The Internet is filled with many odd folks and weird personalities that would not be seen IRL. Some people are into online gaming, some are into 4chan and the arcane world of Internet memes, some choose to hone the craft of trolling, and still others roam around stumping for Bernie write in votes. And many people have resorted to posting Youtube comments, notorious for their cheesiness and sheer stupidity. These groups of people are common throughout the Internet; many of us have found ourselves in one or more throughout our digital lives. But as always, some participate in more online shenanigans than others do. And this is where things get more extreme.

There have always been radicals and fringe groups in America: Communists, anarchists, white supremacists, militarists, militant environmentalists, etc. But with the rise of the Internet, these groups have seen new life breathed into them. With the Internet, members of these radical groups can connect online and share their beliefs and ideas, allowing them to stand stronger as a whole. Whole new communities have been formed and have grown prominent, albeit with a lot of controversy. Two groups in particular have formed: the social justice warriors (SJWs for short) and the alternative right (alt-right for short).

Social justice has always been an admirable cause, and many great people have been involved in various social justice movements. Movements such as the Gay Rights movement, the Women’s Liberation movement, and the Civil Rights movement have been fundamental in combating long-standing prejudices and improving the lives of marginalized groups in society. Indeed even today, social justice movements continue to fight for fair and equal treatment in American society; the Black Lives Matter movement is one such group, aiming to combat police violence against black people. But social justice warriors are people who have taken this to an extreme; they tend to be very fanatical and unreasonable. They are people who engage in discourse and activism, especially online, usually for their own selfish reasons and for their own gain and amusement. These people can be found roaming the Internet, responding with vicious comments to blog posts and videos they disagree with. They have a very strict, uncompromising stance on their beliefs and love to enforce political correctness. Their issues of choice usually involve feminist, racial, and LGBT causes.

They also tend to like getting into arguments with people who don’t share their beliefs, including other, more reasonable liberals. They are notorious for resorting to vicious personal attacks and vitriolic, ideological remarks. Essentially, it’s the equivalent of the Tea Party supporters bashing liberals on their perceived socialist and authoritarian beliefs except… on the other side.

SJWs became prominent in 2014 after the Gamergate scandal; they were a group of hardcore feminists who viciously attacked what they saw as chauvinism and sexism in the gaming industry. They proved to be unreasonable, vicious, and downright crazy; it led to Gamergate spinning out of control and hurting the reputation of the gaming industry itself, as well as hindering gender relations among male and female gamers. SJWs also tend to be very sensitive as well, calling for safe spaces and moral policing to prevent any offensive thing or comment from happening or being said. Their views on this can be very irrational; entire universities have suffered from flimsy accusations of racism and discrimination from SJWs. Some university administrators even had to resign for failing to initially appease the demands of the students. They also can attack people who they see as privileged, especially white males who are affluent. They also abuse privilege theory and use it to berate people who disagree with them, in an attempt to shut down their arguments.

The alt-right is also another radical force on the Internet. Unlike the SJWs, the alt-right has no overall creed or uniform set of beliefs, but they are dominated by nativists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and antifeminists. They also are united by overwhelming support for Donald Trump’s candidacy and view him as the savior of America and its white citizens. The alt-right is also against multicultural liberals and immigration, believing it as undermining American culture and values. The alt-right is prominent online, especially on 4chan and Reddit. There are also websites like Stormfront, which cater to the white nationalists and neo-Nazis among this group. The alt-right has existed for a couple of decades, but the Internet enabled groups of these extremists to come together and join forces. The alt-right relies on Internet memes and online arguments to sustain itself. Most of its members are young, white males who frequent these places to step up their trolling antics.

The alt-right shares a disdain for liberal democracy and views tribalism as the best solution; they want to bring segregation back, this time for good. They also believe in authoritarian government; some wouldn't even mind a monarchy that would enforce a stable society that stuck to its traditions. The alt-right also has a disdain for feminism; they believe it emasculates men and forces them to be subservient to women. Many view the recent trends in female empowerment and growing rights for women as wrong, preferring that they be returned to their old, subservient status. The alt-right is cold and calculating, and they have seen massive gains in supporters this year.

Both movements are still on the fringe, but have seen massive growth this year due to the crazy election cycle. Donald Trump has energized the alt-right and the SJW movement has grown prominent in the Democratic party; the party has become overly concerned with political correctness and identity politics. These developments are alarming; they represent a country that has become increasingly divided along racial and economic lines. The Internet has enabled radicals to find their own voice, and if left unchecked, these radicals could soon come to gain real power in America. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone.