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| {{short description|American political analyst (born 1949)}} | |||
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| {{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| |name = Chip Berlet | |name = Chip Berlet | ||
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| |occupation = Policy analyst, ], ] | |occupation = Policy analyst, ], ] | ||
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| '''John Foster''' "'''Chip'''" '''Berlet''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɜr|ˈ|l|eɪ}};<ref><!--at 0:03--></ref> born November 22, 1949) is an American ],<ref>{{cite journal|title=Public Intellectuals, Scholars, Journalists, & Activism: Wearing Different Hats and Juggling Different Ethical Mandates| author=Berlet, C. |journal=International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences|volume=3|issue=1|pages=61–90|date=March 2014|doi=10.4471/rimcis.2014.29|doi-access=free}}</ref> research analyst,<ref>{{cite book |last=Chermak |first=Steven M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p1NGyz43INkC&pg=PA92 |page=92 |title=Searching for a Demon: The Media Construction of the Militia Movement |publisher=UPNE |year=2002 |isbn=9781555535414}}</ref><ref name=HateCrimesReference>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/hatecrimesrefere0002alts |url-access=registration |pages=–89 |last=Altschiller |first=Donald |title=Hate Crimes: A Reference Handbook |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2005 |isbn=9781851096244}}</ref> ], scholar, and activist specializing in the study of ].<ref name=HateCrimesReference/><ref name=GeorgeWilcox /> He also studies the spread of ].<ref name=huffpo>{{cite web|last1=Berlet|first1=Chip|title=Holocaust Museum Shooting, Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories, and the Tools of Fear|date=July 11, 2009 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chip-berlet/holocaust-museum-shooting_b_213979.html|publisher=Huffington Post|access-date=May 14, 2015}}</ref> Since the 1995 ], Berlet has regularly appeared in the media to discuss extremist news stories.<ref name=HateCrimesReference/> He was a senior analyst at ] (PRA), a non-profit group that tracks right-wing networks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publiceye.org/about.html|title=About PRA |publisher=Publiceye.org}}</ref> | |||
| '''John Foster "Chip" Berlet''' (born November 22, 1949) is an American freelance writer and activist specializing in the study of ] ] in the United States, particularly the ], ], ] groups, and ] organizations. He also studies the spread of ] in the media and on the Internet, and ]s on both the ] and ] of the ]. | |||
| Berlet, a ], was a vice-president of the ]. He has served on the advisory board of the ] at ], and for over 20 years was on the board of the ]. In 1982, he was a Mencken Awards finalist in the best news story category for "War on Drugs: The Strange Story of ]", which was published in '']''. He served on the advisory board of the ]. | |||
| He was a senior analyst at ] (PRA), a non-profit group that tracks right-wing networks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publiceye.org/about.html|title=About PRA |publisher=Publiceye.org}}</ref> and is known as one of the first researchers<ref>{{cite news |author = Jason Berry |title = Bridging chasms of race and hate |work = St. Petersburg Times (Florida) |publisher = Times Publishing Company |page = 6D |date = 1993-08-22 |accessdate = 2007-04-11}}</ref> to have drawn attention to the efforts by white supremacist and ] groups to recruit farmers in the ] in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the co-author of ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'' and editor of ''Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash''. | |||
| Berlet, a ], was a vice-president of the ]. He has served on the advisory board of the ] at ], and currently sits on the advisory board of the ]. In 1982, he was a Mencken Awards finalist in the best news story category for "War on Drugs: The Strange Story of ]," which was published in '']''. He served on the advisory board of the ]. He was affiliated with ].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=c33aeF0FCGgC&pg=PA214&dq=%22chicago+area+friends+of+albania%22 |title=Michael, George. "Confronting Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism in the United States" (2003) |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-13}}</ref> | |||
| == Background == | == Background == | ||
| Berlet attended the ] for three years, where he majored in ] with a ] |
Berlet attended the ] for three years, where he majored in ] with a minor in ]. A member of the 1960s ],<ref name=GeorgeWilcox>{{Citation | last1 = George | first1 = John | last2 = Wilcox | first2 = Laird M. | title = American Extremists: Militias, Supremacists, Klansmen, Communists & Others | year = 1996 | publisher = Prometheus Books | page = 295 | isbn = 978-1-57392-058-2 }}</ref> he dropped out of the university in 1971 to work as an alternative journalist without completing his degree. In the mid-1970s, he went on to co-edit a series of books on student activism for the ] and ]. He also became an active shop steward with the National Lawyers' Guild. | ||
