Desire for a Counter-Revolution
Christopher Rufo: The Right-Wing Supervillain’s Master Plan
Christopher Rufo, the right-wing supervillain on a mission for cultural domination, has never been one to hide his intentions. As a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Rufo has openly declared his goals and strategies, making his victories all the more devastating for his opponents.
“The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘critical race theory,'” Rufo tweeted in March 2021. “We have decodified the term and will recodify it to annex the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.”
With his successful recodification of critical race theory, as evidenced by a poll showing only 27 percent of Americans supporting it, Rufo unveiled a new trap. By shifting the focus to curriculum transparency, he aimed to deflate arguments against his cause and bait the Left into opposing “transparency.” And it worked, with the American Civil Liberties Union complaining about transparency laws as thinly veiled attempts to stifle discussions about race and gender.
Given Rufo’s track record of bombastic honesty, I expected his new book, America’s Cultural Revolution, to be a straightforward exposé on how the radical left conquered everything. However, it offers more subtle and subversive insights, conveyed through implication and hidden between the lines.
Rufo presents a history of the left’s infiltration of institutions, focusing on four influential figures: Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell. Surprisingly, he provides sympathetic profiles of these individuals, revealing their gradual descent into their worst impulses.
Each profile reads like a reverse Bildungsroman, where brilliant thinkers succumb to their own flaws. Despite their shortcomings, Rufo shows how these cultural underdogs managed to conquer an establishment that opposed them. Wiretaps, public backlash, and academic criticism failed to halt their disciples’ infiltration of universities, teachers’ colleges, and the administrative state.
However, Rufo’s book goes beyond a simple history lesson. It serves as a blueprint for a right-wing countermarch, using the mistakes of his subjects to preempt potential pitfalls. The parallels between the left’s project and Rufo’s own tactics are hard to ignore, raising the question: Isn’t he essentially doing the same?
Rufo guides readers to realize that critical race theory has become an oppressive regime, shaping policy, language, and thought. He employs linguistic therapy, redefining terms and flooding the discourse to condition public opinion. This strategy echoes Marcuse’s concept and demonstrates how the right can adopt similar tactics.
However, Rufo also warns of the dangers of totalizing antinomianism and the quest for institutional dominance. He highlights the disastrous consequences of unchecked power, such as the cultural cataclysms of 2020, rising crime rates, and an education system poisoned by ideology.
There is a cautionary tale here for the right, now in an insurgent position similar to the left in the ’60s. Rufo emphasizes the importance of gatekeeping and the perils of liberal accommodationism. He cites Elena Kagan’s solicitation of Derrick Bell’s stories as an example of how small-L liberal impulses can pave the way for ideological takeovers.
Conservatives must be cautious about boundary-policing their own fringe, as it can harm their ideological immune system. Rufo’s book serves as a reminder that even a few footholds can lead to a coalitional conquest. While there are differences between the left’s establishment in the past and today’s NGOcracy, the lessons from history should not be ignored.
As conservatives navigate the path of cultural insurgency, they should heed Rufo’s implied warning: Sometimes, it’s best to say no.
America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything by Christopher Rufo
Broadside Books, 352 pp., $32
Aaron Sibarium is a staff writer at the Washington Free Beacon.
According to Rufo, what is the significance of conservatives infiltrating academia, media, and other cultural institutions? How does he propose they go about doing this?
Int for concerned conservatives to reclaim the culture and restore traditional values. He outlines a three-step plan that he believes will ultimately lead to victory.
The first step, according to Rufo, is to expose the left’s tactics and reveal their true intentions. He argues that the left has long used deceptive language and strategic maneuvers to advance their agenda. By shining a light on their tactics and exposing their true motives, Rufo believes that conservatives can rally public opinion and create a groundswell of opposition to the radical left.
The second step involves reclaiming institutions that have been dominated by the left. Rufo emphasizes the importance of conservatives infiltrating academia, media, and other cultural institutions in order to counterbalance the prevailing left-wing narrative. He suggests that conservatives need to be strategic and deliberate in their efforts to regain control of these institutions, focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term victories.
Finally, Rufo argues that conservatives must offer a compelling alternative to the left’s ideology. He advocates for a return to traditional values, individual liberty, and limited government. By presenting a strong and coherent conservative vision, he believes that conservatives can win over the hearts and minds of the American people and ultimately reclaim cultural dominance.
Critics of Rufo argue that his views are extreme and dangerous, accusing him of promoting a divisive and exclusionary agenda. They argue that his tactics are more akin to propaganda than legitimate discourse. However, many conservatives see him as a hero, a voice of reason in a culture dominated by left-wing ideology.
Regardless of one’s opinion of Rufo, it is clear that he has had a significant impact on the cultural conversation. His relentless pursuit of his goals, combined with his unapologetic honesty, has made him a force to be reckoned with. Whether or not his master plan will ultimately succeed remains to be seen, but there is no denying that his influence has already been felt.
In a time when political discourse is increasingly polarized, it is important to engage in thoughtful and respectful debate about the future of our culture. Christopher Rufo has certainly sparked that debate, and whether we agree with him or not, his ideas deserve to be considered and critiqued.
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