemned? We believe that reporting on racism, anti-Semitism, and the PERSON who espouses them is a crucial responsibility for journalists today.
Remember, covering DT the way newspapers did helped to elect this person.
White nationalists? Just give us the facts [ma'am] .
8
Black Lives Matter participants are excoriated, vilified, and attacked, and white racist nationalists are giving a media platform to explain their message and recruit more white racists. They even get their very own lunatic, racist president.
Richard Spencer runs a cult. Nothing more. He's also an imbecile of the highest order, as British journalist Gary Younge discovered during that infamous interview. "Africans have benefited from white supremacy," Spencer said. White superiority is a given, they believe, when basically they're a bunch of mediocre, mentally disordered, pampered white kids who can't compete on any playing field, let alone a level one.
So NYT will continue to do puff pieces on white nationalists, white opioid addicts, and the white working class; otherwise, known as as deserving real Americans.
18
Speaking of complicity, how I wish The Times would wake up and stop using "alt right," thereby smoothing its way to general acceptance. It is still new enough to drop. It's short and convenient, but it is nowhere near harsh enough. This is a poisoned apple, not applesauce.
24
Call them what they are: liars, fascists, cowards, terrorists. They are all those things. They aren’t “alt” anything.
16
Wonderful report! Like Hitler, here is a total loser, who, through lies and deception gains traction in society. Our President is no different.
We've seen it countless times before. Elmer Gantry. Even The Music Man. Charles Manson. The People's Temple. The list goes on.
6
This is supposed to be heavy hitting journalism or something? These guys are complete losers. Who is even mildly shocked these young men are serial liars and self aggrandizers? The NY Times and most of the mainstream media is giving these fringe fools way, way, way too much credit and coverage. Just because you're scared of the alt-right and abhor their politics and worldview doesn't mean you need to constantly hand wring about these guys. Their numbers are much smaller than one would expect based on the non-stop obsession the left leaning news has with them... You're making yourself look bad and hysterical. These clowns have always been in our midst, through the decades of American history. Just because they got an internet connection and started podcasting doesn't really mean you need to give them even more coverage.
6
President Trump is busy lying daily, denying reality, conflating and intertwining threats and problems to suit his own ends - the very essence of fascist propaganda.
As long as Trump is in office and the GOP Congress supports his lies that enable these racist fantasies, there's no reality to counter what some of these young men believe to be the truth about our society. As long as the U.S. is infected with the Trump administration, we can expect to see more of these people come out of the woodwork, more young men to be indoctrinated. Their are hearing their twisted fantasies mouthed by the leader of our elected government.
We should not be surprised.
This is the price we pay for Trump being in office. It's not the only one but it's a big one and is a slow-acting poison unleashed in our body politic.
The people who voted for Trump thinking he would fix this country's problems by 'disruption' are idiots.
8
This article seems to suggest that Eli's greatest wrongdoing is not his being a Nazi, but rather lying about military service. He was already a pretty contemptible figure-- does this piece of information-- minor in comparison to the hate he was already espousing-- really warrant putting his face on the front page of nytimes.com?
7
Look at Elliot Kline’s profile on Goodreads. He progresses from fantasy to Ayn Rand to “wanting to read" Locke, de Tocqueville, and Leonard Peikoff. It’s a shame he never read Peikoff. I believe that he might not had been so prone to embrace Nazism.
2
Par for the course for the Nazi Elite. Hitler's SS were not the best and brightest. In fact, many were 4F rejects and losers - unfit for actual military service or any type of career. The Nazi movement gave them a calling where the requirements were simply to be white and hateful. It was further convenient that one could adopt any professionalisms they wanted: The outsized titles, uniforms, and ambitions would inversely match the shortcomings. So why not make up military service when the bar for even being President today is so low? And why not stock the cabinet with the inept, whose only qualification is loyalty? A wanna be SS officer who made up his own military service fits in perfectly. Tremendous reporting. Thx!
7
While your story does some investigative journalism on Eli’s story I personally find their is a continuous shallowness of historical context when making comparisons to fascism in Europe. Instead of running down the fake news stories I would prefer some good journalism grounded in socioeconomic fact. Most immediately in contextualizing European fascism and WWIIs roots in the draconian peace of WWI combined with the stock market crash and the rise of a communist dictatorship in Russia. I am actually tired of the Nazi boogie man approach both your journalists never the alt right use.
Don't call it Alt-Right. That's what they call it themselves. Call it by it's real names: Fascism and Fascists.
2
Stop dignifying these people by calling them "white nationalists". They are white racists. Whiteness is a race, not a nation.
Even the Confederate states were never a nation. European nations took the position that they was a group of revolutionaries seeing to overthrow their lawful government in Washington.
2
In the author's desire not to ruffle feathers, she left out a critical point as to why this guy is significant: he's the CEO of Identity Evropa, which is permeating higher education.
Wait --- dramatic music? Filmic production values? I don't get it. You say you are exposing him as a liar and a poseur, and I believe that is your intent. But come on, I bet he is over the moon about the way he is being portrayed in this video. If you turn down the volume of the words, and just have the images and the music, all you see is a thrilling adventure a group of young white people is embarking on... Portions of it will be used in their recruitment efforts, count on that.
35
It mostly shows how pathetic they are, and - although I don't think this resonates well - given their low self-esteem maybe it won't be too difficult to reach out and try to help this lost bunch, maybe via their own blogs. In fact, this truly prodigious work by Ms. Cott and Mr. Ellis could be a primary planner for research.
They are a mess of nothingness. Desperately in need. (Fortunately, they don't seem to abuse drugs or alcohol.) Sad!
Interesting perspective, though this documentary also makes the case that media coverage of these clowns is disproportional to their size and importance, thus artificially inflating their influence. The irony, of course, is that in making that case, it's contributing to the same amplification it calls into question.
That said, I find it hard to believe Eli or the other bigots in his troupe will be happy with the way they're depicted. Point taken about it carrying a different message with the sound off, but I disagree with that being the standard it should be judged against.
I doubt that watching with the sound off, while a useful-seeming metaphor for cognitive blocking, is similar to the way a white supremacist will understand this video. They may fiercely insulate their world view as extremists do, but I can't help but think such a damning depiction of the "movement" as a bunch of racist, clueless, dishonest losers won't at least inspire a bit of cognitive dissonance. At the very least, it feels like this documentary would have a positive effect on those who might have a seedling of sympathy or interest in white nationalism in showing that the leaders are pathetic creatures who aren't at all what they claim to be.
Great article. A related news item that, unfortunately, the New York Times won’t print: the Indianapolis Colts football player that was killed this weekend by a drunk driver (along with his companion), was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported two previous times. I had to read about that on ESPN. (Similar to the young girl who was shot and killed in San Francisco last year).
Maybe a follow up article by the times would explore the reasons people are drawn to these alternative hate groups. I personally wouldn’t join a group like this, but I do feel disempowered when I see the flood of immigration completely changing the face of large swaths of America, And the Democrats complete unwillingness to confront any Reform. If you somehow object or feel discomfited you’re labeled a racist by self-hating whites. I do hope that Wall is built. And for as much as a crazy-maker this president is, I do hope he wins a second term and see through the completion of this much needed immigration control.
