When Genetics Challenges a Racist’s Identity: Genetic … · 1 When Genetics Challenges a...
Transcript of When Genetics Challenges a Racist’s Identity: Genetic … · 1 When Genetics Challenges a...
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WhenGeneticsChallengesaRacist’sIdentity:GeneticAncestryTestingamongWhiteNationalistsAaronPanofskyandJoanDonovan,UCLAAbstractThispaperconsiderstheemergenceofnewformsofrace-makingusingaqualitativeanalysisofonlinediscussionsofindividuals’geneticancestrytest(GAT)resultsonthewhitenationalistwebsiteStormfront.Seekinggeneticconfirmationofpersonalidentities,whitenationalistsoftenconfrontinformationtheyconsiderevidenceofnon-whiteornon-Europeanancestry.Despitetheiressentialistviewsofrace,muchlessthanusingtheinformationtopoliceindividuals’membership,postersexpendconsiderableenergytorepairidentitiesbyrejectingorreinterpretingGATresults.Simultaneously,however,StormfrontpostersusetheparticularrelationshipsmadevisiblebyGATstore-imaginethecollectiveboundariesandconstitutionofwhitenationalism.Bricoleurswithgeneticknowledge,whitenationalistsusea“racialrealist”interpretiveframeworkthatdepartsfromcanonsofgeneticsciencebutcannotbedismissedsimplyasignorant.
Introduction
Geneticancestrytests(GATs)aremarketedasatoolforbetterself-knowledge.
Purportingtorevealaspectsofidentityandrelatednessoftenunavailableintraditional
genealogicalrecords,materialspromotingGATsadvertisethecapacitytorevealone’s
genetictiestoethnicgroups,ancientpopulationsandhistoricalmigrations,andeven
famoushistoricalfigures.Butthisopportunityto“knowthyself”cancomewithsignificant
risks.
CraigCobbhadgainedpublicnotorietyandcultstatusamongwhitesupremacists
forhiseffortstobuyuppropertyinLeith,ND,takeoverthelocalgovernment,andestablish
awhitesupremacistenclave.In2013,CobbwasinvitedonTheTrishaShow,adaytimetalk
show,todebatetheseefforts.AnotherguestontheshowyelledatCobb,“Youhavethe
bloodofnegroesinyourbodyrightnow!Youarenot100%white!”AndCobbaccepteda
challengetotakeaGAT.SeveralmonthslaterCobbreturnedtotheshowonlytobelaughed
offthestageasproducersrevealedhimtohave86%Europeanand14%Africanancestry.
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EvenasCobb’seffortstotakeoverLeithwerefailing,andhewasfacingterrorism
chargesforpointingagunattownspeople,hewasaimingtorecuperatehispublicwhite
identity.CobbhadhisDNAretested,gainedlayexpertisetodebatethescience,andwrotea
lengthyessayinMarch2015criticizingthemethodsofTheTrishaShow’sGAT,asserting
thesuperiorityofanAncestry.comtestwhichdeclaredhisancestrytobeoverwhelmingly
European.HedenouncedtheinitialcompanyDNASolutionsaspartofaJewishconspiracy
tospread“junkscience”whose“intentistodefame,confuseandderacinateyoungwhites
onamasslevel—especiallymales”(Cobb,2015).WhitenationalistresponsestoCobbwere
varied:Somemockedandtrolledhim,butothersacceptedhisexonerationandoffered
congratulations(Cobb,2015).
Cobb’sperhapsaccidentalengagementwithGATisnotanisolatedoccasion.
JournalistshavenotedthatwhitenationalistsandmembersoftheemergentAlt-Righthave
eagerlydiscussedGATandadvocatedtheiruseinonlineforums(Reeve2016,Zhang2016).
Reeve(2016)hasnotedaspiritofironicprovocationamongAlt-Rightusersasthey,for
example,challengeeachothertouseaGATtoprovetheyaren’tsecretmembersofthe
“JewishInternetDefenseForce”orseektoexplainEuropeancivilizationaslinkedtotraces
ofNeanderthalgeneswhichGATscanreveal.
TheCobbexampleputsonparademanyofthekeyissuesandmisconceptionsofthe
relationshipbetweenwhitenationalismandGATs.First,theinitialchallengedemonstrated
acommonassumptionthatGATandtruegeneticscienceaboutracewillputwhite
nationalistsintheirplace.Afterall,hasn’tgenetics(togetherwithanthropology,sociology,
andhistory)hasdemonstratedthebiologicalincoherenceofrace?Hasn’titdemonstrated
thatallhumanstracetheiroriginstoacommonAfricanancestor?Andhasn’tit
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demonstratedthat“pure”populationsdon’texist?Thisepisodealsoseemstodramatize
theuniquevulnerabilityofwhitenationaliststothistechnologygiventheirideological
commitmentstothepurityandsuperiorityofthewhiterace.Andatleasttheinitialpartof
thestorysuggeststhatwhitenationalistsareignorant,anti-science,andcanthusbe
ridiculedanddismissed.ButCobb’ssecondchapterbeginstotroublethisaccountashere-
engagesGATsandfindsdataandinterpretationsofthescience(andthetestingcompanies)
thatconfirmhisideasofwhiteness.Cobbthusdemonstrateshiswillingnesstotakegenetic
scienceseriouslyandtomakeitconfirmatleastsomeideasaboutwhitenationalist
identity.
ThepurposeofthispaperistoengagetheuseofGATsbywhitenationalistsmore
systematically.Weuseauniquedatasetfromthewhitenationalistonlinebulletinboard
Stormfrontcomprisedofdiscussionthreadswhereuserspostanddiscusstheresultsof
geneticancestrytests.Weasktwomainquestions1)Howdoracists/whitenationalists
understandGATandinterpretthemviz-a-viztheiridentity?2)Howarewhitenationalists’
ideasaffectedbyGAT?Or,moreprecisely,howdoGATsencouragethemtodebatethe
boundariesandconstitutionoftheirgroupandpracticesofmembers?
ThenextsectionmotivatesthesequestionsbyidentifyingGATuseamongwhite
nationalistsasacrucialsiteforrace-makingagency,whichwecalltheontological
choreographyofrace.ThenweexplainhowGATswork,reviewrecentworkaboutthem
viz.identities,anddescribeourdata.Theempiricalpartofourpaperisorganizedbya
“decisiontree”thatillustratestherangeofwhitenationalists’responsesto“good”and“bad
news”postsaboutGATrevelations.Thebulkofthepaperdescribeswhitenationalists’
repairstrategiesforbadnews,butalsohowsomeseektoreimaginewhitenationalismin
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termsrelationshipsGATmakevisible.Weconcludebyconsideringtheconnectionof
technologywithracialcognitionandimplicationsforthepoliticsandethicsofpopulation
science.
BackgroundSignificanceofthestudy
Geneticancestrytestsarealocusofwhatwemightcall,followingThompson
(2005),theontologicalchoreographyofrace.ForThompson,theassistedreproductive
technologyclinicwasasitewhereformerlyseparatemattersoflaw,property,rights,
sexuality,finance,kinship,emotion,andtechnologybecameentangledandtransformed
intoanewontologicalchoreographyofparenthood.Thoughcertainlylessconcentrated
andimbricatedthantheARTclinic,mattersofgenetics,technology,marketing,population,
identity,socialparticipation,andpoliticalmovementarebeingputintonewrelationships
withGAT.
OnepartofthisnewchoreographyconcernswhatDuster(2006)calledthe
“molecularreinscriptionofrace.”Scholarshaveshownthatacombinationofnew
technologiesandpoliticalideologiesofmulticulturalinclusion(ratherthananearlier
generation’swhitesupremacy)haveledtothestabilizationofraceandethnicityas
molecularandgenetic(asopposedtoconstructedandhistorical)concepts,promoted
effortstomapdiversityamonggroups,andfacilitatedgeneticcomparisonsofhealthand
othertraits(Benjamin2013,Epstein2007,FujimuraandRajagopalan2011,Fullwiley
2008,PanofskyandBliss2017).
Whathappensbeyondthecontextoflabsandbiomedicalinstitutionswhen
molecularlyreinscribedracegetsintothepublic?Onelineofresearchemphasizesthe
hardeningracialessentialismandsupremacistpolitics.Researchershaveshownthatpublic
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opinionisshiftingtowardincreasinglygeneticessentialistviewsofrace,genetic
explanationsforracialdifferences,andlessenedsupportforameliorativesocialpolicy
(Phelan,LinkandFeldman2013,Shostaketal.2009).ExperiencewithGATseemsto
exacerbatetheseviews(Phelanetal.2014).TallBear(2013)hasemphasizedhowGATthat
purporttorepresentindividuals’NativeAmericanancestryenableattacksontribal
sovereigntyovermembershipandthesensethatnon-Nativesandscientistshavearightto
NativeAmericans’DNAandtheirhistory.
Asecondlineofresearcharguesthatcontemporarygeneticshascreatedastateof
ambiguityaroundthestatusofrace.Rose(2007)arguesthatunlikeearliererastoday’s
geneticsciencehaseschewedassumptionsaboutracialpurityandhierarchyinexchange
fordeepexplorationsofhumandiversity,andasaresultithashelpedreplaceeugenicor
quasi-eugenicwhitesupremaciststatepolicieswithaneoliberalpoliticsofdiversity.And
Hochschieldetal.(2012)havearguedthatpopulationgeneticsandthewideavailabilityof
GAThavehelpeddestabilizetheoldU.S.racialorder.Ontheonehandithasunmoored
bothanchorsofracialpoliticaldebate—thatraceisapuresocialconstructionandthat
racesaregeneticallydistinct.Ontheotherhand,ithasmaderacialclassificationsand
individualassignmentsdifficultthusdestabilizingmedical,criminological,andother
institutionaldriversofracialpoliticalstability.
Thoughthesetwolinesofresearchreachseeminglyopposedconclusions,theyare
unifiedbytheideathatpopulationgenetics(andGAT)willinfluenceracialpoliticseither
byhardeningpreexistingprejudicesanddivisionsorbydisruptingthoseprejudicesby
underminingthecategoriesuponwhichthey’rebuilt.ButThompson(2005)showedhow
thecruxofontologicalchoreographywasthecreationofnewformsofagencyirreducibleto
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existingsocialandpoliticalforms.Nelson’s(2016)workgoesfurthestinaddressingthe
ontologicalchoreographyofracebyshowinghowGATandnewformsofblackpolitical
agencyhavebeencoproduced.Indeed,theGATtechnologywasfirstinventedinaneffortto
establishtheAfricanancestryofbodiesuncoveredinanunknownpotters’fieldinNew
YorkCityduringconstructionin1991.GATwouldbeinstrumentalinestablishingthissite
astheAfricanBurialGroundNationalMonumentin2006.Nelsonalsotrackshowblack
peoplehavetriedtouseGATtoreconstructfamilyhistoriesseveredbyslavery,tobuild
politicalandeconomicaffiliationstoAfricancountries,andtoseekslaveryreparations,
unsuccessfullytodate.
