The New Culture of the Right: Vital, Masculine and Offensive | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Video Description

The Trump era is ushering in a new age of right wing counterculture, one defined by masculinity and transgression. In this episode of Interesting Times, Ross Douthat speaks with Jonathan Keeperman, the founder of Passage Press, about the influence of an edgy, reactionary, right-wing “vibe shift” on American politics and culture. Read the full transcript at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/opinion/right-wing-masculinity-culture.html 1:59 Jonathan Keeperman’s Lomez days 5:20: 2014: An inflection point in American culture? 7:40: The emergency of a “conservative counter elite” 9:47: The creation of a right wing counterweight to the dominant left 12:27: What makes something “conservative art”? 15:36: Are David Lynch films right wing art? Is Girls? 18:38: Is there such a thing as good left wing art? 20:05: Right wing counterculture’s obsession with “vitalism” 23:45: Longhouse culture: Is the “over feminization” of society making America weaker? 28:58: Is the longhouse argument just a “long male whine”? 31:50: Is right wing counterculture anti-Christian? 36:36 Trump as mythic hero 44:45 What is the function of racism in right wing counterculture? 55:38 Are racist means transgressive or just racist? 1:05:44 Will the rightward vibe shift show up in pop culture? 1:09:20 Why every high school senior should read “Moby Dick” and watch “No Country for Old Men” This episode of “Interesting Times” was produced by Elisa Gutierrez, Andrea Betanzos, Sophia Alvarez Boyd and Katherine Sullivan. It was edited by Jordana Hochman and Alison Bruzek. Engineering by Pat McCusker. Cinematography by Elliot deBruyn and Wes Overvold. Video editing by Arpita Aneja. Archival images by Amanda Su and Andrea Betanzos. Original music by Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair, Michelle Harris and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. Directed by Jonah M. Kessel. The director of Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Watch more on @InterestingTimesNYT.