Haters, Left and Right

Note: Reminder that I’ll be live streaming on X tonight, and every Thursday from now on starting at 9PM ET. I’ll go over some news of the day and also answer your questions. Submit anything you would like to ask here.

I’ve previously had Walt Bismarck on the podcast, which served as a kind of announcement of his return to (anonymous) public life. This week he invited me on his own show, and I was happy to oblige. He released the conversation to his paid subscribers on Monday, and Walt is kindly letting me make it available for my own subscribers here. If you like what you hear and are interested in reading more from Walt and listening to his other podcasts, subscribe to Walt Right Perspectives.

Rather than write my own show notes, below I’m reproducing those of Walt, since he did such a comprehensive job.

---

On today’s episode of Walt Right Perspectives I speak with the man, the myth, the legend… Richard Hanania.

I owe a lot to Richard—he was hugely responsible for amplifying me here on Substack and helping me become a public figure again.

He also provided a successful model for deradicalizing from edgy right wing politics and entering the public discourse as a more mainstream rightist thinker, which I have been able to emulate.

Topics include:

• Did Richard remember to call his mom?

• What is the biggest misconception people have about him?

• Why do conservatives understand him less accurately than liberals?

• Extremely direct nature of conservative rhetoric vs. Richard’s provocative and bombastic style on Twitter

• Richard’s model that one can have heretical views without being fully “canceled”

• His heritage as a Palestinian Christian

  • Typical perspective of Arab Christians on the Israel-Gaza war

  • Do Arab Christians and Arab Muslims in the US see themselves as the same group or as different people?

  • Is Hanania descended from Crusaders or the native Levantine population?

  • Did Jesus actually look like Richard Hanania?

• The new proposed MENA racial category—does this reflect a genuine feeling of distinct identity? Is there a difference between Arab Christians / Muslims here?

• Richard’s article The Promises and Pitfalls of RETVRN and general perspective on “Trad” ideology—how does he propose saving people from addictive dopamine traps like social media and porn?

• Can social reaction to negative trends keep pace with innovation in these realms?

• Is there no room for paternalism or a different standard for elites?

• Is it possible to inspire a change in social behavior without changing antecedent material and legal incentive structures?

• Regan’s article advocating that women exhibit more agency and accountability in their sexual choices vs. Walt’s idea that you need to change the incentive structure—who does Richard agree with more? Do women need to be protected?

• Would it be practically possible to raise the legal standard of rape without coming across as anti-woman?

• Walt’s proposal to introduce a new civil offense called “rakishness” to protect women from “coerced consent” situations and absorb false rape accusations.

• Endocrine disruptors — women are going through puberty too soon and men are suffering from falling testosterone levels—is Richard concerned about this?

• Has Richard ever done steroids?

• Are humans becoming elves?

• The worthlessness of most research performed in academia

• Would Richard be interested in returning to the original mission of CSPI and organizing alternative research programs?

• How Richard has promoted and amplified people in his community

• Are too many people forming paid Substacks that people can’t afford in aggregate? Is monetizing one’s own content a good way to offset this?

• How does Richard want Substack to develop? Should it scale up or remain more bigbrained and esoteric? Can Substack expand without degrading the experience?

• What is the best strategy for monetizing one’s Substack?

• Walt’s overtures to white nationalists vs. Richard’s greater reluctance to engage with them — does Richard feel any desire to deradicalize white nationalists or give them an “offramp” back into the mainstream?

• Metapolitical sensibilities like “no enemies to the right” and “don’t punch right”

• Has white identity actually taken over?

• Richard’s advocacy on behalf of moderate white identity figures like Jared Taylor whose views are mainstream today but are “grandfathered into cancellation”

• Richard’s pro-immigration stance — Is there a need to abolish the civil rights infrastructure before opening the borders? Is there any need to adjust immigration rates based on macroeconomic conditions?