ThecurrentarticleengagesGATintheontologicalchoreographyofracefroma
differentdirection.Insteadoffocusing,ashaspreviouswork,ontheimplicationsofGATfor
peopleofcolorwefocusontheimplicationsfortheirantagonistsinthewhitenationalist
movement.Whitenationalists’usesofGATarethecameraobscuratoNelson’scase,where
whitesupremacistsseekanobjectivevisionofrace,whilealsodoubtingtheprocessand
methodsofscience.Itisanexampleofbad“biosociality”(Rabinow1996)thatisanother
crucialsitewheretheontologicalchoreographyofraceisbeingdanced.Aswewillshow,
manywhitenationalistsimagineGATasatooltoestablishwhitebonafides,findoutthatit
canproduceseriousindividualandcollectiveidentityproblems,andhavebegunto
rearticulatewhitenationalisminitsterms.
Itisimportant,asscholarsofwhitenessremindus,nottoreproducethe
“invisibility”ofwhitenessinourscholarshipbyignoringit(ZuberiandBonilla-Silva2008).
Andwhitenationalismisakeysitewherewhitenessbecomesespeciallyvisibleandwhere
peoplearecommittedtoarticulatingit,burnishingit,andconfrontingitsproblems.
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Furthermore,whitenationalismhasbecomeincreasinglyimportantatthispolitical
moment.Neverasmarginalaschampionsofliberal,tolerantsocietywouldliketoimagine,
whitenationalismhasplayedanincreasinglyprominentroleinAmericanpoliticaland
sociallifewiththevocalassociationthey’vehadwithDonaldTrump’spresidencyandthe
contributiontheyaresaidtohavemadetohiselection.Whitenationalismisthus
theoreticallyimportantinunderstandingGATintheontologicalchoreographyofraceand
thisismultipliedbyitsgrowingdemographicandpoliticalimportanceaswell.
GATfunctionsandshortcomingsItisworthturningforamomenttohowGATworkandwhatsomeofthecritical
commentaryhasbeen.Therearetwobasictechnologiesinplay.Thefirst,usingautosomal
DNA,comparesvariationacrossanindividual’sgenometovariationwithinasetofpre-
definedreferencepopulations.Throughastatisticalprocesspartsoftheindividual’s
genomeareinferredtoderivefromthepopulationstowhichtheyaremostsimilar.The
companytheninformstheindividualthatherorhisancestryisX%population1,Y%
population2,Z%population3,etc.Thepopulationsaredeterminedbythecompany’s
referencesamplesandmightbedefinedracially/continentally,ethnically,intermsof
modernnationstates,etc.
ThesecondtechnologyusesMitochondrialDNA(MtDNA)whichispasseddirectly
frommotherstochildren,andY-ChromosomeDNAwhichispasseddirectlyfromfathersto
sons.DNAcollectsmutationsataslow,clocklikerate,butbecauseYandMtDNAdon’t
recombinewheninherited,thesemutationscanbeunderstoodasbranchingpointsintrees
ofhumanancestry.Byassessingthedistributionofsetsofthesemutations(called
haplotypes)incurrenthumanpopulations,geneticanthropologistshavebeenabletotrace
historicalrelationshipsandmigrationpatternsamongthem,andalsotoshowtheultimate
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commonancestrywithinthelast100-200thousandyearsofallmodernhumansto
individualsineastAfrica.InGATs,companiescanidentifythehaplogroupinawoman’s
MtDNAtoidentifyhermaternallineageorinaman’sYorMtDNAtoidentifyhispaternal
andmaternallineages.Anindividual’slineagescanthenbedescribedintermsofcurrent
populationsthatsharethem,andinferencescanbemadeaboutthehistoricaloriginsof
anyone’smaternallineoraman’spaternalline.
ObserversofGATshaveofferedseverallinesofcritique(Bolnicketal.2007,Leeet
al.2009).TheGATssolddirectlytoconsumerstakeastheirstartingpointgeneticassays,
priorfindings,datasets,andstatisticalstrategiescommontohumanpopulationgenetics
andgeneticanthropology.Butthedozensofprivatecompaniesthatmarketthesetests
eachusetheirownpanelsofDNAmarkers,referencegroups,databases,statistical
algorithms,andinformationcommunicationstrategies,mostofwhichareregardedas
tradesecrets(Royaletal.2010).Thustheytradeontheauthorityofsciencebutdonot
adheretoscientificstandardsofopennessandaccountability,norarethereindustry
standards(Leeetal.2009).Therehasbeenanecdotalevidence,atleast,thatanindividual
mayobtaindifferentresultsfromdifferentcompaniesandthatcompaniesmaytunetheir
resultstoemphasizewhattheybelievecustomerswanttohear(Duster2011).
GATsembodyaparticularunderstandingofkinshipthatmakessomekindsof
relationshipsandhistoriesvisibleandothersobscure(Gannett2014,Nash2015,TallBear
2013).Forexample,thematernalandpaternallineages(madevisiblewithMtDNAandY-
chromosomehaplogroups)arebuttwoofthethousandsoflineagescomprisingone’s
background,andindividualswiththesamehaplogroupscanwidelyvaryintherestoftheir
ancestry(Emeryetal.2015).Also,GATsassumethatpresentdaypopulationscanbeused
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toinferancientpatternsandrelationships.Theyoftenportraypopulationsmorecoherent
anddistinctivefromothersthanhistoryandevengeneticdatamightwarrant.Andthereis
noobjectivewaytodefineapopulationortodecidewhichindividualsshouldbepickedto
betheirgeneticrepresentatives(Bolnicketal.2007,Royaletal.2010).Thushow
individualsshouldinterpretGATsandwhatcanlegitimatelybeinferredfromthemisfar
fromclear(andmightvaryfromtesttotest),butresearchsuggeststhatinpracticeGATs
areinterpretedtoessentializeidentityandracebiologically(NordgrenandJuengst2009,
Phelanetal.2014,WagnerandWeiss2011).
GATandidentitiesThesefindingsmightsuggestthatGATwouldhaveanoverwhelminginfluenceon
individuals’identities,butresearchindicatestheimpactsarelimited.Nelson’s(2008)study
ofAfricanAmericans’queststofillingapsinpersonalgenealogyarecharacterizedby
“affiliativeself-fashioning.”Thatis,GATresultstendnottoundermineprioridentities,but
tendtobeincorporatedorrejecteddependingonhowtheyfitintopriorself-conceptions
oraspirationsforidentity.RothandIvemark(2017),inastudyinvolvingbeforeandafter
interviewsofaraciallydiversesetofGATusers,foundthatonlywhiteuserswhohadapre-
existingdesiretoburnishtheiridentitywithsomeracialorethnictieswerelikelyto
changeself-conceptionafterthetest.OtherresearchfoundthatasampleofLatinasand
AfricanAmericanwomentobelargelyunmovedbygeneticancestryinformationcollected
aspartofabroadergenetichealthstudyconsideringtheirancestrytobe“allmixedup
anyway”(XXX).
Butpossibleriskstopersonalidentityshouldnotbelimitedtothedisclosureof
personalinformation.TallBear(2013)highlightshowtheideathatGATmightbe
dispositiveofNativeAmericanancestryhasbeenusedtochallengethesovereigntyof
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tribestosettheirownmembershiprules.AndDavis(2004)arguesthatthecontroversy
surroundingtheuseofgeneticteststodeterminewhetherThomasJeffersonhadfathered
childrenwithhisslaveSallyHemmingswasanimatedbythefactthatitriskedthe
narrativesandstatusofa“foundingfather”ofthenationandthus,inprinciple,all
Americans’identities.
GATandwhiteidentityResearchonGATandidentityhaslargelyfocusedonnon-whites,butwhataboutthe
implicationsforwhiteidentity?Scholarsofwhitenesshaveemphasizeditscontradictory
andcomplexcharacter—whitenessisin“crisis”evenasitmaintainspoliticalandcultural
hegemony(Hughey2012,Winant1997).Ontheonehandwhitenessisconceivedas
neutral,empty,theabsenceofrace.Alongtheselines,buildingonWaters(1990),Rothand
Ivemark(2017)explainthatGATmayofferwhitepeopleadditionalethnicoptionsintheir
questtocultivatecostless,“colorblind”formsofidentity.Forwhitesviewingethnicidentity
ascostlessandoptional(Waters1990),andunderstandingwhitenessasakindofidentity
deficit(Hughey2012),GATmayoffernewkindsofidentityoptions(seealsoWaters,
2014).
Butontheotherhand,asHarris(1993)hasargued,whitenesshasbeeninscribedin
Americancultureandinstitutionsasaformofproperty.Predicatedonracialpurityand
alwaysatriskofbeing“devalued,”whitenessisanimatedbyprocessesofexclusion.And
thisactiveandvaluablebutendangeredformofwhitenessiswhatwhitenationalists
activelypromoteanddefend(Willoughby-Herard,2015).
GATmaythuspresentasetofdilemmasforwhitenationalists.Ontheonehand,
GATmaybeavaluabletoolforthemtomakeracevisible,clearlydiscloseitsheritableand
biologicalcomponents,anddrawboundariesaroundwhiteness.CommononStormfront,
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thewhitenationalistonlinemessageboarduponwhichwefocus,arediscussionsofwho
countsaswhiteandwhatkindsofpeoplearepermissiblesexualpartners;maybeGAT
couldresolvesomeofthesequestions.Whitenationalismisalsocloselyassociatedwith
anti-Semitism,andthusGATs,whichoftencalloutJewishethnicities(e.g.,Ashkenazi),may
allowthemtoidentifyhiddenJewishor(other)non-Whiteidentity.1
Ontheotherhand,GATsareusedbymanywhitesinthehopesoffindinghidden
non-whiteancestrytoburnishtheiridentities(RothandIvemark2017),whichis
antitheticaltowhitenationalists’notionsofwhitepride.However,whitesseekingout
racializedidentitiesrevealhowGATsreproducedifferentcolonizinglogics,wherethe
powertoselectivelyself-identifythroughgenotypeisnotasstigmatizedasphenotypical
markersofrace.Morecrucially,GATsaredesignedtorevealhumanvariationandgenetic
heterogeneity(Royaletal.2010),andMtDNAwasthedecisiveevidenceinestablishingthat
allhumanracessharecommonancestry(Cann,StonekingandWilson1987).GATmaythus
blurboundariesofwhitenessandunsettleindividuals’claimstomembership.
