Good Optics Starts with YOU!

A common topic of discussion among our guys is the role of optics, as well as what are “good” optics versus “bad” optics.

Most of you are likely familiar with the different versions of White Nationalism. You had your 1.0 Skinhead types, heavily adorned with all sorts of WN/WS tattoos and wearing heavy combat boots. Then came the 2.0 types like Richard Spencer and to a lesser degree, many of the personalities that were associated with the Alt-Right during the run up to the Trump presidency: suits and ties, clean cut and clean shaven, often erudite, if not overly effete at times. And recently we have seen the rise of the 3.0 Will2Rise and Active Club types: mostly younger guys, working towards physical fitness, wearing athletic gear or other well-fitting casual clothing with a heavy emphasis on street activism.

Just as every tool has it’s proper use, different types of White Nationalism will work in different situations, and ultimately, it depends on the outcome desired as to whether the chosen tactic has been effective.

“Good” Versus “Bad” Optics

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Two recent examples would be groups like Patriot Front, mostly young fit men who all wear a uniform attire of tan pants and blue shirts, white gaiters, and tan hats – and solo operations like Crew 319 in Iowa, where one man is behind all the activism attributed to that outfit.

Let’s consider the former briefly going back to June of last year, where Patriot Front leadership decided they wanted to stage a counter protest of an “all ages” drag performance in the city park of Coeur d’Alene. This was a cause rapidly becoming mainstream, and this event presented another opportunity for Patriot Front to capitalize on the current zeitgeist and score an easy win for White Nationalism and our cause.

Unfortunately, it turned out quite differently than intended. And while we may still cheer on the nearly three dozen men who were arrested unjustly in violation of their supposed Constitutional rights that day – can we honestly say with the legal battles still ongoing and several of these men lacking legal representation due to a limited number of lawyers willing and able to work their cases – that it was a “win” for our cause?

Hindsight is 20/20 in such things, and while the events of that day could have been avoided entirely with better execution, or simply skipping the event all together, the simple fact is this: “Good Optics” didn’t prevent 31 men from being arrested that sunny June afternoon in Idaho.

Now, that isn’t to detract from some of Patriot Front’s more recent positive outreach and events, such as helping with the cleanup and repairs in Florida after a devastating hurricane last year or even recently showing up at the scene of the disastrous derailment in eastern Ohio to hand out water and offer aid. In my opinion, and an opinion shared by quite a few people I talk to about these matters, these sorts of actions go much farther to spread our message in a positive light than any number of marches, demonstrations, or speeches.

How does this compare to an organization like Crew 319, who’s sole member is not afraid to throw a Roman salute or two, place Swastikas on his promotional materials, drive around a rental truck with Swastikas emblazoned on the sides, tossing out baggies of corn containing smaller flyers in the pre-dawn hours of an upscale neighborhood, or in an event I helped with personally, hang a banner from the side of a major highway in Cedar Rapids calling out the jewish system and encouraging White men to wake up and fight back.

That latter event caught fire across our sphere once he received the police body cam footage and used it for promotional purposes. This combined with the atrocious response of the landwhale who confronted us that day served to spread awareness of his organization to the point where he had less than 100 subscribers to his Telegram channel before the event and currently has over 700.

I’m happy to report that neither of us were arrested that day – though I still wish the police had arrested the landwhale as she clearly assaulted one officer several times in the video.

What’s the Right Answer?

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The question as to whether one group or another has the “better” optics is irrelevant once you are arrested or doxed and your pictures are blasted across the internet for all to see.

While we can’t control being arrested if a cop has decided that they want to arrest us, we can control how we look to the world around us before, during, and after the incident. Likewise, while we can’t control when we get doxed, we can take steps to mitigate the impact beforehand, and control how we appear to our enemies and one another after it happens.

In short, do you want to be known as a joke to our enemies? Another example of a dysgenic troll incel who no girl would ever touch and who looks like the worst example of our people? I’ve seen those comments after guys are doxed, and it gets tiresome. Moreover, look at yourself in the mirror, would you follow someone who looked like you? If not – then you need to change that!

I don’t want to spend the rest of this piece bagging on our guys, especially the ones who I know are trying to improve themselves and their appearance. No, we don’t all need to be six foot four inch tall blonde-haired blue-eyed super Chads with 4% body fat. But there is likewise no excuse for a man under 30 (or even under 40) to be overweight and have an unhealthy diet – other than laziness or lack of desire to improve.

But more than this, what becomes increasingly important is the better you look, the more people will respect you – yes even our enemies. It will also help you promote our ideals to a wider audience because with a better self-image comes increased confidence and with that greater confidence comes the ability to more effectively persuade fence-sitters to our cause.

Be Your Own Example

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On that note, it’s not just the physical fitness that matters, but also how you dress and carry yourself. I’m not suggesting that when we do real life actions, we need to be in our Sunday best, rather, we need to avoid looking like caricatures of modern America. If you look like you just rolled out of bed or would easily fit in with the “People of Walmart” then perhaps you should sit this one out for the time being?

In the end, it doesn’t matter if you are rocking the PF look, wearing the latest gear from Will2Rise, dressed up in an expensive suit and tie, or throwing up Romans with a swastika tattoo on your chest if you look insecure and sloppy while you’re doing it.

Ultimately, the debate between “Good” versus “Bad” optics comes down to three main points:

1. Did you achieve the goal you set out to accomplish?
2. Did you persuade or otherwise mollify opponents and fence-sitters to your point of view?
3. Did you avoid getting doxed or arrested?

If you can confidently answer “yes” to all three points, then your optics are successful, regardless of which tactic you choose to take.

Winning the war for our people starts within, and good optics starts with you!