Great piece, Pete. I'm struck by your point on the "reject modernity, embrace tradition" meme template as supportive of a national decline paradigm. Can you recommend any further reading on memes and national myth in the American context?
Thank you so much, I appreciate you reading! To be clear, the meme now has wide and ironic use (for example: using the phrase "reject modernity" over an image of a Juul, and "embrace tradition" over an image of a cigarette). However the meme itself emerged out far right and conservative spaces. There is a great book on my list, Meme Wars, that does a deep dive on the relationship between memes and contemporary American politics. I have not yet read it but I'm told its very good!
Not particularly related to the meme, but I was recently reminded of the foundational role that Traditionalism plays in reactionary politics by the assassination of Daria Dugina, a far-right Russian nationalist (see https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-estonia-bombings-government-and-politics-a627f80e7a96c3b19e40e8ee95ce55fd). The beliefs of her father, Alexander Dugin, a prominent if extreme political and cultural philosopher and proponent of a return to an imagined past rooted in the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox church, are rooted in his involvement in the Traditionalist movement and the rejection of modernity. For an interesting treatment of the topic, check out Mark Sedgwick's book Against the Modern World https://www.amazon.com/Against-Modern-World-Traditionalism-Intellectual/dp/0195396014
Great piece, Pete. I'm struck by your point on the "reject modernity, embrace tradition" meme template as supportive of a national decline paradigm. Can you recommend any further reading on memes and national myth in the American context?
Thank you so much, I appreciate you reading! To be clear, the meme now has wide and ironic use (for example: using the phrase "reject modernity" over an image of a Juul, and "embrace tradition" over an image of a cigarette). However the meme itself emerged out far right and conservative spaces. There is a great book on my list, Meme Wars, that does a deep dive on the relationship between memes and contemporary American politics. I have not yet read it but I'm told its very good!
Cool, I'll check it out. Thanks for the rec!
I was also struck by this point as well.
Not particularly related to the meme, but I was recently reminded of the foundational role that Traditionalism plays in reactionary politics by the assassination of Daria Dugina, a far-right Russian nationalist (see https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-estonia-bombings-government-and-politics-a627f80e7a96c3b19e40e8ee95ce55fd). The beliefs of her father, Alexander Dugin, a prominent if extreme political and cultural philosopher and proponent of a return to an imagined past rooted in the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox church, are rooted in his involvement in the Traditionalist movement and the rejection of modernity. For an interesting treatment of the topic, check out Mark Sedgwick's book Against the Modern World https://www.amazon.com/Against-Modern-World-Traditionalism-Intellectual/dp/0195396014
Excellent and informative read! 💯🙏🏼