Furthermore,GAT,whichmaybeusedtoidentifydistinctionswithinraces—e.g.,peoples
withinEurope,mayenergizeasimmeringdebatewithinwhitenationalismbetweenthose
whoemphasizecommonwhitenessandthosefocusedonthehierarchyofnationswithin
Europe(SimpsonandDruxes2015).
Theseliteraturesprovideuswithsomegeneralquestionsasweanalyzehowwhite
nationalistsuseGAT.AretherespecialwaysthatdifferentgroupsengageGAT?Dowhite
nationalistsengageGATinwaysanalogoustonon-whites?Forexample,dotheyexhibitthe
affiliativeself-fashioningthatNelson(2008)describesascharacteristicofAfrican
1OnJews’lateandproblematicadmissionintowhiteness,seeBrodkin(1998).
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Americanresponses?Furthermore,ifwhitenessisinastateofpermanentcrisis,andif
whitenationalismispredicatedonanessentialistunderstandingofraceandracial
difference,doesGATexacerbatethesenseofcrisisorhelpresolveit?IfmanyNative
AmericansexperienceGATasanassaultontheiridentityandmembershipsovereignty,do
whitenationalistsexperiencesomethingsimilar?
DataandMethodsTostudytheinterpretationofGATsbywhitenationalists,weexaminedpostsfrom
Stormfront.org,aprominentonlinediscussionforumforwhitesonly(Daniels2009).We
choseStormfrontasourobjectofanalysisbecauseofitslonghistoryasapubliclyavailable
resourceforwhitenationalistsanditsovertmessagingasawhitepowermovement.Aswe
willshow,Stormfrontisnotonlyafreespacefordiscussionofwhitenationalism,butalso
advocatesforwhiteidentitypoliticsasaframeformobilizingwhattheycall“thewhite
minority.”Inthissection,weprovideahistoryofStormfrontasasocialmovementonline
communityandhighlighttheroleStormfrontplaysinframingwhiteidentitypolitics.We
concludebydescribingoursamplingstrategyandpresentthedescriptiveanalyticsofour
dataset.
StormfrontasaSocialMovementOnlineCommunityOnMarch27,1995,DonBlack,aformerGrandWizardoftheKuKluxKlan,launched
Stormfront(Abel,1998).Blackwaseducatedincomputerprogramingwhileinprisonfor
attemptinganarmedinvasionofDominicain1981.Uponleavingprison,heworkedasa
webdesigner,specializingindatabasesanddiscussionboardsforclientsaroundthe
country.Blacksawpotentialinemergingtechnologiessuchasblackboardsystemsand
websitediscussionboardsforreinvigoratinginterestinthewhitenationalistmovement.In
hisestimation,Stormfrontwouldprovidewhitesaplaceforfreeandopendiscussionsof
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race,politics,andculture.BecauseStormfrontwasoneofthefirstwebsitesdedicatedto
racialhateanddiscrimination,themessageboardservesasanarchivalandhistorical
resourceofwhitenationalistthoughtanddiscussion,withnearlyonemillionarchived
threadsandovertwelvemillionpostsby325,000ormoremembers.2
WhatmadeStormfrontdifferentfromotherwhitesupremacists’siteswasits
adoptionofweb2.0technology,whichallowedformemberparticipationonforumsand
blogs.In2002,Blackaddedanewfeatureonthesite,whereheandhismentorDavidDuke,
aformerKKKleaderandcongressman,co-hostedaweeklywebradioshow(Daniels,2009:
104).TheinclusionofthesefeaturesledtodebatesastowhetherStormfrontshouldbe
consideredamovementuntoitselforanonlinecommunityamongotherwhitenationalist
groups(HaraandEstrada2003;Daniels2009;Carenetal.2012).HaraandEstrada(2003)
comparethefeaturesofStormfronttoMoveOn.org,aleftistpoliticalorganizationwho
focusesonpoliticalcampaignsthroughdonationdrivesandonlinepetitions.Theyargue
thatStormfrontisanineffectualpoliticalorganizationwithinthewhitenationalist
movementbecausetheydonotactivelyengageinpoliticalcampaigns.Daniels(2009:49;
106)statesthatStormfrontshouldbedefinedasa“virtualcommunity”ratherthanasocial
movementbecauseitisunitedbyaparticularracializedworldview,wheretherearefew
opportunitiesforcoordinationofofflineactivities.
ThecommunityofStormfrontismaintainedthroughthetechnologicalfeaturesof
thewebsiteitself,wherethereisaconsistentmoderationofposts,restrictionofspamming
andtrolling,andtopicalforumsensureorderforlengthydiscussions.Carenetal.(2012)
2StatisticsweregatheredfromtheStormfrontwebpage’sself-reportinganddoesnotincludeinformationonlurkers(i.e.thosethatvisitbutdonotsignintoanaccount):https://www.stormfront.org/forum/(accessed,May30,2017).
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describeStormfrontasa“socialmovementonlinecommunity,”wherecollectiveidentityis
emphasizedovercollectiveaction.Carenetal.(2012)assertthatSMOCsareunliketypical
socialmovementcommunitiesbecausetheyaregeographicallydispersed,canscale
membershiprapidlyasneeded,andallowforanonymity.Additionally,Burisetal.(2000:
232)writewithreferencetoskinheads,“theInternetholdsaspecialattractionforthosein
searchofa"virtual"communitytocompensateforthelackofacriticalmassintheirown
townorcountry.”
InassessingthesizeofStormfront,Carenetal.(2012)estimatedthatin2010there
werebetweenfourandfivemillionpageviewspermonth.WiththefocusontheAmerican
presidentialelectionfromOctoberthroughDecember2016,Stormfrontloggedover17
millionpageviews.Thisincreaseinconsumptionovertheelectioncycleindicatesnotonly
agrowingcuriosityaboutwhitenationalism,butalsomoreinterestoverallindiscussions
aboutwhiteidentityanditspoliticalramifications.SinceDaniels(2009)andCarenetal.’s
(2012)publications,muchhaschangedaboutonlinecoordinationofsocialmovements,
wherethestrategicleveragingofsocialmediacoupledwithbackchannelcommunication
allowsmovementstoreachnewaudiencesforrecruitmentandmobilization(Donovan
2016).Therefore,wedefineStormfrontassocialmovementonlinecommunitylinkedwith
amuchbroaderwhitenationalistsocialmovement,whereStormfrontservesasanintegral
forumfordiscussionsofwhitenationalismandmeaning-makingaboutwhiteidentity.We
nowturntodescribinghowStormfrontframeswhiteidentitypolitics.
WhiteIdentityonStormfrontWhileStormfronthasnotoverhauleditstechnicalinterfacegreatly,ithaschanged
thedescription,shiftingfromamilitantpoliticalpositiontoonewheretheyemphasizethe
needforthe“whiteminority”togetorganized.Throughouttheendofthe1990s,
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Stormfront’sdescriptionread:"Stormfrontisaresourceforthosecourageousmenand
womenfightingtopreservetheirWhiteWesternculture,ideals,andfreedomofspeechand
association--aforumforplanningstrategiesandformingpoliticalandsocialgroupsto
ensurevictory."GuidedbyDonBlack’smilitantvision,Stormfrontwasintendedtobean
organizingspaceforawhitenationalistsocialmovement,withtendenciestowardswhite
supremacy.OvertimeStormfrontrevisedthiscombativeintroductionandnowdescribes
themselvessimilartootheridentity-basedmovements,theywrite,“Weareacommunityof
racialrealistsandidealists.WeareWhiteNationalistswhosupporttruediversityanda
homelandforallpeoples.Thousandsoforganizationspromotetheinterests,valuesand
heritageofnon-Whiteminorities.Wepromoteours.Wearethevoiceofthenew,embattled
Whiteminority!”
Thisshiftinlanguagerevealshowleftistmovementsthatcreatedpoliticaland
culturalchangesthroughmobilizingacollectiveidentity(suchasfeminist,LGBTQ,and
Blackpowermovements)havegreatlyinfluencedthewaysinwhichtheUSwhite
nationalistmovementconceptualizeswhiteidentity.Moreover,byadoptinganidentity-
basedapproach,whitenationalistsdifferentiatethemselvesfromwhitesupremacists,who
seektoadvanceanextremistplanforworldwidedomination.Inthisway,whiteidentity
movementsrelyona“racialrealist”perspective,whichclaimsraceisbiologically
determined(ratherthansociallyconstructed),astateofaffairsthatjustifiestheseparation
ofracesandnationsasamatterofheritage,andbiologicalandculturalpreservation.
Becausewhitenationalistsareconcernedwithissuesofrace,biology,andnationhood,
examiningStormfrontmembers’discussionsofGATexplainshowwhitenationalistsuse
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thesetestsasmarkersofwhiteidentity,especiallythoseinsearchofEuropean,non-Jewish,
roots.
AsaresultofitsWeb2.0interface,itslongevityonline,andrespectedstatuswithin
thewhitenationalistmovement,Stormfrontisanexemplaryplacetostudytohowwhite
nationalistsuseGATtestsintheformationofwhiteidentitypolitics.Whiletherearenow
manyplaceswhereindividualscandiscussGATtestsonline,suchasmessageboardslike
RedditorinFacebookgroups,ourstudyspecificallyaddresseshowwhitenationalistsare
usinggeneticstothinkaboutracialcategoriesandhowwhitenationalistsmakeclaims
aboutwhiteidentitiesusingscientificevidence.Therefore,Stormfrontisunlikeother
websitesorsocialmediabecausethereisnoambiguityinitspresentationormessagingas
awhitenationalistonlinecommunityinvestedinwhiteidentitypoliticsaboveallelse.
OverviewofDataAnalysisMuchofthediscussiononStormfrontrelatedtogeneticstakesplaceinthe“Science
andTechnology”forum.Carenetal.(2012)foundthatfewforumsholdontonewmembers
forlongperiodsoftime,but27%ofuserswhofirstpostinScienceandTechnologywere
stillpostingoverayearlater.Forourstudy,wecompiledadatabaseofseventythreads,
whichwerechosenbasedonthethreadcontainingatleastoneinstanceofamember
postingtheirGATresults.Withintheseseventythreads,weexamined3,070poststhat
includedbothGATresultsandtheensuingdiscussions(SeeAppendix).Amongthe70
threads,in639postsusersdescribedtheirgenealogy,where153postswereresultsfrom
identifiabledirect-to-consumertestingcompanies.OfthesepostswhereGATconsumers
revealedtheirresultsandtheirpersonalreactions,wecodedthemaccordingtothetypeof
testandreactionbytheconsumer.
