The anarchist message is getting tantalizingly close to reaching the largest forums of public attention. Some of the best messengers of the anarcho-capitalist (ancap) philosophy are reaching key platforms and personalities.
Some perspective: the older libertarians appreciate the contrast between now and the past
Many libertarians/anarchists have held their ideas for 25 years or more. This group will recall the earlier years when the concepts of liberty were communicated in books, magazines and seminars of limited scope and public influence 1. It is not a stretch to say there seemed a cosmic gulf between freedom ideas and the monopoly of the mainstream media (MSM). We would likely have set the “degrees of separation” at 1,000. It was a fantasy to imagine the anarchist perspective reaching the public broadly and directly, via major media.
But we are not yet at “one degree” (anarchist ideas presented directly in major media)
Topics of public concern remain highly influenced by the MSM, i.e., traditional outlets such as NBC, CNN, the New York Times, etc.2 While it is true that these companies are losing audience share over time, they are still perceived by the majority as the key sources of news, and they still highly control the scope of public narrative.
At this time, the MSM provides virtually no exposure to ancap ideas. Coverage focuses almost exclusively on politics itself, and politicized social issues. As important, the specific people presenting the news, those consulted, and those interviewed, are statist through and through.
On the biggest platforms, the ancap message is absent, and therefore does not reach the public at large 3.
The importance of that first degree
Instead, corporate media is the State’s mouthpiece…almost everything the public absorbs about politics comes via the MSM 4. Moreover, it advances the social issues and individuals it favors, while demonizing those it disfavors.
Any topic or person covered by MSM enjoys an enormous opportunity to influence the public.
The White Pill: just two degrees of separation
We are fortunate that the last five years or so have witnessed ancap personalities reach a mere two degrees of separation from major public exposure (in this context, “two degrees” means broadcasts or personalities very closely positioned within, or near, the MSM).
Several FOX shows (Kennedy, Guttfeld, the former Red Eye) have hosted podcaster and comic Dave Smith. Smith is a solid and unapologetic anarchist, with an engaging and intelligent style. He has been interviewed by popular podcasters Joe Rogan and Megyn Kelly. Smith has floated the idea of seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for president in 2024, expressly to spread the ideas of liberty on mass media platforms.
The FOX Kennedy show has also hosted anti-war writer Scott Horton, and Jeff Deist (President of the Mises Institute), both highly articulate and seasoned anarchist spokespersons.
Author and podcaster Michael Malice is a vocal and strident advocate of anarchism. His most recent work The Anarchist Handbook became the top non-fiction book on Amazon soon after publication. He has been interviewed numerous times on the Joe Rogan podcast, the FOX Kennedy show, the Tim Poole podcast, Glenn Beck, and C-SPAN.
Author and podcaster Tom Woods is a highly successful and popular advocate for liberty. He has written several New York Times bestsellers, and hosts an eclectic variety of personalities on his podcast, which have included Pat Buchanan, David Stockman, comedian Rob Schneider, MTV’s Adam Curry and other well known figures. He has been featured on CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News, FOX Business, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg Television. Most recently (March 2022) he was personally invited by Ron DeSantis of Florida to cover a round table discussion of scientific censorship during COVID, and the damage done by the State’s overreaction to the virus.
One degree away
As shown in the above examples, and many more, the broadest exposure of anarchist views to ever take place is happening as we speak, on platforms no more than a single step from the largest public audiences. With each exposure, the public will become more acclimated to new thinking. As importantly, the influencers who provide the platforms are accepting the ideas as normalized.
The tipping point is reached when two degrees becomes one: when these ideas work their way into regular discussions on the largest forums of the MSM. After that, those in the corporate media who limit the narrative will be powerless to stop the trend.
It is exciting to ponder what the next few years may witness: our friends, families, acquaintances (and virtually everyone else) exposed to anarchist ideas on the largest and broadest of public media forums.
Books such as Atlas Shrugged (1957) and Free to Choose (1979) became bestsellers. Although neither were anarchist per say, they represented some of the most popular works in the liberty sphere for their time. A PBS video series was broadcast based on the latter; this is as close to direct public exposure that liberty ideas had reached up to that point.
This includes subsidiaries, affiliates, and providers whose news is sourced from the MSM. For example, the vast majority of local news stations do little of their own journalism; they receive their content from the major media groups.
A long-term White Pill is the eventual disappearance of the MSM. The trend is well underway: they are quickly becoming irrelevant in the face of myriad choices such as podcasts, social media platforms, etc. They will not be replaced by other corporate media giants; they will simply go extinct.
This serves the State of course, which enjoys free and favorable advertising to the majority of people.