1
This focus by the Times on the alt right is correctly perceived by critics as problematic because of the way it normalizes racism, sexism, and so forth. Discovering a lie is no great discovery. All of what they describe are lies: the superiority of whites is a lie, the inferiority of people of color is a lie, sexism is a lie, homophobia is a lie. Stolen valor is a petty, tiny lie in a sea of lies. That the "paper of record" can't understand this, and doesn't orient its reporting around the hateful web of lies is the problem.
2
"It includes Holocaust deniers and pseudo-intellectuals who spout unsubstantiated theories about the science behind racial difference."
You can also say it includes anti-immigrant organizations crying crocodile tears over the supposed loss of wages for low income Americans due to newly arriving ones but won't advocate for a minimum wage increase!
21
Isn’t that the truth, this is the only way they can make the GOP lead narrative that by the way, hasn’t changes since Reagan was POTUS. That’s the only way the GOP can deflect who’s really to blame, they are, all 545 of them, that includes both sides of the isle. I blame democrats for not using census and other data to disprove this notion that immigrants, Mexican, and black people are the problem, not them.
Well written with full transparency on how this NYTimes reporter approached a controversial subject. Thank you.
24
This doc deserves a Pulitzer for just plain ole good journalism!
11
Best way to avoid these folks is to fix your own flats, change your own oil and avoid gun ranges.
6
East to say, 'ignore these people' but in recent years social media sites have changed the way people get their information.
What now seems credible is not, people themselves can conflate their significance by merely stating so.. ei: Judge Jeanie supposedly she's "highly respected" according to Twitter.
Make believe new organizations like Breitbart, Drudge and yes Fox News push the narrative.
NY Times, WAPO are more important to our democracy than ever before.
Please keep exposing these frauds for who they are.
10
Ms. Cott and Mr. Ellis you have demonstrated that you understand journalism's duty to democracy. Thank you.
This piece is helpful in illuminating the deceptive intent of the white supremacists. I had been under the impression though that lying about one'e military service/experience was a threshold even for racists.
I am curious about the African-American bus driver. How is it that he was in the position of driving a bus full of Dixie singing racists to a rally? Was he asked to comment on his experience?
17
Interesting that the extreme right rages about the oppression of political correctness, only to wind up censoring and whitewashing themselves. Hey, no one's stopping you from being blatantly racist in the age of Trump, man - exercise those free-speech rights and stand up for your beliefs!
11
Underlying this story is the reality that the GOP has won its battle in destroying our belief in all our institutions including the Supreme Court. Reagan was the worst president America ever had because he so blurred the lines between truth and reality. It is cynicism that has destroyed America. Democracy cannot survive where there is no trust. Democracy died with the end of the Carter presidency. You couldn't handle the truth!
11
Thank you for this article, Ms. Cott.
The press simply must stop giving "equal weight" to every side of a story when they know one side is nothing but lies.
The press helped destroy Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton's quest for the presidency by allowing The Con Don to call into television/interview shows and treating it like it was a middle school gossip game.
The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren - who have stolen half the wealth of the world - are now in the process of trying to destroy OUR United States of America and governments around the world.
It is time for the media to figure out that if they want to be viable they must work for WE THE PEOPLE - not the Robber Barons who constantly destroy lives and civilizations. NOW is the time.
14
This is fantastic repotring and why I subscribe. Expose the liars with truth. This guy uses a fake name and a fake story to promote a fake hate filled cause. The documentary is beautifully done! Congrats!
37
But Mosley, who beguiled a Mitford, was such a higher class of fascist. And this bird's original name, our shickelgruber here, was it Kline? Was it German for small? Jewish? English? What is he attemting to cover up? Inquiring minds want to know. Such a foolish child, already lethal, is that what we're making in America now? Is this the end product of Reagan knownothingism? Sometimes it seems as if the country is sliding toward bottom in its own version of the Weimar Republic...& Suppose if I keep reading newspapers, I will learn who will be our next Robert Matthews?
11
It is, it’s called the race to the bottom. These are the same policies that created the events in 1929, and the GOP then sided with the rich POTUS. When he famously said, “Have patience, help one another, there are no easy answers. Basically, let them eat cake. Neither the POTUS, nor congress had any intention of helping those who elected them. And then they wondered why they lost by a real landslide to Roosevelt, who himself had money. But he understood what was needed, and worked toward that goal, ultimately employing hundreds of thousands of people. Then WWII came along, and while there is proof that they economy had started to recover the war sped that process up.
Now the GOP, had all but given the country and our money to a segment of the population that is the least deserving, we the people like in Reagan’s day, will pay the loss of revenue tab.
A tip of the hat to Ms. Cott for catching this guy in his Big Lie. But in fairness, that's just part of the reporting job. When a big blowhard like this is vying for attention, any good editor would have ordered, "Check this guy out. See if he's even been in the Army." But to Ms. Cott's credit, she was already doing that. It's what being a professional reporter is all about and why we need her and many more like her.
20
Why the lies Elliott? Are you all too painfully aware that your life doesn't look very impressive on paper?
OF COURSE you lied about your military service- you are a pathetic, sniveling, scared little boy who wouldn't know how to deal with actual combat
Unhappy with your life? Feel like their are no opportunities for you?
What skills do you have to contribute? You are neither educated or skilled;time to go back to college son.
As people of color have been told for decades, time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, quit complaining, and stop making excuses
18
He recognizes that his life is “boring”, but instead of finding constructive (as opposed to destructive) things to enrich his life by contributing to society, he tries to invent an interesting or exciting life to impress people of his importance. He only makes himself look like a pathetic fool who is wasting his life trying to hurt and destroy what is good and normal. The U S and capitalism are not perfect but compared to fascism and most other systems it is more fair and humane. If we could eliminate the greed and inequities it would be almost perfect. Unfortunately, Trump is only adding to the greed and inequity while concentrating more wealth in fewer hands. Trump is the real enemy to everyone who is downtrodden,, poor, forgotten. No ethnic group, nationality, or color will be saved, only the rich. These people are ignorant and deliberately naive but that does not excuse their antisocial behavior.
1
Elliot must hate his Jewish sounding name. A tough cross to bear, poor Elliot.
19
A person with an evil ideology is dishonest!?
My word of caution to reported impression that only about 30 people seem like an army. Few show up but the sentiment is shared by many. Just yesterday I've noticed a ~800.000 subscribers Youtube channel (Sargon of Akkad) with sorts of videos like giving statistics on how Blacks are prone to crime and such. Why Google hesitate to take down hate speech corrupting and taking cover under freedom of speech?
As usual these `influencers` resort to all sorts of dishonest data: spins, inbred, fabrications, faulty and fallacies.
Fox News is clearly changing their content to accommodate. Phasing out their dying republican audience to the taste of the alt-right or alternative to whatever is right.
