A post from the White House published recently has had extremism experts pacing their offices with fear. It alludes to concepts from the racist text Which Way Western Man. William Gayley Simpson, a white nationalist, wrote this book in 1978. It has since become required reading in American far-right circles.
Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, emphasizes the book’s significance in neo-Nazi and white supremacist subcultures. “Western man is code for white man, and one of the most popular racist books in these subcultures is Which Way Western Man, which has been featured in a Department of Homeland Security post celebrating manifest destiny,” Beirich stated. This disturbing connection emphasizes the terrifying normalization of extremist literature into government discussions.
Simpson, a member of the National Alliance—a foundational neo-Nazi organization established by William Luther Pierce—wrote “Which Way Western Man” as a manifesto advocating for white supremacy. The book frequently appears in discussions about racist literature and has consistently found a receptive audience among groups promoting hate. Its appeal to far right extremist groups only highlights the racist, violent, misogynistic oppressive beliefs that this mascot breeds.
Moreover, a prominent neo-Nazi influencer just quoted from the book in a September 17 Telegram post that got almost 2,000 views. The message concerning Greenland’s desire to remain under Danish control resonated with themes from Simpson’s work, illustrating how deeply embedded these ideas are in the far-right narrative.
“This is a key concept in neo-Nazi and white supremacist subculture,” Beirich remarked regarding the implications of such references. She expressed concern about the increasing visibility of extremist views in mainstream political dialogue, stating, “It’s absolutely shocking to see such images being deployed by this administration.”
The term “Western man,” as used in Simpson’s work and echoed in recent political rhetoric, serves as coded language for white identity within these subcultures. This framing is troubling, particularly given the historical context of Simpson’s writings and their association with acts of violence, such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, inspired by the ideologies propagated by Pierce.