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TRUE BELIEVERS AND
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T THE GREAT REPLACEMENT
UNDERSTANDING ANOMIE AND ALIENATION
Alf H. Walle
True Believers and the Great
Replacement
True Believers and the Great Replacement explores the responses of segments
of Western cultures who fear that changes in the racial, religious, and eth-
nic makeup of society threaten their way of life. The Great Replacement
Theory (that suggests that the traditional character of Western society is
being undermined by outsiders) is discussed. Analyzed with reference to
the Critical Race Theory and the “Cancel Culture” movement, the author
examines the anxieties and reactions of those who feel alienated by a world
of rapid and disorienting change. Drawing upon the thought of Eric Hoffer
and Emile Durkheim, these responses are discussed in terms of the con-
cepts of anomie and the true believer in innovative and effective ways. Based
on this analysis, strategic responses are suggested. The volume will appeal
to scholars and practitioners involved with issues of race and ethnicity, busi-
ness, and social and cultural analyses.
Alf H. Walle is a consultant focusing upon business anthropology and a long-
time college professor of business, psychology, and tribal management. He
is the author of Indigenous and Ethnic Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and
Culture and Economic Development and Mental Illness.
Classical and Contemporary Social Theory
Classical and Contemporary Social Theory publishes rigorous scholarly
work that re-discovers the relevance of social theory for contemporary
times, demonstrating the enduring importance of theory for modern social
issues. The series covers social theory in a broad sense, inviting contribu-
tions on both “classical” and modern theory, thus encompassing sociology,
without being confined to a single discipline. As such, work from across the
social sciences is welcome, provided that volumes address the social context
of particular issues, subjects, or figures and offer new understandings of
social reality and the contribution of a theorist or school to our understand-
ing of it.
The series considers significant new appraisals of established thinkers or
schools, comparative works, or contributions that discuss a particular social
issue or phenomenon in relation to the work of specific theorists or theoret-
ical approaches. Contributions are welcome that assess broad strands of
thought within certain schools or across the work of a number of thinkers,
but always with an eye toward contributing to contemporary understand-
ings of social issues and contexts.
Series Editor
Stjepan G. Mestrovic, Texas A&M University, USA
Titles in this series
A Sociology of Seeking:
Portents of Belief
Kieran Flanagan
True Believers and the Great Replacement:
Understanding Anomie and Alienation
Alf Walle
For more information about this series, please visit:
https://www.routledge.com/sociology/series/ASHSER1383
True Believers and the Great
Replacement
Understanding Anomie and Alienation
Alf H. Walle
First published 2023
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 Alf H. Walle
The right of Alf H. Walle to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 9781032428000 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032428017 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003364368 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003364368
Typeset in Times New Roman
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
Contents
List of Figures and Tables vii
Foreword viii
Prologue to Section 1 1
1 Anomie and True Believers 3
2 Dysfunctional and Functional Responses 16
3 Anomie, True Believers, and Replacement 29
Epilogue to Section 1 44
Prologue to Section 2 45
4 European True Believers and Xenophobia 47
5 American Freedom, Salad Bowls, and Xenophobia 63
Epilogue to Section 2: Examples from Europe
and North America 76
Prologue to Section 3: Reactions and Tensions 77
6 Critical Race Theory: From Rhetoric to Dialogue 79
7 The Cancel Culture Movement 96
Epilogue to Section 3 114
Prologue to Section 4 115
8 For What It’s Worth: Missteps that Multiply Problems 117
9 Getting What You Need: Keeping an Eye on the Prize 139
vi Contents
Epilogue to Section 4 159
Prologue to Section 5 160
10 Dialectics without a Synthesis: The Challenge of Finding
Common Ground 161
11 Beyond the U-Shaped Curve: A Continuum of Moral
and Ethical Thought 174
12 Insider Attitudes, Outsiders Views, and Lens of Psychology 196
Epilogue to Section 5 211
A Summary and Final Word 213
Index 220
List of Figures and Tables
Figures
1.1 Robert K. Merton’s Deviance Typology 8
10.1 Bell-Shaped Curve 168
10.2 U-Shaped Curve 169
Tables
1.1 Responses to Anomie 8
1.2 The Hoffer Model 11
1.3 Anomie and True Believers 13
2.1 The Boxer Rebellion and the Ghost Dance Compared 21
2.2 Negative and Positive Adjustments 26
3.1 The Three-Factor Model 40
4.1 Three-Factor Analysis of European Examples 59
6.1 Classic Marxism and Conventional Feminism Compared 86
6.2 Critical Race Theory: An Overview 91
7.1 Cancel Culture Techniques 108
8.1 Triggers of Hurtful Communication 132
9.1 Problems and Solutions 151
10.1 Leslie White’s Marxist/Materialistic Paradigm 165
10.2 Bell-Shaped and U-Shaped Curves Compared 169
11.1 The Kohlberg Moral and Ethical Paradigm 179
11.2 Applying the Kohlberg Model 190
12.1 Emic Analysis of Racism and Xenophobia 202
12.2 Etic Analysis of Racism and Xenophobia 204
12.3 Kolhberg, Pike, and Harris 206
Foreword
The 1960s was a turbulent era in the United States, but for many it was a
time of optimism. After decades of protest and struggling, major successes
were found in the area of civil rights. Emboldened by these achievements,
other major movements arose, including the anti-war movement, the rise
of contempoary feminism, various struggles involving sexuality and sexual
orientation, and a call for indigenous rights. Singer/Songwriter Bob Dylan
caught the spirit of that era when he wrote “the present now will later be
past. The [old] order is rapidly fadin’…For the times they are a-changin’”
(Dylan 1965).
