Every political movement has its extremist element. The Right had the Nazis. The Left had Marxist Leninism. Every part of the political spectrum can be distorted and used for evil purposes. But this doesn’t mean every political ideology is wrong. It does mean, however, that they can be manipulated by others for political gain. That’s what’s happening in Canada and the U.S. today.

The Rise of the “Alt Right.” Who profited ?

 During the later stages of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign the public suddenly began to hear about the “Alt Right.”Actually, this term had been used for some time by political activists who felt they didn’t fit into traditional conservative politics. But, as it became apparent to Hillary Clinton and the Democrats that Donald Trump might actually win the upcoming election, they began to panic. They needed a “boogey man” to focus the American public’s attention away from Trump’s growing popularity, and the mysterious “Alt Right” was perfect for this. Like Hillary’s former notion of a “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy,” whose supporters she could never name, and whose nature she could never define, it was the ideal tool to whip up hysteria against conservatism and conservatives. If they could succeed in pushing this idea they might actually seal their predicted victory and end the threat of Donald Trump forever. They stood to profit if the “Alt Right” narrative took hold.

Charlottesville and Other Terrible Events

 On August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville Virginia, a crazed individual drove his car into a crowd killing a young woman in a heinous act of political violence. That, together with a torchlight parade organized by Neo Nazis as well as other overt acts by far right fanatics, seemed to solidify the image of right of center people as monsters. Certainly, those who perpetrated these acts were. But the narrative was extended and manipulated to create a new reality. All conservatives were monsters. They were all potential Nazis. Those who developed this narrative knew exactly what they were doing and pursued their goal with malicious intent.

They’re Out There Somewhere

 They were right in one sense. There are definitely right wing extremist groups, Neo Nazis and the like, but they’re miniscule in number and influence, and as long as the authorities keep their eyes on them they’re relatively harmless. But the Democrats, Liberal Progressives and the Far Left jumped all over the “Alt Right” narrative. What an opportunity! They extended the narrative with glee. Suddenly, all conservatives were closet Nazis, perhaps even secretly working for that “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” Hillary had spoken about. They were intent on turning back the clock and taking away your rights. They wanted to establish a Christian theocracy, like the one on the “The Handmaid’s Tale” Netflix series based on Margaret Atwood’s book. They wanted to suppress the rights of women and minorities. They wanted to undo the social progress of the last century. They wanted to beat up gays and so on and so on. The list was endless. And, as they were prone to imply, remember that even though we can’t identify them, they’re out there somewhere…

Using Hysteria For Political Gain

 The ultimate purpose of all this was to criminalize conservatism, and push it out of the public sphere. But Conservativism is no more “Alt Right” than social work is Communist. Conservatism is a way of life and a mindset that grounds itself in moderation, common sense, small government, self reliance and respect for tradition. It abhors radicalism and hysteria and always comes back to the central idea that you, as a responsible person grounded in reality, are the deciding factor in your life. That image of conservatism doesn’t wash with the far left. They need you to be a monster. They need Christians to be monsters. They need Conservatives to be Nazis, and so the meme of conservatives as Alt Right conspirators continues to be pushed by academia, media and the left on a regular basis. We’re drowning in it.

A Convenient  Lie

 The idea that conservatives are all Alt Right fanatics is, of course, false. Real conservatives are anything but fanatic but, as Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi propaganda minister once said, if you “…tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will come to believe it.” That’s an accurate description of the principle the Left is using in constructing the “Conservative/Alt Right” lie. You should no more believe in it than the man in the moon. Remember, we need to separate fact from fiction in the difficult struggle ahead of us, and the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” is the biggest fiction of all.