| During the late 1970s, he became the ], bureau chief of '']'' magazine, and in 1979, he helped to organize citizens' hearings on ] surveillance practices. From then until 1982, he worked as a ] investigator at the Better Government Association in Chicago, conducting research for an ] case, involving police ] by the Chicago police (which became known as the "Chicago Red Squad" case).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagohistory.org/static_media/pdf/historyfair/chicago_police_depts_red_squad.pdf |
During the late 1970s, he became the ], bureau chief of '']'' magazine, and in 1979, he helped to organize citizens' hearings on ] surveillance practices. From then until 1982, he worked as a ] investigator at the Better Government Association in Chicago, conducting research for an ] case, involving police ] by the Chicago police (which became known as the "Chicago ]" case).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagohistory.org/static_media/pdf/historyfair/chicago_police_depts_red_squad.pdf|title=Bibliography: Chicago Police Department's Red Squad's Involvement In Social Protest|access-date=February 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121933/http://www.chicagohistory.org/static_media/pdf/historyfair/chicago_police_depts_red_squad.pdf|archive-date=September 29, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also worked on cases filed against the FBI or police on behalf of the ] (S.A.C.C.), the ], the ], ], the ], and the ] (a ] group). He was a founder member of the ], leaving the organization when he relocated to Boston in 1987.<ref name=GeorgeWilcox /> | ||
| In 1982, Berlet joined Political Research Associates, and in 1985 |
Along with journalist ], Berlet has written about ]'s ], calling it anti-Jewish and neo-Nazi, and urging an investigation of alleged illegal activities.<ref name=HateCrimesReference/><ref> By Russ Bellant, Chip Berlet, & Dennis King, Political Research Associates, December 16, 1981</ref> In 1982, Berlet joined ], and in 1985 he founded the Public Eye BBS, the first computer ] aimed at challenging the spread of white-supremacist and ] material through electronic media, and the first to provide an online application kit for requesting information under the U.S. ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publiceye.org/aboutpra/pe_bbshist.html|last=Berlet|first=Chip|title=History of the Public Eye Electronic Forums}}</ref> He was one of the first researchers to have drawn attention to the efforts by white supremacist and antisemitic groups to recruit farmers in the ] in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |author = Jason Berry |title = Bridging chasms of race and hate |work = St. Petersburg Times (Florida) |publisher = Times Publishing Company |page = 6D |date = August 22, 1993 }}</ref> Berlet was originally on the board of advisers of Public Information Research, founded by Daniel Brandt. Between 1990 and 1992, three members of Brandt's PIR advisory board, including Berlet, resigned over issues concerning another board member, ] and Prouty's book '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/bristlekrs/docs/lobster_24 | title=An Incorrect Political Memoir |first=Daniel |last=Brandt |date=December 1992 |work=] |access-date=May 1, 2018}}</ref> Berlet discussed this in a study titled "Right-Woos Left".<ref>Chip Berlet, "," Cambridge, Massachusetts: Political Research Associates, 1991.</ref> | ||
| In 1996, he acted as an adviser on the ] documentary mini-series ''With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America'', which was later published as a book by William Martin.<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0115424|title=With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780553067453| url-access=registration| isbn= 0-553-06749-4| first=William| last= Martin| publisher=Broadway| year=1996}}</ref> Berlet criticized ] and his associates for a close working relationship with Republican textile magnate ], erstwhile major backer of the 1996 presidential campaign of ], and anti-unionization stalwart.<ref>''Right-Wing Populism in America'' by Chip Berlet, pp. 338–344</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue29/hawkin29.htm |title=A Green Perspective on Ralph Nader And Independent Political Action (from ''New Politics'', vol. 8, no. 1 (new series), whole no. 29, Summer 2000) |first=Howie |last=Hawkins |year=2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715145651/http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue29/hawkin29.htm |archive-date=July 15, 2006 }}</ref> Berlet has provided research assistance to a campaign run by the mother of ], a British student died in disputed circumstances near Wiesbaden, Germany, and to reopen the investigation into his death.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.publiceye.org/press/releases/2007/3/27/Berlet_LaRouche.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070802051801/http://www.publiceye.org/press/releases/2007/3/27/Berlet_LaRouche.html |archive-date=August 2, 2007|date=March 27, 2007|author=Berlet, Chip|title=Berlet Joins Call for Probe into Death of Student who Attended LaRouche-Group Conference|publisher=Political Research Associates}}</ref> | |||
