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Comment by eesmith | Hacker News Reader

The 15-million-member Southern Baptist Convention voted 'to condemn "alt-right white supremacy."'. http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2017/06/southern_baptists...

The SBC is to the right of Bernie Sanders. For example, it prohibits male pastors and says the husband is the head of the family and the wife subservient to him.

They define 'alt-right' as a synonym for white supremacy, thusly: Racism and white supremacy are, sadly, not extinct but present all over the world in various white supremacist movements, sometimes known as "white nationalism" or "alt-right" - http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/2283/on-the-antigospel-of-alt...

Therefore, your description about this being a tactic of the left doesn't hold water.

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Shocking that the Southern Baptist Convention isn't familiar with online debate.

> They define 'alt-right' as a synonym for white supremacy

That's not how the term is usually used online, though, except to suggest that anyone to right of Bernie Sanders is a white supremacist.

WaPo writes: The ‘alt-right’ is just another word for white supremacy, study finds

"The Associated Press warned this week that the media outlets should avoid using the term “alt-right” because “it is meant as a euphemism to disguise racist aims.”" ...

"And now, a new working paper from researchers at the University of Arkansas and Northwestern University sharply underscores the extent to which people who identify as “alt-right” harbor prejudicial views toward non-white people."

So, not just the Southern Baptists.

> That's not how the word is usually used online, though, except to suggest that anyone to right of Bernie Sanders is a white supremacist.

The world alt-right was a) coined by its members, not by its detractors and b) stands for "alternative right," that is, it implies that there exists a mainstream right wing that is not the alt-right.

(It's also a term used in the real world and not just "online debate"; for instance, the alt-right is marching in Charlottesville this weekend, which is located in Virginia and not on the internet.)

As we see on this page, clearly the meaning has expanded far beyond the origins you're familiar with.

OK, sure, but - to bring this back on topic - do you disagree that "alt-right" in the original meaning is an appropriate descriptor for Stefan Molyneux, with whom Damore immediately sought an interview with to present his side of the story?

(He doesn't actually seem to self-identify as "alt-right," so I think there is room for disagreement here.)

I've never watched Stefan Molyneux. Could you point to a video you think proves he's a white supremacist?

So what? You said this is a "tactic that the left" uses.

Perhaps they do. But its also done by those on the right, so you are over-specializing when you limit it to "the left".

Oh no, people on the left drink water as a tactic to decrease thirst! We must stop drinking water so we aren't like the left!

The SBC wasn't trying to discredit James Damore and Jordan Peterson. They were criticizing actual white supremacists, and I don't have a problem with that.

When the left uses false associations with Nazis to try to discredit anyone who challenges their agenda, I object.

Godwin's law! Bingo!

Your argument style is tedious. You seem to deliberately avoid understanding what others say, and instead change the topic to the conversation you want to defend.

Godwin's law was triggered the moment someone brought Nazis into this discussion of James Damore.

I'm not sorry if you find pointing out this obvious, common smear tactic tedious. I find the people using the tactic tedious.

Where are you pulling this from? You're being just as bad as these imaginary leftists that unironically use 'alt-right' in that manner

Imaginary?

https://twitter.com/search?q=alt-right

For example, here's the tech editor at Business Insider UK clarifying 'alt-right':

> Lot of alt-right people in my mentions say Jordan Peterson isn't alt-right. Happy to clarify!

> Peterson has criticised gender-neutral pronouns, feminism, and definitions of cultural appropriation. So, lots of overlap there.

https://twitter.com/JamesLiamCook/status/895232436027744256

I presume you mean that the SBC prohibits female pastors?

Whoa! Yes, you are correct. Thanks!

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