On Right-Wing Networking
Written for no organization in particular
The American and European Right has three problems with IRL networking:
Networking individuals is only particularly beneficial if the individuals are already competent and established.
Most competent and established individuals are in their 30’s or 40’s and are busy. These people tend to avoid time-wasting activities.
Most people who are joining IRL right-wing organizations are in their 20’s and are not established. These people don’t mind wasting some time.
What this has resulted in is an increase in the number of IRL organizations which are focused on networking, but a general gap between who is doing the networking and who needs to be networked with. An organization of 20-somethings is great and can be fun, but what we need isn’t fun, it’s an ability to link these 20-somethings in with more established individuals to make real effects.
Now, in ten years when the members of these organizations are established, perhaps that will matter. But what is more likely is that the best members of these organizations will begin to see participation as a waste of time and drift away, leaving the process to repeat itself, (this has already happened before, it’s also largely why organizations tend to drift towards the center-right).
Solutions
Of course this analysis lends itself towards trying to find solutions to the problem. While I believe the issue will persist, I have a few suggestions for mitigation:
Provide identity security to all members. Established individuals are the ones who are susceptible to doxxing tactics and smear campaigns. The best way to prevent this is to…
A) Have a vetting process which is thorough enough to prevent infiltration by most parties
B) Have an established process for maintaining any necessary records, preferably in a physical form
C) Ensure that members are aware of proper procedures regarding identity management, and are therefore aware of the lengths which the organization takes to maintain their security.
Obviously networking in-person requires a breach in anonymity, but organizations should take necessary precautions to avoid leaks.
Ensure that the organization’s public appearance is both professional and mature. Any organization whose public face is in the podcast sector will naturally attract younger members because that’s who is listening. Instead, the main focus of an organization’s public face should be its in-person events. While attendees will require identity protection, the majority of speakers at these kinds of events do not. Demonstrating that your organization has professional meetings and has real accomplishments is much more important than ensuring that you sound based on a digital format.
Structure your networking events. It’s easy to have a get-together at a bar or something, and these types of meetings can be good fun. However, this often doesn’t result in much. What can be more productive, (depending on your organization’s size), is to intentionally invite men with similar skillsets or careers to one discussion. This way, instead of circling around the table telling stories, the focus is on what these men have in common. This can result in real ideas which have impact rather than just having fun.
These are just a few relatively easy suggestions for any networking-focused organization to implement. It is necessary that these networks begin focusing on having real effects rather than just functioning as simply social groups.
Thanks for reading.