alex kashta I am the host ofDestructive”, a quirky podcast with perhaps the most memorable guests I can think of, from Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters to journalist Michael Tracy. Twitter Anonymous Behind Voice ChangerHer listeners are, of course, often sharp critics of liberalism.
When people talk about what they love about “Subversive,” it’s usually about hearing from people you never thought to pay attention to, or articulating something everyone feels but has a hard time putting into words. It’s about Alex’s talent. As an internet historian, what has always struck me is how thoroughly and clearly Subversive chronicles one of the most misunderstood and important corners of the internet: the online right. I mean, are you doing it?
When I asked Alex how she would describe herself, she answered, “From Transylvania, Romania, resident mother, wife, author, and podcaster,” but in my mind, she is the person who best describes herself. I forgot about that. Key role: Chief storyteller of the online right.
Katherine: How would you describe the podcast?
Alex: Podcasts are a way to talk to people who want to talk about important things about the stage we’ve reached in civilization. It seems to have become something of a field report for the two areas of his that interest me most: the “new right” or “dissident right” and the broader postliberal realm. It includes a wide range of left and right figures, although there is some overlap with the anti-establishment right.
Katherine: How did you come up with that idea?
Alex: As I, like everyone else, smoldered in the culture wars, I realized that there was a lot left unsaid in the alternative media space. The same thing was repeated over and over: “Woke up is bad, look at these crazy people, we just need to get back to liberal principles.” Many fundamental questions about these liberal principles remained unanswered. So where did it go wrong (given that the above insanity is becoming more and more the norm), questions about meaning, freedom and governance were not even on the table at all.
The recipe for gaining viewership on alternative media was simple. All you have to do is parade your lunatics in front of an audience and then say things like: “this is, racial communism. Liberalism will solve this! ”
The only people who had answers that weren’t simple hand gestures or baroque circular reasoning were those on the anti-establishment right or in the broader postliberal sphere. They were the only ones who tried to express a coherent question. All other forms of discourse began with liberal assumptions, but this was the only place where those assumptions were questioned from a more fundamental perspective. So I wanted to talk to these people and share their ideas more widely. Podcasts felt like the easiest way to do this.
Katherine: Do you think there are other people creating similar content?
Alex: There are several podcasts and YouTube channels that cover similar ground, and of course the angle reflects the hosts’ interests and backgrounds.
”outsider theory“The Jeff Schulenberger Podcast, and.”hermitics” from james ellis Although similar, the tone and guest selection leans more academically than “Subversive.”
academic agent, Aaron McIntyre, prudentialistand charlemagne Similar themes cover the YouTube space, but the format is more specific to video essays and streams.
”Content-oriented” Gio Pennacchietti’s new project covers similar ground. Still, he’s an even more dissident right-wing insider than I am, and his areas of expertise cover art and academia in greater depth. I think “Subversive” is a pretty broad-based show, and a lot of its appeal is that it brings together thinkers closest to the big tent anti-establishment right.
Catherine: How do you feel about me describing your work as “content”?
Alex: I hate the word content. Because it sounds like a “fill-in-the-blank” or “placeholder,” something that fills in the blanks. It also has a very commoditized, interchangeable feel to it. “Simply open the facial sensor and stream the day’s content onto the screen.”
I don’t think there’s a better word for someone’s multimedia output, primarily when it’s more than just one type and is disseminated digitally. What I hate about it even more is that for many viewers, including all the work I find valuable, it’s a product: “YouTube infotainment, politics as tribal LARP.” Because I recognize it.
Katherine: Who is your favorite guest so far?
Alex: I loved using people like Curtis Yarvin, Patrick Deneen, and Lizard Legtko, who are somewhat of a high-profile, intellectual heroes to a lot of people in our field. Still, my favorite episodes are often the ones with people who do similar work to me, like the episodes with Gio Pennacchietti or Darryl Cooper or Katherine.
Maybe it’s just a matter of practice, but for now I find it much easier to relax and have fun with people I consider to be peers and have (very) similar experiences online. I feel that.
Katherine: Do you think Twitter is influencing politics?
Alex: I don’t think that can be denied at this point. Twitter is the cauldron in which the world’s professional and amateur word cells are brewed story And the counter-narrative. We have been in a constant state of emergency for many years now, perhaps since the Arab Spring and the migrant crisis following the Syrian war. Since then, major politically salient, narrative-driven crises have occurred every few months, such as the death of George Floyd or people falling ill with a mysterious illness in Wuhan, with powerful images circulating digitally. A crisis is occurring based on All of this is story-driven, and Twitter is where the story takes its first form. We’re at an interesting point right now. Because some of the counter-narratives have gained enough momentum to disconcert the story in important ways. I’d like to believe that my work is part of this growing backlash, but I don’t know exactly what the outcome will be. It can be expected that the mainstream will try to embrace and absorb these new energies. I think people in our creative fields need to be aware of this and be on guard.
Katherine: What’s something surprising you learned from the show?
Alex: My ideas and interview style can cause admiration from some and extreme outrage from others. The spectrum between lovers and haters of the show is extreme. No matter what I do, there seems to be a certain percentage of people who don’t like it, so I was taught not to worry too much about how it will be received.
Catherine: You always end the show by asking your guests about their favorite disruptive thinkers.who are the destructive thinkers you Do you think we should pay attention?
Alex: This is surprisingly difficult every time because I want to come up with something very unique, but I usually fail. But actually, the podcast itself is my answer to this question.
