The propaganda of the dissident right

In his seminal book on propaganda, Jacques Ellul brings up Adolf Hitler’s expressed “desire for peace” leading up to the Second World War. Ellul uses Hitler’s deceit as an example of how “facts” can be presented in a way to contest a standard narrative. Invoking such statements to suggest that Hitler actually wanted peace is a form of propaganda.

Ellul has been on my mind in light of the discourse sparked by podcaster Darryl Cooper’s comments on Tucker Carlson’s show. I am less interested in the specifics of WWII than I am in the social dynamics manifest in the ensuing controversy and how this drama represents a broader trend. Ellul helps us understand that revisionist accounts can also function as a form of propaganda and that there are multiple ways to be enmeshed in propagandistic systems.

While Cooper seeks to unmask what he dismisses as propaganda—debunking the “founding mythology of the world we are living in”—he is really presenting “facts” in a misleading way to underwrite another narrative. And many of his allies on the dissident right appear to be caught up in alternative forms of propaganda, of which this episode is just one example.

Propaganda is a set of methods employed to bring about active or passive participation in a mass of individuals through psychological manipulation. According to Ellul, propagandists use “psychological levers” that condition certain reflexes. But propaganda is not limited to the form that first comes to mind. No, even those who fight obvious propaganda—which is employed by organs of the state to impose conformity on the masses and align them with the approved narrative—can carry out alternative methods of propaganda. I am convinced that Ellul’s categories of “sociological,” “horizontal,” and “agitational” propaganda apply in various ways to many Christian voices united in opposition to “The Regime.”

Sociological propaganda conditions a framework—or a vibe—and lays the groundwork for more direct action when a crisis demands it. Horizontal propaganda is led by a small group of outspoken voices who seem to spontaneously speak in near unison while presenting themselves as on equal footing with their audience, seeking to lead others to a given conclusion and become active disseminators of the messaging. Agitational propaganda is employed to subvert a regime and rally against enemies. It summons previously demoralized individuals to an adventurous battle. To do this, it often provokes a crisis, hardens prejudices, and celebrates the acceleration of decline.

For the Christians on the dissident right, there is no single leader but a collection of prominent voices who regularly chime in on the daily drama, often manufacturing the drama by invoking slogans that rally the tribe. Almost immediately, a small window of tolerated views is established, which must accord with the dissident vibe. Propaganda generates monolithic thinking, argues Ellul, and there is a type of hive mind exhibited in these figures who also train their audience to follow in lockstep. Lower-tier allies get rewarded through reposts and the like, while near-allies who violate the emergent-consensus framing face various forms of hostility. Any noteworthy divergence is swiftly denounced, castigated as “counter-signaling” or carrying water for “The Regime.” Ellul explains that those caught up in propaganda interpret pushback as propaganda. Many on the dissident right interpret unfavorable reactions as confirmation that their takes are true, that they are “over the target.” Rebuttals merely confirm that the topic is “forbidden” or that their viewpoint is suppressed.

The complexity of the modern world leads many to feel that their lives are dictated by forces they cannot understand and against which they are powerless. Propaganda supplies a code that explains all the happenings in the world and instills a sense of agency. To provoke their preferred response, propagandists must strike the optimum balance of anxiety. Too much produces panic and demoralization, but too little does not push people to act. Thus, “red pill,” but don’t “black pill.”

Propaganda comes in many forms, conditioning our reflexes so that we become less interesting thinkers and needlessly divisive. One can be propagandized or enmeshed in propagandistic systems in all sorts of ways even as one seeks to oppose other forms of propaganda. Beware.