How The Great Replacement Theory Went From Extremist Fringe To GOP Mainstream
Based on his online manifesto, the alleged killer whose shooting spree in an El Paso Walmart left 22 dead seems to have subscribed to a resurgent racist theory, elements of which have been picked up in recent years by and propagated in the conservative mainstream.
The Great Replacement theory, a favorite of white nationalist conspiracists, posits that elite leftists are plotting to repopulate majority white countries with foreigners, almost always of color.
The conspiracy theory appears to have seeped into the ether of the conservative movement. Some figures on the far-right openly subscribe to it, while others closer to the mainstream knowingly or unknowingly echo elements of the theory.
But it’s gained attention over the past year as various mass murderers — including the Pittsburgh synagogue and El Paso shooters — have referenced the idea in manifestos that seek to glamorize the motivations behind the massacres.
“I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion,” the El Paso shooter wrote.
The conspiracy theory has evolved from a fringe European idea into a concept that’s been customized for American politics, becoming a main talking point of the alt-right, while Fox News and, occasionally, the President have drawn on elements of it without necessarily fully adhering to the notion.
The American version of The Great Replacement theory draws heavily on fears of a supposedly darkening Europe, with American proponents arguing that economic decline and immigration constitute a slow-burning “white genocide.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckr...-went-from-extremist-fringe-to-gop-mainstream