7
Great doc. I'm most disturbed by the way the alt-right is twisting the tactics of nonviolent protest to serve their hateful, racist aims. "Punch a nazi" read protest signs at the Women's March. "That's exactly what the nazis want," I wanted to respond. But the anger is, justifiably, so high on the left that it's hard not to react. What to do?
7
These 'alt-right' neo-facists are all building a movement based on a foundation of lies. Trump is a lifelong liar, a pathological liar, so it is no surprise that he's sympathetic to these proponents of white supremacy, racism, and facism. "There are good people on both sides..." These facists are using the tools of modern advertising, the tools of modern politics, without any constraint or moral restrictions. The warnings of the past, "1984" and other books, articles, and the examples of history (Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Milosevic) carrying even to Venezuela today all are examples to warn us about the tactics and strategy of these new facists in America. These evil idiots are a fundamental threat to our country, our democracy, and our safety. The president's, and Congress' oath of office calls them "to defend the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic." We the People cannot rely on our current president and our current Congress to do so; we need to take this upon ourselves also. We need to vote in a Congress that will recognize the threat, and take serious the need for control and a solution. We need to elect a new president, at the earliest opportunity, who will seriously redress the threat of racist, facist authoritarians, instead of wanting to join them.
11
No, they are not a fundamental threat to our country. They are a joke, in bad taste, but still only a joke.
1
Congratulations! The faker and fascist are "outed" by a military record. Mosley & Military Service lie...
5
Why they keep giving these idiots press I don’t know? As a black man I could care less about them. They will never have any effect on my life unless I let them and I won’t.
8
Why write about these guys? To point out to those impressionable people who might think these people are “cool”, how pathetic and weak they really are. Only in large numbers do they present a real threat. The best we can do is to keep informing people the truth about them. Eventually they will get bored and just become drunks. They are already losers.
Wow. Let there be no doubt: this is the NON-failing New York Times at work.
Masterful in the balance you showed. Keep up the good work.
15
Well, yeah! The basis for the existence of these organizations is deceptive, and fraudulent, but isn’t that kind of obvious? There was an Onion column in which a clueless writer—after seeing a made-for-movie— proclaimed “Hitler was wrong!”, which could have been the heading for this article. Why not investigate the biggest liars, Trump’s billionaire backers?
7
Now let us go find the lies that propelled The Donald to the top. Understood that the set of lies is rather large, but it would be interesting to know which ones played a more critical role than other smaller lies.
7
Great and courageous reporting! It’s gives us a lens to show us that we should take this seriously, asks us to critically think how we each should confront, and also unmasks how shallow and weak this “movement” really is. I don’t feel it elevated this persons platform and yet you condemned them through their words and actions. And tied it to the words and attitudes of our chief executive.
4
Ms Clott,
As a licensed social worker having treated plenty of people with serious character pathology, I know from experience that one must confront someone like this very directly, as you did. Thank you so much for your fine reporting.
14
I can beat that. I have a pseudo-friend who says he was deployed to Afghanistan where he turned down a Purple Heart. However, his Army service ended in 1991 and the Afghan adventure started in 2001. Of course, my friend is a pathological liar and psychopath.
Possibly, there's so much lying amongst right-wingers because there's so much lying in general. Nevertheless, what matters in practice are the consequences of lies.
Diogenes warned us.
10
Good reporting.
Not only does this illustrate their use of falsehoods as cover, it also illustrates the mindset of most of these people. Failures in life who, unable to cope, gravitate toward a cult that tells them they're not only important, but more important than everyone else---they're no longer losers when they're on a bus all wearing white shirts singing racist hymns together and then blindly handing in "donation" money, as if they weren't being bilked more than one way over.
This boy needs deprogramming, probably like most of the rest of the useful idiots on that bus.
32
Reminds me of Congressman "B-1" Bob Dornan and how he lied about combat service in Korea. Or any of a long list of wanna-be tough guys who never did the stuff they brag about. Sometimes they even give themselves the Medal of Honor and such. In this clown's case, he figured if he espoused enough hate, he could hang out with people who just might be uber violent racists and he could "be" something after all. Sad.
7
No one who needs to will see this. Sad.
10
Good point
2
This story is how good journalism is done: Context instead of 'balance' and, yes, just the facts Ma'am. Thank you.
19
Great reporting. Thank you.
9
I'm constantly concerned that bringing attention to these hate-filled individuals is what they feed on, however it is important that we understand the level of vitriol in which they are willing to engage. We need to keep attention focused on the dangerous element that is represented by those who feel they have an ally in the White House and feel emboldened by him. Now, more than ever we need to be vigilant and aware of this seething hatred in our midst. I appreciate your willingness to engage and expose the duplicity of this individual who espouses a dedication to this country that is clearly duplicitous.
15
Thank you for this excellent story and documentary that exposes this cancer in our country. Trump's one success has been to shed light on this awful, dark corner of America. And, as we know, light is the best disinfectant. The so-called alt-right is in reality only a rag-tag bunch of losers, dressing up and acting out. Of course Elliott would lie about his military service, just as the current occupant of the WH lies about his own history.
13
Washouts and wannabes. We need to stop paying attention to these trolls, because they feed on it. I do appreciate the work done to expose a guy like Kline.
14
Kline expressed that in the movement he had found his purpose or identity.
In similar fashion those are the sentiments expressed by Lee Harvey Oswald, Arthur Bremer and John Wilkes Booth, losers who find a life in hate and feel fulfilled.
Thanks for the great reporting.
11
I wish Trump and Kelly would watch this video.
6
would his service in Iraq excuse his views?
6
Thank you for putting yourself out there to do this very difficult work. To subject yourself to such abhorrent personalities and their putrid beliefs is nothing less than heroic. You are doing some of the bravest work to help us eventually reclaim our democratic institutions in the U.S. by illustrating their modus operandi of cowardice (c’mon, a nom de plume?), lies, and sanitized storytelling. Your efforts are nothing less than heroic. While our armed services are out in the world fighting terrorists on foreign soil, you are fighting these home-grown American terrorists on American soil.
Ever grateful.
Stacey
15
Can you imagine how little we would know about Trump, this administration, his family og grifters and what they’re hiding without diligent journalist like this.
Thank God for the Free Press. And don’t let anything keep you from the polls in November 2018.
9
The current administration has empowered hate and cowardice such as this. In my 54 years I have never seen such emboldened hatred. My relatives don't all look like they descended from white Europeans. Since the election, they have been told "you don't loo like you're from around here," and other statements questioning if they are "Americans." This toxic cloud must be countered with journalism such as this.
7
Your pathetic Eli. Someone like you would not make it very far in a real war zone or combat theatre. I served in Iraq and I can tell you, Eli would have been back at camp peeling potatoes with an attitude like that..
7
Thank you for this excellent reporting. Sadly, I am sure most of the alt-right will 1) never read the story; 2) continue to believe lies and racist blogs; and 3) continue to grow more bold in their hatred.
The challenge we face is there will always be alt-right types, yet we must find effective ways to reach the teens, the 20-somethings, the 30-somethings that lean to the alt-right and help them hear and understand the truth.
