Black Lives Matter movement and, 122–23
class-divided culture and, 30, 54–55
MasterCard, 135
Matze, John, 12, 210
McCabe, Joseph, 90–91
McCain, John, 25, 60–61
McCarthy, Brian, 157
McConnell, Mitch, 2, 10, 61
McDaniel, Hattie, 148
McGirr, Lisa, 2
McMillon, Doug, 120
McNeil, Donald Jr., 220–21
McPherson, James, 179
media, 25, 37, 127, 166, 187
conflict between authoritarian left and liberals, 173–80
coverage of January 6 storming of U.S. capitol building, 11, 166–68
curbing of free speech of conservative media, 180–85
distrust of, 169
false reporting of Sandman incident, 185–86
narrative of “mostly peaceful” BLM riots, 163–66
political leanings of, 168–69, 186–87
rise and fall of “objectivity,” 169–73
techniques of “objective” journalists, 171
see also social media
Media Matters, 181, 224
merit, ScienceTM and diversity encouraged over, 114–17
Microsoft, 121
Mill, J. S., 35
Miller, Matt, 152–53
Moonlight (film), 140, 141
Morey, Daryl, 159–60
Moynihan, Brian, 135
Mueller, Robert, 11
Mulligan, Carey, 151
Murray, Charles, 77
Nadella, Satya, 121
Nankin, Michael, 144–45
Napear, Grant, 122
NASDAQ, diversity quotas for corporate listing on, 128
National Affairs, 94
National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), condemnation of “whiteness” and, 66–67
National Rifle Association, 135
National Science Foundation, 116
Nature, 111, 114
Navratilova, Martina, 16
NBA, woke sports and, 155, 156, 159–60
NBC News, 124
Neal-Boylan, Leslie, 122
Netflix, 121, 146–48, 154
Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), 114, 221
New England Journal of Medicine, 113, 117
New Ruling Class
education and credentialism, 75–79
middle class and, 77–78
ScienceTM and, 98–99
social justice and vocabulary of, 79–80, 86
wokeism as “religion” of, 94
New York Post, 168, 189–92
New York Stock Exchange, 128
New York Times, 36, 105–6, 164, 193
Cotton and, 174–75
Groves and, 206–7
McNeil and, 220–21
Weiss and, 178
Newsmax, 182
NFL, 155, 156–58, 159, 160
Nielsen, 146
Nike, 158, 160
Nixon, Richard, 52
Nordhaus, William, 108
North Carolina, 135
Northern Virginia Tea Party, 136
Obama, Barack
bitter clingers comment of, 24, 60
Critical Race Theory and, 59–61
elections and changing philosophy of, 40, 53, 59, 60, 62
fact checking of, 203
intersectional coalition in 2012, 45–48, 59–66
media and, 25, 146, 171, 195
Obama, Michelle, 43, 60, 78, 146
Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria, 13, 43, 70–71, 109, 198, 203
ochlocracy (rule of the mob), 5
Office, The (television program), 148
Ohanion, Lee, 51
Omar, Ilhan, 71
One America News, 182
Opam, Kwame, 174
Operation Vote, 64
Overton Window, of acceptable discourse, 27, 40–42
Page, Ellen, 149–50
Palin, Sarah, 61
Parasite (film), 140
Parler, deplatforming of, 12–13, 136, 209–10
Pascal, Pedro, 214
PayPal, 135, 136
Pence, Mike, 2, 10
Philadelphia Inquirer, 177
Phillips, Hillary, 126
Pinker, Steven, 16, 107
Pitaro, Jimmy, 159
Pluckrose, Helen, 82–83, 85–86
Poetry Foundation, 122
political correctness, rejection of Cordiality Principle and, 219
Politico, 65, 168, 190
reactions to Shapiro article in Playbook of, 175–77
PolitiFact, 195, 203
postmodernism
impact on science, 110–12
impact on universities and colleges, 88–89
wokeism and, 83, 85
Pressley, Ayanna, 70–71
Princeton University, 114
Prodigy, 194
Promising Young Woman (film), 151
pronouns, use of, 68, 84, 113, 212
Prosser, Lisa A., 105
Psaki, Jen, 181, 187
race and racism
Carmichael on definition and disparate impacts of, 55–56
corporations and statements regarding systemic racism, 120–23
racial theory of politics, 30–31
ScienceTM and, 113–14
speech judged without context of intent, 36, 220
ways to challenge systemic racism charges, 216–17
see also Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Raman, Manjari, 75–76
Randall, David, 86
Reagan, Ronald, 45, 46, 52
Reason, 92–93
Reich, Robert, 43
Reid, Joy, 3
renormalization, of America
anti-conventionalism and, 39
corporations and, 37, 125–26
customer bases and market forces, 125–26
Hollywood and, 145–47, 150–54
importance of reversing, 226–27
institutions generally and, 37–39
