There appears to be a growing problem among young white men: a form of racial identitarian white nationalism. Many of these young men, popularly known as Groypers, follow social media influencers like Nick Fuentes.
Fuentes, more provocateur than an actual ideologue, loves to drop racially charged bombs, as he defends his view of a racist, white-nationalist America First. Indeed, while he might actually believe what he’s selling, Fuentes has found traction in promulgating anti-Jewish and anti-Israel views.
A growing number of young white men, who have become tired of being vilified by the broadly leftist mainstream culture simply because they are white and male, have fallen for this racist grievance narrative.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz recently commented on the problem after several staffers for Republican lawmakers were outed as Groypers. “The Groyper problem is real,” Cruz explained. “I’ve seen more antisemitism on the right in the last two years than at any point in my lifetime.”
Cruz noted the Groypers’ anti-Jewish problem in particular. They oppose support for Israel, as if supporting America’s closest and most important allies in the Middle East were tantamount to treason. He observed that when reviewing applicants for his congressional staff, half of them opposed his support for Israel.
“If 50% of the people applying and saying, ‘I want to work for you,’ are expressing these sentiments, what do you think the 22-year-old staffer who’s working for a run-of-the-mill congressional member is expressing or not expressing?” Cruz pointedly asks.
So how big of a problem is this “Groyperism” really? From both the Leftmedia and Groyper influencers like Fuentes, it dominates the young political Right. However, both sources are highly suspect, largely because of their political agendas. Of course, Fuentes wants to give the impression that he has an army of acolytes that will soon be taking over the Republican Party.
Democrats and the Leftmedia, both of whom have long conflated racism, bigotry, and fascism with Republicans, are also guilty of inflating the numbers, even as their own side is increasingly being overrun with the radical socialists and pro-Hamas antisemites.
That said, the problem is real, and Republicans ignore it at their own peril.
As evidence that it has become commonplace, see the popularity of Tucker Carlson and his own anti-Zionism and willingness to platform fringe figures espousing ridiculous historical revisionism who posit outlandish claims like Winston Churchill was the biggest villain of World War II.
Interestingly, this Groyperism has exposed the reality that the right side of the political aisle does not equal ideological conservatism, or, in the American context, principled constitutionalism.
Many ideals espoused by Groyper influencers directly conflict with the Constitution. They also often self-identify as Christian, while at the same time exposing the fact that the “Christianity” they advocate is not biblically submissive or committed, but rather a form of cultural nationalism.
Since America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles that flowed from the colonial culture at the time, these Groypers see this as the ideal “real” expression of America, especially when it comes to the country’s racial makeup.
In other words, ironically, they make the same error as Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico. They want a “Christianity” informed by, and subject to, their political and ideological views, not one in which their political and ideological views are informed by, and subject to, a genuine, biblically committed Christianity.
Republicans need to take this growth of Groyperism within their ranks seriously, as the last thing the party needs is to be taken over by radical racists, as has happened to the Democrats.