[Table1abouthere]
17
[Table2abouthere]
Theremaining2,341postsinoursampleweremadeinthediscussionsthat
emergedwithinthreads.Responsestotestresultsrangedfromshameandexclusionto
sympathyandunderstanding.Moreover,responsestosurprisingresultsprompted
discussionsofscientificlegitimacy,multiculturalconspiracies,andracialpurity.Fromthese
responses,wecreatedaflowchartordecisiontree(SeeFigure1)thatmapstherangeof
rationalizationsusedbywhitenationaliststointerpretGATresults.Belowistherangeof
communitymemberreactionstoanothermemberrevealingtheirGATtestresultsandthe
numberofcodeapplications.Somepostsinvolvedmultiplereactions,sothereisadegree
ofoverlapbetweenthesecategories.Wepresentthisinformationhereasageneral
overviewoftherangeofmembers’reactionsandtohighlightthepreponderanceof
responseswheremembersengagedthecommunityusingeducationalandscientific
explanations.
[Table3abouthere]
Becauseourstudyassesseshowwhitenationalistsusethetheories,methodsand
toolsofsciencetosupporttheirracistbeliefs,weexaminedcloselymembersattemptsto
educateeachother.Amongthe1,260poststhatwerecodedwith“providesaneducational
orascientificexplanation,”wedevelopedaseriesofsub-codestodrawoutwhatkindsof
knowledgeandexplanationscommunitymemberswererelyingontounderstandscience
andgenetics.Ofthese1,260posts,manyinvolveanattempttoeducatethecommunity
aboutgenetics,explainwhatitmeanstobewhite,andrecommendspecifictextsforfurther
education.
18
[Table4abouthere]
WhatisperhapsmostnoteworthyamongthecodesreportedinTables3and4,is
thatdespitetheracialessentialiststartingpointofmostStormfrontposters,responses
aimingatshamingordiscreditingindividualsas“notwhite”upontherevelationof“bad
news”aresurprisinglyinfrequentrelativetothewiderangeofothertypesofresponses.It
istowardthiswidevariationthatwenowturn.
Findings
HereweanalyzedifferentwaysthatStormfrontusersposttheirGATresults,react
tothepostsofothers,andalsogenerallydebatethemeaningofGAT.Weinductively
generatedaclassificationschemeofthedifferentresponses,whichwehaveportrayedasa
“decisiontree”(Figure1).
[Figure1abouthere]Intheanalysisbelow,wewillprogressthroughthedifferentpossibleresponses
whicharerepresentedbythedifferentsquaresonthefigure.Westartbyconsideringthe
GATresultsthatpostersconsider“goodnews”regardingtheiridentities(redsquares).
Thenweturntothemoreinterestingcaseswherepostersrevealresultsthattheyconsider
“badnews”inthatsomeproportionofnon-whiteorquestionableancestryisrevealed
(yellowsquaresandsubsequentbranches).FirstweconsidercaseswhereStormfront
respondersworktorepairtheposter’s“spoiledidentity”(Goffman1963),eitherby
rejectingGATasabasisofknowledgeaboutidentity(purplesquares)orengagingina
scientificreinterpretationoftheresultstominimizethedamagingresults(greensquares).
ThesecasesallinvolvewaysofdiscreditingorminimizingtheimpactofGAT,butweturn
nexttoexampleswhereStormfrontmembersengagethese“badnews”postsbyaccepting
19
GATresults(graysquares).Onesetoftheseincludesboundaryworktoexpelposterswith
spoiledidentities,butthesecondsetcontainsexamplesofwaysthatStormfrontposters
areusingGATtorethinktheboundariesofwhitenessandtheprojectofwhitenationalism.
“Goodnews”fromGATOfthe153postswherespecificGATresultswererevealed,53ofthemwere
StormfrontmemberspostingsomekindofgoodnewsabouttheirGATs—thatisresults
thattheyinterpretedasconfirmingorenhancingtheirwhiteidentitybonafides.Manyof
thesewereseenasstrictlyconfirmatory:
Iused23andme.Itcameup100%European.MostlyIrishandBritishwithsomeScandinavian.PrettymuchwhatIexpectedbutitwasgoodtogetitconfirmed.(AltRightyThen,09-28-2016)
IdidmyY-67andAutosomalteststhroughFamilyTreeDNA.AllitdidwasconfirmmyancestorswerewesternEuropean;primarilyEngland,WalesandScotland.IalreadyhadapaperworktrailbeforetheDNAtestssothetestwasaccurateforme.(jbgramps07-10-2016)
Thesepostersarepleasedbutnotsurprisedbyresultsthatconfirmwhattheyalready
believedtobetrueabouttheirancestralorigins.
Butforotherposters,thegoodnewswentfurtherastheyidentifiedunknown
componentsoftheirancestrythatconfirmedtheirwhiteidentitiesinnewways.For
example,oneposterwasthrilledwiththe“prettydamnpureblood:D”(Sloth07-11-2010)
thattestingrevealed.Slothwassurprisedthat“eventhoughimborninFinlandIdonthave
muchrootsinhere.Thebiggest%wasfromIceland,thenIreland,thenScotland,Then
Norway,SwedenandFI[nland]lastbutnotleast.”Intriguedbythe“Celtic”result,Sloth
mused“HowcanIhavesomeCelticrootsifIhaveBLONDEhair,notred.”Butthisresultwas
consideredinteresting,notdiscrediting,andSlothplannedtogetaThor’shammertattoo
andvisitIcelandduetothisnewknowledge.
20
Thegoodnewscanalsoallayfearsaboutone’sidentity.Forexample,Shatzie(08-
23-2013)hadpursuedtestingoutofaconcernthat“theirmightbeamericanindianorjew
inthemixbecauseItanreallyeasily”butwasrelievedbytheresults:
67%Britishisles18%Balkan15%Scandinavian…100%white!HURRAY!Goodnewspostsgenerallyfailtodrawresponses,perhapsbecausetheyrarelypose
aquestion.Occasionallygoodnewsmightdrawcongratulationsfromaposter’svirtual
friendsandsometimesascoffingresponsefromsomeonecriticalofthedecisiontosend
one’sDNAtocompaniesthatsomeStormfrontpostersbelievearepartsofaJewish
conspiracy,apointwereturntoinamoment.Overall,GATsseemtobeworthlittle
discussionsolongastheydelivergoodnews.Butbadnewspostsareanotherstory.
Rejecting“badnews”fromGATAsubstantial,perhapssurprising,numberofpostsrelatesomekindofbadnews
revealedbyGAT.Itisperhapssomewhatsurprisingthatposterswouldrevealbadnews—
evenwiththequasi-anonymityoftheonlinehandle,butsuchrevealsoftensolicitadvice
abouthowtointerpretorcopewiththeinformation.Suchpostsoftenelicitlongseriesof
responsessomeofwhicharesupportiveandothersofwhichcanbedismissiveorcruel—
aboutthesemorebelow.WehaveidentifiedtwobasicwaysthatStormfrontpostersseekto
containidentity-damagingGATresults.
RejectingGATThefirstoftheseistorejectGATasabasisofknowledgeaboutanindividual’s
ancestryorracialidentity.Oneversionofthisrejectionistochampiontraditional
genealogicalmethodsinstead.Forexample,inresponsetoaresultthatcontradictedthe
poster’sfamilyhistory,onepostingwas:
21
Myadviceistotrustyourownfamilytreegenealogyresearchandwhatyourgrandparentshavetoldyou,beforetrustingaDNAtest.Thesecompaniesarequiteliberalaboutensuringeverywhitepersongetsalittlesprinklingofnon-whiteDNA(weknowwhoownsandrunsthesecompanies).Rather,thesetestscanbeusedtoaffirmwhatyouknowaboutyourownEuropeanancestralgroupings,deeporigins,etc. It'salsoveryunlikelyforwhitestobemixediftheirgenealogyshowsallEuropeanancestors5ormoregenerationsback.Rampantracemixingwasn'tgoingonbackthenthewayitistoday.(Bellatrix06-21-2015)
GenealogicalresearchisapopularpursuitamongStormfrontpostersandtheyfrequently
describeitasthebestwaytolearnaboutone’sidentity.Genealogyismorespecificabout
identity—linkingonetopeoplefromparticulargroupsandplacesratherthanvague
populationsfromsomeunclearhistoricalpast—butalsoitisundertheidentityseeker’s
control.
AsecondjustificationforrejectingGATresultsisthatraceorethnicityisdirectly
visible.Inresponsetoaposter’sdistressthatGATidentifiedJewishancestry,Gladiatrix
responds,“Iwouldn'tworryaboutit.Whenyoulookinthemirror,doyouseeajew?Ifnot,
you'regood”(05-26-2014).CatchTheInnocencemockedtheformoftheGATbypostinghis
own“testresults”:“Andthemirrortestresults:golden/reddishbeard,brightblue/green
eyeswithabeautifulyellowcircleandaWhitemansnose”(07-07-2015).Theideabehind
the“mirrortest”—aplayontheGATdatareveal(NelsonandHuang2011)—seemstobe
thatapartofatruewhitenationalistconsciousnessistheabilitytodiscernracedirectly;
or,moreprecisely,thatnon-whiteorJewishancestrywillleavevisibletracesthattherace-
consciouswillbeabletosee.Fromthisperspective,ifsomeonedoesnot“lookwhite”orif
theirappearanceleavesroomfordoubt,thenthatpersonisnotwhite.GATthusadds
nothing.
22
AthirdwaytorejectproblematicresultsistorejectGATthemselvesasproducedby
companieswhoseleadershaveananti-whitebias.Intheresponseabove,Bellatrixaccuses
companiesthatofferGATofhavingapro-multiculturalismbiasinwhichtheytrytoconfuse
whitesabouttheiridentitybyattributingtothemsomenon-whiteancestry.Otherslinkthis
biastoaspecificallyJewishconspiracyadvancedbyGATcompanies,inparticular
23andMe,whichtheybelieveareownedbyJews.3Forsome,theconspiracygoesdeeper:
IwouldbeinterestedintakingaDNAtesttoexploremyancestry,butonethingpreventsme.Thatisthefactthat23andMeisJewishcontrolledanditwouldnotbesurprisingifalltheothersaretoo…itISpossibletodevelopsyntheticdiseasedthatwillkillonlywhiteswitha100percentdeathrate....Ithink23andMemightbeacovertoperationtogetDNAtheJewscouldthenusetocreatebio-weaponsforuseagainstus.(ErikTheWhite10-15-2016quotingVolodyamyr)
FormanyStormfrontposters,onecandiscountGATresultsbecausetheputativelyJewish
companyownershipisinvestedinsowingracialdoubtandconfusionamongwhites.But
furthermore,oneshouldnotparticipateintestingbecauseitalsoempowersJewsand
governmentstosurveilandultimatelytoattackwhites.4Thoughcastinimplausibleanti-
Semiticandconspiracytheoryterms,thecritiqueheremirrorsthoseofGATcriticswho
havenotedthetechnologyisbetweenscienceandthemarketandlackinganobjective
standardcompaniesmaytellpeoplewhattheybelievetheywanttohear(Bolnicketal.
