Thomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023

“The ruling class.”

That’s actually the new consensus enemy on the Right, uniting the rightwing online and pundit sphere with the mainstream of Republican politics. And it’s a chimera entirely detached from the political and socio-economic realities of American life.

Show threadThomas Zimmer
In the reactionary imagination, Trump is *not* part of the “ruling class” - because “It’s about culture” as Dreher puts it. That’s the same reason why Clarence Thomas, according to Ron DeSantis’ new book, is not “ruling class,” while every lefty student and activist absolutely is.
Aug 25, 2023 at 6:00pmIvory for iOS
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
DeSantis devotes much of his 2023 book “The Courage to Be Free,” his letter of application for the presidency, to presenting himself as a noble warrior against the “ruling elite,” which he defines as anyone who adheres to “woke” ideology.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
And according to the governor of Florida, this leftist elite is dominating most major institutions of American life: the media, big tech, education – which enables them to impose their radically “Un-American” ideology on the country.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
The “ruling elite” idea is actually at the center of how reactionaries legitimize their ongoing radicalization, and why they are supposedly entirely justified in pushing for nothing less than a rightwing counter-revolution, even if that means abandoning key “conservative” principles.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
DeSantis is the best example: You are a powerful politician mobilizing the coercive powers of the state to ban books and take basic rights and civil liberties away from marginalized groups - but you want to sell that as part of a struggle to defend “freedom”? Enter the “ruling elite.”
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
Just like that, what’s actually a radically illiberal, authoritarian assault on democracy becomes part of a heroic struggle to defend “freedom” - the freedom to live, and force everyone else to live, in accordance with what the Right defines as the “natural” order - against the “ruling elite.”
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
The focus on “cultural” rule is also indicative of how much a feeling of being under siege is driving the reactionary project, this hatred of cultural spaces they don’t dominate: It has a lot to do with this idea that white conservatives have a right to constant public and private affirmation.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
Reactionaries are animated by the idea that they are not only entitled to rule and shape the public square in their image, but also to be revered. They increasingly lack the cultural power to enforce that reverence, which they perceive as outrageous and present as oppression.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
It’s telling that rightwing anxieties aren’t alleviated by, for instance, the fact that a reactionary majority will dominate the Supreme Court for a generation. Conservatives realize that their vision for U.S. society has come under pressure - not just politically, but even more so culturally.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
It is not just political rule the Right seeks, but cultural domination and affirmation. And in the cultural sphere, the shift in power away from white conservatives has been more pronounced, leading to the recurring rightwing moral panics of recent years.
Show threadTVNRedAug 25, 2023
@tzimmer_history It’s about culture is an insane argument and Dreher should know better. He’s been captured…he wasn’t always this crazy. Anyone can spout off about culture while robbing you blind. Geez… it’s about yelling about things you don’t like the loudest is an insane way to run a country.
Show threadLiz LovelandAug 26, 2023
@tvnred "Stop saying fascists are 'crazy' rather than fascists" Challenge 2023
Show threadOggieAug 26, 2023

@tzimmer_history Your points are well-stated, but I cannot shake the image that this is literally the Deep State ill defined and omnipresent boogyman, only in a trenchcoat and sunglasses.

It means whatever you personally don't like, and let's refuse to define it so one person in the crowd thinks it means let's tax rich people, and another thinks it means let's never tax anyone, and another means let's kill all the gays.

But they can cheer together, because the message is undefined.

Show threadEdgeAug 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history

Can I ask one more time if there is a #Mastodon equivalent of the #Twitter #ThreadReaderApp to be able to send a thread off to someone not in the fedi? I miss that ability...

Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 25, 2023
@czarbucks I have no idea…
Show threadEdgeAug 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history

Yes, sorry, that was an open question to the fediverse... Thanks.

Show threadTVNRedAug 25, 2023
@czarbucks @tzimmer_history As I was reading this, I had the exact same thought. It’s worth sharing
Show threadDogzillaAug 25, 2023
@tzimmer_history Only if we allow it
Show threadEdgeAug 26, 2023
@tzimmer_history calling @Chartodon
Show threadWeyoun 6Aug 25, 2023
@tzimmer_history Friedersdorf writing something factually correct. What a weird day.
Show threadDavid RolfeAug 25, 2023
These guys are so detached from reality. Imagine thinking a billionaire is not part of the ruling class in this country.
@tzimmer_history
Show threadSynth23Aug 25, 2023
@tzimmer_history I agree with your follow up points, but still Rod invoking “culture” here is funny to me. Trump had a well-known television on a major network and has been a celebrity for as long as I can remember. Trump is very much a part of any conventional definition of “culture”.
Show threadJeremyPatMartinAug 25, 2023
@tzimmer_history in other words "ignore your rich donors and instead hate the students who are warning us about them"