WHO'S WHO IN THE DISSIDENT RIGHT: GREG JOHNSON

Generally disliked but somewhat respected

by Colin Liddell

Read other entries like this in The Dikipedia: Who's Who in the Dissident Right, an ever-expanding biographical guide to the colorful characters of the Right Wing

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Born 1971. The co-founder, along with Michael Polignano, of the wordy and rather dull Counter-Currents website and book publishing label. Johnson comes across as an impressive intellectual and communicator, but most of his positions ultimately boil down to the peculiar nature of his homosexuality, as well as his deep antipathy towards Richard Spencer, which has sometimes been compared to a bitter gay crush/feud. Based on long-running rumours, Alt-Right critic Matt Forney coined the nickname "Grindr Greg" to describe him.

If I may be permitted to indulge in a little cod psychology, Johnson, although a Liberal or Leftist by most metrics, has been transformed into a Jew-hating, Neo-Nazi Hitler apologist by what appears to be a deep erotic fascination with the Third Reich and the Nazi party. This would not normally have been a major problem, but unfortunately Counter-Currents was, along with TRS and The Daily Stormer, among the most influential parts of the Alt-Right in the key period 2013-2016, and played a major role in pushing the movement in the toxic direction in which it went. 

In 2013 I attacked Johnson's fetishization of Hitler in an article called "When You're Covered in Shit." Later Johnson and I collaborated to some degree, in particular joining forces to attack Andrew Anglin for what Johnson described as his "Vantardism." But we fell out over Johnson's failure to similarly critique Mike Enoch's attempts to Nazify the movement. Instead, following Enoch's doxxing in early 2017, Johnson "defriended" me to ingratiate himself with the TRS group, most of whom continued to despise him for being a homosexual.

In 2017 Richard Spencer's AltRight Corporation fought a "turf war" with Johnson, attacking him mainly on the basis of his sexual proclivities rather than on his Nazi fetishism, which should have been the focus of the critique. This attack was spearheaded by a number of essays by Andrew Joyce titled "The Alt-Right and the Homosexual Question." Johnson weathered the attack, while the AltRight Corporation, under Spencer's leadership, predictably fell apart.

Because of the obvious problems that being openly gay would cause to his influence in the Alt-Right, Johnson endeavored to remain out of the public eye as long as possible. But the need to network and attend conferences led to him being secretly filmed and photographed in 2017 by a "honeytrap" operation using a young male journalist. Then, in early 2019, undeniable proof of his homosexuality leaked to the public in the Pilleater Tapes. These recordings also revealed his membership of a gay clique that apparently targets impressionable young White nationalists for "gay grooming." 

This, combined with the banning of Counter-Currents books on Amazon is likely to present a serious existential challenge to Counter-Currents in the future. But, despite his many character flaws, Johnson is one of the most intelligent and disciplined people in the Alt-Right. He is good at networking, fundraising, and a competent and lucid writer. It would be true to say that while his rival Richard Spencer is liked but not respected in the Alt-Right, the opposite is true for Johnson: he is generally respected but not liked.

One of the most interesting points about Johnson is that, even though he is a substantial figure in the Alt-Right, the establishment and mainstream media do not try to hype him up as "one of the leader's of the Alt-Right" in the same way as they do Richard Spencer, Mike Enoch, or Andrew Anglin. This is probably because of the influence of the gay lobby, who work extremely hard to downplay the historical links between Neo-Naziism and homosexuality, as well as Johnson's awareness of optics and relatively strong self-control.

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Colin Liddell was the Chief Editor of Affirmative Right and the author of Interviews & Obituaries, a collection of encounters with the dead and the famous. Support his work by buying it here.