| Berlet was originally on the board of advisers of Public Information Research, founded by Daniel Brandt. Between 1990 and 1992, three members of Brandt's PIR advisory board, including Berlet, resigned over issues concerning another board member, ] and Prouty's book '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.namebase.org/zipdir/ppost01.html |title=An Incorrect Political Memoir |first=Daniel |last=Brandt |date=December 1992 |work=] |publisher= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/64k9MB6i8 |archivedate=2012-01-16 |accessdate=2012-01-20}}</ref><ref>Chip Berlet, "," Cambridge, MA: Political Research Associates, 1991.</ref> | |||
| In 1996, he acted as an adviser on the ] documentary mini-series ''With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America'', which was later published as a book by William Martin.<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0115424|title=With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America| isbn= 0-553-06749-4| first=William| last= Martin| publisher=Broadway| year=1996}}</ref> | |||
| == Photojournalism == | == Photojournalism == | ||
| As a ], Berlet's photographs, particularly of ] and neo-Nazi rallies, have been carried on the ] wire, have appeared on book and magazine covers, album covers and posters, and have been published in '']'', '']'', and '']'',<ref>{{Citation | |||
| |author = Grant Kester | |author = Grant Kester | ||
| |title = Net profits: Chip Berlet tracks computer networks of the religious right - interview with Political Research Associates analyst - Special Issue: Fundamentalist Media - Interview | |title = Net profits: Chip Berlet tracks computer networks of the religious right - interview with Political Research Associates analyst - Special Issue: Fundamentalist Media - Interview | ||
| |url = |
|url = https://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=MwWfMwn2d85tZv2yLGyy1mcwv1pT220SL9Rv1ctbfXb8X0M1Q2Z9!-371328629!616144792?docId=5000318108 | ||
| |work = Afterimage | |work = Afterimage | ||
| |publisher = Visual Studies Workshop | |publisher = Visual Studies Workshop | ||
| |date = |
|date = February–March 1995 | ||
| | |
|access-date = April 11, 2007 | ||
| }}</ref> | |||
| }}</ref> reprinted at publiceye.org<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publiceye.org/media/cbonline.html |title=The Website of Political Research Associates |publisher=Publiceye.org |date= |accessdate=2014-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publiceye.org/hate/online.html |title=The Website of Political Research Associates |publisher=Publiceye.org |date=2000-06-14 |accessdate=2014-04-13}}</ref> | |||
| == Reception == | |||
| == Books and other writings == | |||
| Berlet's second book, co-authored with Matthew N. Lyons, is ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'', was published by The Guilford Press in 2000. It is a broad historical overview of right-wing populism in the United States. The book received generally favorable reviews. '']'' said it was a "detailed historical examination" that "strikes an excellent balance between narrative and theory." '']'' described it as an excellent account describing the outermost fringes of American conservatism.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=Russell |title=Mr. Right |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2001/may/17/mr-right/ |url-access=subscription |journal=The New York Review of Books |volume=48 |number=8 |date=May 17, 2001 |access-date=July 26, 2008}} Reprinted as Chapter 9 in {{cite book |last=Baker |first=Russell |title=Looking Back |year=2002 |publisher=New York Review Books |isbn=1-59017-008-3 |pages= |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lookingback00bake/page/139 }}</ref> A review by Jerome Himmelstein in the journal '']'' said that "it offers more than a scholarly treatise on the activities of the ]", that it provides a background to help the reader understand ], and that it "merits close attention from scholars of the political right in America and of social movements generally."<ref>Himmelstein, Jerome L., Review of book ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'', Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan. 2002), pp. 76–77, American Sociological Association</ref> | |||
| The most recent of Berlet's three books, co-authored with Matthew N. Lyons, is ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'', published in 2000 by The Guilford Press. It is a broad historical overview of right-wing populism in the United States. | |||