intersectional coalition and, 45–48, 59–66, 67, 69–72
media and, 37, 173–80
rejection of “white concepts,” 66–68
revolutionary aggression and, 39
Revolutionary Impulse and identity politics, 53–59
sports and, 154–60
top-down censorship and, 39, 40
universities and colleges, 37, 87–91
Utopian Impulse and ideal of the state, 48–53
ways to reverse, 219–25
“resurfacing,” corporate employees and, 124
revolutionary aggression, 31, 39, 82
election of 2016 and, 26
intersectional coalitions and, 64, 69
left-wing authoritarianism and, 8, 14, 15
media and, 165, 175
Revolutionary Impulse and, 47, 54, 56
Revolutionary Impulse
authoritarian leftism and, 47
Critical Race Theory and, 57–59
identity politics and, 53–59, 66
Obama’s intersectional coalition and, 63–64
tension with Utopian Impulse, 70
Rhimes, Shonda, 145
Rice, Dennis, 141
Rice, Susan, 146
right-wing authoritarianism, 2
Capitol storming and, 9–11, 14
traits of, 5
Robach, Amy, 190
Romney, Mitt, 25, 42, 63
Roose, Kevin, 184
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 46, 50–51, 52
Ross, Stephen, 133
RottenTomatoes, 151, 152, 153
Rowling, J. K., 16, 41
Rub and Tug (film), 149
Rubin, David, 139–40
Rubio, Marco, 25
Russian disinformation, social media and, 191, 198–99
Sacco, Justine, 208
same-sex marriage issues, 34, 46, 63, 68, 136, 224
Samuel, biblical book of, 4–5
San Francisco 49ers, 157–58
Sanders, Bernie, 67
Sandmann, Nick, 185–86
Sanford, Nevitt, 7
Sanger, Margaret, 49
Sargent, Greg, 2, 181
Scarborough, Joe, 13, 25, 183, 185
Schmidt, Gavin, 107–8
Schmidt, Harald, 105
Schwab, Klaus, 129
ScienceTM, substituted for science
COVID 19 protocols and exceptions for Floyd protests and riots, 97–104
COVID 19 vaccines and social justice tranching of availability, 104–6
diversity considered over merit, 114–17
gender dysphoria and, 112–13
outright political endorsements and, 117–18
postmodernism’s impact on, 110–12
race and, 102, 113–14
science and objective truths, 95, 98
ScienceTM and politics, 98–99
Scientism and climate change, 106–10
as threat to scientific credibility, 118
Scientific American, 117
Section 230 of Communications Decency Act, 193–96, 200
Selma (film), 140–41
Seltzer, Wendy, 11
service providers, Left’s attempt to discourage conservative media and, 180–81, 182–83
Sevugan, Hari, 43
Sex Roles (journal), 85
Shafer, Jack, 168–69
Shape of Water, The (film), 140
Shields, Jon, 94
Shor, David, 16
Shrier, Abigail, 112
Signal, 210
“silence is violence,” 36, 127–28, 218
silenced majority, of voters
insecurity of authoritarian and, 22
Left’s takeover of institutions and, 34–36
pollsters and shock of Trump’s 2016 victory, 23–27
Silliman College, of Yale University, 93
Silverman, Fred, 145
Silverman, Sarah, 150
Silverstein, Jake, 179
Sister Souljah, 58
1619 Project, of New York Times, 165, 178–80
Skipper, John, 158–59
Smith, Ben, 172–73
Snead, O. Carter, 88
Snopes.com, 203
social justice, language and religious nature of, 79–87, 94
social media
algorithms for censorship and “fact checking,” 200–206
Hunter Biden and Burisma information and, 189–92
Left’s attempt to discourage conservative media and, 181, 183
online mobs and, 206–9
quashing of alternative platforms, 209–11
reactions to storming of U.S. Capitol, 12–13, 136, 205, 209–10
Section 230 of Communications Decency Act and early intentions of platforms, 193–96
shift to new role as information gatekeepers, 194–200
see also specific social media sites
Sokal, Alan, 85
Sosis, Richard, 83
SoulCycle, 133
Southern Poverty Law Center, 136
Spanberger, Abigail, 70–71
“speech is violence,” 36
need to reject idea of, 218–19
sports, renormalization of, 154–60
Sports Center, 156
stakeholder capitalism versus shareholder capitalism, 129–31
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (film), 152–53
Steele, Shelby, 90
Stefancic, Jean, 56
Stefanik, Elise, 12
Stelter, Brian, 187
Stengel, Richard, 184
Stephens, Bret, 179–80
Stern, David, 155, 157
Sticks and Stones (television program), 153
Stone, Andy, 192
Strangio, Chase, 112
Stripe, 136
Sullivan, Margaret, 182, 187
Sulzberger, A. G., 175
Summers, Lawrence, 111
