Alternate Realities of the Alt-Right

Abstract

The American Alt-Right is a 21st-century phenomenon and growing movement that originated on the internet. The movement is often expressed through the use of symbols and ideas. In the past few years, the Alt-Right has immersed themselves in an alternate reality as they create their own truths inconsistent with actuality. Our nation is engulfed in political tension, extremism, and even violence amid an epistemic crisis. The Alt-Right has developed explanations for various social and political events, even claiming that members are "Red-Pilled" into another reality. This is increasingly evident in recent events such as the January 6th, 2021 Capitol Insurrection. Even though Far-Right and white supremacist groups attended the event, most attendees arrested at the insurrection were not members of Far-Right organizations. In this study, I attempt to reveal what compelled these members to participate in an alternative reality. I also seek to make sense of the event and explain how this alternate reality sustains itself through borrowing ideas from American culture and creating symbols and ideas that are unique to the movement. I will achieve this by evaluating the January 6th, 2021 Capitol Insurrection through a series of Parler videos documenting the event. I will then use my findings to conclude how the Alt-Right has become enveloped in a self-sustaining alternate reality.