| Robert H. Churchill of the private ] criticized Berlet and other authors writing about the right-wing as lacking breadth and depth in their analysis.<ref>Churchill, Robert H. "Beyond the Narrative of 1995 - Recent Examinations of the American Far Right." ''Terrorism and Political Violence'', Vol. 13, No. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 125–136.</ref> In ''Who Watches the Watchmen?'', ] criticized Berlet and other writers for what Wilcox says is their use of a technique he describes as "Links and Ties," which he says is a form of ].<ref>'''' edited by Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw</ref><ref>Wilcox, Laird, "Who Watches the Watchman?" in ''The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization'' edited by Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw, Rowman Altamira, January 1, 2002, p. 332</ref> ], an associate professor in the Journalism and Media Studies Department at Rutgers University, said that Berlet uses the methods of conspiracy theorists.<ref>Bratich, Jack Z, ''Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture'', SUNY Press 2008, p. 100</ref> | |||
| The book received generally favorable reviews. '']'' said it was a "detailed historical examination" that "strikes an excellent balance between narrative and theory." '']'' described it as an excellent account describing the outermost fringes of American conservatism.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=Russell |title=Mr. Right |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=14218 |journal=The New York Review of Books |volume=48 |number=8 |date=May 17, 2001 |accessdate=2008-07-26}} Reprinted as Chapter 9 in {{cite book |last=Baker |first=Russell |title=Looking Back |year=2002 |publisher=New York Review Books |isbn=1-59017-008-3 |pages=139–157}}</ref> A review by Jerome Himmelstein in the journal ''Contemporary Sociology'' said that "it offers more than a scholarly treatise on the activities of the ]", that it provides a background to help the reader understand the ] and that it "merits close attention from scholars of the political right in America and of social movements generally." <ref>Himmelstein, Jerome L., Review of book ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'', Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 2002), pp. 76–77, American Sociological Association</ref> | |||
| ==Publications== | |||
| Robert H. Churchill of the ] criticized Berlet and other authors writing about the right wing as lacking breadth and depth in their analysis.<ref>Churchill, Robert H. "Beyond the Narrative of 1995 - Recent Examinations of the American Far Right." ''Terrorism and Political Violence'', Vol. 13, No. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 125–136.</ref> | |||
| * ] | |||
| * '']'' | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| In articles, Berlet has argued that the United States is currently undergoing a right-wing backlash that is the most sustained of its kind in ]. He argues that although 95% of the US's ]s are committed by people not affiliated with any group, they have nevertheless internalized a ] developed and promoted by the right wing that demonizes certain groups, including ] and ]s. He argues that the ] must develop coalitions to find a way to counterbalance these narratives, instead of becoming isolated as another side of the "lunatic fringe".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uua.org/ga/ga99/418.html|title=Race, Class, and Gender: Justice in the Intersections|year=1999 |publisher=Workshop at Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly}}</ref> | |||
| * ] | |||
| == References == | |||
| In ''ZOG Ate My Brains'', Berlet warned of a "troubling resurgence on the political Left" of ] ] that undermine the effort of ] to bring about social change.<ref>Berlet, Chip. , ''New Internationalist'', October 2004.</ref> | |||
| Berlet has provided "research assistance" to a campaign run by the mother of ]<ref>http://www.publiceye.org/press/releases/2007/3/27/Berlet_LaRouche.html</ref> to reopen the investigation into his death. The ] student died in disputed circumstances near ]. Berlet's statement suggests that the ] bears responsibility.<ref name="urlPublicEye.org - Statement Presented to British Coroners Inquiry">{{cite web |url=http://www.publiceye.org/larouche/Duggancoroner.html |publisher==Publiceye.org |title=Statement Presented to British Coroner's Inquiry |work= |accessdate=2008-07-26}}</ref> | |||
| === US Intelligence policy === | |||
| In 1991, Berlet wrote a report entitled "Right Woos Left," which was critical of a number of critics of U.S. intelligence policy including Prouty, ], ], Craig B. Hulet, and ] for being willing to work with groups on the right such as the ] and ]. | |||
| === Allegations by Berlet of neofascism === | |||
| ] | |||
| Berlet has made allegations that various public figures are tainted by ]. Berlet writes that "In the United States, the 1992 presidential campaigns of ], ], and ] echoed different elements of historic ]… In his Republican convention speech, Buchanan eerily invoked ] symbols of blood, soil and honor… Perot's candidacy provided us with a contemporary model of the fascist concept of the organic leader, the "Man on a White Horse" whose strong egocentric commands are seen as reflecting the will of the people."<ref>{{cite web |last=Berlet |first= Chip |url=http://www.publiceye.org/rightwoo/rwooz9-01.html |title=Right Woos Left |work= Political Research Associates |year=199 |publisher=Publiceye.org}}</ref> | |||
