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Lately, theres been a lot of news coverage about the far-left liberals. Since Donald Trump took office, weve seen the highly liberal left orchestrate demonstration after demonstration.

But, theres another side to the spectrum just as extreme as those liberals: the far right, also known as the alt-right.

I hadnt heard much about the alt-right until last year when I met a man who subscribes to those alt-right ideologies. I knew white nationalists existed, but I had never imagined sitting down with one and having a political conversation.

I had heard alt-righters had extreme views, but a part of me didnt want to believe there were people out there who really believed this stuff.

He was a friend of a friend, and I decided to sit down with him to hear what he believed. I imagined myself as a high-profile interviewer getting the scoop of the year. I could see the headline: An inside look into the mind of an alt-righter.

He started out talking about immigration. He was so forceful with his words. They sounded like venom in my ears.

He said United States is a white country, and its supposed to be for white people. I stared at him blankly, wondering what his rationale could be for that.

I remember him trying to explain so matter-of-factly that white people dont have their own country, and this used to be a white-person country.

I responded with the truth that when I think of white people, I think of Europe. What about Europe?

He argued Europe has even more of minorities than we do here. He continued with the point that he wasnt saying there cant be any of minorities here, but we need to make sure its below a certain percentage, so we can keep them in the minority.

I think my jaw dropped at this point in the conversation. I just couldnt believe someone who believed this stuff was sitting two feet away from me, that he was sitting in my own house.

Just as I thought it couldnt get worse, it did. He started talking about how he is attracted to people who look like him. I suppose he meant people who are white.

So, I told him to date someone who looks like him, then. His response was that if everyone is mixing, there wont be any pure white people left.

This is where it got really weird for me. He said something like, What if my kids want to be with someone who looks like them? To which I responded, White people arent going anywhere. Dont worry.

He rebutted with the suggestion that down the line, his concerns might prove valid.

Now, this is where I just couldnt wrap my head around what he was saying. I couldnt take it anymore. I was trying to sit quietly and hear him out without judgment, but I just couldnt listen any longer.

I told him I found it extremely weird that he was worried about the sexual preferences of his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandkids.

He looked at me in complete disbelief. He couldnt believe that I didnt see his side or understand his point. He had grown agitated at my reaction, and it seemed to boil over at this point.

He exclaimed in frustration that I must want my own people to go extinct.

I couldnt hold back a laugh. I told him I was already mixed. The conversation ended there.

Now, this is not to say that all conservatives, or even all alt-righters, align with the ideology of this one guy I had the misfortune of wasting an evening with. However, this does show me that these fractured mentalities are still lurking in the minds of, at least some, Americans.

I learned a lot that night. I saw a part of the world that I never expected to see. I heard racist, sexist and xenophobic rhetoric that I had only ever pictured in my mind as coming from beneath a white hood.

There were no hoods, signs or symbols indicating his extreme beliefs. And that was the scariest part about it.

Read the original:
OPINION The Alt-Right: Hood not included - The Daily Toreador (registration)