I’ve written repeatedly about my respect for our younger generations: their creativity, their racial acceptance, their refusal to embrace the mental and physical boundaries of previous generations. Our only hope for a peaceful, bountiful future relies on the young adults who are now moving into positions of power.
But a recent (4/13/26) “New Yorker” article by Antonia Hitchens gave me pause. In a lengthy article, including both attributed and background interviews and quotations, she tries to describe a loosely defined online group of predominantly young men who identify themselves with an invented name: “Groypers.” She likens the task to explaining “the plot of a Surrealist movie.”
One focal point seems to be offending the old guard, both left and right, and they’ve been very successful at it, flooding the internet with memes and manifestos that are nakedly racist and antisemitic. They’re also partial to extreme statements and offensive language. For example, their most influential leader, podcast king Nick Fuentes, suggests that his followers display loyalty to him using an attitude of RKD — Rape, Kill or Die.
Hitchens suggests that “Groyperism is more political hobbyism than Republican politics” and quotes a young fan at a convention: “The feeling is like, the entire system is corrupt and we hate everyone,” before asking a friend “Does anybody know the end goal?” One of Hitchens’ primary sources, an early-30s Ph.D. employed in big tech, describes his political views (fully supportive of white supremacy, Hitler, and the Holocaust), as “both a joke and completely serious” since the world is so tragically screwed up.
It’s tempting to dismiss them as merely a fringe group playing out adolescent fantasies by shocking their parents’ generation. (Some “hippies” of the 1960s fit that description.) But they’re the logical extension of a trend that’s been growing ever since Ronald Reagan backed “trickle down” economics and demonized “welfare queens” in the mid-1970s.
According to Fuentes, the increased acceptance of Hitler and the Holocaust has occurred because it shows what could happen if “white people just didn’t give a f***.” This modern nihilism erases compassion, empathy, and all similarities and bonds between disparate social groups.
In my view, their answer to the 20th century Christian question, “Is God dead?” is obvious and emphatic, even if some followers clothe themselves in the robes of Christian fundamentalism. The same answer would apply to other gods and belief systems, too.
But the GOP and long-range architects of an authoritarian oligarchy use a “no enemies to the right” strategy, and gladly accepted Groypers’ support in the 2024 elections, and will again, no matter how extreme their rhetoric or beliefs. They’ve been useful in other ways as well.
Their efforts helped expand the Overton Window, a concept which describes the range of acceptable thought and discussion in a society. Supporting Hitler and white supremacy is no longer grounds for being “kicked out of public life.” They now enjoy an internet which is essentially “uncensored,” a torrent of content without guardrails to prevent inciting violence.
Groypers also have infiltrated today’s federal government. Estimates by conservative insiders in Washington suggest that from 40-75% of young government staffers in Washington appear to embrace, or at least tolerate, the Groyper mentality. One strategist suggests that people who previously became “run-of-the-mill” conservatives are now debating whether the Holocaust happened and if it was a good idea.
Trump has lost control of this young radical group, if he ever had it. He, J.D. Vance, and other MAGA figures are viewed as having served Zionist interests in Israel’s Middle Eastern war, and have never gone far enough in deporting immigrants. Others found that the tariffs and DOGE “were a joke.”
“My problem with Trump is not that he’s Hitler.” Fuentes has said. “My problem with Trump is that he is not Hitler.” Fuentes’ followers are currently determined to derail Trumpists as retribution for being “sold out” after their crucial support in Trump’s 2024 victory.
People often compare the ugly process of politics to making sausage, and celebrating the probable damage to Trump and the GOP by a group with the loathsome views of the Groypers is just another example. I can only hope that their anti-Trumpist campaign is successful and that their support for white supremacy and antisemitism will wither away without a politically dominant party to provide power and legitimacy.
But that’s certainly not their plan. According to some, Trump was always considered a “stepping stone,” someone who “opens the door for the rest of us.” It’s a door I hope remains permanently closed.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.