| === Ralph Nader === | |||
| Berlet criticized ] and his associates for a close working relationship with Republican textile magnate ], erstwhile major backer of the 1996 presidential campaign of ], and anti-unionization stalwart.<ref>''Right-Wing Populism in America'' by Chip Berlet, pp. 338–344</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue29/hawkin29.htm|title=A Green Perspective on Ralph Nader And Independent Political Action (from ''New Politics'', vol. 8, no. 1 (new series), whole no. 29, Summer 2000)|first=Howie|last=Hawkins|year=2000}}</ref> | |||
| === Center for the Study of Popular Culture === | |||
| In 2003 the ] published "Into the Mainstream," in which Berlet named conservative activist ]'s ] (CSPC) as one of an "array of right-wing foundations and think tanks support[ing] efforts to make bigoted and discredited ideas respectable." Berlet accused Horowitz of blaming ] on "'black ] … abetted by dark-skinned ]'" and of "attack[ing] minority 'demands for special treatment' as 'only necessary because some blacks can't seem to locate the ladder of opportunity within reach of others,' rejecting the idea that they could be the victims of lingering ]."<ref>{{cite web|last = Berlet|first = Chip|year = 2003|url = http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=105|title = Into the Mainstream|work = Intelligence Report|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2006-04-23}}</ref> Responding with an open letter to ], president of the SPLC, Horowitz stated that his reminder that the slaves transported to America were bought from African and Arab slavers was a response to demands that only whites pay blacks reparations, not to hold Africans and Arabs solely responsible for slavery. He said that his reminder had nothing to do with lingering racism."<ref>{{cite web | last = Horowitz | first = David | authorlink = David Horowitz (conservative writer) | year = 2003 | url = http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=9622 | title = An Open Letter To Morris Dees | work = FrontPageMagazine.com | publisher = FrontPageMagazine.com | accessdate = 2006-04-23}}</ref> | |||
| === Lyndon H. LaRouche === | |||
| Berlet described a worldwide network that he claims is controlled by ], as having a long history of violence, ]s, intimidation, ], ], and harassment.<ref>Berlet, Chip and Lyons,Matthew N., ''Right-Wing Populism in America Too Close for Comfort'' (2000), New York: Guilford Press, pp. 273–276,</ref> He further asserts that the LaRouche network is "a ] political organization that operates through a variety of front groups, with detailed reports from the field constantly being sent back to the worldwide headquarters in the United States."<ref name="urlPublicEye.org - Statement Presented to British Coroners Inquiry" /> However, in an unsympatheitic critique of the LaRouche network, John George and ] say that many of LaRouche's "harshest detractors come from extremist ranks themselves." They hold up Berlet as an example, particularly citing his activity in the ].<ref name=GeorgeWilcox /> | |||
| === Alleges 'Leaderless Jihad' plagiarism === | |||
| In an article in ''Public Eye'', Berlet made allegations against ''Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century''. Marc Sageman, the author of the book, argues that there is an excessive focus on ], and that terrorism has become decentralized. Berlet stated that passages had been taken from works by ] and ]. The director of the ], publisher of the book, described Berlet's article as "hyperbolic" and called the charges overblown. The publisher promised to add citations in future editions.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/28/leaderless|title = Missing Attribution in Controversial Book|work = Inside Higher Ed|accessdate = 2008-08-14}}</ref> | |||
| === The religious right === | |||
| In a July 2008 article in '']'' coauthored with the Reverend ], Berlet argued that the ] has maintained its staying power despite predictions of its demise. Berlet predicted that, despite predictions of their demise, "On the day after the election, you will not see millions of Christian Right activists raptured off planet Earth. They will be left behind to continue more than thirty years of political activism from within the largest organized social movement in the United States today."<ref> | |||
| {{cite journal |first1=Chip |last1=Berlet |first2=Katherine Hancock |last2=Ragsdale |url = http://www.progressive.org/mag/berlet0708.html|title = The Christian Right’s Staying Power|work = The Progressive|accessdate = 2008-09-03 |date=July 2008}}</ref> | |||
| === 9/11 conspiracy theories === | |||
