1/
This is what people mean when they talk about "woke right."
The idea that the entire culture is a system of ideology operating at the subconscious level that brainwashes the masses comes directly from the radical-leftist counterculture of the 60's.
It's also totally wrong🧵
This is what people mean when they talk about "woke right."
The idea that the entire culture is a system of ideology operating at the subconscious level that brainwashes the masses comes directly from the radical-leftist counterculture of the 60's.
It's also totally wrong🧵
https://twitter.com/_kruptos/status/1920098243385463285
2/
There is a segment on the right who saw the dominance of the left and have been studying the leftist counterculture literature. They accept the left's view regarding how culture and society work, and have decided to adopt the radical lefts worldview, methods and tactics...
There is a segment on the right who saw the dominance of the left and have been studying the leftist counterculture literature. They accept the left's view regarding how culture and society work, and have decided to adopt the radical lefts worldview, methods and tactics...
3/
as well as the leftists intellectual tool of "critical theory" in the service of achieving right-wing political ends.
It's a huge mistake to adopt the left's worldview and it's understanding of culture because that worldview is the reason the left went insane from 2016-2022.
as well as the leftists intellectual tool of "critical theory" in the service of achieving right-wing political ends.
It's a huge mistake to adopt the left's worldview and it's understanding of culture because that worldview is the reason the left went insane from 2016-2022.
4/
In short, Marx thought the Masses only accepted capitalism because they had been brainwashed into accepting the capitalist ideology. They thought the solution to this was to ruthlessly criticize capitalism (hence the term "critical theory") until the workers rejected it.
In short, Marx thought the Masses only accepted capitalism because they had been brainwashed into accepting the capitalist ideology. They thought the solution to this was to ruthlessly criticize capitalism (hence the term "critical theory") until the workers rejected it.
5/
MArx thought once the workers rejected capitialism he could go about replacing capitalist democracies with communism or socialism.
The problem is that capitalism continued and the workers rejected Marx's criticism, so the commuist/socialists needed a theory to explian why...
MArx thought once the workers rejected capitialism he could go about replacing capitalist democracies with communism or socialism.
The problem is that capitalism continued and the workers rejected Marx's criticism, so the commuist/socialists needed a theory to explian why...
6/
the workers had continued to agree with capitalism even though the Marxists had (they thought) debunked capitalism entirely.
They eventually settled on a theory that combined Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony with Frankfurt School theories about how society works.
the workers had continued to agree with capitalism even though the Marxists had (they thought) debunked capitalism entirely.
They eventually settled on a theory that combined Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony with Frankfurt School theories about how society works.
7/
Antonio Gramsci said capitalism created false consciousness in the working classes by establishing a complete cultural hegemony, to reinforce the system. He thought the entire culture was saturated ruling class ideology, which made that ideology the default belief for everyone
Antonio Gramsci said capitalism created false consciousness in the working classes by establishing a complete cultural hegemony, to reinforce the system. He thought the entire culture was saturated ruling class ideology, which made that ideology the default belief for everyone
8/
The Frankfurt School in wanted to understand how social conflict functions and why people adopt political views that (according to the Marxists) are not aligned with their class interests. To this end they turned to Freudian psychoanalysis and other forms of social analysis...
The Frankfurt School in wanted to understand how social conflict functions and why people adopt political views that (according to the Marxists) are not aligned with their class interests. To this end they turned to Freudian psychoanalysis and other forms of social analysis...
9/
to understand why people refused to adopt the radical left's political program.
They eventually concluded that the entire culture is essentially a total system of ideology that has embedded ruling class values, goals, beliefs, and interests into every aspect of social life...
to understand why people refused to adopt the radical left's political program.
They eventually concluded that the entire culture is essentially a total system of ideology that has embedded ruling class values, goals, beliefs, and interests into every aspect of social life...
10/
creating a sort of mental prison that keeps the masses from revolting against the system by brainwashing them into accepting their place in the hierarchy, the authority of the ruling class, the legitimacy of the evil capitalist system that makes all this oppression possible.
creating a sort of mental prison that keeps the masses from revolting against the system by brainwashing them into accepting their place in the hierarchy, the authority of the ruling class, the legitimacy of the evil capitalist system that makes all this oppression possible.
11/
There are essentially three problems with the counter-cultural view:
1. It's unfalsifiable.
2. It's epistemological bankrupt
3. It leads to an unstoppable, uncontrollable, and vicious cycle of self-radicalization by those who adopt it.
I will explain why this is the case.
