There was drama over the weekend, I tweeted something dumb that was misinterpreted, etc, etc, etc.
Wanted to clear a few things up:
I think there’s a big difference between going against what’s mainstream dogma and being right-wing. I used to use the phrase “defensively right-wing” to mean people who are right-wing only because they are not progressives.
When I say “hard right,” or “far right” I’m not speaking of media-made bogeymen, or lazily applying it to anyone on the right. I’m speaking of people who self-identify as hard/far right. These are people who might subscribe to ideas like racial hierarchy, or more moderately, racial / ethnic separation.
Unfortunately, we are in a climate where anyone who disagrees with certain narratives is considered to be right-wing, and anyone genuinely right-wing is considered to be a fascist or Nazi. I don’t believe this. If I call someone a “fascist,” “national socialist,” or even a “racist,” I am almost always referring to someone who would use that term to describe themselves.
When I talk about a given group in any of my writing — sissies, Nazis, weeaboos, incels, whatever — the use of labels like “sissy” or “Nazi” or “racist” or “incel” are meant as descriptive statements using the language of the people I speak to.
So, long way of saying, I could have articulated myself better, but that’s where I’m coming from.
But all of this is window dressing to the real problem: no one actually gives a fuck about what I have to say, they just don’t like me.
Because, look, I’m not Crumps crying “fascist!”
I’m doing the opposite. When I say things like “have some conviction,” I’m not asking ordinary people to put themselves in danger or commit to statements that might get them in trouble. I am saying:
If you are, generously, a proud but moderate Republican and you see yourself in the label “hard” or “far right” while not subscribing to any of the core tenets—regardless of the language it’s wrapped in—then YOU are accepting a “leftist frame.”
You see yourself in “far right” because you go against liberal dogma and you’ve internalized their judgment of you. But that’s not what “far right” means.
As far as I know, and please correct me if I’m wrong, having libertarian leanings is not far right. Neither are the following: accepting gay marriage, transgender identity, drag queen story hour, kink, et al.
In fact, it’s not only not far right—it’s not conservative, a word this set often uses to self-identify. Conservative and right-wing aren’t interchangeable either, but I could be here all day with this shit.Constantly daring people to call you a fascist and then turning around and saying, “Who? Me? I’m just a dumb bitch!” is— I don’t know. You tell me, what’s the point of plausible deniability if you’re explicitly trying to pander to Zoomers who, without a lick of irony, would call themselves racist, natsoc, whatever? Might as well take it home at that point, but that’s just my opinion.
(And, yes, of course, ironic applications of these terms exist but just as many people are serious despite their irreverent tone.)
Maybe coming from another account, the point I was trying to make would have been clearer.
Anyway: I don’t think right-wingers are guilty of “wrongthink” nor am I trying to call them out in a misguided attempt to win the affection of the liberal media.
I just think a few people are insincere bullies. And, to quote someone in my server, “If the liberal media suddenly decided it was okay to make AGP jokes and IQ jokes, they’d all be back in their arms.”
Debrief on the weekend...
I'm unashamedly post-partisan. Which makes me a Marxist proto-Nazi, depending on who you ask. Works for me.
I'm new to you (I don't twitter, all my friends, esp., the ones who live on it, say it is too toxic for good mental hygiene) and your substack but am enjoying it so far! Your points above are parallel to mine and help me clarify some of my own thoughts on these issues.
Above, you say: "I’m speaking of people who self-identify as hard/far right. These are people who might subscribe to ideas like racial hierarchy."
I'm new to your writing but wonder if you are implying that racial hierarchies are just a thing of the hard/far right?
Both on-line and IRL, I have quite a few friends who are far to the right of (al)most all self-identified Progressives. Thus, many on the left would call these folks "right wingers" or even "hard/far right."
However, the only people I know who seem to believe, and who publically state, that some races, etc., are better than others are self-identified (or acting in public) Progressives who express a deep belief in a clear racial hierarchy (albeit inverted wrt that of the Klan).
Does your viewpoint include the possibility, or the inverse (!), that racial hierarchies are as much or more a component of public Progressives as they are of the actual far/hard right (albeit inverted). If so, can you link me to your writing related to this as I would be very interest in your take on this apparent, but strange, closing of the gap, if any, between the farthest left and right.