Rise of the Right-Wing Outrage Machine
The discourse has been flattened by an endless reproduction of the same easily digestible, hyperbolic narratives. How has this happened?
Throughout the 2010s, the culture wars have been dominated by discussions of social justice warriors and the hyper-sensitivity of campus activists on the political left. But relatively little attention’s been given to outrage culture on the right.
A notable exception was a piece by David French in National Review which describes a “fake outrage machine on the right.” French chides conservative pundits for going through old tweets and scouring the internet for any unseemly comment that can be used to rile up an audience hungry for antagonistic partisan content.
Although ranging from moderate classical liberals to far right conservatives, hyperpartisan pundits are united by their desire to expose the left as “loony” and ideologically incoherent. David Rubin runs a popular YouTube channel ostensibly about protecting free speech and discussing big ideas, but which focuses disproportionately on why everyone, from the alt-right to classical liberals, dislikes social justice activists. Prager University delivers an endless catalogue of “educational” videos with subtle titles like “Ricky Gervais Roasts…