2007).
3Forafullarticulationofthispointonawhitenationalistblogsee,http://www.renegadetribune.com/the-jews-behind-23andme-and-family-tree-dna/(accessed,April252017).4NotallStormfrontpostersaccepttheextremeconspiracytheoriesaboutGAT:“Iamsorryifyouthinkitisanevilconspiracy.Thereiszeroevidencetosupportthat.EveryWhitepersonIknowwhohastakenanyoftheseautosomaltestscamebackasWhiteinsomeformortheother.Theywerenevertoldthattheyaremixed”(SaxonCelticPride09-17-2013).
23
TheStormfrontposterswhorejectthelegitimacyofGATdosobasedonthe
convictionthatpaperandpencilgenealogyandperceptiongroundedinracial-
consciousnessaresuperiorformsofknowledge.Furthermore,manybelieveGAT
companiestobebiased,seekingtoconfusewhites.Thecommonthreadhere(beyondthe
conspiracymindset)isadistrustofelitesandJewsandavalorizationoftoolsofknowledge
thatcanbecontrolledbyoneself.Indeedsomepostersbemoanthelackofa“racialist”run
GATcompany,andothersadvocatedownloadingone’sgeneticdata(whichsome
companiesallow),andtakingittositeslikeGEDMatch(https://www.gedmatch.com/)
whichtheybelieveofferamoredetailedandneutraldepictionofancestry.
ReinterpretingGATAsecondgeneralstrategyfordealingwith“badnews”GATresultsistoreinterpret
theresultswithinframeworksofgenetic,statistical,orhistoricalknowledgeinorderto
underminethemostdamaginginterpretations.HereGATsareunderstoodaslegitimatein
principal,butparticularresultsarebelievedtobeerroneous.Suchdiscussionsareusually
inresponsetoanoriginalposter’sworrieddescriptionofananomaly—apersonwho
“looks”whiteandbelieveshisorherancestryiswhite,butreceivesaGATresultwithsome
ancestryfromanon-whiteorJewishancestry.Andtheresponsesthataimatrepairtendto
beeducationalandreasoningthroughdifferentwaysofmakingtheanomalymakesense.
Themostcommonstrategyistochalklowlevelsofanomalousancestryto
“statisticalerror.”Postersoftenrespondthatancestrypercentagesinthelowsingledigits
arenotsignificantandcanbediscounted:“EverysingleWhitepersonIhavespokentowho
hastakenthistestendsupwithlessthan1percentofsomeobscureregionintheirDNA.
It'snotworthstressingover”(SaxonCelticPridequotedingreengoddess09-15-2013).
24
Othersputthethresholdofnon-concernatabout5%,sometimescitingtheinterpretative
guidelinespromulgatedbyGATcompaniesthemselves.
Butthereisalotofobsessingandquestioningaboutthesesmallportionsof“bad
news”ancestry,sotheyareclearlyconsidereddangerous.Oneindividualwrites,“Mine
says98%EuropeandIwillnotberevealingtheothersthatmakeeverythingaddupto
100%.IviewtherestasnoiseDNAthat'sprobablytherefrommanyhundredsofyearsago
duringconquestsbetweenEuropeandotherplaces”(greengoddess09-14-2013).Itis
“noise”sotheposterfeelsjustifiedinnotrevealingit(perhapstoavoiddrawingnegative
attention),butthenshegivesthenoiseanexplanationinhistoricalprocesses.Despite
assurancesoftheirinsignificance,lowpercentagescanbehardtoignore.Asoneposted:
Theyhadmeat5%[non-European]andtherestEuropeandecent,whetherit'slegitornotIdidthesmartthingandwentontheforumwheretheyraciallyprofilepeoplebytraitsandracefeaturesallthetime,theyclassifiedmeandsaidIlookedofGermanic,CeltstockandBorreby,Alpinelikewasthetrait.(Ghostofwar111907/31/2015)
Concernedaboutthegeneticresults,thisposterwenttoacrowdsourcingsitewherea
personcansubmithisorherpicturetoberatedbypeersforitswhitenessandwas
gratifiedthatthesuspiciousDNAwasatleastnotvisible.
Finally,tinypercentagesofnon-whitedatacanbeseenagainaspartofthe
multiculturalconspiracyof23andMeandotherGATcompaniestryingtosowconfusion
amongwhites:
EVERYsingleAmerican'sresultsthatIhaveseenALWAYShavethis0.1%non-whitegarbage….[resultsfrom23andmeare‘rigged’]fortheveryreasonandcauseoftryingtospreadmulticulturalismandmakewhitesthinkthattheyareraciallymixed…23andmehasbeencalledoutforit'snewmethodofdeterminingancestry,thiswhole0.1%or0.2%africanornativeamerican(orwhatevernonwhiteitmaybe)garbageis100%falsifiedandinaccurate.(Herja02-21-2014)
25
Thisposterdisputesthescientificbasisofdisclosingverysmallportionsofancestryand
thusattributesGATcompanies’disclosureoftheinformationashavinganti-white
motives.5
AmoresophisticatedstrategyforreinterpretingproblematicGATresultstobeless
damagingistopointoutsomeversionofcorrelationdoesnotequalcausationinthe
results.Forexample:
themainflawisthattheybaseyourresultsoncommondnasegments.For instanceifasignificantnumberofTurkshadacertainsegmentresultingfromtheGreekswhousedtolivethere,aGreektakingthetestmightcomeupaspartTurk,notbecausehehasTurkishancestrybutbecausesomeTurkshaveGreekancestry. Bingo.Thismayevenaccountforface-valueWhiteAmericanswhocomeupwithasmidgenofAmerindian.It'snotthattheWhitefolksnecessarilyhaveanInjunintheirwoodpile....it'sthatthebasepopulationofInjunsfromwhomtheyanalyzedthemarkershadsomeWhiteintheirs.(Skyrocket06-01-2014)
TheposterpointsoutthatGATcompaniesestimateanindividual’sancestrybycomparing
ittoareferencegroup.Butthatreferencegroupisdefinedbyfiatsincegeneticistsmust
generallysamplefromcontemporarypopulationsratherthanhistoricalpopulations
believedtobetheirorigins.Thisposter’scritique,thoughwithouttheracistovertones,
echoesthoseofacademiccriticsofGAT(Bolnicketal.2007)andisoneofthebasic
problemsthatpopulationgeneticistsdealwithintheirwork.
Otherversionsofthiscritiquearemadelessonlogicalgrounds,butintermsof
elaboratehistoricaltheoriesthataccountforthemixtureofwhiteorEuropeangeneswith
non-whiteornon-Europeanpopulations.Forinstance,oneposterunderstoodhis/her
ancestrytobeItalian,“However,theDNAtestsshowthatonbothsides,Ibelongto
5Logically,though,ifGATcompanieswereseekingtolieandconfusetheywoulddosobyskewingtheresultstoappearsignificantratherthannegligible.
26
haplogroupU5a1a,whichmeansallmyancestorscomefromNorthwesternEurope!”6A
responderexplainedtheresultintermsoftheheterogeneousmixofpeoplesconstituting
Italy:
It'snotreallyallthatsurprising,Italyisafairlynewcountryandbeforethattherewerequitedistinctregionstoit,itusedtobeCeltsandEtruscansintheNorth,GreeksinthesouthItalicsinthemiddleetcandlaterontheSouthbecametheKingdomofSicaly,alsoByzantineGreekoccupationhappenedinlargeportionsofit,intheCentralandNorthandtheSouthitpassedintothehandsofLombards,Franks,Goths,etc,soit'snotreallyallthatsurprisingthatyourancestryisfromNorthwesternEurope.(MaxVictory01-04-2008)
Inanotherexample,aposternotedalarmataGATidentifying“11%
PersianTurkishCaucasus”ancestry.FadingLightresponded,“theseareOLDstrainsofWhite
geneticmaterialthatturnupinoddplaces.RememberthatPersiawasaWHITEcivilization
tostartwith,andallofthatsurroundingareawasWhite,too,untiltheSemitescame”
(10/09/2012).Andinresponsetoapersonwhopostedasmallportionof“Senegal”
ancestry,FadingLightraged:
See,THISiswhyIdon'trecommendtheseteststopeople.DidtheybothertotellyouthattherewereWhitesinwhatisnowSenegalallthattimeago?No?Sotheyledyoutobelievethatyou'remixedeventhoughinallprobability,youaresimplyrelatedtosomeWhitefoolwholeftsomeofhisDNAwiththelocalsinwhatisnowSenegal.(07-01-2015)
Thus,anomalousresultsofcurrentStormfrontpostersaresometimesexplainedintermsof
deephistoriesofwhitenessincludingits‘heroic’conquests,‘tragic’incursionsofnon-white
populations,and‘foolish’mistakesofwhites.
Whatwehaveshownhereisastrategyofcopingwith“badnews”thatacceptsthe
realityandrelevanceofGATresultsbutattemptstoofferalternativeexplanationsthan
6Uncommentedonbyinterlocutorsistheoddreportingoftheresult:Thehaplogroupisonlyforthematernalline(andcouldn’tdescribe“bothsides”letalone“allmyancestors”)andmanycontemporarypopulationsaroundEuropeexhibititinvariousfrequencies.
27
thoseseeminglyonofferfromthetestingcompanies.Inthisframework,therepairstrategy
isnottorejectscientificorhistoricalknowledgebuttoeducateoneselftounderstandthe
constructionofGATresultsandtoexplainthoseresultsinalternateterms.Thisperspective
isoftensupplementedwithcounter-historicalknowledgethatemphasizeraceasthe
drivingforceinhistory.
AcceptingGATresultsthatdeliver“badnews”ThesectionsaboveconsideredwaysofrepairingidentitiesendangeredbyGAT“bad
news”thatworkedbyrejecting,displacing,orre-interpretingGATresultssoastominimize
theirimpact.Nowweturntoresponsesthatacceptthebadnews—firstontheindividual
levelandthenhowsomehavebegintothinkthroughtheimplicationsoftheresultsforthe
boundariesofwhitenationalismandtheoriesofrace.
OnoccasionsomeonewillpostGATresultsthathavebadnewsthatfarexceedsthe
thresholdofafewpercentofnon-Europeanancestry.Witnessthisexchange:
Orion2211-13-2014Hello,HasanyonereceivedtheirDNAresultfromsalivaDNAtest?Ireceivedmyresultstoday,andIam58%European,29%NativeAmericanand13%MiddleEastern.IamprettysureMiddleEasternisCaucasiantoo,aswellasEuropean,soitmeansIam71%Caucasian?…
Gargoyle 11-14-2014Lookslikeyouwon'tbeamemberhereanytimesoon.