24
Excellent reporting. I wonder if the gentleman driving the bus to the rally in the footage--he looks African-American to me--knew who he would be driving for. Seems like it would be a very uncomfortable experience.
15
Very brave work. I congratulate you.
16
This excellent, calm and factual reporting shows the scary alt-right “warrior” to be false, toothless, self-congratulatory and small.
There is no great Wizards behind the curtain, just ordinary man telling great, huge lies. Shame on him for claiming deployment.
Great reporting Emma!
24
IT seems that flat out lying is another unwanted gift that trump has made mainstream. Thanks to these reporters and the multitude of others who risks there lives and reputations to tell the truth.
48
Thank you for this excellent work!
16
Yeats said it best: "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." So, thanks for this fine piece of reporting. In order to fight racism and antisemitism we need more -- not less -- reporting like this. Silence equals acquiescence.
35
Want to defang most of the alt right and bigots, as well as most of the -isms? Then go after the largest and most injurious discrimination and abomination: sexism. Misogyny and sexism affect more than half the world's population, along with all the offspring of females. Until males and their female enablers join this century and stop the purposeful ancient desert peasant cult subjugation of all females - who are the majority, after all - no minority groups will prevail, either.
5
Mary-- I agree. If you look at any cross section of our country, divide it by socioeconomic factors, by race, by geography, by sexual preference, etc, there is a stark and unchanging hierarchy in which women are second-class. And women, too, are stewards of this culture. Women who raise sons and daughters to live by these same rules perpetuate the very system that punishes them, just as those who benefit from the system work so hard to preserve their privilege. How on earth can we change any other form of prejudice when this one is a constant argument for unequal treatment?
1
good work - your reporting reveals the inner fears and weaknesses that motivate these disaffected sad sacks. you don't have to worry much about providing them a platform to recruit others since they make themselves look unappealing and weak, which is the opposite of what they would wish.
16
It’s an interesting question why men (it’s always men) lie about military service, but it has nothing to do with where on the political spectrum you are. Over the years, everyone from leftist college professors to open fascists like Kline have made these easily checked claims.
11
Stolen valor. He is a disgrace to the uniform and Pennsylvania National Guard.
A despicable human being and American citizen as well.
31
This is the Norm for the "Alt Right" they have to find ways to blame others for their being abject failures in life and while doing so present a narrative that makes them seem not a failure! WE see this with Richard Spencer and other "leaders" like Nathan Damigo- who's claim to fame was punching a 90 pound girl and running away- who Also served similarly and used it as an excuse for his commission of a armed Robbery!
As for the "Attack" on Richard Spencer it has long been rumored that it was done by a fellow loser to garner publicity which is plausible since many of us here on the West Coast know that these losers would infiltrate the Antifa protests and lead the attack on their loser brethren!
Imagine how pathetic one must be that your only source of "pride" is being born to caution parents!
13
A wonderful example of why solid investigative reporting is so important, especially now. Emma Cott - and those who supported her work - deserve our grateful thanks.
104
First Rate Reporting. Thank You. This Is Why I Subscribe.
60
Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Thank you NYT
53
Your voice as a citizen and journalist is heard with truth and honesty. America has never been so divisive (or perhaps it has all along...) as it is now. One can see this palpable fracture in all walks of life- from the politics at the Hill to the side by side television screens of Fox and CNN News, to the make up of these young angry men and women. They are a lost generation that clung on to the most hatred and vile rhetorics. The truth we must face ourselves is that there are deep societal challenges that we need to address as a democratic nation.
There is no blaming, just a better understanding. Your article illuminates this point.
19
Agreed...how can this energy and passion be channeled to help our world and give meaning to these lives?
6
The hate blogs of the Alt-Right maybe need to be infiltrated to help them. They do not appear to be chemically dependent as a group, fortunately. Ms. Cott's work might help pave the way for these poor people to get help.
Ms Cott and Mr. Ellis, thank you for your cutting-edge, investigative reporting. I commend you for your bravery and determination. Thank you for exposing the deception and underbelly of this alt-right leader. I find your piece both horrifying and tragic. The path these young men are walking leads only to destruction.
23
The sad truth is that the many of these white nationalists either lie about or juice up their supposed military service. A little digging is all it takes to find out that many of them never served a day or were weekend warriors with the various National Guard units (which is NOT the same as the actual Army or Marines). Those few who actually were in the military were either un-deployed or never saw actual combat. And the even tiny percentage who did would probably be described by their former NCO's as the worst soldiers in their outfit.
24
I hope I'm not embarrassed later by what I'm about to say, but here it goes.
I have never had chills following a news story, but this time I did. This was phenomenally well done. Thank you.
PS. I lived in 19 West Lawn, a student room at the University of Virginia, yards maybe, from where these Alt Right people played their game. Words can't tell you how happy I am you uncovered this fraud, which hurt our school & everybody else. Again, thank you!
268
Just like the republican primary of 2016 the alt-right must vocalize their poison further and further to the right of the next hateful person. It becomes a contest of who can hate more. They have a "supreme leader" as their idol. These people, like the Republican Party, have all become "Trump-aphants. Kissers of the "ring."
11
It is no wonder these "alt-right" white men love Trump so much, like him they make the most grandiose, easily-disproved lies- how could this Mosley think he could lie about being in Iraq and nobody would find out? Who lies about something like that? Lying about seeing combat when he hardly ever left Pennsylvania, the pathetic desperation of these fools knows no bounds.
36
We are dealing with master propagandists all the way to POTUS (reinvented past, anyone?). The truth means nothing other than what serves their agenda.
22
Am certainly not surprised an alt-right leader is a liar. He and others of his ilk take their cue from the liar-in-chief, who has legitimized lying and hate politics. And I agree with the Times that it must, as its journalistic duty, cover hate groups, to bring their false reasoning to light.
22
He's a fraud. His movement is entirely based on lies, so that is not surprising. But they BELIEVE their own lies, even when they are pointed out, directly, to them. Just like POTUS. They are actually cut from the same distorted cloth.
25
First off thanks for great investigative reporting. Unbelievable that our current POTUS encourages individuals such as these to sow their message of hate, violence and racism. We have entered into a new age of Mcarthyism.
Although they have always been here they now feel empowered.
24
Heroic reporting. My hat is off to you!
34
As I watch this fake Mosley character I am repeatedly reminded of Ricky Gervais' creation of the hapless David Brent in the original "The Office" programme.
At first it was just the look of the guy, but then you see how starved for attention he is, how much he boasts about nothing, and how painfully he fails to accomplish anything with his sad, petty delusions of what he thinks will impress people.
And David Brent was invented to be mocked, apparently just like this loser.
Remember -- the only power these lost souls have is when they unite together and actually "trigger" a response of anger. It's a pretty lame power, and it's easy to take away.
For pointers, read the NYTimes article, "How to Make Fun of Nazis."
Let's take back our world by just living in it.
28
@ D.A.Oh
THANKS for citing the "How to Make Fun of Nazis" piece.