The prevailing conventional wisdom of that era was that although many
people still clung to racist, xenophobic, and other reactionary beliefs and
practices, those who did so were anachronisms destined to fade as the older
generations died off. The end result that most progressives envisioned was
a more diverse, pluristic, and tolerant nation and world. This future looked
bright and within reach. The battle appeared to have been won even if a few
stragglers from the past remained.
Things have not worked out that way. The old beliefs and those who hold
them are more tenacious and powerful than anticipated by the optimistic
and naïve youth of the 1960s. As time has gone on, tensions have returned
and expanded. Those with racist and xenophobic tendencies can no longer
be dismissed as pathetic vestigal remains conveniently destined for inevita-
ble and rapid extinction.
In Europe, America, and around the world, a renaissance of racism and
xenophobia has emerged. It appears to be expanding. In the United States,
for example, most people once believed that racism primarily involved the
Southeastern region of the country where slavery once prevailed. Today,
it appears that racial tensions are much more widespread. Is the country
becoming more racist? Or are forces that were once hidden or ignored gain-
ing the attention they deserve? In either case, overt tensions are rising and
causing significant social upheavals.
To model this situation, two well-known concepts are used to lay a foun-
dation. The first is “Anomie”: the theory that rapid, profound, and unmit-
igated change can trigger responses that tend to be emotional, irrational,
Foreword ix
and often counterproductive. Thus, anomie explores ways in which people
are impacted by pressures, conditions, and environments. Many of these
outcomes are negative and regretable.
The second is the concept of the “True Believer”, a term used to identify
people who embrace causes without reservation or question, lose their indi-
viduality in the process, and respond accordingly. The key orientation of
this book is that due to anomie caused by rapidly changing and unmitigated
conditions, a cadre of true believers has arisen that uncritically embraces
xenophobic and racist orientations.
One specific response to these conditions has come to be called the Great
Replacement Theory: the assertion that demographic changes are causing
long-established cultural, racial, and ethnic groups to be downgraded to
the status of displaced minorities in their own homeland. Examples from
both Europe and the United States showcase the power of such beliefs. In
addition, the influence of paradigms and techniques, such as Critical Race
Theory and the Cancel Culture Movement, demonstrates the tensions that
currently exist involving racism and xenophobia.
Having pointed to some of the challenges and pitfalls currently being
experienced, ideas regarding how to deal with the situation are offered. In
order to reduce tensions, developing ways to defuse hostility is essential.
Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg presents a continuum of moral and ethical
frames of reference ranging from personal hedonistic response to universal
views and priorities. Such a model is able to acknowledge that rivals and
opponents possess moral and ethical frameworks even though they clash
with what others believe. By embracing this point of view, a less enflamed
way of discussing differences might be possible.
In addition, it is useful to recognize two bacic ways of viewing people
and their actions. One perspective stems from the point of view of the social
actor. Doing so tends to be culturally relativistic. The alternative focuses
upon the community of obsevers and how they evaluate what is empirically
observed. This approach seeks greater objectivity and a more universal per-
spective. These “emic” and “etic” techniques are valauable and have a role
to play when dealing with racism and xenophobia.
Both locally and worldwide, the current sitiuation regarding racism and
xenophibia is hurtful, divesive, and needs to be addressed. Greater under-
standing on both sides is needed. It is hoped that what is presented below
will offer useful suggestions for a much needed dialogue.
REFERENCE
Dylan, Bob (1965). “The Times They Are a Changin’”. Song released as a single and
within the Album The Times They Are a Changin’.
