The Antiliberal Idea

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“…Zemmour embodies a global, transnational trend of decomplexified language that aims to break the norms of dialogue by insulting and polarizing, and which builds its moral ground on the notion of fighting political correctness-what Ruth Wodak, Jonathan Culpeper, and Elena Semino have called the "shameless normalization of impoliteness" à la Trump or Berlusconi. 76 When asked about the xenophobic nature of Zemmour's discourse, CNews responded that they "bring pluralism to life, without being afraid of polemics." 77 The myth of the crisis of free speech has been the far right's favorite battle horse lately.…”

“…Or, as Nesrine Malik puts it, "not freedom of expression, but rather freedom from the consequences of that expression." 78 Zemmour benefits from other systemic changes, such the collapse of the French center-right, now absorbed by Macron's La Republique en Marche and unable to maintain its own political identity: Les Républicains' candidate, Valérie Pecresse, failed to reach even the threshold of 5 percent of voters, a first for the party and a financial disaster. Zemmour may also represent a change in the far-right realm, namely a new battle emerging between supporters of the "normalization" strategy embodied by Marine Le Pen and those following Marion Maréchal in assuming their far-right identity and ideological genealogy.…”

Illiberal Liberalism: A Genealogy

“…28 Stephen Holmes rightly argues that "hostility to liberal individualism" constitutes an "enduring core of the antiliberal mindset." 29 However, what has rarely been commented on is the uneasy relationship of liberalism with its original version: individual rationality. By the turn of the twentieth century, the ideal of individual reasoning gradually gave way to its pessimistic representation within liberal thought.…”

“…He adds that when identity politics is turned into a worldview, it is "just another name for antiliberalism." 76 Nevertheless, there have been relatively few liberals who have been prepared to challenge identity politics. Indeed, it often seems that their criticism is restricted to the identity politics of the right, while the identity politics of the left is given a free pass.…”

“…77 Holmes recognizes this tension when he writes that "the identity politics of the left, although more morally decent and generous than the identity politics of the right, must still be classified as exemplifying the antiliberal spirit of the age." 78 To draw a moral distinction between the illiberal temper of the left and that of the right is to underestimate the authoritarian impulse and justify it on the ground of "moral decency." "Liberals who repress speech to prevent harm risk inviting authoritarianism," warned Claire Fox of the Academy of Ideas in 2018.…”