RadixJournal - Richard Spencer - The Physics of Politics

May 12, 2023 - RadixJournal - Richard Spencer

26:36

The Physics of Politics

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit radixjournal.substack.comJ.F. Gariépy joins Richard and Mark to discuss the physics of politics—what makes it tick. The Left has lost its “utopia” or destination, and is concerned on with the derivative of “speed.” The Right is ready for an equal and opposite reaction: a violent and stupid backlash. All the while, culture is headed toward…

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	I don't know if we've talked about this, JF, but I can really strongly sense a major backlash coming.
	And it's going to be a very stupid backlash, but it is going to be a populist one.
	And just to kind of see what I'm talking about, if we look at the abortion section of the...
	Donald Trump Town Hall last night.
	And he was basically saying, it's very clear that Donald Trump doesn't actually want to ban abortion.
	I mean, you know, and he's almost, he almost, it's like, how did I end up in this situation where this is my legacy?
	It's a very weird thing.
	And he also takes credit, of course, for ending abortion, although perhaps he should.
	In fact, because he appointed those judges.
	But he was like, I got it done.
	People were trying for 40 years.
	They just couldn't do it.
	And then I did it.
	He's the most self-centered person ever.
	But anyway, he said that now we got rid of Roe v.
	Wade.
	So now we have a bargaining chip.
	Now we have leverage to negotiate.
	So what that's...
	And then he...
	He was asked many times by Caitlin Collins, will you sign an abortion ban of six weeks or something like that?
	And he just won't answer it.
	So I think in this way, Trump is almost behind the times.
	I think if you look at these situations like January 6th or some of these abortion bans that are going through, some of the kind of rage that's simmering.
	And also, the inability of the liberals to actually lead.
	One thing I noticed after this town hall, to bring it back to mundane things that are happening today, is that so much of the liberal criticism is just so dumb.
	I saw a clip of AOC and she's saying...
	By allowing Donald Trump onto CNN, you endangered a victim of sexual violence.
	Her argument is literally that Gene Carroll is going to be attacked or something because of a town hall debate.
	She can't make a serious argument that isn't about some personal harm avoidance.
	Of a victim.
	In this case, women.
	That's even how she understood J6.
	I'm not even sure someone like...
	I think that J6 was, in fact, a threat to democracy, as we know it, at least.
	It was very democratic in its way, but it's a threat to the status quo democracy.
	I'm not even sure AOC or these...
	These types of politicians really understand it beyond the personal level of, there were some guys outside my office, and oh my god, they wanted to rate me or something.
	She didn't understand the level at which it actually was a shock to the system and an embarrassment for the United States.
	I'm not even...
	Positive, she can actually wrap her mind around that.
	And so when I see things like this, and I do think there's some hegemonic liberals who do get it, but when I see liberals like this, I tend to think that they actually are going to lose to a bombastic, vulgar...
	Right-wing backlash.
	And I'm not saying this is coming from people like you or me or Mark or etc.
	I think it's not.
	I think it's coming from people well down the IQ scale from us, well up the Christian scale from us, and well, well up the willingness to use violence scale.
	And I say, let's cheer for it.
	I sometimes think they're going to win.
	Well, I'm not going to necessarily cheer for it, but I almost...
	I get to points where I almost want them to win, because at the very least, it would kind of clean the slate.
	And also, I guess I'm a bit of a moral nihilist, kind of like you on some level.
	Either you're going to be hegemonic and you're going to know what it takes to win, or you're not, and you're going to lose and you might end up dead.
	Either you're willing to do that or you're not.
	And if you're just going to sit around and do all this silly harm avoidance talk, we need to protect Jean Carroll at this terrible, terrible moment she's facing.
	I'm just like, well, I think you deserve to lose if this is how you think.
	And that's the other side of the middle of our own disappointment, because I cannot recover the excitement for Trump that I had in 2016, but the left will not be able to recover their hate for Trump that they had when they voted Joe Biden.
	So it all stems on whether the left is capable of frustrating themselves enough So that they want it as hard as they wanted it in 2020.
	And I'm not sure they can.
	Yeah, I tend to agree.