There are essentially three problems with the counter-cultural view:
1. It's unfalsifiable.
2. It's epistemological bankrupt
3. It leads to an unstoppable, uncontrollable, and vicious cycle of self-radicalization by those who adopt it.
I will explain why this is the case.
12/
The problem with saying everyone else is brainwashed is that it's impossible to say what counts for or against this idea.
There are many factions (socialists, libertarians, conservatives, liberals, woke, dissident right) how do we know who is brainwashed and who isn't?
The problem with saying everyone else is brainwashed is that it's impossible to say what counts for or against this idea.
There are many factions (socialists, libertarians, conservatives, liberals, woke, dissident right) how do we know who is brainwashed and who isn't?
13/
If each group says the other groups are brainwashed, how do we settle the matter in a way that can't be dismissed by a group saying "of course you think we're brainwashed, the system brainwashed you so you think we're brainwashed but really you are the brainwashed ones..."
If each group says the other groups are brainwashed, how do we settle the matter in a way that can't be dismissed by a group saying "of course you think we're brainwashed, the system brainwashed you so you think we're brainwashed but really you are the brainwashed ones..."
14/
Worse yet, how can you tell genuine reasoning from brainwashing? After all, the counter-culture theorist can say that all disagreement and all counter arguments are merely expressions of cultural of brainwashing (and if you don't believe that theory you must be brainwashed)
Worse yet, how can you tell genuine reasoning from brainwashing? After all, the counter-culture theorist can say that all disagreement and all counter arguments are merely expressions of cultural of brainwashing (and if you don't believe that theory you must be brainwashed)
15/
If you say the entire culture is total ideology it becomes impossible to find a neutral standard by which to adjudicate that claim, and any evidence against the claim can be dismissed as an attempt by the system to manufacture false evidence to hide all of its brainwashing.
If you say the entire culture is total ideology it becomes impossible to find a neutral standard by which to adjudicate that claim, and any evidence against the claim can be dismissed as an attempt by the system to manufacture false evidence to hide all of its brainwashing.
16/
The second point is that the counter-culture claim is epistemically broken.
This is because if the entire culture is a system of brainwashing, then all the standards of rationality, reason, truth, and knowledge which are culture accepts must also be part of the system...
The second point is that the counter-culture claim is epistemically broken.
This is because if the entire culture is a system of brainwashing, then all the standards of rationality, reason, truth, and knowledge which are culture accepts must also be part of the system...
17/
And are therefore complicit in the social and psychological conditioning that the system uses to brainwash the masses. This is what the 60's counter-culture thought, and it's why the postmodern attacks on truth were adopted by leftists in the 80's. They thought all the...
And are therefore complicit in the social and psychological conditioning that the system uses to brainwash the masses. This is what the 60's counter-culture thought, and it's why the postmodern attacks on truth were adopted by leftists in the 80's. They thought all the...
18/
intellectual arguments against leftism were propped up by ideas about reason, logic, truth, and knowledge that were complicit in the capitalist system and thus needed to be deconstructed. The result is as Searle pointed out the adoption of anti-rationalism by the left.
intellectual arguments against leftism were propped up by ideas about reason, logic, truth, and knowledge that were complicit in the capitalist system and thus needed to be deconstructed. The result is as Searle pointed out the adoption of anti-rationalism by the left.
19/
This antirationalism (men can become women, facts are social constructs, attacks on objective truth) is a product of the view culture is a system of total ideology. If you accept that claim, it follows that truth, logic, reason, knowledge, etc, are ideologically corrupt.
This antirationalism (men can become women, facts are social constructs, attacks on objective truth) is a product of the view culture is a system of total ideology. If you accept that claim, it follows that truth, logic, reason, knowledge, etc, are ideologically corrupt.
20/
This is exactly what the counter-cultural left thought, and it is what lead them down the path to the anti-rationalism that was part and parcel of the postmodernism that intersectional feminism, postcolonial theory, and Critical Race Theory adopted in the 80's and 90's.
This is exactly what the counter-cultural left thought, and it is what lead them down the path to the anti-rationalism that was part and parcel of the postmodernism that intersectional feminism, postcolonial theory, and Critical Race Theory adopted in the 80's and 90's.
21/
Finally, the view leads to unending radicalization. This process is described by Joseph Heath. When the critics activism and criticism doesn't lead to change, the critics begins to think he missed something. Perhaps he wasn't thorough enough, or deep enough...