Orion22 11-15-2014IamprettysureyouareNOT100%pureeither.GoodluckwithyourDNAtest,ifyouareNorthAmerican,youwillbesurprisedhowmuchNativeAmericanDNAyouhave.
TommyGunOrange 12-01-2014youareseriouslyretardedandignorantaboutgeneticstudies
…no,you'rejustjealousbecauseyouwanttobewhitebutyoucantandyouhatethefactmostwhiteamericansreallyare100%white
…itsnotourfaultyourancestorswerestupidfckingracemixersandracetraitors
28
don'tgetmadatusjustbecauseyou'restupiddirtydogandforyourinfo,thevastmajorityofgeneticstudiesandresultsshowthatyes,thetypicalwhiteAmericanis99%-100%white/European
…gotrollsomewhereelse,TheremustbeaLaRazawebsiteouttheresomewhere.you'dfeelmorewelcomeamongyourhalfbreedcousins.
…TommyGunOrange’sextraordinarilyharshresponse(editeddownbyabouttwothirds)
wastriggeredfirstbytheadmissionofNativeAmericanancestryandthenthedefensive
claimthatlotsofNorthAmericanswouldsharethisbackground.Theinitialposteris
perceivedasatroll—whyelsewouldsomeonecoptothisbackgroundamong
Stormfronters—andisscreamedatwitharacistscreed.
Notallsuchbadnewsacceptancesarequitelikethis.Anotherexample,Hello,gotmyDNAresultsandIlearnedtodayIam61%European.Iamveryproudofmywhiteraceandmyeuropeanroots.Iknowmanyofyouare"whitter"thanme,Idon'tcare,ourgoalisthesame.Iwouldliketodoanythingpossibletoprotectourwhiterace,oureuropeanrootsandourwhitefamilies.(RogerOne12-31-15)
TheresponsefromFadingLight(01-01-16)wasquickandharsh:
I'vepreparedyouadrink.It's61%purewater.Therestispotassiumcyanide.Iassumeyouhavenoobjectionstodrinkingit.(Youmightneedtostiritfirstsinceanyonecanseeataglancethatitisn'tpurewater.)Cyanideisn'twater,andYOUarenotWhite.
FadingLighttellsRogerOnetokillhimself,invokingthecommonideathat39%non-
Europeanancestrywouldbeclearlyvisibleandalsothatnon-Europeanancestryislikea
poison.Beorma246(01-01-16)respondedabitmoremildly:“Ifyoudocareaboutthe
Whiterace,don'tbreedwithanyWhitewomen.Thereforenotpollutingourgenepool.”
Apartfromtheracistscreamingdenunciation,weseethetwocommonresponsesfor
acceptingbadnews:killyourselforatleastdon’tbreed.
Interestingly,thesekindsofresponsetobadnewsarefairlyuncommon.AsTable3
shows,shamingordenunciationofsomeonewithproblematicresultsisfarlesscommon
29
thanrepairthroughpersonalsupportorvariousGATreinterpretations.Thoughmore
researchwillbenecessarytoseeifitcanbedeterminedwhenindividualsareenjoinedto
acceptvs.repairbadnews,theformerseemstobereservedmostlyforpostersperceived
tobetrollingorprovokingStormfrontmembers.Indeed,perhapsRogerOneis“only”
counseledtoconsidersuicideorcelibacyratherthanbeingdenouncedasa“stupiddirty
dog”inathousandwordscreedlikeOrion22becauseheclaimedacommitmenttothe
causeandthusmuddiedhisintentions.Butmoregenerally,webelieve,butstillneedto
confirm,thatbadnewsposterswhohavearecordpostingonothertopicsarelikelyto
receiverepairadvice,whereasthosewhoarenewertotheboardaremorelikelytobe
attacked—becausetheywillbeinterpretedaspeoplewhohavedecidedtopostonlytostir
upreactions.
RethinkingtheboundariesofwhitenessandtheprojectofwhitenationalismDiscussionsofGATamongStormfrontpostersgobeyondtheinterpretationof
resultsforanindividual’sownidentityandgoontoconsiderredefininggroupdefinitions
ofwhitenessandwhitenationalism.Firstofallthereisconsiderablediscussionofwhatare
thegeneticmarkersoflegitimatewhitenessorEuropean-ness.Inparticular,posters
discussthehaplogroupsthatdifferentiateamongYchromosomeandMtDNAlinagesand
debatewhetherparticularonesarewhiteandEuropean.Forexample,jvpski3
(09/25/2015)askedabouttheEuropeanbonafidesoftheYchromosomeJ2haplogroup;
postersdebateditssupposedMesopotamianSemiticorigins,relationtootherhaplotypes,
anddistributionintoEuropebyNeolithicpeoples.7
7Seehttps://www.stormfront.org/forum/printthread.php?t=1122696&pp=100(accessedMay1,2017).
30
Inadifferentthread,“Whichisthepurewhitehaplogroup?,”aposterreferredtoaY
haplogroupmapofEurope:“IseethatR1a,R1bandIaretheprominentEuropean
haplogroups”(HaplogroupQuestions11,06/21/08).Semitic-Arabrespondedthatthoseare
theIndo-European/Aryanhaplogroups(06/23/08).AndSabreWolf,pickingupthethread
afterseveraldormantyears,explained“I,J,R,Landtheirsubcladesarethemajor
Caucasoidhaplogroups”(04/04/2014).SabreWolfwentontonoteaproblemhowever,
“ThereareAfrican-AmericanswithR1b,butthatdoesnotmakethemWhite.…Haplogroup
isonlyusefulfortracingthemigrationpath,nottoconfirmraceofindividuals.…Thusonly
fullautosomalPCAtestingisusefultoconfirmrace.”Inthesediscussions,thequestionis
whatarethelegitimatemarkersofwhitenessorEuropean-nessandwhattechnologiescan
deliverthem.AtstakeistheimplicitquestionofwhetherwhitenationalistscoulduseGAT
toderivegeneticcriteriaformembership.
Theriskthatgeneticancestryposestothecoherenceofwhitenationalismandits
membershiprulescanbeseendirectlyinanexchangethatfollowedauswhitepostinghis
resultsthatrevealedatinyportionofnon-Europeanancestry:
demines(08/28/2013)AsperStormfront'srules,youhavetobeofwhollyEuropeandescenttobewhite.https://www.stormfront.org/forum/t579650/
auswhite(08/28/2013)IamofwhollyEuropeandescent.BothmylinestracebacktoEurope,thelastnamesareEuropeanthereligionpracticedonbothsideswereEuropean,myItaliangrandfatherwenttoschoolwithcatholicnunsforcryingoutloud.JustbecauseItookatestanditcamebackwith0.25%nonEuropeandoesnotmeanIamnotwhiteThethoughtofevenconsideringmyselfnonwhitehasnevercrossedmymind.Iamwhiteinbodysoulandspiritthroughandthrough.
bioprof(08/28/2013)Thatrulewillhavetobeupdatedinthefaceofgenetictesting.Anewstandardwillhavetobesetbasedonmoderntechnology.TheOPsgenomeshowingsometinydegreeofadmixtureisgoingtoshowupinamassive
31
numberofindividualsofEuropeandescent.StrictadherencewillresultinveryfewindividualsqualifyingforStormfront.
demineschallengesauswhite’sclaimtobewhitebasedontheGATresult(thoughnormally
thiskindofresultwouldproducerepairresponses).auswhiterepliesdefensivelyto
establishhisancestralandpersonalwhitebonafides.Andthenbioprofrecognizesthe
broaderproblem,whichisthatonastrictgeneticrule,whitenationalismwouldrunoutof
legitimatemembers.
ThisproblemofhowtothinkaboutwhitenationalismintheeraofGATisactively
debatedonStormfront.Forexample,WNquestion123askedothermemberswhohadn’t
takenGATwhattheimplicationswouldbe;woulddiscoveryoflessthan100%whiteness
bedisqualifying?Oneresponsewastosearchthe“fiftypreviousanswers”tothisquestion.
ThomasStuartinvokedaculturalandpoliticaldefinition:“MostWN'sdonotholdtoa"one-
drop"rule.IfyoulookWhite,liveWhite,identifyWhite,ifyourgrand-parentsandgreat-
grand-parentslookedWhite/livedWhite/identifiedWhite--thatisoftensufficient….Notto
mentionthatmanyWN'sdistrusttheDNAservices”(01-09-2014).Thisresponse,of
course,deniesthemanydisgustedpostsaboutnon-whitepollutionofwhitelineages.But
anotherresponsebysparrowwas:
Idon'tthinkthereisgoingtobeonegiantsuper-nation,Iexpecttheretobemultiplesmallernations,possiblyconfederatedinsomeway.Ipredictthateachnationwillhaveitsownuniquedefinitionof"White",eachnationhavingitsownstandardofwhatconstitutesappropriategeneticcompatibility.SoinonenationhavingGhengisKhanasyourancestorwon'tdisqualifyyou,whileinothersitmight.Hypothetically,ImighttakeaDNAtestandfindthatIdon'tqualifyforeveryNationandeveryNation'sStandards,thoughI'msurethatatleastoneofthosenations(andprobablymanyofthem)willhavestandardsthatwouldincludeme,becauseI'mprettysurethatwhateverGeneticmixIhaveisprobablysharedbyacertain%oftheWhitePopulationwherethatparticularmixisactuallythebaselinenormal.Idon'thavetobegranted"Status"everywhere,I'mprettysureIwillbegranted"Status"somewhere.Thatofcourseisspeculativefuturethatwe'renotreallyatyet.(01-09-2014)
32
Thisresponseimaginesafutureofmultiplegeneticallydefinedwhitenationsthatwillset
differentlevelsofstrictnessaccordingtopurity,andaffinityandindividualwhiteswillfind
membershipinoneormoreofthem.Butwecanseeinthisdiscussiontwobasic
approaches.Thefirstistoemphasizeawhitenationalismthatusesculture,family
background,andpoliticalcommitmenttodefinemembership,andtheotherisonethat
takesmoreseriouslyhowasystemmightputgeneticsatthecorewithoutcollapsingunder
overlyrigiddefinitionsofpurity.
