Curtis Yarvin’s extreme political ideas were once dismissed as fringe. Now, as President-elect Trump returns to the White House, some of the most powerful people in the U.S. are listening. Read or listen to The Interview. https://nyti.ms/4jnQJyQ
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I thought democracy was done when JFK/RFK were assassinated and the govt covered that up even better than the fact that Biden was not actually running the show. Thanks, going to check this out
The right thinks this guy is onto something. Just because we may not agree with him doesn’t mean that we should ignore him. We can’t live in a cocoon of progressive thinking only.
I'm not a powerful conservative, I suppose that's why I've never heard of him. Typically people, regardless of economic or philosophical alignment, listen to what they want to hear.
I listened to the podcast. He styles himself as an intellectual but has no grasp of history or current societal themes. Cherry picks everything for his point without taking a whole view. The reporter was basically laughing at him the whole time.
The man makes no sense. His view that aristocracy/ strongmen leaders benefit the masses just does not hold up to scrutiny. Totally ignores the oppression and repression of huge swathes of people. The oligarchs are for the benefit of the rich, we hardly are aware of the needs of typical people
Never heard of him. Don’t give a shit what any of the fascist loving fucks think. Why do you give these clowns space? I have a number of pieces I’d love you to publish that are a lot more helpful to society than this shit… #usmedia
The issue of democracy’s effectiveness is a serious one, which is very much worth discussing. But he keeps referring to the concept of a “county’s CEO” while advocating for a monarchy/dictatorship. CEOs are accountable to shareholders and can be sacked. Kings and dictators cannot.
Didn’t know about this guy. Ya, maybe I’m in a bubble. But after listening and doing some googling - I’m more concerned about the future of the US. Parallel - I’m concerned about the algo targeting of people to mind trick them in to thinking democracy is bad.
Sure - government agencies need to be more effective and efficient and change is needed. But that is distinctly different from a new operating system. Just because an app doesn’t quite work, it does not mean the legacy operating system should be blasted
Let me edit that for the NYT. Now, as convicted felon and Putin puppet Trump returns to the White House, some of the most corrupt people in the U.S. are listening
Democracy is over? Then the social contract is over, and you don't need to follow the law anymore. Have fun attacking the U.S. kiddies. It's a free for all. #AntiFascism #DefendYourCommunity #DefendYourself
We tried a monarchy 250 years ago and threw King George out . Let's improve democracy. Stop gerrymandering and get rid of the Electoral College, term limits on the Supreme Court, limits to campaign contributions would be a good start.
Wow. Kinda interesting in a nutty way until he suggested a moral equivalence between Mandela & Anders Breivik. Nope. I'm not sure that the NYT should have given a platform to this rubbish.
From a deplatforming perspective, this interview was a terrible idea. But I sleep better thinking that Peter Thiel has to listen to this giberish on a regular basis
Report on how he has influence, and explain why what he says is stupid and that he’s a liar. Don’t uncritically give him a stage to say whatever he wants without pushback, and do a photo shoot that tries to make him look like some kind of badass
This was a fascinating interview. I assumed Yarvin was a cynical, lying grifter like Dinesh D'Souza, but he's not. It turns out he's just a profoundly stupid man who's convinced himself he's an intellectual.
Intellectuals, obviously. They always go around announcing that they're Intellectuals. They also don't notice when interviewers are mocking their ideas or literally laughing in their faces. Classic hallmarks of an intellectual.
This article exemplifies US liberals' impotence against fascism. NYT lets this troglodyte talk unchallenged, then frames the article so that it only dog whistles to liberal readers about why he's alarming. Nowhere is there a dismissal of his idiocy in plain terms, just in-group telegraphing.
The NYT is so fucking stupid to take this dork seriously. He went on the Tim Dillon show looking the way he does and even the right wing bro audience there called him a cuck.
Liberals, you don't have to be scared of this fag just because they gave him a studio headshot session.
It is interesting that Yarvin, who I don’t know anything about beyond this article, pins a lot of his argument on the importance of the “common good” yet he never articulated what the “common good” is, at least in this interview.
I listened to most of Yarvin’s comments. Saying that CEOs are good for governing misses a major point he fails to mention. CEO run for profit orgs beholden to shareholders or owners. By design not democratic. Trump acts like CEO to make his family richer . And bankrupt along the way.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to be heard. Democracy is still in progress, despite the damages it endures. The lack of checks & balances is at an unprecedented high though, at least within my understanding of American History.
What the FUCK NYT? If you are going to INTERVIEW a person like this, make it an exposing piece, not a pandering piece. What the fuck is happening to this news paper?
His description of FDR’s first inaugural as saying “Hey, Congress, give me absolute power, or I’ll take it anyway” isn’t so much “fringe” as simply wrong.
"mainstream media and academia, have been overrun by progressive groupthink" That's kinda true. "and need to be dissolved" That's fucking stupid. "democracy should be replaced" Yeah, probably. "by what he calls a "monarchy" Oh goddamn it!—We did that already. Keep up! NYT stop peddling bullshit!
I listened to this interview, and Curtis Yarvin promotes fascist ideas and lost cause theories, justifying them through selective and distorted readings of history.
Almost everything this con man says is a lie. Also, LOL the photoshoot trying to make this loser something he is not.
Fascism curious NYT gonna fascism curious.
