‘Tell them if they race-mix, they will rot in hell’: right-wing extremists’ narratives on children’s ideological socialization

A recent rise in right-wing extremist movements and activities has<br>sparked international concerns over children raised in right-wing<br>extremist households. The general consensus appears to be that<br>these children are at risk of radicalization themselves, and could<br>end up following in their parents’ footsteps. To understand how<br>children’s ideological socialization is perceived within the milieu<br>itself, a narrative analysis of white nationalist parents’ discussions<br>on the online forum Stormfront was conducted. Five distinct<br>narratives on children’s ideological socialization were identified.<br>These narratives differ in terms of their underlying rationale and the<br>action perspective that they imply. Findings suggest that in raising<br>their children, right-wing extremist parents find themselves<br>grappling with two conflicting ‘meta-narratives’ [see Walton,<br>M. S. (2020). Defending white America: The apocalyptic meta-<br>narrative of white nationalist rhetoric. Brigham Young University]<br>underlying their ideology. One that departs from children’s<br>autonomy and self-determination (vis-à-vis mainstream society),<br>and one that stresses the importance of authoritarianism and<br>obedience (vis-à-vis the family ideology). This is reflected in<br>Stormfront users’ inconsistent and at times contradictory narratives<br>on parenting.