Jeff Sharlet, a Dartmouth writing professor and author of The Undertow, shares insights from his deep dive into the far-right movement. He likens it to a black hole, examining the normalization of fringe ideas and the rise of war churches blending faith with militant politics. Sharlet discusses how empowerment narratives and historical fascism are interwoven in the MAGA ideology, revealing the complexities of identity and grievances within the movement. His recent exploration into the manosphere highlights the troubling intersection of social critique and misogyny.
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MAGA Supporters' Utopian Visions
A woman at a vegan restaurant in Idaho described the moment as "spring" and her "American dream" feeling real for the first time.
Another woman in North Carolina optimistically spoke about hangings of traitors, showing a chilling positivity about violence.
insights INSIGHT
MAGA as a Utopian Movement
MAGA is fundamentally a utopian movement aiming to create a new version of America, not just return to the past.
Rank-and-file members sense a future of power and transformation as part of their vision.
insights INSIGHT
Grievance and Shifting Enemies
MAGA thrives on an ever-shifting enemy, which fuels ongoing grievance and mobilization.
The movement's mantra, "do your own research," empowers people to independently identify enemies and validate beliefs.
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In 'White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America', Anthea Butler explores the role of racism in shaping white evangelical politics from the nation's founding to the present. The book examines how white evangelicals have used scripture to justify slavery, segregation, and other forms of racial inequality, and how this history continues to influence American politics today.
Born Again
Charles W. Colson
In 'Born Again,' Charles W. Colson chronicles his profound journey from the heights of political power to the depths of public disgrace and personal despair, culminating in a life-transforming encounter with Christianity. The book explores the intricacies of political intrigue, the personal toll of scandal, and offers a compelling testimony of redemption and renewal. Colson's conversion began with his reading of C.S. Lewis’s 'Mere Christianity' and was influenced by various individuals, leading to a spiritual rebirth that transformed his life and priorities. The memoir includes his experiences in prison, where he began to apply his faith and influence others through Bible studies and ministry[2][4][5].
Jeff Sharlet has spent the past few years embedded in the deepest corners of the growing far-right movement in the United States. He's come to think of it as a black hole, something that can pull people in with ever-shifting grievances and a desire for power. He chronicles the movement and the characters in it in his book The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War and joins us to discuss the book and how he's thinking about its thesis in the context of the new Trump administration.
We also discuss some of Sharlet's more recent reporting on war churches in Idaho and Washington, and how things that were on the fringes of the movement five years ago are now squarely in the mainstream.
Sharlet is the Frederick Sessions Beebe ’35 Professor in the Art of Writing and Director of Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. He is also the author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, which was adapted into a Netflix documentary series, and This Brilliant Darkness: A Book of Strangers.
His reporting on LGBTQI+ rights around the world has received the National Magazine Award, the Molly Ivins Prize, and Outright International’s Outspoken Award. His writing and photography have appeared in many publications, including Vanity Fair, for which he is a contributing editor; The New York Times Magazine; GQ; Esquire; Harper’s Weekly; and VQR, for which he is an editor at large.
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