You should cover this lunatic, but not by giving him a softball interview. Use his words, and have a real historian tell us how wrong he is. And then you tell us which of the false ideas the billionaires repeat.
If the NYT wants to platform the argument for dictatorship as a viable form of government, why go to an intellectual lightweight? Surely there is someone we can take seriously, rather than this silly hack.
WFT is this? Interviewing him is fine, but interview him the way you would Putin or Assad. Enlighten people to the danger of his ideas, call out his racist bullshit; don't nod along, don't fill in the gaps in his arguments for him, don't normalize his (literally) fascist ideas.
From the replies here it’s clear people see him for what he is
It was an interview, not an op ed. That said the people that really should read about what new right thinks aren’t reading the nyt.
I watched the entire interview, and it was clear that Yarvin's goal was to launder his fascist (not just far right, specifically fascist) ideas to NYT readers. And on several occasions the interviewer interjected to re-frame those ideas in a more cogent, more palatable way, doing his work for him.
I'm not one to blame the media for covering topics that accurately depict reality, but this went beyond that. Just look at the cover photo. They didn't have run with that type of bad boy in a leather jacket glamour shot. Yarvin is a racist who is literally calling for dictatorship, not James Dean.
It's past time the press learned that it's all well and good to be neutral on issues of tax law, balancing the budget, etc., but when the debate is "should we end democracy," they have a stake in this just like the rest of us.
Screwtape noticed in the comments much criticism of the Times for this piece.
You humans will never learn. If disturbed people like Yarvin, who have the ear of Vance, Bannon, and Thiel, remain unknown to you, how are you going to fight them?
I have assigned TWO tempters to Yarvin, he's that nuts.
I mean, did you read the article? People like JD Vance have referenced this guy. The interview reveals his thoughts on things and calls them into question.
This assumes that people will "call things into question". You and your personal circle may react negatively to these beliefs, but that doesn't mean that everyone will. In fact I'd argue that many people will find it convincing. You can point out Vance's BS without sharing where he got it from
I mean, I can’t imagine it’s a huge group of people that think women getting to vote was bad, slaves getting freed was bad for them, Nelson Mandela was a terrorist, etc. If a bunch of people are persuaded by that, we have problems larger than an interview with an extremist.
Plus, you can share where he got them from in passing — you don’t need to interview the guy and do a cool photoshoot to make him look like an anime villain. Just “and he listens to renowned dipshit, Curtis something or other”
I’m sure this is the time that your both-sidesism will finally lead right wing readers back to subscribing to your paper instead of making a fringe fascist seem mainstream while not gaining a single one of them. This is surely the time that finally happens.
Also this is not news. Stick to reporting news. This is an opinion piece and that’s what you think needs to published put it where it belong. All mainstream media confusing opinion and news, get back to news.
If we ever wanted to choose a “ruler” for the country why would we choose the singularly worse human on earth to be that person. Trump is a sick demented human being who is only in it for his own ego with insecurities that out shine a normal person.
Maybe if you guys hadn't rolled out the red carpet & assembled a welcoming committee, there wouldn't be such a proliferation of right-wing dingbats running amok😒
Will @nytimes.com editors still think Andresen and Thiel and Vance and elected Republicans are “conservative” after the Insurrection Act is invoked? How about if the NYT is deplatformed by Meta and X?
Dear NY Times, if Behind the Bastards does a two parter on someone who is living, maybe just maybe do your homework on whom your interviewing, because you really platformed the court jester with this guy, oh so smart, we need a king!!! And then blows by all the context as why thats bad… yeeesh.
We might have diff standards for what we think journalism should aspire to. And your sensibilities may not be the same as those who would find the edgy photos and arguing with a MSM journalist to be cool.
Had the same reaction as the first person, then read the second and agreed, the read the third and paused for thought. Good stuff. My personal conclusion: I prefer to know. Why? Precisely because this is so far from my immediate circle, or normal media consumption.
This was an extremely chilling interview to listen to. I was blissfully unaware of this turd until today. I wonder how fond of the Regency period he would be if he were a woman trying to live in it. It seems like that can be said of most of his views.
Comments
The jury is out on Democrats.
Liberals, you don't have to be scared of this fag just because they gave him a studio headshot session.
Normalizing.
MORONS.
My god.
But the NYT does have that huge mortgage on that all-glass tower off 8th ave to pay for so they gotta sell themselves for whatever they can get.
What is wrong with you? Seriously.
You can't be this dumb and desperate.
Fascism curious NYT gonna fascism curious.
It was an interview, not an op ed. That said the people that really should read about what new right thinks aren’t reading the nyt.
You humans will never learn. If disturbed people like Yarvin, who have the ear of Vance, Bannon, and Thiel, remain unknown to you, how are you going to fight them?
I have assigned TWO tempters to Yarvin, he's that nuts.
Context matters
If this person is a public Intellectual influencing our VP it is important reporting
Or at least a million Ruth Ben-Ghiats.
Or at least a million Rosa Parks.
Or at least a million AOCs.
Same stories, same people, even.
Keep talking, nobody listens.
Is AG Sulzberger that desperate for approval from our tech oligarchs?
Fuck Yarvin.
Fuck @nytimes.com for giving this fascist ideology any oxygen.
Yarvin is a bastards, and we must oppose him and his toxic ideology.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-curtis-yarvin-the-philosopher-217093069/
💯 More context
and