Right-Wing Intellectuals under Trump, Andrew Jackson and MAGA, "Ethnic Niches" and More

Mailbag #4

Daniel Sz: What do you think of the role of people like Chris Rufo & Alex Epstein in the current environment? I think they are similar in the sense that they are still in MAGA’s good graces but do not have complete right wing brain worms yet.

I have the sense that compared to you they seem to be more focused on their specific issues (universities/wokeness & energy respectively) so they are still trying get something out of the MAGA movement & are much friendlier to it. At the same time this focus on the details of specific issues makes them seem more grounded & sane than someone like Musk. Do you think these people are right to act this way based on their more activist profile or do you think it is the duty of any person with brains & dignity to be more explicitly critical?

I know and like both of them, and think that they do a lot of good work. And I wouldn’t stand up and say that everyone has to criticize their tribe all the time in order to maintain their dignity, even in the Trump era. Different people have different roles, and they need to consider what they’re best at and what will give them the most influence.

In my case, I am incapable of staying quiet on things that bother me or I think are wrong. I place an extremely high value on intellectual freedom. It’s not really a matter of strategy. I could say I just have so much integrity, but a critic could also accuse me of lacking emotional control, which is true. To not talk about issues where I’m compelled to speak gnaws at me, and I’ll pick battles based on personal annoyance sometimes even if there isn’t a larger principle at stake.