	I think that there's a kind of emotional exhaustion on both sides of the spectrum.
	And, you know, and I think especially, of course, the events of 2016 and 17 were, that was a kind of emotional crescendo, both on the right and the left.
	But I think that ultimately the consequences of both are frustrated and disappointed.
	And there's a kind of exhaustion that's taken place.
	But what's been revealed, too, is I think that they're, you know, basically, I think the left is also in a kind of, was initially in a kind of denial mode, and now is in a kind of acceptance mode, where they understand that there is a right wing now, or that there is a right wing, right?
	And that the right wing thinks radically different than they do.
	Like, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak.
	So I think that they're adjusting to a kind of new reality.
	And I think that they're realizing as well that they can't just sort of be shrill about everything and sort of shout at the right, and that will sort of silence the right.
	So I think that there is a kind of...
	But I think as part of that is a kind of collective exhaustion, but also a kind of collective depression.
	I think, as well.
	I think that the society itself, whether on the right or left, understands that the society on some level has failed, right?
	And I think, yeah, so I think that the left also sort of accepts this or understands this, that it's, you know, the future, both sides see the future in a kind of, in a bleak light.
	So I would agree.
	And I think that that's sort of what JF is saying.
	Maybe he's not saying exactly this.
	Absolutely, yes.
	So you're agreeing with that sentiment?
	Yes.
	So I think that the whole, you know, there's this amazing word that the Germans developed, zeitgeist, right?
	And I think that term is the correct term.
	We can feel a kind of collective spirit in the society, right?
	It's not just...
	You know, individuals that have feelings.
	It's a whole society that has a feeling.
	And I think that the feeling or tone of the society now is one that's kind of, it's one of depression, denial, and acceptance.
	It's like going through these kind of stages of grief, in other words.
	And I think that the left is kind of entering into a stage of acceptance where they're like, okay, there's this other force now in the society.
	And the worldview is radically different.
	And they're basically, every sort of, like, fantasy or dream that I had of the future, of us all kind of holding hands and being this happy multicultural society, that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
	Because the right is basically just saying, you know what, we don't want that.
	And we are an important significant, like, the society is not going to be whole.
	The society is going to be...
	It's going to be broken, effectively.
	And people are not going to get along in the way that the left fantasized, effectively.
	So I think that they're dealing with these sort of dashed hopes or these broken dreams.
	And on the right, I think there's a kind of similar thing going on, too, because I think that the right also held on to those beliefs as well, if to a lesser extent.
	So they're also going through that mourning process.
	But the right also is in a kind of mode of struggling, right?
	Trying to break free from a liberal system or whatever the case may be.
	And so there is that angst or suffering on the right as well.
	And I do think that the right is more active or is more, and I don't think, I think moralized is a wrong term.
	As I'm describing.
	Yeah.
	But I think it is more, it is moving, whereas I think that the left is kind of broken, you know what I'm saying?
	That's just a kind of feeling, even though it remains through a kind of inertia, you know, in the real world, outside of the kind of internet world, it remains a kind of dominant force.
	You know, the taboos of the left still govern the society.
	Right?
	But increasingly, of course, that's going to fall away.
	I mean, that's my general sense of it.
	You know, as far as Elon Musk goes, I mean, I see JF posting on Twitter and I kind of like the fact that he seems like energized because I like JF.
	He's like a good guy.
	So I'm excited that he's happy about new developments.
	Musk, I think that probably, I'm sure Richard shares his view.
	Richard, I think, is more skeptical of Musk than I am.
	I don't know that, as far as Musk is concerned, I just, the jury's still out.
	I mean, I think that a lot of us are kind of like, well, you know, Trump was such a kind of You know, illusion or chimera that many of us are still, you know, sort of, I don't know, you know, once bitten, twice shy sort of thing, right?
	So I think many people are afraid to kind of put too much hope into, you know, especially one figure to kind of change the society in a positive direction.
	You know, and if...
	If Musk, for example, has a very kind of particular view of society that's distinct from our own, that could end up being a kind of bad thing, ultimately.
	We look at Russia, for example, and we see that Putin has a very kind of particular vision for that society.
	And what his regime does is it basically cancels out forces or energies or voices, both on the right and the left.