The experience of activists in Wunsiedel, Germany, and those here in the U.S. have proven that the most brilliant strategy is HUMOR/ RIDICULE. I hope university students (and the rest of us!) will emulate their examples when planning a response to events by these hate mongers.
4
Alternative deployment, no doubt
38
Great work, Emma!
I'm a Massachusetts Vietnam Era veteran. I am even certified by the state to write that on work applications.
So people, recruiters, HR specialists, many others say to me, "You went to Vietnam Nam"!
Nope, I enlisted in the US armed forces, while the US military was in Viet Nam, officially.
But some people suggested that I should say I was in Viet Nam. And, I said "Why should I claim that, untruthful as that statement is".
One or two of these people said, "The real truth doesn't matter"!
31
That anecdote about how Richard Spencer getting punched motivated him to action, illustrated perfectly how violence doesn't work.
19
To ignore the words and actions of the alt-right, to not publish what they are up to only serves to further their cause. They are like termites. Left in the dark to do their damage, They will bring down our democracy. Their more perfect union is only one color.
I don't care if it brings more of them out. It's that many more we will know about. They still are in the minority.
Ms. Cott, keep doing what you are doing!
98
Some people internalize their blame when things go wrong, but others externalize it, claiming that all their missed opportunities and problems are the fault of someone else. Many members of the alt-right fit into the second category, losers who grew up with opportunities their opponents never had -- suburban schools, college, institutional supports, two parents, for example -- but they failed to take full advantage of those gifts, so they spew out their blame and hate on others.
34
Excellent report, I can't wait to vote!
23
No kidding that he's a liar. The whole white supremacy movement is a lie, based on the idiotic and grotesque idea that skin tone makes someone superior or inferior.
44
Lying about your military service is a grave insult to the brave men and women who actually did server in Iraq and other war zones. Shame.
71
Thank you for this excellent piece of reporting. All we can do is the tedious work of unmasking these pretenders one at a time. It seems a large component to this entire movement are unfulfilled, disaffected you men- I really want to call them boys, or children even. It has become clear to me that an entire generation of young men seem lost while their sisters are largely thriving. Not sure why this is, but it is a disturbing trend and I think this is part of the fallout.
21
My first reaction to watching this video was to reach for the roach spray. But on second thought, why bother?
Despite their efforts at self-promotion, the Alt Right remains a tiny band of hateful misfits who can't even carry a tune. It sounds like they don't have a whole lot of military experience, either.
Don't go to their marches. Don't attend their rallies. And whatever you do, don't write about them in the newspaper. When they break the law, prosecute the bejeesus out of them. That should take care of the problem.
43
That's what you'd like to think.
But their message is spreading, and it's happening quickly. It's even reached our shores (Barbados). We're a tiny island on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. Yet, I personally know people who are beginning to soak up alt-right talking points and vehemently support Donald Trump's mission even though we are not remotely associated with America or American values.
You know why that is so? Because people ignore them. Because people think it's a joke - that they alt-right and groups like them are "vocal minorities that need to be laughed at and forgotten". They're not.
And while you turn a blind eye, they're constantly flashing their lights in the eyes of the willing but pitifully unaware. Most people they recruit don't have a clue that they're being recruited. They just know that they've got "white grievances", and these groups happen to be talking about that very same thing. Since no one wants to talk about said groups, there's nothing to counter them, and no one exposing them for the slick parasites that they are, so they're getting away unchallenged. This is why, like it or not, they're currently winning.
3
Someone needs to explain to to children early on that joining any such party will make you unemployable.
Forever.
Getting filmed will insure your identity will be known to the world with the simplest of searches.
Forever.
One might as well have a swastika tattooed on your face because no company in this increasingly diverse nation would want to risk ever hiring you.
26
It all fills me with sadness.
Hate and lies are so empty and unfulfilling.
These alt right nazis are no different than ISIS fighters.
They are indoctrinated in a group and from the outside they look like pathetic losers.
It makes me feel sorry for them, which is not the response they are looking for.
The only emotion they trigger is sadness, with a bit of compassion.
18
Thank you for your investigation, persistence and balanced observations.
In the long run, the qualities you display here will be our best defense against the bombastic rhetoric of the alt-right.
19
Ms. Cott, you are brave!
Thank you for this piece about someone pretending to serve this country when actually, he is engaged in an effort to destroy what we truly stand for. His deception and purpose in life are horrifying on many levels; nevertheless, it is important to know what and who we are up against.
16
Incredible reporting: Courageous, illuminating, truthful and balanced. This is journalism at its best. Increasingly, as more and more democratic institutions come under attack from strongmen, despots, demagogues, and their fellow travelers, good, sound journalism -- and the New York Times is the gold standard here -- is increasingly our bulwark to the continued erosion of democracy, freedom and decency. Emma Cott: Long May you pursue the noble craft of journalism!
25
People like this have always been with us. As a psychiatrist I have come across a few of them. I'm not exactly sure how we would label them diagnostically, though; perhaps as some sort of fairly primitive personality disorder.
Such persons can well become dangerous if they are given power or join an organization which empowers them. Unfortunately, as is obvious to most of us, we have now in the U.S. a top-down executive voice encouraging just such persons.
34
Sunshne is the best disinfectant. Thank you, Ms Cott, for shining a little light on these creeps who hide in the dark.
72
First, congratulations to you and thank you for your bravery. Please don’t stop your reporting.
Second, unremarkable cowards pathetically seeking validation join these groups.
31
It is great that you found this out but what are you going to do with the information? The readers of the New York Times already innately know these people are suspect. Everyone who I meet who is a Trump supporter, a racist and whatever awful thing that is going on today in our country, firmly believe the NYT is fake news and does not read it. The fact that so many Opinion makers in the NYT got the elections so wrong, just doesn’t help the publications credibility. So how do you get your message out so that he can be “outed” in his own sub set where it really matters? It’s all well and good to investigate but today these kinds of articles, no matter how good, no matter how accurate or well written, they just don’t gain traction.
17
Another unabashed liar living a fantasy. Unfortunately his followers are mesmerized with the narrative. Out of curiosity, it would have been helpful if we could have learned more about him.What type of job does he have- if any? . It seems that none of them have jobs- restless, shiftless and eager to latch on to something (or someones) to blame their own disappointing lives on. They sound like a bunch of losers (which they are) but dangerous.
10
In his ignorant, evil mind - he is at war - he's at war against fundamental civil rights and truths that normal people consider to be self-evident.
24
Investigative reporting such as yours is so important in today's age of mis-information. Congratulations and continue with your work.
73
While reading this piece, I kept on asking myself the question, What happened in this twenty-something man's life to change its course from apparent normalcy to hate? If we could find the answer, perhaps we can find the cure to racism and bigotry. Under our present political paradigm, these dark characteristics of the human make-up are encouraged and are becoming akin to cancers within our society, metastatic rather than in situ.
This Time's reporter did not cross any journalistic line, and certainly did not waste any space. In fact, we are now living in a time not different from those of a segregated South. But it is not limited to one region of the country. Instead, we find these neo-Nazis from California to New York.