Finally, the view leads to unending radicalization. This process is described by Joseph Heath. When the critics activism and criticism doesn't lead to change, the critics begins to think he missed something. Perhaps he wasn't thorough enough, or deep enough...
22/
So he dedicates himself to finding what he missed, and seeks to locate the pieces of oppressive ideology which remain hidden in the culture. As a result, the counter-culture critic ends up analyzing using twisted logic to find evil ideology in even the most mundane areas...
So he dedicates himself to finding what he missed, and seeks to locate the pieces of oppressive ideology which remain hidden in the culture. As a result, the counter-culture critic ends up analyzing using twisted logic to find evil ideology in even the most mundane areas...
23/
The process of finding fault with ever more mundane things is how the woke left ended up saying that such things as milk, exercise, butter, band-aids, cartoon characters, paw patrol, applause, and front lawns are all "problematic" and "racist"
The process of finding fault with ever more mundane things is how the woke left ended up saying that such things as milk, exercise, butter, band-aids, cartoon characters, paw patrol, applause, and front lawns are all "problematic" and "racist"
https://x.com/TitaniaMcGrath/status/1281024017311432705
24/
Further, the search to find the remain pieces of hidden ideology (which the theory says *must* be there somewhere) results in increasingly odd, complex, and baroque theories as the critic tries desperately to show that the culture really is a system of total ideology...
Further, the search to find the remain pieces of hidden ideology (which the theory says *must* be there somewhere) results in increasingly odd, complex, and baroque theories as the critic tries desperately to show that the culture really is a system of total ideology...
25/
and all of this continues in spite of the fact that all the previous criticism done by generations of theorists has not yet resulted in the socialist utopia.
This is where we are now with the woke left. While the woke left sought to take over institutions, and succeded...
and all of this continues in spite of the fact that all the previous criticism done by generations of theorists has not yet resulted in the socialist utopia.
This is where we are now with the woke left. While the woke left sought to take over institutions, and succeded...
26/
The result has not been the acceptance of leftist hegemony, the result has been a total loss of trust in the institutions, the rejection of wokeness, the election of Donald Trump, the boycotts of woke companies, and host of other backlashes against wokeness.
The result has not been the acceptance of leftist hegemony, the result has been a total loss of trust in the institutions, the rejection of wokeness, the election of Donald Trump, the boycotts of woke companies, and host of other backlashes against wokeness.
27/
The left had almost total control of government, the arts, entertainment, social media, the financial system, the education system, universities,k-12 schools, the mainstream media, corporate HR and advertising firms and most other social institutions on top of all that...
The left had almost total control of government, the arts, entertainment, social media, the financial system, the education system, universities,k-12 schools, the mainstream media, corporate HR and advertising firms and most other social institutions on top of all that...
28/
And the result was not a leftist hegemony and an acceptance of their views...the result was the election of Donald Trump, the repeal of Roe V. Wade, the boycott of woke companies, the rise of MAGA as a political coalition, and the taking back of school boards by moms.
And the result was not a leftist hegemony and an acceptance of their views...the result was the election of Donald Trump, the repeal of Roe V. Wade, the boycott of woke companies, the rise of MAGA as a political coalition, and the taking back of school boards by moms.
29/
If ever there was a time when the theory of cultural hegemony as a system of control could be tested the last 5 years were it, and the theory totally fails to explain the results.
The reason is simple: people are not helpless NPC's brainwashed by culture...
If ever there was a time when the theory of cultural hegemony as a system of control could be tested the last 5 years were it, and the theory totally fails to explain the results.
The reason is simple: people are not helpless NPC's brainwashed by culture...
30/
That picture is completely wrong, and it totally fails to effectively explain the last 5 years.
So, the right should absolutely not adopt the methods, goals, and worldview of the left. This is a huge mistake. Yes we need to study thier methods so we know how they...
That picture is completely wrong, and it totally fails to effectively explain the last 5 years.
So, the right should absolutely not adopt the methods, goals, and worldview of the left. This is a huge mistake. Yes we need to study thier methods so we know how they...
31/
operate and what we can do to avoid getting our institutions hijacked. but we ought not to adopt their understanding of culture, psychology, society, or anything else.
It's wrong, and we need to reject it.
/fin
operate and what we can do to avoid getting our institutions hijacked. but we ought not to adopt their understanding of culture, psychology, society, or anything else.
It's wrong, and we need to reject it.
/fin
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