| Berlet is a critic of ], as explicated in his debate with prominent conspiracy theorist ].<ref>{{cite episode |title=The New Pearl Harbor: A Debate On A New Book That Alleges The Bush Administration Was Behind The 9/11 Attacks |url=http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/26/150221 |airdate=May 26, 2004 |series=Democracy Now}}</ref> He claimed to have debunked those theories in his review of Griffin's book ''A New Pearl Harbor''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/Post911/dubious_claims.html | title=The New Pearl Harbor: Review by Chip Berlet |publisher=Publiceye.org |accessdate=March 2, 2011 | last=Berlet | first=Chip}}</ref> | |||
| === Tea Party Movement === | |||
| After visiting a meeting of the Idaho Liberty Agenda, Berlet wrote: "It helps to recognize that much of what steams the tea bag contingent is legitimate."<ref name="progressivefeb2010">{{cite journal |title=Taking Tea Partiers Seriously |url=http://www.progressive.org/berlet0210c.html |first=Chip |last=Berlet |date=February 2010 |journal=The Progressive |volume=74 |issue=2 |accessdate=2010-06-07}}</ref> He sees in the tea party movement a strong strain of ''producerism,'' a belief that the productive middle class is being preyed upon by both a parasitic elite (including politicians) and other unproductive segments of society such as minorities, the poor, and immigrants.<ref name="zmagfeb2010">{{cite web |title=To Combat Teabaggerism, Reject the ‘Producerist’ Frame! |url=http://www.progressivesforobama.net/?p=32 |first=Chip |last=Berlet |date=January 20, 2010 |work=Progressive America Rising |accessdate=2010-02-16}} Reprinted from {{cite journal |title=Tea Bags, Taxes, & Productive Citizens |journal=Z Magazine |date=Feb 2010}}</ref> Berlet writes: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| They see their jobs vanish in front of their eyes as Wall Street gets trillions. They see their wages stagnate. They worry that their children will be even less well off than they are. They sense that Washington doesn't really care about them. On top of that, many are distraught about seeing their sons and daughters coming home in wheelchairs or body bags.<ref name="progressivefeb2010" /> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| In addition to producerism, Berlet sees other elements that he believes are common to right wing populism: demonization, scapegoating, and conspiracy theories of power.<ref name="zmagfeb2010" /> | |||
| Berlet criticizes "the inside-the-beltway spin that dismisses the rightwing populists as a marginal lunatic fringe…" which, in his view, marginalizes genuinely engaged citizens who have some legitimate fears and thereby feeds their hatred of perceived elites. In and of itself, this centrist vs. extremist model is "toxic to democracy." Berlet also believes that dismissing the tea partiers aids various factions, including John Birch conservatives, "Ron Paul libertarians," the Christian Right, and white supremacist groups, that have been documented trying to recruit the people who are newly moved by right wing populism.<ref name="progressivefeb2010" />{{synthesis-inline|date=December 2012}} | |||
| === Huffington Post === | |||
| Beginning in 2008, Berlet's writings appeared in the ], until they were discontinued in 2012. Berlet complained on his ] page that the Post had refused to provide him with an explanation for why his articles were no longer being published.<ref>{{cite news |last=Porter |first=Doug |title=The Starting Line" column |newspaper=San Diego Free Press |date= January 6, 2013 |url=http://sandiegofreepress.org/2013/01/the-starting-line-doctor-doctor-give-me-the-news-mayor-bobs-cure-for-the-urban-blues/}}</ref> | |||
| == See also == | |||
| * ] | |||
| == Notes == | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | {{reflist|2}} | ||
| == External links == | == External links == | ||
| {{Wikiquote|Chip Berlet}} | {{Wikiquote|Chip Berlet}} | ||
| * | |||
| * , Political Research Associates | |||
| * |
* at Center for Millennial Studies. | ||
| * at ]. | |||
| * {{IMDb name|id=0075546|name=Chip Berlet}} | |||
| * at ]. | |||
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| | NAME = Berlet, Chip | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Berlet, John Foster | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American political analyst | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = November 22, 1949 | |||
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Latest revision as of 16:27, 22 November 2024
American political analyst (born 1949)
| Chip Berlet | |
|---|---|
 Chip Berlet in Mexico in 2012 | |
| Born | John Foster Berlet (1949-11-22) November 22, 1949 (age 75) |
| Occupation(s) | Policy analyst, investigative journalist, photojournalist |
| Known for | Study of right-wing movements and conspiracy theories |
John Foster "Chip" Berlet (/bɜːrˈleɪ/; born November 22, 1949) is an American investigative journalist, research analyst, photojournalist, scholar, and activist specializing in the study of extreme right-wing movements in the United States. He also studies the spread of conspiracy theories. Since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Berlet has regularly appeared in the media to discuss extremist news stories. He was a senior analyst at Political Research Associates (PRA), a non-profit group that tracks right-wing networks.
