On Twitter there’s been some, uh, discussion–well, no, forceful argument–about the inappropriate cleanliness of the term “alt-right.”
Charles Blow has declared he won’t use the term:
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I’m getting tired of writing “alt-right.” I’m going just write “racist white nationalists.” I’m old school. No need to rebrand racism.
Charles M. Blow
Someone suggested “alt-Reich,” and I like that. I knew “alt” was, in German, “old,” but just to confirm I looked it up in my German dictionary. And it’s even better than “old.” It also can mean “second-hand” and–best yet–“stale.”
And “Reich” has quite a few meanings, none of them propitious: Wealthy. Rich. Bigly. (I made that up, but “big” is definitely a meaning for “reich.”) And: Empire. Realm. Kingdom.
So from now on I will call the ugly force that pushed Trump into what we’re facing now the Alt-Reich.
Next, I can’t call Trump by the title of his next job, so I’ll call him NMP (Not My President).
Given what’s been going on, I have a feeling there will be more new terms. I’ll keep this up to date.