A Mememaker's Journey

Richard Hanania's Newsletter

Walt Bismarck (follow on X) became internet famous in 2015 for his Disney parody videos in support of Alt Right ideas and causes. Recently, he remerged on a new Substack called Alt Right 2.0, where he writes about how his political views have changed and the kind of movement he’d like to help build in the future. I found two essays he wrote, “Why I’m No Longer a White Nationalist” and “How the Alt Right Won,” to be particularly entertaining and insightful, and would recommend everyone read them.

Walt and I have had somewhat similar journeys, so I invited him on the podcast to talk about his past and current thinking. He has come to realize that in many ways, his psychological profile is closer to that of liberal elites than it is to the regular Americans he once believed he was fighting for. Friend of this Substack TracingWoodgrains posted some excerpts of Walt’s article on this point that are very funny and ended up going viral. We talk about different factions of the conservative coalition, how the far right has changed over time, the political futures of Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom, and what comes after Trump.

It’s easy to underestimate the ultimate influence of the Alt Right, as it’s not as if those prominent in the movement became major political figures, and practically nobody identifies with the term today. But for those of us who’ve been paying attention over the last decade and a half, we’ve seen, for better or worse, ideas, talking points, and memes that were once considered beyond the pale become completely normalized on the right, to the extent that young people might be unaware that things were ever different. See also my “How to Not Get Cancelled” for more on the relevant history.

Walt was part of this transformation, and I’m glad to see that he has moved away from white nationalism. I also welcome his contribution to the discourse. The right has a human capital deficit, and Walt is playing some role in solving that problem by returning to the public arena. I encourage people to subscribe to his Substack, and continue to follow his work going forward.

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