Far-right intellectuals like Steve Bannon claim to speak for a working class put upon by out-of-touch liberal elites. But their anti-modernist, hierarchical vision of the world doesn’t offer workers what they really need: more money in their pockets, and more power at the workplace.
Far-Right Intellectuals Are Offering Workers a Rotten Deal
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The rise of the traditionalists: how a mystical doctrine is reshaping the right
It is hard to envision any broad political implementation of traditionalism, for its radicalism puts it at odds with most mainstream ideologies – not just liberalism, but nationalism too. In its original form, traditionalism regards the nation-state as a product of modernity – a more confined space for the eradication of hierarchy and the imposition of homogeneity. The nationalism advocated by traditionalists such as Dugin and Bannon is thus a sort of intermediary stage between hierarchical society and the levelling of the world through international communism or democracy.
Perhaps then, for Bannon, Olavo and in particular Dugin, nationalism is a two-way street rather than an end in itself. Their calls for the strengthening of borders and even for more egalitarian orders within them (Dugin frequently advocates “social justice”, while Bannon, in theory, supports progressive tax policies) may be initial steps in an effort to reverse time. First, establish a horizontal difference by destroying internationalism and crafting a world of islands. Then, reinstate vertical difference with a theocratic hierarchy by sacralising the otherwise modernist and secular institution of the nation-state. For the influential acolytes of traditionalism, nationalism would thus be merely the opening salvo of a crusade to re-segment and re-mystify the world.
Steve Bannon’s World of Wallcraft
Now that Bannon has been indicted for fraud, it might be worthwhile to provide a short history of his get-rich-quick schemes. They run the whole gamut of entrepreneurial sleaze. Go to where the money is and siphon it off: the biosphere, a self-contained ecosystem supported by oil-rich Texans; cryptocurrencies, a form of digital gold-mining without the Klondike; fantastical multiplayer digital games; Breitbart and right-wing punditry; and ultimately, politics. Here, Bannon hit pay dirt. Donald Trump as the ultimate carny-barker hustler, a feckless television star with a talent for relentless self-promotion. Bannon helped him construct the pretense of being the vanguard of a populist revolution. But what kind of populism could this be?
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On set, the wardrobe, makeup, and hair stylists had their own theories. Like on why Bannon always wore several layers of collared shirts. I asked the wardrobe person, “Why the three shirts?” She said, “To hide the tail.”
How did an obscure esoteric school begun by the French writer and sufi René Guénon and his fascist disciple Julius Evola at the beginning of the 20th begin to influence geopolitics, and especially the works of Steve Bannon, Alexander Dugin, and Olavo de Carvalho? We discuss this with Benjamin R Teitelbaum, author of a great new page turner called “War for Eternity: Inside Bannon’s Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers.” And we go into depth, especially about Steven Bannon and the alt right who Benjamin has interviewed a lot, and this complex figure especially with reference to his traditionalism, his fatalistic view of the Kali Yuga, and what the neo traditionalists are up to precisely. An important and misunderstood topic.
YouTube Source: Sweeny vs Bard Season 2 Ep. 16: Steven Bannon and The Traditionalists: With Benjamin R Teitelbaum
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 