Thank you for your thoughtful analysis. The American Civil War never ended. These attitudes underlie so much of what we see in the Far Right today. It’s the old hatred, resentment and prejudice wrapped up in a new, perhaps more sophisticated form. Sadly, this could mark the decline of the United States.
In Orwell’s Defence of English Food, he notes that features of nationalism include contradictions and unhinged from reality but also its instability. In other words, these are features and not bugs and hoping that the movement will collapse in its contradiction is hopeful and probably a little naive. Our hope lies in its instability and that events, whatever they maybe, will lead dampen the MAGA ardor. In the meantime, a good starting point wld be getting rid of s230 and making Google and Meta, and all the other platforms properly accountable for the polarization they are fanning.
Very interesting, Sam. Thank you. We are in a decidedly chaotic period for political "thought" in the US. No one knows where the Republicans will head after they ditch Trump in the short to medium term. The Democrats have it all to fight for now, in November and thereafter but currently have no real notion of what they would do with it other than repeating their past unwanted inanities. This Democratic Party intellectual void could easily make them throw it all away by moving closer to their "New York Set" mentality and away from what the rest of the American voters, including classic Republicans, might find attractive.
The post-Trump Republican Party may still be horribly influenced by Trump (assuming he hasn’t dropped dead). He has amassed enough money and vindictive power (through his true believers) to continue to influence decision-making in the party for years to come.
I find it fascinating that, even with the midterms approaching, no member of the GOP is able to ascribe any asserted benefits of policy to the party - whose representatives will be up for election - but all to Trump alone…
The Laura Field book is really very good. There is rather more dark substance to post-liberals such as Adrian Vermeule as he draws heavily on Carl Schmitt as the basis of an overthrow on constitutional liberalism. What is interesting for us in the UK is how this whole alien discourse has leached into UK politics and the ideological crisis of the Conservative Party.
"In some ways, this total lack of interest in consistency has held the MAGA coalition together. It is worth everyone trying to stay on Trump’s good side not only because of his gangster-boss demands for fealty, but also because he offers something for everyone and can often be persuaded to change his mind"..
Before the 2024 election, I asked right wing friends which of Trump's statements to take "literally" or as hyperbole/jokes. Of course, I got answers that were completely at odds with each other - even when I pointed that out. "Something for everyone" works UNTIL it fully becomes at odds with reality - high prices, war in Iran.
For the true believers, cognitive dissonance (grifter targets are the best ones to keep going after - can't admit they were conned) will prevent them for giving up. But for the fringe or actual believers in a particular idea, they will shake loose (and possibly just stop voting).
"The rise of MAGA is arguably the most important political phenomenon of this century."
I'm 100% certain that AI is the most important political phenomenon of this century, and that social media is the second most important political phenomenon.
The rise of MAGA might be the third most important. But I think you could make the case for other things, such as immigration, "degrowth" related ideas on the left, China's economic growth, falling birth rates and wokeism.
I've using "political" here in the sense of a specifically party political shift. I'd think of AI and social media as technological or cultural phenonmenon, though obviously they have political implications. (As do immigration or fall birth rates).
Where do you put people such as Hanania and Rufo? Both were influential in Trump 2.0's initial tranche of executive orders, and in other 'anti-woke' areas, but don't quite seem to fit into your categories here.
Well Hanania is now claiming to be a liberal and writing screeds about how the right are all idiots so not sure he fits in here at all. Rufo probably fits best as a postliberal in that his focus is on cultural change within the US rather than the nation state or originalism. He seems to be having some doubts about the whole thing now too.
Thanks but I’m none the wiser.
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis. The American Civil War never ended. These attitudes underlie so much of what we see in the Far Right today. It’s the old hatred, resentment and prejudice wrapped up in a new, perhaps more sophisticated form. Sadly, this could mark the decline of the United States.
In fiction I would recommend The Unfurling by AM Holmes which I think also gave an explanation to this incoherent but powerful approach
Pass the hemlock
In Orwell’s Defence of English Food, he notes that features of nationalism include contradictions and unhinged from reality but also its instability. In other words, these are features and not bugs and hoping that the movement will collapse in its contradiction is hopeful and probably a little naive. Our hope lies in its instability and that events, whatever they maybe, will lead dampen the MAGA ardor. In the meantime, a good starting point wld be getting rid of s230 and making Google and Meta, and all the other platforms properly accountable for the polarization they are fanning.
Gamergate is a minor influence, Steve Bannon realised you could weaponise online / meme culture especially young men.
Very interesting, Sam. Thank you. We are in a decidedly chaotic period for political "thought" in the US. No one knows where the Republicans will head after they ditch Trump in the short to medium term. The Democrats have it all to fight for now, in November and thereafter but currently have no real notion of what they would do with it other than repeating their past unwanted inanities. This Democratic Party intellectual void could easily make them throw it all away by moving closer to their "New York Set" mentality and away from what the rest of the American voters, including classic Republicans, might find attractive.
The post-Trump Republican Party may still be horribly influenced by Trump (assuming he hasn’t dropped dead). He has amassed enough money and vindictive power (through his true believers) to continue to influence decision-making in the party for years to come.
I find it fascinating that, even with the midterms approaching, no member of the GOP is able to ascribe any asserted benefits of policy to the party - whose representatives will be up for election - but all to Trump alone…
The Laura Field book is really very good. There is rather more dark substance to post-liberals such as Adrian Vermeule as he draws heavily on Carl Schmitt as the basis of an overthrow on constitutional liberalism. What is interesting for us in the UK is how this whole alien discourse has leached into UK politics and the ideological crisis of the Conservative Party.
"In some ways, this total lack of interest in consistency has held the MAGA coalition together. It is worth everyone trying to stay on Trump’s good side not only because of his gangster-boss demands for fealty, but also because he offers something for everyone and can often be persuaded to change his mind"..
Before the 2024 election, I asked right wing friends which of Trump's statements to take "literally" or as hyperbole/jokes. Of course, I got answers that were completely at odds with each other - even when I pointed that out. "Something for everyone" works UNTIL it fully becomes at odds with reality - high prices, war in Iran.
For the true believers, cognitive dissonance (grifter targets are the best ones to keep going after - can't admit they were conned) will prevent them for giving up. But for the fringe or actual believers in a particular idea, they will shake loose (and possibly just stop voting).
Mamdani and the 100+Dem progressives are a source of hope and they are not liberals but democratic socialists.
MAGA is MAM[A] ( Make America Medieval) with AI characteristics, nothing more (but that is horrific enough and could lead to a vast cull).
lunderstand MAGA ??? is probably equal to understanding quantum mechanics lol
"The rise of MAGA is arguably the most important political phenomenon of this century."
I'm 100% certain that AI is the most important political phenomenon of this century, and that social media is the second most important political phenomenon.
The rise of MAGA might be the third most important. But I think you could make the case for other things, such as immigration, "degrowth" related ideas on the left, China's economic growth, falling birth rates and wokeism.
I've using "political" here in the sense of a specifically party political shift. I'd think of AI and social media as technological or cultural phenonmenon, though obviously they have political implications. (As do immigration or fall birth rates).
Where do you put people such as Hanania and Rufo? Both were influential in Trump 2.0's initial tranche of executive orders, and in other 'anti-woke' areas, but don't quite seem to fit into your categories here.
Well Hanania is now claiming to be a liberal and writing screeds about how the right are all idiots so not sure he fits in here at all. Rufo probably fits best as a postliberal in that his focus is on cultural change within the US rather than the nation state or originalism. He seems to be having some doubts about the whole thing now too.