Our democracy as we have known it is eroding at its core. Morality and ethics are daily being replaced by hypocrisy, blatant lies, and a resurgence of prejudices and discrimination against the "other." This can not go on.
44
Way to go Emma and NYT's! I so admire your courage, attention to fact checking, and facing for all of us these sad, disfunctional young people who have failed in most, if not, all endeavors in there short lives. I too agree that they need our compassion but only after they have been stripped naked and their anger exposed. "Why angry?" They should be made to ask themselves. The answers,when confronted honestly,will be evident even to themselves and perhaps they will seek the therapy each so clearly needs on the road to becoming their true selves and not some manifested Alias that they presume themselves to be.
17
Excellent reporting and very good to have more background.
What stands out to me more than anything, though, is that although they say they love white people, it seems they are more focused on people who are from different backgrounds, than the needs of their own people.
If they truly loved their white heritage, their beloved white people, why not work to better their own communities, to address and rectify problems there, at home, rather than put their full energy into disparagement of others, into triggering people and communities who have suffered real sustained and structural discrimination?
The depth of their expressed hatred is a sign of their inner weakness and the thinness of their argument against their fellow Americans.
It is such a waste of energy, for these young men, in the prime of their manhood, to build nothing, to work for nothing, and whose greatest desire is to be the biggest bully on the block. That is, as long as they have backup.
On their own, as individuals, they melt away as easily as Elliot Kline's lies about his military service.
170
It’s much easier to tear others down than to build yourself up.
11
While this article made me sad, this, from Jimmy Fallon, gave me hope.
In the end, it will be up to us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ9drv78dCQ&sns=em
6
Well done doing the right kind of research.
31
I would have insisted on parsing this “Basically, it’s very similar the way it works,”
It's a nonsensical sentence the sort we often here from republican politicians as they flippantly dismiss anyone whose questions get close to revealing their deceptions. Our president, Paul Ryan & Mitch McConnell come to mind.
This case of stolen honor might actually be criminal. I expect if you talked to his fellow soldiers you'll find more deceptions and character flaws.
95
We can never indict all the people who come from an area but the area of PA which this very young person comes from is a relatively poor area of Berks County populated by some white people who may feel marginalized and disenfranchised. It has been said that Pennsylvania is made up of Pittsburgh on west and Philadelphia on the east with Alabama in between. Chester and Delaware and Philadelphia counties to the east are far more moderate in their political tendencies and there are far more job and educational opportunities east of Berks County and Wyomissing/Reading/West Lawn where this 27 year old is from. But if people like him feel left behind or ignored, that is a failing of our country which must be corrected. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is widenening and is a threat to our republic not to mention unfair.
14
R. Anderson:
What part of "But if people like him feel left behind or ignored, that is a failing of our country which must be corrected" gives a person the right to lie about his own military experience as a way of deluding others into following him? He reminds me of a certain infamous German corporal in WW I.
This poor sap is a dangerous person who would do great harm to anyone who is not a "white Christian" like him.
31
Eli exhibits all the characteristics of an over-compensating "wannabe" that confabulates a Walter Mitty history for themselves while living their real lives using online avatars. The rational side of their brain recognizes their short-comings and failures, and so they start believing their fantasies. Left by themselves, they are ineffective, unproductive malcontents that can never amount to anything and will never make any type of positive contribution to humanity. Normally, these types sit in the background, accompanied by a shopping carriage filled with bundles of plastic bags. But imagine what happens when such types suddenly get a following sufficient enough to be called a movement? Truth in their messages is of tertiary importance to their followers, and the wilder and unlikely the "facts" the more successful they become.
6
Regarding the difficult challenge covering racism poses for journalists, I'd consider the following:
Avoid providing a single individual racist a global platform on NY Times. This is far more than they deserve and only fulfills their delusion of grandeur of being a leader of a social movement. Perhaps covering several at a time to make it clear there is nothing unique or special about them.
Would you really describe this person as a "leader"? A terrorist or false prophet is more like it.
It would help is there was also coverage on approximately how many of them there are (number of organizations), what tools they use to communicate, spread lies, recruit and cause terror. Are they growing in number? Where are they concentrated?
And as one reader pointed out, these articles should be balanced with the victims particularly in this case Heather Heyer.
To further balance this out is to hear what NAACP, ACLU, Simon Wiesenthal and other organizations are doing in response.
I suspect that these racists will only use this article to help recruiting their subjects.
29
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/17/us/hate-groups-us-map-trnd/index.html
map of hate groups.
others on google. They are on the rise.
1
I'm not surprised at the response you got from him. Their strategy is not just about lying, about people being uneducated enough to recognize the lies or unconcerned enough to fact check, but also about confusing the situation and who the audience is and what the words mean (look into NLP techniques) ... we (who disagree with white supremacists, fascists and the like) think words have their conventional meaning and conventional audiences... but they are often more concerned with talking to each other and the army they are trying to build ... as evidenced by the SotU address...
21
It rings a bell........lying (especially about yourself) to gain power with racists and fascists......hmmmmm......give me a minute and I will remember where I've heard that before........
35
Eli Mosley and many of his fellow alt-right comrades have come to their beliefs after reading Ward Kendall's alt-right novel about "the last whites on Earth" fighting against racial extinction. And though it is well-written, it's clearly racist propaganda. So it is crucial to understand this, and what drives these individuals. In the end, I don't think this whole mess is going to end well.
9
An excellent piece. I do share your ambivalence about whether to give these small minded fascists a platform. Where does the public's right and need to know end, and the amplification of hatred begin? I think you did a good job balancing that, specially with your point about how social media amplification allows thirty guys with tiki torches to seem like a much larger problem. Exposing the self aggrandizing lies this privileged young whiner uses, stealing the honor of those who actually served in combat, is also an important reminder to the character of people who are drawn to the alt-right alternative universe of white victimization. The origins of Mr. Kline's surname are indeed fitting in his case.
19
I started watching the video on Eli Mosley and couldn’t quite get to the end. As a South African, such videos and tolerance of hate speech does nothing but to pander to corrupt extremists. These people are destructive. I despise them and quite frankly despise this kind of journalism. Hate speech should be made a crime.
16
I'm glad to see there are some reporters with the Times who are willing to tell the truth about these cancerous Americans and not pander to a minority base.
I do think it's important for the rest of us to understand exactly who and what these people are and there certainly is a fine line between giving them a platform and just reporting on who and what they are. I think you were able to find a balance here. Thank you for your work.
23
With these pathological liars, it’s as if they and their followers are all just cast in a Netflix series — everyone is acting in a role. They don’t care about the facts; they just make it up as they go.
18
While there is some value exposing the lies and racism of the alt-right... the amount of that value is debatable. So they’re racist and they lie. Great.
I really wish this piece focused on the victims of Trump’s alt-right - like Heather Heyer.
An American was killed in Charlottesville in 2017 by these Nazis. Many others injured.
Yes, Ms. Heyer got a mention, but I’d like to see more focus on her, her story, and the other victims of these losers - rather than another profile of a Trump supporter.
