Against the Grain

Join writer and commentator Jacob Savage as he explores the impact of diversity policies on white millennial men. He reveals how 2014 marked a turning point, sidelining this demographic in favor of rapid diversity goals. Jacob discusses stark generational disparities in opportunities and highlights changing political dynamics linked to these shifts. He candidly shares personal losses from pursuing thwarted career paths and insights from a revealing class reunion, shedding light on the broader consequences of institutional exclusion.

The discussion explores how hipsterism, with its organic food obsessions and nostalgia for rural white aesthetics, anticipated the rise of Trumpism. Jim Goad’s influence is examined, revealing his provocative style and controversial background. From the evolution of hipsters borrowing marginalized aesthetics to the transition of rebellious energies from left to right, the hosts link masculine, white markers celebrated by hipsters to contemporary populist movements. They also trace artisanal food culture's crossover into right-wing ideologies, showcasing the complex interplay of subcultures and politics.

Are women ruining the workplace? Are meme-makers ruining conservative intellectual culture? Is our literature better off without litbros like David Foster Wallace? Matthew and Julia talk with Helen Andrews, author of the viral Compact essay “The Great Feminization.” For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

The legacy of World War II seems unsettled as never before. Figures on left and right flirt with fascist iconography, and influencers question who the war’s true villain was. Are these signs of a growing discontent with the conventional lessons of the “Good War” and the postwar settlement they support? To sort fact from falsehood, Sean McMeekin, professor of history at Bard College and author of Stalin’s War, joins Matthew and Julia. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

Fashion is having a conservative moment. The carefree femininity of “barbiecore” is out; power suits are in. Matthew and Julia visit four stores in Manhattan that are participating in the right shift in American style. There they find evidence of a new respect for masculinity, and a less progressive understanding of what it means to be a man or woman. For more like this, become a member at ⁠patreon.com/againstthepod⁠.

In 1892, the avant-garde novelist Joris-Karl Huysmans shocked secular Paris by converting to Catholicism. In his strange life, brilliant writings, and transgressive commitment to traditional religion, Huysmans anticipated many of the spiritual trends we see around us today—from occultism to exhaustion with porn and screens. Matthew and Julia discuss. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

On Saturday, September 13, Terence Crawford defeated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world. Matthew and Julia were in Las Vegas for the fight between the quiet man from Omaha and the Mexican superstar. They discuss the importance of combat sports to national and class identity, the appeal of boxing for anti-bourgeois writers, the rise of MMA in America, and Donald Trump’s plans to host a UFC fight at the White House. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

Controversial and long hard to obtain, Jean Raspail’s novel The Camp of the Saints (1973) has been touted by some as a prescient description of the politics of mass migration and attacked by others for its presentation of migrants. On September 16, a new translation with an introduction by Nathan Pinkoski will appear from Vauban Books. Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost interview Nathan about the book’s strengths, weaknesses, and contemporary relevance. For more like this, subscribe at patreon.com/againstthepod.

Sydney Sweeney’s roles in HBO’s “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” made her one of the faces of Gen Z. Is the ad campaign about her “great jeans”—combined with the revelation that she’s a registered Republican—a sign that young people are turning right? Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost discuss how a girl with all-American looks became a potent symbol in the culture war. For more like this, subscribe at patreon.com/againstthepod.

Due to a production error, some listeners have had trouble playing this episode. We are republishing it for their convenience.Jeffrey Epstein was a real man who committed real crimes. But the truth about his case has been obscured by the Epstein myth—a synthesis of conspiracy theories that explains everything from the failures of US foreign policy to the inequities of our legal system by laying blame on a particular group: the Jews. For more like this, subscribe at patreon.com/againstthepod.