Berlet, a paralegal, was a vice-president of the National Lawyers Guild. He has served on the advisory board of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University, and for over 20 years was on the board of the Defending Dissent Foundation. In 1982, he was a Mencken Awards finalist in the best news story category for "War on Drugs: The Strange Story of Lyndon LaRouche", which was published in High Times. He served on the advisory board of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution.
Background
Berlet attended the University of Denver for three years, where he majored in sociology with a minor in journalism. A member of the 1960s student left, he dropped out of the university in 1971 to work as an alternative journalist without completing his degree. In the mid-1970s, he went on to co-edit a series of books on student activism for the National Student Association and National Student Educational Fund. He also became an active shop steward with the National Lawyers' Guild.
During the late 1970s, he became the Washington, D.C., bureau chief of High Times magazine, and in 1979, he helped to organize citizens' hearings on FBI surveillance practices. From then until 1982, he worked as a paralegal investigator at the Better Government Association in Chicago, conducting research for an American Civil Liberties Union case, involving police surveillance by the Chicago police (which became known as the "Chicago Red Squad" case). He also worked on cases filed against the FBI or police on behalf of the Spanish Action Committee of Chicago (S.A.C.C.), the National Lawyers Guild, the American Indian Movement, Socialist Workers Party, the Christic Institute, and the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker group). He was a founder member of the Chicago Area Friends of Albania, leaving the organization when he relocated to Boston in 1987.
Along with journalist Russ Bellant, Berlet has written about Lyndon LaRouche's National Caucus of Labor Committees, calling it anti-Jewish and neo-Nazi, and urging an investigation of alleged illegal activities. In 1982, Berlet joined Political Research Associates, and in 1985 he founded the Public Eye BBS, the first computer bulletin board aimed at challenging the spread of white-supremacist and neo-Nazi material through electronic media, and the first to provide an online application kit for requesting information under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. He was one of the first researchers to have drawn attention to the efforts by white supremacist and antisemitic groups to recruit farmers in the Midwestern United States in the 1970s and 1980s. Berlet was originally on the board of advisers of Public Information Research, founded by Daniel Brandt. Between 1990 and 1992, three members of Brandt's PIR advisory board, including Berlet, resigned over issues concerning another board member, L. Fletcher Prouty and Prouty's book The Secret Team. Berlet discussed this in a study titled "Right-Woos Left".
In 1996, he acted as an adviser on the Public Broadcasting Service documentary mini-series With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, which was later published as a book by William Martin. Berlet criticized Ralph Nader and his associates for a close working relationship with Republican textile magnate Roger Milliken, erstwhile major backer of the 1996 presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan, and anti-unionization stalwart. Berlet has provided research assistance to a campaign run by the mother of Jeremiah Duggan, a British student died in disputed circumstances near Wiesbaden, Germany, and to reopen the investigation into his death.
Photojournalism
As a photojournalist, Berlet's photographs, particularly of Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi rallies, have been carried on the Associated Press wire, have appeared on book and magazine covers, album covers and posters, and have been published in The Denver Post, The Washington Star, and The Chronicle of Higher Education,
Reception
Berlet's second book, co-authored with Matthew N. Lyons, is Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, was published by The Guilford Press in 2000. It is a broad historical overview of right-wing populism in the United States. The book received generally favorable reviews. Library Journal said it was a "detailed historical examination" that "strikes an excellent balance between narrative and theory." The New York Review of Books described it as an excellent account describing the outermost fringes of American conservatism. A review by Jerome Himmelstein in the journal Contemporary Sociology said that "it offers more than a scholarly treatise on the activities of the Third Reich", that it provides a background to help the reader understand the Holocaust, and that it "merits close attention from scholars of the political right in America and of social movements generally."