47
Yes - articles like this give factual insight into public people and their actions but in other ways their value is debatable. To me a tendency to race hatred is a part of human nature - this is why it springs up spontaneously wherever there is a minority group large enough to identify and hate. However, as it is irrational it is not amenable to rational disproval, so you are not going to discourage people who have built their lives around it or discourage others from joining them. (That's all.)
I does give data
3
Lawrence Linehan, If that were true we would not have the civilization that we do. It is technically irrational but only because the subject has not been shown how to be rational effectively. The strength to which they clasp onto these feelings is a measure of their innate insecurity and inability to face and understand that insecurity which has nothing to do with race and everything to do with their environment. If you point to someone who has had a good life the story is the same regardless of your inability to see an environmental cause.
This sort of thing is compensation for deep fear generating insecurity. The only way to correct it is to get the insecure person into a frame of mind where they can trust their interlocutor and with help face that insecurity. They defend it so strongly because it is so fearful an insecurity.
1
I’m not sure why you apparently say we couldn’t have the civilisation we do if race hatred were a part of it – the US and other civilisations have been built despite the (very helpful) belief in the inferiority of certain groups who were perhaps enslaved. Why is race hatred ‘only technically irrational’ and ‘… because the subject has not been shown how to be rational effectively.’
Maybe this because of my ‘inability to see an environmental cause’ but I can’t see why ‘that insecurity which has nothing to do with race and everything to do with their environment’ should manifest itself in hatred of specific groups. It looks like a tendency in higher animals to persecute deviance rather than the externalisation of deep insecurity. (This could have evolutionary value as it tends to make homogeneous societies with the fittest people in the group being selected as mates.)
You say: ‘The only way to correct it is to get the insecure person into a frame of mind where they can trust their interlocutor and with help face that insecurity.’ Are a psychoanalyst who has achieved this feat? I have worked (in a non-medical environment) with racists who trusted me but on the subject of race they found one irrational justification after another for their views. (Perhaps I should have steered the conversation round to their insecurities earlier.) If race prejudice is not part of human nature why do the chronically insecure choose to turn to it rather than some other reassuring belief?
To respond to the introduction of this piece, yes, it is a fine line that journalists tread in giving a wider platform to individuals and movements which often seem to emerge in the first place around a deep desire to be 'famous' - with little sense of the cost. The risk of exposure is of contamination of other, often young and isolated, vulnerable minds. But the risks of denying or diminishing the reality of destructive, nihilistic forces in our culture are far greater. The story that follows speaks volumes through the simple facts reported. The personal account of the writer's experience in gathering them adds powerfully to the facts. As described, the hunger for reality is lost in fear of it, to be replaced by fantasies of violence in which the protagonist is always a hero - seeking to destroy his terror of otherness by ever more desperate means. Your reporting is a necessary and valued contribution to our understanding and, hopefully, to a wider response of concern, rather than contempt.
37
Not surprising that in this , the era of Trump results in followers modeling his propensity for lying about issues that can be verified. This Trumper movement feels as if they can act without impunity. Very enlightening article - thank you for taking the risk.
63
[...unsubstantiated theories about science....]
This is a phrase that all sides use to describes scientific research with which they disagree. Climate change deniers use it; creationists use it.
14
There is a vast difference between “disagreement” and “disproof.” Unfortunately, with a science-averse GOP, dysfunctionally low levels of scientific and logical competence among the populace, and a culture based on social media, “disagreement” is too often conflated and placed on equal ground with “disproof.” I’m sorry, but the core theories about genetics-based white supremacy — and the core theories about creationism — have been widely disproven. You may disagree, but the facts don’t back you up.
4
Excellent fundamental journalism. This reporting not only reveals the lies and deceit of this one individual, but, more importantly, it reveals the lies and deceit inherent in the alt-right movement. Most disturbing is the social media stew that allows a literal handful of disaffected deviants to have an exponentially outsized impact on our culture and society.
202
“Someone has said that it requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.”
― Emma Goldman
19
Nothing like fantasy - get the rush without the pain.
36
This was difficult to read and watch. We are now a society full of hate and fear supporting a leader who is destroying our institutions.
It smells like 1933 because it is.
Vote in every election like your life depends on it- because it does
481
Yes. Put down the X-box and vote.
3
Well said!
3
We are in an era where lying right into the camera is considered okay. From trump to mosley, this generation does not even attempt to hold their leaders to any semblance of the truth. Calling them out, pointing out the lies is considered foolhardy on the seekers part, and it blends into the narrative that we are the problem in this country. We are not exposing world that is so apparent to alt-right.
People such as mosley are embolden by the ascendancy of trump. First his campaign, then the Administration will not be held to any facts that conflict with their narrative. Then we have a whole media machine (i.e. Fox) that supports these untruths to sell air time. We should not be laughing at KellyAnne when she spouts Alternative Facts, we should be attacking them for what they are, bold face lies.
225
These young men have failed at every venture they have tried in the past. They want to feel powerful and strong and important. They are so misguided and dangerous and cowardly -
We need a Marshall Plan for our American youth so that they can find a path to function or they will take us to chaos
97
Keep it up NYT. This is great reporting!
63
Thanks for this article. No surprise ... No surprise at all.
13
Scary. He was a hr employee?! They're everywhere. Trump's election was the light that set them all scattering.
26
Deception is baked into our president too. He lies, even when the truth would serve him better.
49
I watched the video before reading this article, and I'm not sure the article does justice to the vulgarity and hatred in the podcasts. He laughs and jokes about how the best way to handle black people is by firing them and watching them cry over not being able to feed their families. Then he riffs about how much he enjoyed splattering non - white peoples brains during his deployment.
He obviously is a bit of a failure who hates having to put in effort to get what he wants; and has latched on to the one movement that gives him the feeling of empowerment with minimal effort.
223
Another bone spurs “patriot” with deep racist tendencies. What horrifies me and gives me pause for reflection is how unsurprising the rise of such people is in 21st century American culture.
24
The reason that you should stop reporting about these hateful people is not just because it gives them the attention they need to spread their message. You believe you may manage to convince someone on the other side to come to the side of truth and reality, but you won't. The more you push the farther into hate and lies they will descend. It is not about truth or lies, real or fake. It's about allies and enemies. You, The New York Times, are the enemy to people who listen to a man like this. You can't change that by reporting the truth. You will only draw more people to him.
5
Keep covering and uncovering them. You're not giving them a platform, you're making sure they don't breed in the dark. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. You're doing the right thing.
89
Well let's see what happens when Eli and his "friends" read this story. Of course he won't be the one who has lied; it will still be the New York Times and fake news. Hate is the name of the game. And they're good at it.
12
This reminds me of the NYT coverage of Dan Burros.
Mr. Burros was another failed military poseur seeking refuge from his own inadequacies by joining with american nazis and then the Klan.
Although the duty is unpleasant, the NYT does have a duty to shine the light on hate groups and their members.
49
Kinda reminds me of Stephen Miller.
244
I thought the same thing!!
