Angry White Men III: The Puppet Masters
Visual Space Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street, Vancouver
October 8-21, 2020
Catalogue
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Georgia Straight review
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In 2016, Haughton began the Angry White Men series, a sub-set of his Face of Evil series. The work was sparked by the enabling of hate that followed the US election, and by the rise of white-supremacist and nationalist demonstrators in both the USA and Europe. The Puppet Masters are the men who most need to be called to task: people like conservative media celebrities, Canadian far-right internet bloggers, radio talk-show hosts, white supremacist leaders, and American Presidents.
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Puppet Master I, Jeffrey Clarke
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Jeffrey Clark and his younger brother, Edward William Clark, were active white supremacists who advocated for a race war between whites and non-whites. The brothers allegedly openly fantasized about killing Jews and blacks. The brothers were active in white supremacist social media circles, particularly on the controversial network Gab, a haven for white supremacists, where Jeffrey Clark made upwards of 4,000 posts and associated with Robert Bowers. According to the FBI, Clark’s Gab username was “@PureWhiteEvil” and his screen name, “DC Bowl Gang,” was an admiring reference to the bowl-style haircut of white supremacist mass shooter Dylann Roof.
https://www.adl.org/blog/another-white-supremacist-uses-gab-to-share-violent-racist-fantasies -
Puppet Master II, John de Nugent
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.John De Nugent has run for elected office and has even vowed to one day become president. While maintaining racist views about numerous racial and ethnic groups, de Nugent is particularly anti-Semitic, believing that the Jews are, along with nefarious space aliens, intent on exterminating the Aryan race. Convinced that the Jews are the greatest threat to the white race, de Nugent welcomes an alliance with black nationalist groups. Jews (and other groups) want to exterminate both groups, de Nugent argues, so it is only logical that they develop an alliance.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual?keyword=de+Nugent -
Puppet Master III, Gary DeMar
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Gary DeMar is president of the Christian Reconstructionist think tank American Vision. The group advocates for a complete theocracy governed by Old Testament law. He is an outspoken anti-gay activist who regularly hosts and speaks at Christian-right events. DeMar’s inflammatory statements do not stop with his anti-LGBT remarks. In April 2009, he stated that a “long-term goal” should be “the execution of abortionists and their parents.” He is also no friend to Islam. In August 2010, he claimed, “The long-term goal of Islam is the abolition of our constitutional freedoms.”
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/gary-demar -
Puppet Master IV, Harold Covington
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Harold Armstead Covington (September 14, 1953 – July 14, 2018) was an American neo-Nazi activist and writer. Covington advocated the creation of an "Aryan homeland" in the Pacific Northwest (the Northwest Territorial Imperative) and was the founder of the Northwest Front, a website which promotes white separatism. Covington was mentioned in the media in connection with the Charleston Church shooting, whose perpetrator Dylann Roof cited Covington as an influence. According to Covington, the shooting was "a preview of coming attractions", but he also believed it was a bad idea for his followers to engage in random acts of violence, supporting organized revolution instead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Covington -
Puppet Master V, Charles Johnson
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Charles Carlisle Johnson is an American far-right political activist. A self-described “investigative journalist”, Johnson is often described as an internet troll, and has been involved in the proliferation and spread of multiple fake news stories. Johnson was owner of the websites GotNews.com, WeSearchr.com, and Freestartr.com, all of these are now defunct.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_C._Johnson -
Puppet Master VI, Christopher Cantwell
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.A one-time drug dealer, candidate for Congress and aspiring stand-up comedian, Christopher Cantwell now hosts Alt-Right luminaries such as Matthew Heimbach, Augustus Invictus and Andrew Auernheimer, aka, Weev, on his call-in talk show “Radical Agenda.” On his show and in mordant essays published on his website Christophercantwell.com, this 36-year-old self-proclaimed fascist argues for an Anglo ethno state free of African-Americans, Jews and non-white immigrants, save, perhaps, for the occasional exception. In Cantwell’s world, Blacks are prone to violence and have lower IQs; Jews spread communism and can’t be trusted; immigrants are outbreeding whites; and a race war is all but inevitable.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual?keyword=cantwell -
Puppet Master VII, Stefan Molyneux
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.A Canadian libertarian internet commentator and alleged cult leader who amplifies "scientific racism," eugenics and white supremacism to a massive new audience, Stefan Molyneux operates within the racist so-called “alt-right” and pro-Trump ranks. A glance at Stefan Molyneux’s subscriber count (650,000+) on YouTube suggests that he is a charismatic, persuasive and influential individual. A skilled propagandist and an effective communicator within the racist “alt-right” and pro-Trump ranks, his promotion of scientific racism and eugenics to a large and growing audience is a serious concern. Molyneux has been delivering “race realist” propaganda, based on pseudo-scientific sources, to his audience on an ongoing basis for over two years, and thus has encouraged thousands of people to adopt his belief in biological determinism, social Darwinism and non-white racial inferiority. Molyneux puts considerable effort into cloaking the practical implications of these beliefs across his media platforms.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/stefan-molyneux -
