Conspiracy theories become dangerous when fused with resurgent nationalism and white supremacy

Evidence

The issue, then, isn’t the conspiracy theories themselves, which any healthy societal discourse can absorb; we’ve done so for generations, treating them as a natural and understandable outgrowth of social upheaval and (very) spirited public discussion. The real problem is that an ever-more-efficient conspiracy-information machine has coincided with a very real resurgence in nationalism and white supremacy. We’re seeing unholy and shifting alliances of fellow travelers: conspiracy-oriented news sources, white supremacist groups, and so-called alt-right rising stars (generally, people who are willing to espouse nationalism and denounce political correctness but don’t like being called Nazis) are all feeding into one another. They share tactics, interview one another, signal-boost one another on social media, and create a cacophonous, self-reinforcing ecology. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 108

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘alt-right rising stars’ as nationalists and anti-PC figures who reject the Nazi label.
• XREF: connects to: Conspiracy theories themselves are old but their peddlers’ political power is new — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 30; Conspiracy theories inherit the mythic good-versus-evil frame of American religious zealotry. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 55; Conspiracy beliefs erode democratic participation and breed extremism — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate…, 287 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy beliefs erode democratic participation and breed extremism #expands (0.80) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 287
• National-security rhetoric functions as a proxy for protecting white supremacy #corroborates (0.80)
• Conspiracy theories have repeatedly caused serious global harm throughout history #expands (0.75) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 116
• The Eurabia conspiracy theory migrated from Europe into US Islamophobia #exemplifies (0.75)
• White supremacy operates as an idea undergirding Western social structure #corroborates (0.72) — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 1151