A glimpse at post-facts-era white supremacy.
In the Daily Beast, Asawin Suebsaeng reports on one heck of a white nationalist convention. The most intriguing guest: one Tila Tequila, known for reality-TV appearances and general scandalousness. Suebsaeng reminds that Tequila “has dabbled in casual anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi declarations over the years, to the point where she has been condemned by the Anti-Defamation League.” (Yup.)
It’s not surprising that someone with an anti-Semitic past would pop up at a white supremacist gathering. What is surprising is this remark by Tila Tequila to the Daily Beast:
“‘And I think that’s why I’m also invited here because I bring a little bit more diversity to the movement.’”
Diversity. To the movement. The movement being white nationalism.
What does one do with this information? My first thought was that we can probably now stop wondering What It Means that Trump both embraces white supremacists and has Jewish family members. White supremacy not only lets in but parades token members of otherwise-hated groups. Tequila’s given name was Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen. She’s identified at various points as lesbian and bisexual, and had a famous relationship with a female socialite. She is, in other words, someone who’d be referred to on the left as a queer woman of color.
But I had a second thought, too! (It’s amazing what the female brain is capable of.) And it’s that we shouldn’t, when analogizing, assume that Americanethno-nationalism, in 2016, would look like the early-mid-century European variety. The demographics are different, as — and this bit’s more recent — is the emphasis on facts. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the country where an actor born Carlos Irwin Estévez is a leading face of white male bigotry lands on a different definition of racial acceptability than did Nazi Germany. So maybe Tila Tequila is being feted on the alt-right because she suggests they’re not as racist as they… seem? claim to be? my head is spinning. Or maybe, if it’s convenient to the right people, she’s just white.
Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen[1] (born October 24, 1981), better known by her stage names Tila Tequila, Tila Nguyen and Miss Tila, is a Vietnamese American television and social media personality. She first gained recognition for her active presence on social networking websites. After becoming the most popular person on Myspace,[2]Tequila was offered to star in her own reality television series. Her bisexual-themed dating show, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila(2007), aired for two seasons and became MTV's second highest-rated series premiere of that year.
Born in Singapore and raised in Houston, Texas, Tequila moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue her modeling career. After being featured in numerous men's magazines (including Playboy, Stuff and Maxim), she made her reality television debut on the VH1 show Surviving Nugent (2003).
Besides her career in modeling and television, Tequila also pursued her career as a recording artist and author. She was the lead singer of the bands Beyond Betty Jean and Jealousy, before launching a solo career. Her debut single "I Love U" was released in 2007 to mixed reviews. Despite having strong online sales, the song failed to enter any charts. Tequila followed with several independently released singles, including "Stripper Friends" and "Paralyze". In 2010, she released her second EP Welcome to the Dark Side. Her book, Hooking Up With Tila Tequila: A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success, and Being the Life of the Party was published in 2008. She has subsequently received attention for her support of Hitler, as well as antisemitic and white nationalist comments,which led to her expulsion from Celebrity Big Brother.
Nguyen was featured on the cover of the April 2006 issue of Stuff magazine; in the interview, she claimed that her nickname "Tila Tequila" came about when she experimented with alcohol at the age of thirteen. She appeared on the August 2006 Maxim UK cover, was named #88 in their Hot 100 List, and also appeared in the December 2007 issue.She was ranked #100 on the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2008.
Nguyen has been featured on the front page of magazines such as Penthouse, King, Blender, and most recently Steppin' Out.
Support for Hitler and Antisemitism
In December 2013, Nguyen caused controversy by posting an article on her website titled "Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part I", although she stated that her views on Hitler were not derived from antisemitism on her part, nor any feelings toward Jewish people. Nguyen stated:
For those of you who focus on the victims of war well that is just part of war. What do you think war is about? People DIE in wars that is why I am against wars. It brought me to tears because I used to think all of those horrible things about him [Hitler] until I learned the truth about the war and what Hitler truly did and he was not a bad person as they have painted him out to be. Here is a man who was not a coward, stood up for his country in a DESPERATE TIME OF NEED (unlike all of our cowardly leaders), and yet not only did he try his best to help his country and people get out of what was a time of depression, economic collapse, high unemployment, amongst many other things.