8
Agreed, Stephen Miller and Mr Kline both have Napoleon complex written all over their angry, sneering little faces every time they berate a reporter or smirk at their own pugnaciousness.
When did America become a bunch of egotistical shouters unable to humbly admit their failings and their virtues? Instead, it’s this patina of false qualifications because we can’t admit to our own mediocrity.
There was a time when mediocre people would admit this and then do something to change it, like education, like toil, like hard work. The alt-right seems to be filled with a sea of people who think they are owed something for nothing, and don’t mind falsifying their biographies if it short cuts them in line.
Isn’t THAT ironic, that they are the very epitome of the entitled lay-Aboutaleb they so vehemently rage against? But then, isn’t that always the way...
12
Yes, there were none of the apprehensions or lack of initiative to learn after WW2. Everyone was doing it.
But Miller is a hard core white supremacist. He learns, and he evaluates within that context. He has little to do with bettering himself, he expects others to be subservient to him and his white greatness.
2
While Eli's delusions are not surprising, they are very disturbing. It smacks of deep-seated insecurities bordering on mental illness. Rather than accept his limitations, it sounds like he and his ilk project them onto others. Wonder if he's allowed to own a gun?
183
This is the good old USA...of course, he is.
12
There were plenty of guns displayed by Elliot and others in the video, so you should know the answer to that question.
5
You wonder if he is allowed to own a gun? Of course he is! He probably has several. That's what gang members do.
2
Is Trump really so different?
42
The fascinating thing is that a common tactic of fascists has long been to discredit anyone who has any sort of credentials as liars, charlatans, and mountebanks. Mussolini, a well educated man, loathed intellectuals and academia, yet he picked and chose his intellectual underpinnings in Julius Evola (a favorite of Steve Bannon, by the way). If it fits the story you want to tell about yourself, you use can use it. The irony is that fascists regularly accuse educated people of the same practice and, my favorite, elitism. Evola was an elitist’s elitist. Hitler, a lightly educated man, wasn’t as adept has Mussolini, but he did it as well with a flourish of self myth making. This young man is doing it too. It’s glib to call it a psychological problem, but those who fail don’t hate those who haven’t because those who haven’t failed succeeded. They hate them for trying to succeed. It’s a cultural disease that has no cure.
14
So, what does this man's lack of character, integrity and regard for the truth tell someone about him, his cause and being a white nationalist? Why use an alias if he's a racist and proud of it? This man was inspired by the president's election to come out of the closet with his hate. The president's message was that it was okay to demean people who don't look like you, that his movement would make America great again. The messiah told his disciples to come forward, that he understood them and would listen to their grievances.
Like Steve Bannon, this man has lost his way in life. Bannon is now adrift with no support or outreach from the president or the GOP. The white nationalist in this story has no purpose in life other than to hate for the sake of hating. The alt-right movement appears to be a bottomless pit for the unwary, the uninformed and the ignorant, and they all deserve each other.
189
Add to your point: white supremacist cheerleader Richard Spencer is a trust fund baby. One wonders what material advantage, what opportunity did he NOT have, what privileged part of his life was So lacking--that he gets to be aggrieved and angry? Why is he and Eli Mosley and their crew of losers attacking others? Is it because the adrenalin rush from hating makes them feel important?
7
The problem is, the rest of us don't deserve them.
3
@Ann -- great questions that even they can't answer. Perhaps their hatred of others makes them feel better about themselves. Their venom is only destroying them from within. They are white and privileged but are truly to be pitied. Their souls can never know peace or redemption.
1
Bravo, that took courage for you and the Times to unmask Mosley/Kline.
108
It appears the reason members of the alt-right rely on such lies is that, deep down, they know they are morally and ethically wrong. By hiding behind fake names and biographies, they thus afford themselves the option of flinging off their white supremacist identities when things get too hot. Words are the new sheets.
51
The rise of this dangerous man is very reminiscent of that of another white supremacist now occupying the White House and built on both deception and bluster only too eagerly bought into by an electorate ready to believe in conspiracy theories and trashy nonsense.
41
Notice the pattern with these people of the alt-right: none have any real achievements, nor are engaged in any pro-social activities; thus, like any of the genocidal criminals of the past (e.g. Hitler, Goebbels, etc.), they must invent a self-service narrative and spin the tale of victim hood (which, coinceidently, is the often-used accusation towards any aggrieved minority) when really they themselves are the poster boys of unproductive, feckless, and directional was youth. If they're so proud of their race, why aren't they going into sciences, inventing technologies, helping their poor white brethren in Appalachia and similarly impoverished regions? No, they argue the inhumane, murderous doctrines that are the shame of humanity. There is something psychologically wrong with these folks; their arguments have underpinnings of sociopathy.
136
What about the lucrative endless war on "terror" would lead a disillusioned soldier to hate American Jews, LGBTQ people, and anyone who is not white?
10
@Joe B.
"disillusioned soldier"?
You are referring to a reservist who NEVER DEPLOYED and who NEVER COMPLETED his contractual obligation to the National Guard. He is a guy who attended several colleges and never graduated. He must be a real "go getter", right? Watch the video.
That kind of "disillusioned soldier"?
10
Um, dude, maybe you should read the part of the article where nazi boy said "many of his compatriots were veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who had become disillusioned with the American political system after fighting in unwinnable conflicts." You missed the point. Sad.
4
But do you believe him? Or them?
1
This was an amazing documentary.
It's amazing how far this man went with his false valor in an effort to propel his public image. Not only is it amazing, it's sadly pathetic. When he's confronted by the reporter towards the end about his deployment dates, you can hear the defeat in his voice yet he still hits back with an alternate version of reality.
The internet has created this alternate version of reality for these lonely, darknet shartposting trolls. 'Identity Evropa' is just repackaging the same old nationalist ideology that has pervaded for more than a century. And every single time, it has been defeated. The Alt-Right is no different: they will be defeated and rebuked too.
It is a sad sight to see young men who could be capable contributors to the overall good be sucked in by a maelstrom of malice that benefits absolutely no one. Elliot Kline is a picture-perfect example of how unchecked delusions can manifest in a very real, and very sad, manner.
That podcast about hunting jews, blacks, and muslims is chilling. The fact that this man was anywhere near a loaded AR-15 is terrifying.
The best way to make sure these people disappear is to stop giving them a voice that obviously revolves around alternate-facts and violence. I don't mean stripping them of their 1st Amendment rights, I mean stripping them of their media popularity. As long as the news gives these folks a platform, they will always be relevant. Stop the representation, and they will get ghost.
113
Good luck with that. They get all the attention they need from right-wing media.
1
Yes, he's a perfect match. So is Donald Trump. He also has no regard for the truth, pumps up his own qualities and credentials, and, on occasion, spouts racist nonsense; he, too, buys into half-baked "science"; he too says things then denies that he said them. No wonder they consider him their guy.
502
It's not unusual for right-wing men to be deeply insecure in their masculinity. Trump and the most conservative Republicans in Congress think increasing the military budget and swaggering around making threats to our "enemies" will compensate for their cowardice in avoiding military service.
51