Sunrise Movement, 44
Swisher, Kara, 183–84, 185, 198
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas, 37–38
Tampa Bay Rays, 160
Tarrio, Enrique, 136
Taylor, Breonna, 160
Taylor, Charles, 88
Tea Party movement, 46, 61, 136, 172
Teigen, Chrissy, 133
Teixeira, Ruy, 64–65
Telegram, 210
Thunberg, Greta, 108
Time, 129
Tlaib, Rashida, 43, 70–71
Tocqueville, Alexis de, 20–21
top-down censorship, 82, 151
culture and, 26, 31
gender dysphoria and, 113
intersectional coalitions and, 64, 69
left-wing authoritarianism and, 8, 14, 15
media and, 175
Overton Window, of acceptable discourse, 27, 40–42
renormalization of American institutions and, 39, 40
Utopian Impulse and, 47, 48
Travis, Clay, 156
Trump, Donald, 28–29, 71, 136, 176, 190–91, 205
authoritarian rhetoric without authoritarian governing, 10–11, 14
media and, 169, 171
ScienceTM and, 117
silenced voters and elites’ reactions to 2016 election of, 23–27
Truth Revolt, 224
12 Years a Slave (film), 141
Twitter, 12–13, 17–18, 172–73, 175–77, 191–92, 194, 205, 207–10, 212
Ukraine, Hunter Biden and, 189–90
Ultracrepidarian Problem, ScienceTM and, 103–4, 106–7, 110–11, 117
Umbrella Academy, 149–50
UN Environment Programme, 109
Unanue, Robert, 133
universities and colleges
admission scandals and credentialism, 73–79
political affiliations at, 80, 91–92
renormalization of, 37, 87–91
silencing of opposition and self-perpetuation of wokeism, 91–94
social justice language and wokeism, 79–87, 94
wokeism’s carriage into culture, government, and science, 85–86, 94–95
USA Today, 166
US Business Roundtable, 130
U.S. Capitol, January 6, 2021, storming of, 1–3
authoritarian responses to, 2, 11–14
democratic institutions and, 9–11, 14
media’s coverage of compared to BLM coverage, 166–68
Parler’s deplatforming and, 12–13, 136, 209–10
social media and banning of Trump, 205
U.S. Constitution
checks and balances to restrain government and, 5–6
Revolutionary Impulse and, 53, 54
Utopian Impulse and, 51
see also freedom of speech and the press
utopian brutality, 5
Utopian Impulse
authoritarian leftism and, 47
Critical Race Theory and, 57–59
ideal of the state as solution to societal ills, 48–52
identity politics and, 66
intersectional coalition and, 63–64
tension with Revolutionary Impulse, 70
waning of interest in, in 1980s, 52–53
vaccines, social justice and COVID 19, 104–6
Vance, J. D., 76–77
VandeHei, Jim, 21, 184
Vanity Fair, 220
Variety, 151
Velshi, Ali, 165
Vimeo, 194
Visa, 135
Wall Street Journal, 92, 137
Walmart, 120
Warzel, Charlie, 174
Washington Post, 164–65, 176–77, 203–4
Waters, Maxine, 198
Weingarten, Randi, 136
Weinstein, Bret, 93
Weinstein, Harvey, 142
Weiss, Bari, 178
Wemple, Erik, 176
white supremacy. See Critical Race Theory (CRT)
“whiteness,” museum exhibition condemning, 66–67
Whitmer, Gretchen
, 100–101
Wilentz, Sean, 179
Williamson, Kevin, 175
Wilson, Darren, 172
Wilson, Woodrow, 48–49
Wischnowski, Stan, 177
Wojcicki, Susan, 204
Wood, Gordon S., 179
Woods, Mario, 157
Wortham, Jenna, 174
Wright, Jeremiah, 60
Wyden, Ron, 13
Yale Daily News, 90–92
Yancy, George, 93–94
Year of Yes (Rhimes), 145
Yelp, and “woke snitching,” 133
Yglesias, Matthew, 16, 41–42
YouTube, 184, 194, 201–2, 204–5, 210, 211
Zelensky, Volodymyr, 190
Zucker, Jeff, 25
Zuckerberg, Mark, 183–84, 196–98, 205
About the Author
BEN SHAPIRO is founding editor in chief and editor emeritus of the Daily Wire and host of The Ben Shapiro Show, the top conservative podcast in the nation. A three-time New York Times bestselling author, Shapiro is a graduate of Harvard Law School and an Orthodox Jew. He is widely considered one of the most influential conservative voices in America.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Ben Shapiro
Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans
Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth
The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps
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THE AUTHORITARIAN MOMENT. Copyright © 2021 by Ben Shapiro. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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