Peter R. Quiñones

May 19, 2023

This Substack post was inspired by a Tweet by author and “anti-woke” professor James Lindsay. If you know who Lindsay is, it’s because you’ve seen him on Tucker and various “Right-wing” and libertarian shows and podcasts. He is the author of several books with titles like “Race Marxism,” “The Marxification of Education,” and “Counter Wokecraft.” He’s made his bones in “Right-wing” circles by being on the left and “anti-woke.”

Some may ask, “So, what’s wrong with that? He’s providing valuable knowledge about the character of the woke mob that you won’t find anywhere else.” If that’s your response, you’d be wrong. Paul Gottfried has been writing about this phenomenon for over 30 years. His two books, “After Liberalism” (1999) and “Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt” (2002), addressed the same subjects Lindsay talks about.

Lindsay is a leftist, full stop. He explains in this Tweet why he uses “A” as his middle initial when his actual middle name starts with an “S”:

That is information straight from the horse’s mouth. He’s “anti-woke.” So what? Why do ‘Right-wingers’ flock to Lindsay when someone on their own team (Paul Gottfried) put in the work for them decades before Lindsay? That is the question I want to try to answer.

I believe it starts with the thought process of the “Right-winger.” If information comes from a fellow right-winger, it is not as legitimate as a leftist doing the same, even if that leftist still advocates for issues against the “Right-winger’s” interests. “Right-wingers” will parade the leftist as if he’s a convert, while—if the leftist is true to their values—he’s hiding a knife behind his back. Once you understand that’s what “Right-wingers” are doing, it’s impossible to unsee.

I’m of the opinion that the reason many “Right-wingers” ignore Paul Gottfried and rush to someone like James Lindsay is because they most likely consider Gottfried to be even further to the right on the political spectrum than they are and have succumbed to the leftist device of considering anyone to their right as a “Nazi.” Think about that for a second. If I’m correct in my assessment, and I believe I am, how can anyone argue that social engineering isn’t essential when it comes to controlling what the masses think, not only consciously but subconsciously? The implications of this are enormous.

Let’s further consider what “solutions” a leftist like James Lindsay may present for “defeating the woke mob.” If you instinctively know his solutions are off and would never work in real life, maybe he knows that the only answer to solve the “woke” problem comes from the right and is counter to his core values. I recently had Paul Gottfried on my podcast, and it was probably a gut punch for a lot of people when he said that he believes the only solution to the “woke mob” is right-wing authoritarianism. Many on the right accepted Paul’s opinion and agreed (I certainly did). However, I’m sure many who have bought into the Leftist solutions that Lindsay has suggested do not agree with Paul. Simply put, the “woke” problem came from the Left. It’s not surprising that a Man of the left like Lindsay can diagnose the problem. But is the answer to the “woke” issue more leftism? Isn’t that what you would expect a Man of the left to offer?

This is actually a lot more than I intended to type, but I believe this phenomenon of “Right-wingers” shunning their own and embracing leftists deserves even further discussion. It’s a fascinating topic, and I wonder how many reading this will recognize that they themselves reach out to the left and punch to the right.

Have a great weekend!

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