Don’t Be Jane Fonda

Remaining a patriot even when you disagree with what your country is doing

The latest strikes against Iran drew fierce criticism from many Americans. Much of the Online Right is upset with the move, feeling that Trump’s radical move betrayed his campaign promises of keeping America out of foreign wars.

As the conflict escalates and Americans debate over its merits, it’s important for our side to remain patriots. One can oppose unwise foreign policy moves without having to burn the flag. Unfortunately, a large cohort of the Online Right has decided to be modern-day Jane Fondas and cheer on Iran. Not only does this undercut the anti-intervention argument, it makes them look like deranged traitors in the eyes of ordinary Americans. It’s pathetic to wish death on your countrymen and stan anti-western Islamists over a foreign policy decision.

One is never going to persuade Americans to adopt better policies through anti-Americanism. It ensures ghettoization and the only people into your ideas are mentally ill malcontents.

When I posted about this on X, some contended that I made this up. They could’ve looked at the hysterical replies wishing “Death to America” and fantasizing about “ZOGbots” dying at the hands of heroic Iranians. But it wasn’t just random idiots in my mentions. Several Online Right influencers were making these arguments, as seen in the examples linked.

These tendencies have been around the Online/Alternative Right for many years. During the Obama era, these right-wingers adopted a number of foreign leaders as their heroes against the libtard regime. Vladimir Putin was an obvious favorite, as he was head of a majority white country that seemed opposed to liberalism. The Assad regime became another favorite of right-wingers because it stood against Islamic extremists, Israel, and crusading western liberals. While these two governments were liked by the majority, others also lionized Venezuela, China, Iran, and even North Korea. Anyone who seemed opposed to the “globalists” would gain a certain appreciation.

This is all dumb in hindsight, but it made some sense at the time. The Online Right had few figures to look up to in America. The country was led by Obama. The media began to embrace wokeness and open anti-white racism. The Republican Party was led by stuffed suits like John Boehner and the Tea Party was too boomer to handle. The 2012 GOP primary field and the expected candidates for 2016 left much to be desired. There seemed to be no political representation for nationalist views and the country appeared destined to turn into a multicultural nightmare. This is why much of the Alt Right in the pre-Trump years dreamt of an “ethnostate” and leaving America behind. The tiny number of people into this stuff were blackpilled about there ever being a political solution, so we retreated to fantasies of impossible projects and BASED multipolarity.

Since American politics was hopeless, it was thought foreign powers taking America down a notch would allow nationalism to rise up. Somehow, Russia/China/Iran would save the West by embarrassing Obama. This idea wasn’t well thought out, and, as evidenced by the Ukraine War, foreign conflicts don’t end up having the domestic ramifications the Right desired. This idea was just as fantastical as expecting an internet movement to create its own country. The idolization of foreign powers over that of America was delusional.

These traits were never fully reconciled with actual politics, which helped lead to the demise of the Alt Right. Time was different back then. If your options seemed to be a battle between Bushism and Obamaism, the fantasy third position seemed a whole lot better.

It would’ve been much wiser for the Alt Right to have been more realistic and patriotic at the time.

What ended up making these ideas mainstream was not anti-American internet blogs or foreign governments owning Obama. It was a reality TV star who pledged to put America First that made it all possible. Most of the Right came out of the ghetto, accepted that they are Americans, and fought to make this country great again. With those developments, the Online Right finally became relevant.

But those old anti-American tendencies die hard, especially among the anti-Trump elements within the Online Right. They still cater to deranged, anti-social types who project their failures in life onto the country they live in. They add North Korean and Iranian flags to their social media bios, thinking those are places where they’d finally gain acceptance and bring down unjust America. These tendencies mostly stay in the forgotten corners of the internet, but people sometimes adopt them in moments of foreign crises.

Hence, the surprising number of people who wave the Iranian flag online.

The New Left in the 1960s shared this tendency. The most remembered expression of it was actress Jane Fonda doing a friendly visit to North Vietnam during our war in Indochina. The anti-Americanism of the New Left helped undermine its cause. Most Americans had a low opinion of anti-war protests because they were seen as un-American and radical. The North Vietnam emblems and burnings of Old Glory were common sights amid the demonstrations. The anti-war protesters served as a useful foil to rally support for the war effort. The silent majority did not want to be on the side of the draft card burners sympathizing with the communists. It’s why a majority of Americans supported police beating up ‘68 DNC protesters and blamed the Kent State demonstrators for provoking the infamous campus shooting.

The best way to oppose foreign intervention is to present it in terms of American patriotism. You convince Americans to oppose these actions by telling them how it undermines the national interest, imposes negative costs on our citizens, and damages our national security. You don’t persuade them through declaring “Death to America” and crying over the ayatollah. Never cede American patriotism to your enemy. Liberals did that and now pay the price of the public viewing flag-waving as right-coded.

The internet allows people to embrace all kinds of fake identities that are disconnected from their real lives. But the avis and foreign flags don’t change the fact that we’re Americans. It’s still our country, even if the government does something stupid. It’s better to fight for it as patriots rather than to turn into Jane Fonda.

You can now preorder Scott Greer’s new book, “Whitepill: The Online Right and the Making of Trump’s America,” from this link.