Shift to the extreme right

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It became clear that the children were fine. Well maybe not everyone Right, but certainly increasingly right – in their political views, that is. (Both they are well, unfortunately, Much less clear.)

In one poll after another on both sides of the Atlantic, young people align with right-wing parties, movements and ideas, and cast their votes in favor of them. And not just the moderate or traditional right-wing forces, but also the populist, anti-immigrant, and reactionary forces. These movements question liberal democratic norms, disdain institutions such as independent media and universities, and despise the political establishment.

Curtis Yarvinthe blogger and computer engineer whose ideas helped shape Trump 2.0, is sometimes called the “godfather” of the more rebellious faction of these young, mostly online right-wingers. He has recently begun to call the New Right – as the most extreme, excitable and stubborn faction is often called – the “Young Right” because of how important its younger members have become.

There is, as always, another level of complexity. Like John Byrne Murdoch of the Financial Times It has been provenHowever, the political gender divide between “Generation Z” — roughly those between the ages of 13 and 28 — might make sense to think of as two different generations rather than one, with Gen Z women becoming more “liberal,” and Gen Z men becoming more “conservative.” Therefore, the “right of youth” is best viewed as “the right of the young person.”

And I used inverted commas intentionally: The progressive left — both young and old — sometimes shows a casual disregard for the traditional liberal values ​​of free speech and open debate. Although this newer, more male right may share some of the views of the old right when it comes to immigration and nationalism – and increasingly to “Judeo-Christian values” – it is often more interested in overthrowing the existing order than preserving it.

In the panic over youth flirting with fascism, this difference is important. Because one of the main reasons why young people are drifting not just to the right, but to the radical or even extreme right, is their intellectual energy – a new wave of ideas about the ways in which we organize society. This appeals to young people looking for something to get excited about, something that feels like a departure from – a rebellion against – what their tired liberal parents believe.

Although there are many prominent theorists on the right who advance radical ideas – Jarvin himself claims that democracy should be replaced by monarchy – there is a clear shortage of these thinkers, or even new ideas, on the left. Young people who might once have been enthusiastic about Noam Chomsky’s arguments about consenting to the industrialization of media are now immersed in the philosophy of the right-wing writer with the pseudonym Bronze Age Pervert. Nietzschean criticisms of modernity, and his enthusiasm for pre-civilizational masculinity.

But the gender gap isn’t the only generational gap: Polls point to another major disparity between older members of Generation Z, who finished school before the pandemic hit in 2020, and younger individuals, who finished school afterward. The latter group skews more to the right than its predecessors. in reconnaissance According to Yale University this year, young people ages 18 to 21 supported Republicans by about 12 points over Democrats, while those ages 22 to 29 supported Democrats by about six points.

Meanwhile, younger Britons are abandoning the mainstream left: in the 2024 election, Under 18 to 24 years old They voted Labor compared to a broad cross-section of middle-aged people. While just 9 per cent voted for reform in the UK, this number is likely to rise in future elections: in the latest John Smiths Youth Center poll, more than a quarter of men aged 16 to 29 – 26 per cent – ​​said they felt “warm” about reform (compared with 15 per cent of young women).

They probably won’t vote, though – in a recent YouGov poll reconnaissance According to TUI, just 60% of 16-26 year olds in the UK agreed that democracy is better than other forms of government, while 18% agreed that “in certain circumstances, an authoritarian form of government is better than a democratic form.”

The old adage: “If you’re not a liberal when you’re young, you’ve got no heart, and if you’re not conservative when you’re old, you’ve got no head,” is no longer quite valid, unless we believe that young people lack a heart. What I see is a disillusioned generation that doubts the ability of liberal democracy to do anything worthwhile. We need some fresh, fresh thinking – as well as a free and open environment to test, debate and challenge it – to prove that it still can.

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