Ugly Theory

In spite of the philosophical efforts of those like Karl Popper to avoid a repetition of the ugly legacies of Nazism, fascism, and totalitarianism, they are carried on today by the alt-right. Moreover, one of their strategies is to use the very concepts of theory coined to eradicate sexism, racism, and homophobia in support of these hateful ends. A common accusation we hear today from left theory is that the alt-right has stolen and misused their concepts. These concepts include identity and identity politics, which can be formatively traced back in left theory to the Combahee River Collective—and followed forward to their rebranding and repackaging by the alt-right as Identitarianism. But while the alt-right embraces the former accusation (namely, theft) by admitting that it is an accurate assessment of how they acquired much of their conceptual core, they also contend that the latter charge (namely, misuse) is really one that refers to how left theorists have used their own concepts. That is, the alt-right claims that it is actually left theorists who have misused the very concepts they created.