	Right?
	And it's basically Putin's Russia.
	And Putin's Russia is not, is kind of far from ideal from what a lot of people on this call, you know, would want or imagine.
	But, you know, part of it is because he's holding together a multicultural country.
	And, you know, it's impossible for him ultimately to be our guy, whatever that means.
	Um, and I think that, um, I think you understand my point that it's, it's, I think that there, well, I think that, you know, I think that some optimism is fine and called for.
	I mean, certainly in some ways things have improved in terms of free speech.
	I would agree with that.
	Um, I think that there is also grounds for caution or, or, um, you know, sort of guarded optimism or, you know, Looking at this situation critically and seeing really what Musk is, for example.
	And of course, he's only one force out there or one development, but I think a pretty meaningful or significant force or development.
	Anyways, end of rant.
	Yeah.
	To go back a little bit to the zeitgeist notion, I think we're in a...
	In a very particular place.
	Because what are some of the biggest applause lines of Donald Trump?
	And getting back to what we were talking about an hour or so ago of how it's almost like we're back in 2016 and we've forgotten that he was president at some point.
	His big applause lines are The country is dead.
	The American dream is dead.
	Joe Biden has destroyed everything.
	You have no hope now.
	You're a nasty woman.
	You're a nasty, nasty woman.
	Now, granted, he is kind of saying you have hope with me or I alone can fix it.
	He's offering some kind of answer.
	But it's interesting that...
	Those are the applause lines.
	That's how you motivate people more.
	And the conventional Republicans who want to just talk about, well, corporate profits are up this year, so we're all doing better because of it.
	That just doesn't work.
	And so there is a kind of violent anger and depression on the right.
	But I think there's also an issue of the absence of a vision or a utopia on the left.
	And I'll describe that in two different ways.
	So I think in this weird way, if anyone actually has a utopian vision on the left, it's Joe Biden.
	And I mean that seriously.
	It's not like he imagines...
	Techno future or something like that.
	But he basically imagines a functioning middle-class America a lot like his childhood.
	And, you know, factories, production, you know, intact families, etc.
	I think what I see from the progressives or something really is an absence of a vision.
	And I listen to a lot of their stuff.
	I'm not just stereotyping them or caricaturing them or something like that.
	As you said, it is pure harm avoidance.
	And pure, in a weird way, reactionary qualities.
	Getting really worried about someone being mean to trans kids or something.
	And you can't ultimately really win with that.
	You've got to offer something just extremely compelling and just moving, emotionally moving about this destruction of the human person which they keep pursuing.
	Otherwise, it's just like protect trans kids or something.
	It's just fucking like kindergarten teachers, effectively.
	Yes.
	Policing language and protecting.
	It's just pathetic.
	You know?
	Like, omelets, eggs.
	We know this.
	I'm just going to quite frankly say it.
	You're going to have to tear some things down, you're going to have to break new ground, and you're going to probably have to kill some people in order to build this bright new utopian future that's promised.
	Every leftist agreed with that, even if they wouldn't say it.
	These leftists almost don't.
	They're protecting the status quo.
	They're shrieking about, like, I hope we can get another lawsuit against Trump so we can prevent him from installing Nazism.
	It's literally the most pathetic thing I've ever experienced, actually.
	Not that it's not powerful and damaging to people that they go after.
	It is damaging to Trump, all this endless lawsuits and blah, blah, blah.
	But it's just...
	Fundamentally pathetic on some level.
	And so that's my critique of the left at this point.
	That was the most inspiring critique of the left I've ever heard.
	Like, I wish I was a leftist and I would be like, yes, Richard is my leader.
	Well, yeah, I mean, like, they've got to hear it because they're not going to hear it from their, their eGrift class.
	You know?
	Yeah.
	And they're not gonna.
	And I'm not there.
	There is more.
	There's no question there's an asymmetry in terms of the academic or theoretical left and the right.
	In the sense that the asymmetry is so great, there's not much of a right of high theory to even speak of.
	Much like there isn't a right in the realm of art.
	To speak of.
	Some important counterexamples, but it's a tiny amount.
	So this is my other thing.
	And this is another theme that I've stressed.
