Someone asked me that question and I didn’t have a proper answer because where does one even begin? Who are the Red Pills and what is their progression into the Alt-Right? First off, the term “red pill” is simply from the movie the Matrix, so people having taken the red pill are now allegedly in possession of a secret truth that has long been hidden and they are the only ones who can now see reality as it really is.
Nightwind wrote yet another good post called, “RED PILLS CLAIM HATRED AS A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE,” read the whole article, but the opening sentence gives a good summary, “The Game Cult, which has come to dominate much of US Internet blogging, preaches a degenerated philosophy which throughout the course of the current decade has co-opted much of the Men’s Rights Movement, a solid portion of the political Alt-Right, and has a fair media presence.”
One problem with trying to define them is that they pride themselves on being undefinable, so as to never have to take responsibility for themselves or their ideology. So we have the red pills, the alt-right, the alt-white, the alt-lite, the gamers, the puas, and so forth. What they are is a cultural internet movement that reveals the heart of many people, that is rooted in men’s rights but also the far right end of the political spectrum, more libertarian, somewhat anarchist. They’re rabble rousers and generally I enjoy rabble rousers, or at least their freedom to be rabble rousers, but some of the darker aspects of these groups have caused me concern.
Some people have asked why I bother, aren’t these just some obscure fringe internet groups? No, these are cultural movements with millions of followers that engage in social engineering and trolling who have managed to capture the attention of both of our political candidates. As much as I love to imagine myself as a deplorable little yellow minion, when Hillary spoke of her “basket of deplorables,” she was addressing the alt-right and their subset, the red pills.
I pretty much just observe culture and politics and study social engineering. That’s my thing, my hobby. I like watching human behavior with a side interest in politics, because politics are all about human behavior.
My red pillian concerns are two-fold. For one, they have got to be some of the worst representatives of conservative Christianity to have walked the planet. As Nightwind pointed out, they tend to do things like claim hatred as a Christian virtue, misappropriate scripture, and engage in numerous false teachings. They are NOT representative of conservative Christianity, or Christians of any stripe, but it doesn’t really matter, because they claim Christ’s name, so they are often what people see when they hear the term “conservative Christian.” Think Westboro Baptist “Church” and the power that tiny dysfunctional family had to shape the cultural narrative. Did that group do anything to advance the kingdom? No, except perhaps advancing backwards.
My second concern is that I long ago predicted the red pills would eventually cost the Right, the Republicans, the elephants, this election, with their misguided attempts at social engineering. They are so bad my little conspiritress heart has often wondered if they were a political plant designed to do that very thing.
Feel free to prove me wrong. Nothing makes my heart sing more than a well-reasoned argument that causes me to re-evaluate my entire perspective. God has been doing that to me since forever and I absolutely delight in it.
See, there's this thing called biology... 
Indeed
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Indeed, Paul. And you probably thought Canadian politics were bizarre enough…… 🙂
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We really pay little attention to them. 😀
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That was very thought-provoking at the least & somewhat of a ‘new’ revelation for me. Not being a ‘gamer’ I had never encountered the labels & terms used to quite briefly introduce your topic. What intrigued me to read the whole article was the invitation to prove you wrong. Not so much the challenge to actually provide proof, but to complement the perceived attitude behind the provocation. Every sincere seeker of TRUTH provides transparency like this, introducing a perspective,but being honest about what pertinent information remains uncertain. Applied to true Christianity, the point was well made that Not all naming the name of Christ are indeed a true reflection of Him. The false impressions that result have indeed done far more harm to the cause of spreading the Kingdom message. Few people properly consider the fact that we are ALL witnesses – sometimes a good & righteous witness; other times a false witness. Unfortunately, it is these times of bad witness that are more frequently observed & tend to form the lasting impressions on non-believers. Having said that, the same is also true when any contemplation of other religions leads to a conviction about the true essence of a particular belief system. For example, it is the radical or fringe elements that attempt to force ideologies on those with opposing views, much to the utter disgrace & condemnation of the broader, more mainstream members of those communities. That ‘red-pills’ & the associated terminology have influenced the current political campaigns, it does offer a plausible explanation for the rather extreme antics displayed by all sides. A case of life imitating art.
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What a great comment. I like how you think. 🙂
As to a case of life imitating art, if so, I just wish we had been a bit more discerning about what kind of art we were creating.
I really like that quote, “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.” When it comes to faith that quote has proven itself to be true so many times, it’s just that there is a much easier way to go about it then running from lions all the time.
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There’s a tendency in many religions to overlook the damage that these false cults do until it’s too late. In the 1970s and 80s, the attitude among most Islamic leaders was to regard the Wahhabi/Salafist cults as sort of a nuisance but generally ignored it. Now, even the Iranian Ayatollahs admit this was a huge mistake and that these heretics with their Jihadist mentality have done more damage to Islam than other religions have.
It’s not widely known, but one reason that North Korea bans Christianity is because they identify Christians with the Moonie Cult that originated there.
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OH, Yes! The ‘Rev.’ Moon was indeed the self-proclaimed Savior to Korea. His following even in the USA rivaled that of Joseph Smith & Charles Russell – but unlike them, he left NO successor – for how could he – professing to be THE ANSWER?
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I like what you’ve said here. It has been interesting to note there has (IMHO), been one upside to this little red pill phenomenon. Although the majority of (read non-alt-right) conservative republican Christians have not spoken up or taken a public stand against he-that-shall-not-be-named, they have in separate interviews finally begun to speak out about their own private moral compass about immigration, our justice system, the Syrian refugee crisis, and other things that are finally making them sound more like Jesus than ever.
BTW, really like that lion quote, too. Brilliant!
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I really like what you said, Susan, because I sense a kind of sorting-out going on, like threshing the wheat from the chaff. So Christians, conservatives, people of all political stripes, are being forced to do some soul searching and to really think about what they believe and why. That’s a good thing, a bit disconcerting, but healthy.
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Thank you for the link and good commentary. One of other things that make the Red Pills dangerous is not only that they turn good people away from truth, but people with bad intentions look for movements like theirs. Movements with broad appeals and fanatically loyal supporters are always going to be welcomed by certain interests who have the same general objectives.
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Lot’s of good stuff here IB and I completely agree the alt right has coopted the GOP to its detriment. While I am normally not a conspiracy theory type of gal, there is plausibility that this is on purpose. Many of the alt right bullying tactics and desire for larger govt come straight out of the far left playbook in my opinion.
Or maybe I’d just enjoy too much being called a conspiritress…..;)
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Memi,
One thought on the term, or rhetorical device “Alt. Right”.
Back in 2009 and before, when Ted Kennedy roamed the earth, the horrendous boogie man for liberals was:
“The Religious Right”
The thing about that term is, that everyone thinks there is a “religious right”, but no one thinks they themselves are in it.
For libs, the term was an awesome strawman!
I always thought the religious right were extreme southern baptist / KKK members. (criminals)
I suspect that the “Alt. Right” is the new rhetorical device, to perjoratively denegrate anyone who is not a liberal. (?)
Watch out Memi, according to HRC, you and I might both be the “Alt. Right”, and “deplorable” too! ; – )
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Ah yes, the Religious Right or rather, the Rabid Right Wingnuts, the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, or what ever else you want to call it. 🙂
Conservative Christians, libertarians, the extreme right, I get these people, but the Alt Right can have a far darker edge to it, one that admires people like Anders Behring Breivik, and engages in some outright hatred. They are real enough and a concern to me, because just as Muslims can be radicalized, so too can the Lost Boys.
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