Finally,someStormfrontpostershavebeguntotheorizeraceinwaysthatare
specificallyinformedbythelineagelogicofGATs.Inparticularinordertodistinguish
betweenbetterandworseformsofnon-whiteinheritance,theyusethedifferencebetween
GATsbasedonthenon-recombiningYandMtDNA,whichidentifyindividual’spatrilineal
andmatrilinealancestry,andthosebasedonrecombiningautosomalDNA,whichgive
percentsimilaritytoparticularpopulations.AngryGoyexplainstheidea:
HOWEVER,Whenitcomestodirectmaternalandpaternallines,I'mastrictONEDROPfanatic!Inparticularthedirectmaternallineforfemalesandthedirectpaternallineformales.ThereasonwhyI'mmoreliberalwithautosomalDNAisthatnon-WhiteautosomalDNAcanbecutinhalfeverygenerationfrom25,12.5,6,3,1.5,.75andsoontothepointwerethenon-Whiteadmixtureisirrelevant.Ontheotherhand,IammorestrictwithYandmtDNAhaplogroupsbecausethesehaplogroupsarepassedfromfathertoson,mothertodaughter,andremainvirtuallyunchangedindefinitelyfor10to20to30generations!...IwillbesomewhatrelievedifIfindoutthebi-racialfemalehasaWhiteMotherorthebi-racialmalehasaWhitefather.Idon'tapplaudorcondoneanybi-racialpersonwithaWhitepartner,BUT,thebi-racialfemalewithaWhiteMotherorthebi-racialmalewithaWhitefatherarethelesseroftwoevilswhenitcomestopotentialassimilation.(11-23-2012)
Thisisanupdatingofaone-droprulethatmeasuresthelongterm“danger”ofnon-white
ancestryintermsofthechancethatitcanbe“diluted”insubsequentgenerationsofwhite-
onlyinterbreeding.Anon-whitefatherofboysoranon-whitemotherofgirlsisaproblem
33
willallowthenon-whiteessencetobetransmittedunchangeddownlineages.Whilenon-
whitefathersofgirlsornon-whitemothersofboysarelessdangerousbecausenon-whiteY
andMtDNAwillnotbepassedontochildren.
Butbioprofpostedarejoindertothisidea:What?!Idon'tgetthis.mtDNAandY-DNAhavelittleinfluenceongeneticexpressionwhencomparedtoautosomes.Idoseeyour"washingout"ofautosomesreasoning,butIalsoseelong-termadmixtureofthosegenesmoreproblematic.OncethatadmixturebeginsinapopulationitjustbuildsandbuildsuntilyouhaveBrazil.(11-23-2012)
Theresponseisthattheideaofdifferentialgeneticdilutionmightmakesenseinthe
abstract,butthatthenon-recombiningpartsofDNAarenotresponsibleforracial
phenotypes.Furthermore,oncenon-whiteDNAisadmittedintothegenepoolitcannotbe
controlledandthepracticaloutcomewillbearaciallyheterogeneouspopulation.Whatwe
canseeinthisdebateisatensionbetweenbioprof’sphenotypicandpragmatic
understandingofthegeneticsofraceandAngryGoy’slogicalandessentialist
conceptualization,bothofwhichhavegeneticconnectionsbutdifferentpractical
implications.
Discussion
GATshavebeenamongthemostpubliclyvisibleandavailableproductsofthe
recentgeneticsrevolution.Companieshavepitchedthemasanopportunityforindividuals
toknowthemselvesbetter,andGATadvocateshavecelebratedtheirpotentialtofoster
connectionsandunderstandinginaraciallyandethnicallyfragmentedworld.8Though
researchisaccumulatingontheidentityimplicationsofGATforvariousgroups,oursisthe
8Indeedthetravelbookingsitemomondo.comhasmarketedtheirserviceswithaseriesofmelodramaticwebfilmsgivingpeopleGATs,tapingtheirreactions,andencouragingtraveltoexplorebackgroundandexperienceotherness.Seehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxpbnnGX6raZfTJcdt5_7Ag(accessed,May26,2017).
34
firsttoconsidertheimplicationsforwhitenationalistswhobelieveracialpurityandethnic
separationaretheformulaforabetterfuture.
Usingakindof“decisiontree”,ourstudymapstherangeofresponsestoindividuals
revealingtheirGATresultsonthewhitenationalistbulletinboard,Stormfront.Some
postersreported“goodnews”thatconfirmedexpectedorhopedforwhiteorEuropean
backgrounds.Moreinteresting,thoughwereresponsesto“badnews”revealingsome
fractionoftheposter’sancestrywasnon-whiteornon-European.Onesetofresponseswas
torejectthelegitimacyofGATduetotheirsupposedtaintingbyaJewishconspiracyor
theirinferioritytotraditionalgenealogyandwhiteracialconsciousness.Asecondsetof
responsesacceptedGAT,butusingstatistical,logical,orhistoricalcritiquesofgenetic
researchreinterpretedthedamagingresultsinlessdangerousways.Athirdsetof
responses,usedsomewhatrarelyandespeciallyagainstperceived“trolls,”acceptedbad
newsandattackedthosewhoborethetaintedbackgrounds.Finally,weconsideredways
thatwhitenationalistshaveacceptedthatGATshaveimplicationsforthelargermovement
andhavesoughttousethemtoreimagineitsboundaries.
WebeganbywonderingwhetherwhitenationalistswoulduseGATidentifiedbad
newstodoubledownongeneticboundariesofidentityorwouldseektoexplainitaway.
Clearlybothresponseshappen.Butthoughoursampledoesnotallowustomodelthe
frequencyofdifferentresponses,whitenationalistsseemtoexpendmuchmoreeffort
explainingawaybadnewsthandrawingboundarieswithit.
AlondraNelson(2006)describesAfricanAmericans’approachestoGATas
characterizedby“affiliativeself-fashioning.”Thatis,AfricanAmericanstendtoacceptand
incorporateseemingly“objective”GATresultsmainlyinsofarastheyfitprioraspirations
35
forcommunityattachment.Nelsonlinksthiscautiousandpragmaticinterpretative
strategytoAfricanAmerican’scollectiveexperiencewithhistoricallyracistand
exclusionaryscientificandmedicalinstitutions.
Inaperhapsironictwist,ourstudyshowsthatwhitenationaliststooengageina
versionofaffiliativeself-fashioning.Thewhitenationalistversionofaffiliativeself-
fashioningseemsmorecollectivelyorganizedthantheculturallyconditioned,but
somewhatindividualizedpracticesNelsondescribes.WhitenationalistsonStormfrontare
abletoreinterpretGATusingasetofrefined,widelyavailablescriptsincludingthe
assertionofelite,Jewishconspiracies,thevalorizationofknowledgeandconsciousness
derivedfromwhitenationalism,andthealternateaccountsofscienceandhistorybasedon
presumptionsaboutwhitesuperiorityinhistory.
ArewhitenationalistsparticularlyvulnerabletoGAT’spotentialfor“genealogical
dislocation”(Nelson2016)?Scholarsdescribewhitenessassubjecttoapermanentcrisis
(Hughey2012,Winant1997).Andwhitenationalists’fetishizationofgenetic
distinctiveness,purity,andhierarchyseemstomakethemparticularlyvulnerabletosmall
“anomalies”—especiallyincontrasttomanypeopleofcolorwhobelievethemselvestobe
“allmixedupanyway.”Butiftheyarevulnerable,workingtogetheronStormfront,white
nationalistshavealsoarmedthemselveswithasetofideologicalimaginaries,scripts,and
conceptstocopewiththeproblem.
Raceisthecommandingvariableinthewhitenationalistworldview.Andthoughit
isimportantbecauseofitstiestoculture,civilization,tradition,power,andplace,raceis
conceivedasfundamentallybiological.Thecorereasonformany,perhapsmost,
invocationsofgeneticsonStormfrontistoderidetheideathatraceis“socially
36
constructed”orinanywayephemeralormutable.Whitenationalistsgenerallyinterpret
GATalongthelinesofracialessentialismasPhelanetal.(2014)wouldhavepredicted.
However,aswehaveshown,GATalsotroublestheboundariesandmembershipof
whitenationalism.Butwhatismoreinteresting,GAThasspecifiedandfocusedhowwhite
nationalistsunderstandandmightcopewiththeseproblems.Thetechnicalaffordancesof
GAT—thekindsofbelonginganddifferenceitmakesvisible—shapehowwhitenationalists
thinkabouttheboundariesandcontoursoflegitimatewhiteness.First,GAThasnot
providedthemwitha“test”ofwhiteness,butratherthandebatingwhethersuchathingis
possibleintheabstract,theyhavebeguntothinkofparticularMtDNAandYchromosome
haplotypesastypicallyEuropean(andmanyothersasdisqualifying).
Second,GAThashelpedeffectatransitioninthedebatesaboutmembershipcriteria
from,“Non-JewishpeopleofwhollyEuropeandescent.Noexceptions”to,“Whatisthe
specificthreshold?”nowthatquantitativegeneticestimatesareavailable.GAThas
sharpenedthedividebetweenanabsolutedefinitionofbelongingandonethathasto
contendwithquantitativegradationsanddifferentcompositionsofwhiteness.Thisdebate
hasimmediatepoliticalstakes:Iswhitenationalismaneliteclubforpurewhitesora
movementthatwillhavetomakecompromisestobenumericallyeffective?
Third,GAThashelpedopenupacontestbetweentheideathatallracemixture
polluteswhitenessandthatsomemightbe“dilutedaway”solongasitdoesnotaffectthe
non-recombiningpaternalormaternallineages.Furthermore,ithashelpedopenupa
debateaboutwhatexactlyisdespoilingaboutracialmixture:isitspecificallyracialtraits
thatmightbecarriedonparticulargenes,invisibleessencescarriedwithhaplogroupsthat
37
don’tmanifestracially,ortheuncontrollabilityofgeneticmixtureingeneral?Allthese
positionscanbeseeninthefinalexchangeaboveaboutmoreandlessdangerousmixing.
ThelargerpointhereisthatGAT—MtDNAandYchromosomehaplotypelineages
andautosomalancestryestimation—havemadeparticularkindsofrelationshipsvisible
andthusparticularboundaryandidentityproblemsandsolutionsimaginable.GAThasnot
madewhitenationalistsmoreorlessracist,butithasshapedthepossibilitiesofracist
imaginationandcognition.
Finally,itwouldbeaseriousmistaketoviewwhitenationalistsasignorantor
stupidorasstraightforwardlywronginthewaytheyareinterpretingGATandpopulation
genetics.First,wecanseeinsomewhitenationalists’rejectionofGATduetotheirmistrust
ofexpertsandvalorizationofcommunity-basedconsciousnessandknowledge;apattern
identifiedbeforebySTSscholars(Wynne1992).Furthermore,thewhitenationalists
grapplingwithhowtointerpretGATandhowtheirconstructionaffectstheircredibility
havecertainlyacquiredaformoflayexpertise(Epstein1995).9
Itisprobablytheprevailingviewamonggeneticiststhatwhiledifferentsocially-
definedracialgroupsdohaveminoraggregategeneticdifferences,raceisnotagenetic
concept(Bliss2012,Morning2011,Reardon2005).HumanGenomeProjectdirector
FrancisCollinsfamouslysaid,“Thosewhowishtodrawpreciseracialboundariesaround
certaingroupswillnotbeabletousescienceasalegitimatejustification”(quotedinBliss
2012,1).InonesenseCollinsisright;thispaperisallaboutwhitenationalists’struggles
withthe“precision”oftheirideologicalexpectationsaboutrace.ButCollins’expectation9ThisdynamiccanbeseeninaStormfrontdiscussionthreadaboutGATthathasbeencontinuallyupdatedsince2003.Severalindividuals,suchasJohnJoyTreeandGreenGoddess,haveestablishedthemselvesasauthoritativevoicesongeneticsovertime.Seehttps://www.stormfront.org/forum/t96295/(accessed5/28/2017).