She also posted pro-Hitler and antisemitic comments on her Facebook page, as well as photos of herself as a scantily clad Nazi posing in front of a photo of the Auschwitz concentration camp. These actions angered her Facebook followers, and resulted in Facebook closing her account and removing the material in question.
In August 2015, Tequila became a contestant in the sixteenth series of British television reality show Celebrity Big Brother, but was asked to leave the programme on its second day when producers became aware of her comments, and following reports that she had posted images of herself posing before Auschwitz dressed in a Nazi uniform. She subsequently apologized for her earlier comments, blaming them on depression and drug addiction.She also has maintained in social media postings that those pictures were private and blamed both her alt right followers and the mainstream press for their proliferation in social media. Controversy is the best Publicist as Donald Trump who she endorsed for the45th President clearly illustrated.
However, on May 6, 2016, Nguyen tweeted that Jewish-American political commentator Ben Shapiro should "be gassed and sent back to Israel" and later posted that "There are only two things in this world, for which I would gladly sacrifice my own life; the destruction of all Jews and preservation of the white race" and "You know what will help Asians earn respect? An Asian version of Adolf Hitler… I want that person to be me; I want to save the world from this Zionist disease."
In June 2016, Tila Tequila accused Sarah Silverman and the Jews of killing Jesus and saying the comedian was next on a “celebrity sacrifice” list.
On November 19, 2016, she attended an alt-right meeting celebrating the election of Donald Trump, and posted photos on social media of herself doing a Nazi salute alongside white-nationalists such as Richard B. Spencer.One was posted to Twitter with the text "Seig [sic] heil!" and a raised hand emoji ("✋").As of November 22, 2016, her account has been suspended by Twitter.
In December 2013, Nguyen caused controversy by posting an article on her website titled "Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part I", although she stated that her views on Hitler were not derived from antisemitism on her part, nor any feelings toward Jewish people. Nguyen stated:
For those of you who focus on the victims of war well that is just part of war. What do you think war is about? People DIE in wars that is why I am against wars. It brought me to tears because I used to think all of those horrible things about him [Hitler] until I learned the truth about the war and what Hitler truly did and he was not a bad person as they have painted him out to be. Here is a man who was not a coward, stood up for his country in a DESPERATE TIME OF NEED (unlike all of our cowardly leaders), and yet not only did he try his best to help his country and people get out of what was a time of depression, economic collapse, high unemployment, amongst many other things.
She also posted pro-Hitler and antisemitic comments on her Facebook page, as well as photos of herself as a scantily clad Nazi posing in front of a photo of the Auschwitz concentration camp. These actions angered her Facebook followers, and resulted in Facebook closing her account and removing the material in question.
In August 2015, Tequila became a contestant in the sixteenth series of British television reality show Celebrity Big Brother, but was asked to leave the programme on its second day when producers became aware of her comments, and following reports that she had posted images of herself posing before Auschwitz dressed in a Nazi uniform. She subsequently apologized for her earlier comments, blaming them on depression and drug addiction.She also has maintained in social media postings that those pictures were private and blamed both her alt right followers and the mainstream press for their proliferation in social media. Controversy is the best Publicist as Donald Trump who she endorsed for the45th President clearly illustrated.
However, on May 6, 2016, Nguyen tweeted that Jewish-American political commentator Ben Shapiro should "be gassed and sent back to Israel" and later posted that "There are only two things in this world, for which I would gladly sacrifice my own life; the destruction of all Jews and preservation of the white race" and "You know what will help Asians earn respect? An Asian version of Adolf Hitler… I want that person to be me; I want to save the world from this Zionist disease."
In June 2016, Tila Tequila accused Sarah Silverman and the Jews of killing Jesus and saying the comedian was next on a “celebrity sacrifice” list.
On November 19, 2016, she attended an alt-right meeting celebrating the election of Donald Trump, and posted photos on social media of herself doing a Nazi salute alongside white-nationalists such as Richard B. Spencer.One was posted to Twitter with the text "Seig [sic] heil!" and a raised hand emoji ("✋").As of November 22, 2016, her account has been suspended by Twitter.
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