Puppet Master VIII, August Kreis
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.A hot-tempered, long-time white supremacist and Christian Identity minister who now suffers from severe diabetes, August Kreis III is a long-time white supremacist once headed one of a handful of competing splinter factions of the once-mighty Aryan Nations. Kreis has fervently advocated the mass murder of Jews, non-whites and "race traitors." He also promoted "lone wolf" domestic terrorism, which he called "leaderless resistance under the radical banner of pan-Aryanism." Although Kreis has frequently ranted against what he regularly described as the Jewish-controlled mainstream media, he also has often courted publicity. In the mid-2000s, he did so by claiming to be forging an alliance between Neo-Nazis and Muslim jihadists. In January 2012, Kreis decided to quit Aryan Nations just weeks after being convicted of federal fraud-related charges. Two years later, in 2014, he was charged with sexually abusing children in South Carolina.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/august-kreis -
Puppet Master IX, Andrew Anglin
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Andrew Anglin is the founder and editor of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website. Styled after popular image-heavy Internet forums like 4chan and 8chan, the Daily Stormer is dedicated to spreading anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism, and white nationalism, primarily through guttural hyperbole and epithet-laden stories about topics like alleged Jewish world control and black-on-white crime.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/andrew-anglin -
Puppet Master X, Andrew weev Auernheimer
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
24 x 24 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Andrew “weev” Auernheimer first made headlines as a prolific internet troll and hacker, a denizen of 4chan known for lashing out at perceived enemies online. But his antisemitism was never well disguised. After serving a 15-month prison sentence on hacking-related charges that were overturned on a technicality in 2014, Auernheimer came out as a virulent white supremacist in an article posted on the Daily Stormer, where he railed against the black judge and Jewish prosecutor in the case that sent him to prison. Auernheimer left the United States not long after his release but continues to advocate for the genocide of non-whites in stories and podcasts posted online, as well as perform system administrator duties for the Daily Stormer.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual?keyword=Andrew+%E2%80%9Cweev%E2%80%9D+Auernheimer -
Puppet Master XI, Alex Jones
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Dubbed "the most paranoid man in America" by Rolling Stone “documentary”-maker and webmaster Alex Jones is notorious for epic rants about “New World Order” plots for world government, enforced eugenics, secret internment camps, militarized police and behind-the-scenes control by a global corporate cabal. In his estimation, the only way to avert this dystopian future is if true patriots resist before it is too late, and his tens of thousands of acolytes are taking heed, building bunkers, hoarding food and investing in precious metals – and, in some cases, resorting to violence. His principal venues are “The Alex Jones Show,” which has approximately 2 million weekly listeners and is nationally syndicated on about 60 radio stations, and two conspiracy-themed websites, InfoWars.com (Alexa rank 330) and PrisonPlanet.com (Alexa rank 3,237). He also peddles an extensive line of self-produced videos, “documentaries” that purport to prove a whole array of conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks, secret government concentration camps, and more.
Jones’ radio show and websites are chock full of ads for "recession-proof" investments in gold coins and other precious metals offered by a company called Midas Resources. Midas Resources is owned by Ted Anderson, who also owns the Genesis Communications Network, syndicator of “The Alex Jones Show.” Midas describes itself on its website as "[o]ne of the world's premiere precious metals firms, parent company of The Genesis Communications Network, proud sponsor of the Campaign For Liberty and creator of the Ron Paul Air Corps."
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/alex-jones -
Puppet Master XII, Arthur Jensen
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Arthur Jensen was arguably the father of modern academic racism. For over 40 years, Jensen, an educational psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, provided a patina of academic respectability to pseudoscientific theories of black inferiority and segregationist public policies. Jensen was responsible for resurrecting the idea that the black population is inherently and immutably less intelligent than the white population, an ideology that immediately became known as “jensenism.” Jensen promoted eugenics as the only practical solution to the problems facing the black community, arguing that they lacked the intelligence necessary for compensatory education programs to be successful. His ability to repackage fringe racial theories in the dry, dispassionate rhetoric of science made Jensen an instant celebrity in white nationalist circles, where he is still revered as “an intellectual pioneer comparable to Nobel Prize winners” and “a man of the highest distinction, not just scientifically, but also morally.”
In addition to his association with German neo-Nazis, Jensen also actively supported the efforts of American scientists and business leaders who still opposed school integration.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/arthur-jensen -
Puppet Master XIII, David Yerushaimi
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.David Yerushalmi is a New York lawyer and anti-muslim activist who is a leading proponent of the idea that the United States is threatened by the imposition of Muslim religious law, known as Shariah. David Yerushalmi is a key figure in the U.S. anti-Muslim hate movement who serves as legal counsel to other anti-Muslim groups and individuals. He is also the original author behind model anti-sharia legislation that has been proposed in state legislatures across the United States, despite the lack of evidence of any threat to U.S. laws and the constitution.