38
wasthegeneticdatawouldforceanabandonmentofstrongviewsofrace.Ratherthan
compellingaparticularunderstandingofrace,geneticsandGAThavesetintomotionanew
racialontologicalchoreography(Thompson2005),whichistosaynewformsofagency.
Whitenationalists,likebricoleurs(LeviStrauss1966)haveusedgeneticmaterialsto
reinforce,thoughalsotoreconfigure,theirracialworldview.
Crucially,theinformationpopulationgeneticistshaveproducedisquiteavailable
forracistinterpretations.Forexample,populationgeneticistsprefertothinkaboutthe
globaldistributionofMt-DNAhaplogroupsinwaysthatconveyvariationandblur
boundariesbetweengroupssuchasinthismapwhichuseslocalpiechartstoconveythe
variationineachgeographicpopulation.Thestoryhereisthatnopopulation(eventhose
selectedforhomogeneity)isgeneticallypure,nordohaplogroupsfollowracialboundaries.
[Figure2abouthere]
ButwhenwhitenationalistswanttoknowthewhichMtDNAhaplogroupsare
properlyEuropean,theyarethinkingaboutmapsliketheseproducedbypopulation
geneticists(ortheirGATcompanies):
[Figure3abouthere]MapslikeFigure3aredesignedtogiveapictureofhowhaplogroupsmapinspaceand
timetorevealsomethingaboutmigrationsandrelationshipsamongancientpopulations.
Buttheyalsoseemtoindicatethatparticularplaceshaveparticulargenetictypes,though
theseareatbestthemodalvariety.Andthustheyareeasilyassimilabletowhite
nationalists’viewsofthetightrelationshipbetweenplaceandrace(Zeskind2009;Daniels
2009;Willoughby-Herard2015).
39
Thus,whilewhitenationalistsarereachingwhatpopulationgeneticistsandother
expertsinhumanbiologicaldiversitywouldsayarethewrongconclusions.Theyaredoing
sobasednotonwildmisinterpretationsoranti-scientificconceptualizations,butratherby
processingthroughracistcognition(Brubaker,LovemanandStamatov2004)thematerials
thatgeneticistsandgeneticancestrytestingcompanieschurnintothepublic.BecauseGAT
resultsareoftenpresentedasmapsofhaplogroupsandbioregions,thevisualizationof
resultsreifywhitenationalists’beliefsinnaturalizedphysicalbordersandboundaries
betweenterritoriesandpeople.Unlikewhitesupremacistswhomayseekinformationfrom
geneticiststoproveahierarchyofraces(Panofsky2014),theflatteningofgeneticsonto
colorcodedworldmapsprovidesasymbioticsetofmeanings,whereGATresultsconflate
contemporarynationalborderswithraceandbiology(Nash2015).ForUSwhite
nationalists,non-JewishEuropeanheritageisaproudmarkerofnotonlypurity,butalso
thespiritofempireandcolonizationbyEuropeansofTheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Thissituationpresentsanethicalandpoliticalproblemforscientificexpertsof
humanbiodiversity.Experts’ideasarehighlyavailableformisappropriation.White
nationalistmisappropriators—muchlessmarginalasagroupthanevenoneyearago—are
notignorant,yettheyaresuspiciousofexpertise.Thisconjunctionsuggeststhatclear
communication,simpleformsofeducation,andcollectivedenunciationsofscientific
misuses(e.g.,Coop,2014),scientists’preferredformsofanti-racistaction,areinsufficient
forthetask.Challengingracists’publicunderstandingofscienceisnotsimplyamatterof
moreeducationornuance,butmayrequirescientiststorethinktheirresearchparadigms
andreflexivelyinterrogatetheirownknowledgeproduction.
40
MethodologicalAppendixEspeciallyonStormfront,debatesaboutone’sowndescentarecrucialascriteriafor
remainingarespectedcommunitymemberisbasedontheone-droprule.Accordingto
JohnLaw,StormfrontSeniorModerator,heexplainswhoiswhite,"Non-Jewishpeopleof
whollyEuropeandescent.Noexceptions.Andifyoutellusyou'renot,wewillbelieve
you.”10Whilethereismuchdiscussionofgenealogyandfamilylineage,wesoughtout
threadsrelatedtoDNAtestingspecificallytoseehowwhitesupremacistscopedwiththese
scientificresults.Tofindthreadscontainingancestrytestresults,weusedStormfront’s
searchengineandcombedthreadscontainingthefollowingwordsorcompanynames:
1.DNATest(57Threads)2.Haplotype(678Threads)3.Haplogroup(1250Threads)4.Autosomal(583Threads)5.mtDNA(1250Threads)6.YDNA(192threads)7.23andMe(276Threads)8.Ancestry.com(704Threads)9.AncestryByDNA(158Threads)10.GEDMatch(30Threads)11.NationalGeographic(1250Threads)12.FamilyTreeDNA(144Threads)13.DNASolutions(1Thread)
Stormfrontonlyprovidesthetop1250matchesforeachsearch.Aftersearchingfor
thesetermsindividually,wesortedthroughthe6,753threadstoremoveduplicates.Ofthe
remainingthreads,wecompiledadatabaseofseventythreadscontainingoneormoreDNA
ancestrytestresults.Acrossthiscorpusofseventythreads,wefound639postswhere
membersdescribetheirfamily’slineage,where153ofthosemembersincludedtheirentire
DNAtestingresults,wheretheyidentifiedDNAtestingcompany,suchas23andMe,
Ancestry.comDNASolutions,FamilyTreeDNA,NationalGeographicandmore.
10Seehttps://www.stormfront.org/forum/t579652/(accessedJune2,2017)
41
IfapostcontainedaDNAancestrytestresult,wecodeditforthetypeoftestresult
includingmtDNA,Y-DNA,orAutosomal.Wethencategorizedhowtheoriginalposter
reactedtotheresultsusingthefollowingcodes:confirmedpriorknowledge,uncertain,
welcomesurprise,orunwelcomesurprise.Fromhere,wewereabletoseehowother
membersreactedtotheoriginalposterandmarkedarangeofresponsetypesbasedonif
theresultswereacceptedorrejected.Responsesthataimedtorepairtheidentityofthe
originalposterwerecodedinthefollowingcategories:
1. EmotionallySupportive2. Suggeststhatbetterdataanalysisisavailableortomoveyourdata3. Rejecttestingcompanyoutright4. Suggesttherearetechnical/statisticalerrorintests5. Delegitimizegenetictests6. Suggestthatpostermisinterpretedtestresults7. Refutethetestonscientificgrounds8. Providesaneducationalorascientificexplanation
Ininstanceswhererespondersattackedtheoriginalposter,weappliedthe
followingcodes:
1.Racistclaimorrantnottargetedatpersonortest2.Shamingorexclusionoforiginalposter3.Suspicionthattheoriginalposterisatroll4.Callingtheoriginalposter“notwhite”
Asdiscussionsdevelopedwithinthreads,wemarkedpoststhatprovidedscientific
evidenceoreducationadvocatingaparticularreadingoftheresultsoradvocatedfora
specificunderstandingofgenetics.Hereisalistofthosecodes:
1. Citingatextorauthor(book/article)2. ExplainsGATquantificationand/orhaplogroups3. MakesappealtotheoriesofDNAandGenetics4. Providesadefinitionof“whoiswhite”or“whiteness”5. Discussionofwhitenessasculture,notjustbiology6. Educationalpostdirectlycommentingonoriginalposters’GATresults7. Explainsrelationshipofnationsandraces8. Racistattackagainstaracializedgroupusingscientificexplanation9. RefutationofGATonscientificgrounds10. Verygeneralexplanationofgeneticsmeanttoeducateallreaders
42
Toensureintercoderreliabilityeachthreadwasanalyzedbyatleasttwocoders.We
areunabletomakebroadquantitativeclaimsfromthesedatafortworeasons.One,the
searchfunctionofStormfrontartificiallylimitedthescopeofourkeywordqueries.Two,
postingDNAancestrytestresultsoftenprovokesarichdiscursivediscussionthatrequires
qualitativecontextualization.Thatistosay,postsarerelationaltothedebatesnotonly
withinasinglethread,butalsoacrosstheentiremessageboard,aswellastothewhite
nationalistmovement.
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Figure3—Y-DNAHumanMigration11
11FromtheGATcompanyFamilyTreeDNA.Seehttps://www.familytreedna.com/groups/china/about/background(accessedMay26,2017)
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Tables
TABLE1GATconsumerresultsbytesttype
AutosomalDNA(grouppercent) 86YDNAhaplogroups 34MtDNAhaplogroups 33Totalnumberofcases 153
TABLE2
GATConsumerResultReactionsPostedtestresultswithnoreactionorexplanation 51Confirmationofpriorknowledge 28Unwelcomesurprise 28Welcomesurprise 25Uncertainofhowtointerpretresults 21Totalnumberofcases 153
TABLE3RangeofStormfrontMembers’ReactionstoOriginalPosters’GATResults
Providesaneducationalorascientificexplanation 1260Suggeststhatbetterdataanalysisisavailableortomoveyourdata 224Delegitimizegenetictests 224Rejecttestingcompanyoutright 135Suggesttherearetechnical/statisticalerrorintests 114Emotionallysupportive 111Racistclaim/rantnottargetedatpersonortest 98Suspicionthattheoriginalposterisatroll 72Shamingorexclusionoforiginalposter 65Refutethetestresultsonscientificgrounds 45Suggestthatpostermisinterpretedtestresults 44Callingtheoriginalposter“notwhite” 42
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TABLE4
TypesofEducationalorScientificExplanationsbyStormfrontMembersProvidesadefinitionof“whoiswhite”or“whiteness” 451Citingatextorauthor(book/article) 446MakesappealtotheoriesofDNAandGenetics 361Verygeneralexplanationofgeneticsmeanttoeducateallreaders 236Explainsrelationshipofnationsandraces 202ExplainsGATquantificationand/orhaplogroups 146Discussionofwhitenessasculture,notjustbiology 109Racistattackagainstaracializedgroupusingscientificexplanation 107Educationalpostdirectlycommentingonoriginalposters’GATresults 63RefutationofGATonscientificgrounds 45