	And Twitter has something to do with it.
	It's the rise of sludge.
	And, okay, what do I mean by that?
	So Mark and I have done a lot of work.
	And Mark is obviously the innovator here.
	I'm the midwife.
	But we have done a lot of work together with analyzing...
	Ben can get pregnant too.
	I am pregnant.
	Right.
	Mark is pregnant.
	I'm delivering the baby.
	Yeah.
	Who's the father?
	We don't know.
	He's gone.
	He rode off on his motorcycle.
	We have done this study of symbolism and mythology.
	You can see it in comic books.
	You can see it in the Holy Bible.
	You can see it in Plato.
	You can see it in Hollywood films.
	I mean, it's kind of everywhere, and it actually is a coherent language, and it's an intergenerational, international symbolic language.
	And it is powerful, and it does derive from Judaism and even pre-Judaism and Christianity.
	And it is a very powerful system.
	Disagree with that or not, but that is the claim.
	But what I see as an even more powerful force than Genesis or Steven Spielberg or Stan Lee at this point is this creeping nothingness in the world.
	This sludge culture.
	Social media live streaming, Gen Z emoting.
	The absence Like music being purely appreciated as background music for a video game, which is another interesting trend.
	Gen Z not having music.
	I think in some ways our whole society has kind of lost its symbolic order.
	And I think that's actually a huge threat as well.
	It's not even like, oh, what's wrong with Gen Z?
	They're a communist or something.
	I would say they're not even communists.
	To be a communist would make them interesting or redeemable.
	There's nothing there.
	They might say they're a communist like Haas or whatever says he's a communist.
	It's all sludge.
	And so the society, a technological society, can't even properly organize itself and tell you what's high and what's low and what's left and right.
	And we're just kind of emerging into this endless kind of fracturing.
	So I think these are kind of the way that I would stress it.
	So just to reiterate real quick, there are three things.
	There's this incoming...
	Right-wing backlash, which is going to be as violent as it is stupid.
	It's not going to involve us, for better and for worse, mostly for better, I'd say.
	Hopefully we won't be the victims of it.
	There's the liberals who, they've lost their sense of utopia, and it's all harm avoidance.
	And then there's the system itself.
	The order, including a symbolic order that can manage millions upon millions of people, just kind of fracturing and being dominated by sludge and anti-culture.
	I think this is my super bird's eye view of the situation.
	And so I would even start to ask questions.
	real quick, I'll just tie a bow in it.
	I would even start to ask questions like, I mean, I have my own views about, Ukraine and NATO and so on.
	But I would even ask questions like, could we even fight a Cold War at this point?
	Dor?
	Could we fight a Cold War?
	Well, before we talk about this, I want to come back to what you just laid out.
	It's stunning and beautiful.
	What I see in what you lay out is a physics of politics.
	And it makes me think so much about subjects in physics, like the derivative.
	Remember, for those who don't remember their basic physics, you have a position.
	The position, if you move position, then you're talking about speed.
	Speed is the derivative of position.
	And progressivism are people who live in the derivative.
	They live in the, I don't really care where I am.
	I don't really care where I'm headed.
	I care about making the world better from my limited, harm-based perspective.
	And it's also one of the ingredients why they win so much in real life, why they dominate institutions.
	It's because they're always there trying to make the system just one more step from A to B. And they don't even have a conception of A to B. And I think that's what you describe, a lack of goal.
	Whereas the conservative thinking is completely antithetical because they have God and God can take many shapes.
	And in an argument, God can be mathematics.
	And another one, it's a white man with a beard in the sky.
	And God is precisely this point B. The conservatives are in a space.
	From A to B, aspiring to something, whereas the progressives are fighting the fight, the dirty fight.
	And it brings us to the sludge.
	The sludge is what happens when the system is oscillating too quick, trying to change direction too quick.
	And it's the...
	It's the ultimate consequence of eternal progressivism, which is at some point, if you have progressivism, but you don't have a vector of direction, you are just popping like a little ball in a ping-pong table, chaotically moving in all directions at the same time.
	I think it's what we, from a bird's-eye view, we have to see the left doing this, and we have to catch them in their chaos.
	We have to render their actions.

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