Muslims aren’t the only group with whom he has a bone to pick. Yerushalmi also rails against liberal Jews and the “progressive elites” he says they influence. He has described black people as “the most murderous of peoples” and reportedly once called for undocumented immigrants to be placed in “special criminal camps,” detained for three years, and then deported.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/david-yerushalmi -
Puppet Master XIV, Sean Hannity
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Sean Patrick Hannity is an American talk show host and conservative political commentator. Hannity is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show. He also hosts a commentary program, Hannity, on Fox News. Hannity has promoted conspiracy theories, such as Birtherism, claims that the murder of Seth Rich was part of a conspiracy, and falsehoods about Hillary Clinton’s health. Since Trump's election, Hannity has often acted as a mouthpiece for Trump's messaging, criticizing the media, attacking the special counsel inquiry, and discouraging social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He reportedly speaks to the president on the phone most weeknights. White House advisors have characterized him as the "shadow" chief-of-staff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Hannity -
Puppet Master XV, Stephen Miller
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.“An analysis of more than 900 emails from Stephen Miller, a White House speechwriter and close adviser to the president, to editors at Breitbart News, the report shows Miller’s single-minded focus on nonwhite immigration and his immersion in an online ecosystem of virulent, unapologetic racism. The Miller of these emails isn’t just an immigration restrictionist, he’s an ideological white nationalist.”
Jamelle Bouie, NYT, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/opinion/stephen-miller-emails.html -
Puppet Master XVI, Richard Spencer
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.As head of the National Policy Institute, Richard Spencer is one of the country’s most successful young white nationalist leaders — a suit-and-tie version of the white supremacists of old, a kind of professional racist in khakis. Spencer has been credited with creating the term “alt-right”.
Richard Spencer’s clean-cut appearance conceals a radical white separatist whose goal is the establishment of a white ethno-state in North America. His writings and speeches portray this as a reasonable defense of Caucasians and Eurocentric culture. In Spencer’s myopic worldview, white people have been “dispossessed” by a combination of rising minority birth rates, immigration and government policies he abhors.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/richard-bertrand-spencer-0 -
Puppet Master XVII, Donald Trump
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.The Trump 2016 presidential campaign was remarkable for bringing fringe ideas, beliefs, and organizations into the mainstream. During his presidential campaign, Trump was accused of pandering to white supremacists. He retweeted open racists, and repeatedly refused to condemn David Duke, the Ku Klux Klan or white supremacists. Some research suggests Trump's rhetoric causes an increased incidence of hate crimes. It was reported in August 2019 that a nationwide review conducted by ABC News had identified at least 36 criminal cases where Trump was invoked in direct connection with violence or threats of violence. Of these, 29 were based around someone echoing presidential rhetoric, while the other seven were someone protesting it or not having direct linkage. The 2019 El Paso Walmart shooter directly referenced Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric in his manifesto.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump -
Puppet Master XVIII, Rush Limbaugh
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio personality, conservative political commentator, author and former television show host. He is best known as the host of his radio show The Rush Limbaugh Show. Limbaugh has been one of the premiere voices of the conservative movement in the United States since the 1990s. Limbaugh has expressed controversial viewpoints on race, LGBT matters, feminism, and sexual consent. Limbaugh rejects climate change theory. Of Limbaugh's controversial statements and allegations they have investigated, Politifact has rated 84% as ranging from "Mostly False" to "Pants-On-Fire" (signifying extremely false), with 5% of Limbaugh's contested statements rising to the level of "Mostly True" and 0% rated "True". These debunked allegations by Limbaugh include suggestions that the existence of gorillas disproves the theory of evolution, that Ted Kennedy sent a letter to Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov seeking to undercut President Reagan, that a recent lack of hurricanes disproves climate change, and that President Obama wanted to mandate circumcision.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh -
Puppet Master XIX, Gavin McInnes
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.Established in the midst of the 2016 presidential election by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys are self-described “western chauvinists” who adamantly deny any connection to the racist “alt-right,” insisting they are simply a fraternal group spreading an “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” agenda. Their disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions: rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-muslim and misogynistic rhetoric. Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings like the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. Indeed, former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler helped to organize the event, which brought together Klansmen, antisemites, Southern racists, and militias. Kessler was only “expelled” from the group after the violence and near-universal condemnation of the Charlottesville rally-goers.
Southern Poverty Law Center website – Extremist Files
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys -
Puppet Master XX Renaud Camus
Acrylic on Hardboard, 2020
36 x 48 inches
Please note the images are protected by copyright under Canadian and United States Law.The Southern Poverty Law Center, an anti-racism campaign group, described Renaud Camus as the "the progenitor of the great replacement doctrine—the racist idea that white Europeans are being replaced by immigrants."
Camus wrote a book in 2012 called The Great Replacement, in which he laid out his theory that a global elite is conspiring through mass immigration to replace the white race with others. The allegation, which has no basis in fact, has since become a bedrock creed of white nationalist and supremacist movements the world over.
The New Zealand shooter, who murdered 51 people in attacks on two mosques, referenced Camus’ great replacement theory—that non-white immigrants, particularly Muslims, are replacing whites in majority-white countries—in his manifesto.
Also citing Camus’ work in his manifesto was the perpetrator of the 2019 shooting at an El Paso Walmart that killed 22 people and injured 24 others.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/04/the-french-origins-of-you-will-not-replace-us
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/europe/renaud-camus-great-replacement.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaud_Camus