Anna Merlan
Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power
New York: Henry Holt, 2019
Anna Merlan’s Republic of Lies exemplifies the typical Leftist outrage over the recent rise of nationalism on the Right. Instead of taking on Right-wing concerns in order to refute them, however, Merlan attempts to smear and discredit Right-wing people – who are mostly white – as deranged conspiracy nuts with a weakness for snake oil and demagoguery. Read more …
Steve Bannon’s Dharma
Errol Morris’ American Dharma, which is a documentary about Steve Bannon, is probably the most elusive film ever produced by a major filmmaker. Although it premiered at film festivals in September 2018 and received a great deal of press (most of it negative) at the time, it was impossible to see for over a year thereafter. The distributors refused to bring it to theaters, it wasn’t shown on television, and you couldn’t find it streaming or on DVD. Read more …