Far-right phony intellectualism: The secret of Dinesh D’Souza’s success

[DonViejo]

Last edited Sat Jan 25, 2014, 10:23 AM - Edit history (1)

Wingnuts obsessed with the culture war will always have a place (and credit card) for hucksters like Dinesh D'Souza

ELIAS ISQUITH

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Besides providing liberals, leftists and really all manner of reasonable people with varying degrees of schadenfreude, though, what does the rise and fall of Dinesh D’Souza really mean? Two things.

First, D’Souza’s story tells us a lot about the farcical nature of intellectualism on the far right. D’Souza’s original claim to fame, after all, was his ability to package the most lizard-brained sentiments of the right-wing id as if they were deserving of serious debate. He was masterful at flattering his audience and convincing them that their fear of minorities, homosexuals, feminists and all manner of out-group individuals was not only emotionally understandable but was in fact part of a coherent, noble and principled worldview. For those insecure enough to secretly crave the approval of the very cultural and intellectual elites they claimed to despise, D’Souza’s patina of erudition was a godsend.

Second, D’Souza’s continued financial success, despite being revealed as a hypocrite to rival Ted Haggard or Larry Craig, is a testament to the inestimable power of tribalism in American politics (mainly, but not solely, on the right). After his rebound from the scandal at King’s College, it was clear that D’Souza would never lose hold of a significant audience of American people, just so long as he kept the bile flowing and the fear of outsiders properly piqued. For example: Although some of the more respectable members of the right-wing media (like National Review) have ignored his latest screw-up — as if their earlier celebration of the man was an embarrassing phase they’d rather forget — bellwethers of the base, like the Daily Caller or Matt Drudge, have rallied in his defense, insinuating (or outright claiming) that his arrest is an act of political repression on the part of the Democratic administration.

Ultimately, I fully expect D’Souza to bounce back once again from this personal disaster — just so long as we’re defining “bounce back” in financial rather than intellectual or political terms. For those whose whole lives and self-identities are wrapped up in the culture war, D’Souza’s value will never really diminish. He’ll continue hawking his silly, angry and basically fearful movies and books; and people will continue buying. Once he gets out of this jam, Dinesh D’Souza will have plenty more money to donate to Republican candidates, too. But next time, he’ll do it through a super PAC instead.

more
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/25/far_right_phony_intellectualism_the_secret_of_dinesh_dsouzas_success/