I'll give the alt-right this: They aren't afraid of fearlessly debating taboo subjects, and of saying exactly what comes to their minds. They seem more liberated than the politically correct crowd, who appear to be deathly afraid of getting real.

There is this persistent denial of painfully obvious things, which is exactly what sowed the seed for the alt-right movement to begin with.

If you want to fit into polite society, there are certain opinions you can't hold, for fear of being ostracised; opinions that once had wide appeal among people of European descent until the middle of the 20th century.

The facts on the ground didn't change; it just became unfashionable to interpret them in a certain way due to political events and ensuing changes in the political climate during the latter half of the 20th century.

I don't think it's self-evident that the idea of progress should apply to social issues. Progress in science and medicine is easy to objectively measure. Progress in social issues is merely a matter of opinion. While it's possible to argue that the suffering of oppressed groups should be reduced, it's equally possible to argue that this will lead to increased suffering for the majority on the long term.

The culture of the present will always be narcissistic, believing itself to be an improvement on past cultures, but again: What is your measuring stick for that?