Robert H. Churchill of the private University of Hartford criticized Berlet and other authors writing about the right-wing as lacking breadth and depth in their analysis. In Who Watches the Watchmen?, Laird Wilcox criticized Berlet and other writers for what Wilcox says is their use of a technique he describes as "Links and Ties," which he says is a form of guilt by association. Jack Z. Bratich, an associate professor in the Journalism and Media Studies Department at Rutgers University, said that Berlet uses the methods of conspiracy theorists.
Publications
See also
References
- "Chip Berlet, Tea Parties, White Rage & Right-Wing Populism Recorded on November 30th, 2010"
- Berlet, C. (March 2014). "Public Intellectuals, Scholars, Journalists, & Activism: Wearing Different Hats and Juggling Different Ethical Mandates". International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences. 3 (1): 61–90. doi:10.4471/rimcis.2014.29.
- Chermak, Steven M. (2002). Searching for a Demon: The Media Construction of the Militia Movement. UPNE. p. 92. ISBN 9781555535414.
- ^ Altschiller, Donald (2005). Hate Crimes: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO. pp. 88–89. ISBN 9781851096244.
- ^ George, John; Wilcox, Laird M. (1996), American Extremists: Militias, Supremacists, Klansmen, Communists & Others, Prometheus Books, p. 295, ISBN 978-1-57392-058-2
- Berlet, Chip (July 11, 2009). "Holocaust Museum Shooting, Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories, and the Tools of Fear". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- "About PRA". Publiceye.org.
- "Bibliography: Chicago Police Department's Red Squad's Involvement In Social Protest" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- LaRouche Cult Continues to Grow By Russ Bellant, Chip Berlet, & Dennis King, Political Research Associates, December 16, 1981
- Berlet, Chip. "History of the Public Eye Electronic Forums".
- Jason Berry (August 22, 1993). "Bridging chasms of race and hate". St. Petersburg Times (Florida). Times Publishing Company. p. 6D.
- Brandt, Daniel (December 1992). "An Incorrect Political Memoir". NameBase. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- Chip Berlet, "Right Woos Left: Populist Party, LaRouchite, and Other Neo-fascist Overtures To Progressives, And Why They Must Be Rejected," Cambridge, Massachusetts: Political Research Associates, 1991.
- With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America at IMDb
- Martin, William (1996). With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America. Broadway. ISBN 0-553-06749-4.
- Right-Wing Populism in America by Chip Berlet, pp. 338–344
- Hawkins, Howie (2000). "A Green Perspective on Ralph Nader And Independent Political Action (from New Politics, vol. 8, no. 1 (new series), whole no. 29, Summer 2000)". Archived from the original on July 15, 2006.
- Berlet, Chip (March 27, 2007). "Berlet Joins Call for Probe into Death of Student who Attended LaRouche-Group Conference" (Press release). Political Research Associates. Archived from the original on August 2, 2007.
- Grant Kester (February–March 1995), "Net profits: Chip Berlet tracks computer networks of the religious right - interview with Political Research Associates analyst - Special Issue: Fundamentalist Media - Interview", Afterimage, Visual Studies Workshop, retrieved April 11, 2007
- Baker, Russell (May 17, 2001). "Mr. Right". The New York Review of Books. 48 (8). Retrieved July 26, 2008. Reprinted as Chapter 9 in Baker, Russell (2002). Looking Back. New York Review Books. pp. 139–157. ISBN 1-59017-008-3.
- Himmelstein, Jerome L., Review of book Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan. 2002), pp. 76–77, American Sociological Association
- Churchill, Robert H. "Beyond the Narrative of 1995 - Recent Examinations of the American Far Right." Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 125–136.
- The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization edited by Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw
- Wilcox, Laird, "Who Watches the Watchman?" in The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization edited by Jeffrey Kaplan, Heléne Lööw, Rowman Altamira, January 1, 2002, p. 332
- Bratich, Jack Z, Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture, SUNY Press 2008, p. 100
External links
- Official website
- Biography of Berlet at Center for Millennial Studies.
- Biography of Berlet at Political Research Associates.
- Chip Berlet at HathiTrust.
- Chip Berlet at IMDb.
- Chip Berlet at Internet Archive.
- Chip Berlet at Open Library.
- Chip Berlet at WorldCat.
- "Race, Class and Gender: Justice in the Intersections", brief description of Chip Berlet's work
- Chip Berlet on "The Becking of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords" – video report by Democracy Now!