Authoritarian Mental Gestures

On today’s Ruminant, Jonah aims to set the record straight on a matter of international significance: Despite what the producers of American Crime Story would have you believe, he has never owned an oversized poster of Atlas Shrugged. Thankfully, this misunderstanding gives him an excuse to indulge in a nerdtastic exploration of the differences between objectivism and conservatism, the significance of religion to conservative belief, and the differences between conservatives and “men of the right.” There’s also a disquisition on social anxiety and Theodor Adorno’s idea of the “authoritarian personality,” as well as a rant on those who continue to minimize January 6. Plus, as a special treat for The Dispatch’s two-year anniversary, tune in to learn the intimate details of Jonah and Steve Hayes’ late night telephone conversations. Show Notes: -The Dispatch manifesto from two years ago -Today’s underwhelming job numbers -Whittaker Chambers’ review of Atlas Shrugged -The Remnant with George Will -George criticizes Whittaker Chambers -Al Felzenberg on George’s opposition to Spiro Agnew -Jonah ruminates on Richard Hofstadter -The Age of Reform, Hofstatder’s book on status anxiety -Hofstadter’s Social Darwinism in American Thought -The (underrated) Tyranny of Clichés -Theodor Adorno’s The Authoritarian Personality -Sally Satel: “The Experts Have Overlooked Authoritarians on the Left” -Karen Stenner’s The Authoritarian Dynamic -The Remnant with Joe Uscinski -Bring the villain forward -Jonah’s latest Special Report appearance -The January 6 subpoena saga -Dinesh D’Souza’s evil tweet -Jonah and Hugh Hewitt debate the alt-right in 2016 -Jonah: “This Was Always the Plan” -Revelations from Peril, by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa -The Remnant with Scott Gottlieb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices