Milo Yiannopoulos: pop star of the American right

By Kyle Burnaby
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, July 26, 2017
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Milo Yiannopoulos [File photo]


What it means to be a conservative in the U.S. at the current moment has become a somewhat convoluted issue. Although Trump's rise has been met with much fanfare from many Americans -- enough to get him elected anyways -- a good deal of people who had previously identified proudly as being on the right have also begun to question the intelligence, and even sanity, of voters they would have once viewed as likeminded Republicans. Adding to this stratification is that many social values that were considered far-left just a decade or two ago -- and thus provided conservatives with a series of issues to rally against -- have slid increasingly to the center of America's political belief spectrum. The American right has been in desperate need of new figureheads with new approaches to rapidly shifting political landscape -- whether they be in politics or the media -- and it seems to have found one in an unexpected figure: Milo Yiannopoulos, a young, gay British political commentator with a Greek dad and a Jewish mother.

Yiannopoulos began his career working mostly in the British media but gained increasing popularity in America as an early supporter of Trump, with Yiannopoulos often referring to the then-Presidential hopeful as "daddy." But if Trump's rise helped bring Yiannopoulos into the American public eye, what has kept there is his flamboyant, charismatic, and, for some, highly persuasive public persona. He has no fear of being offensive, he has facts to back up nearly every opinion -- however controversial -- that comes out of his mouth and he speaks openly and at length about his preference for dating black men.

The American response to Yiannopoulos has been highly polarized: If you're on the right, you probably love him; if you're on the left, you've probably heard that he's some kind of neo-Nazi. Regardless of your political affiliations, however, it's difficult to deny that he's entertaining. Spend 10 minutes on YouTube watching his debates or speeches and you'll find yourself wanting to watch at least an hour more.

At first glance, Yiannopoulos's pairing with Trump is an odd one. While they both probably fall on similar points of the political spectrum, Yiannopoulos has clearer views on almost every relevant issue and is able to express those views with a degree of clarity and eloquence that makes Trump's already miserable ability to articulate his thoughts look even more dreadful. But maybe this explains Yiannopoulos's popularity -- Trump bumbles awkwardly about but holds the power, while Yiannopoulos uses his voice to give shape (or at least the illusion of shape) in the conservative mind to Trump's seemingly desultory political agenda.

It's easy to see why Yiannopoulos is appealing to the right; what takes a little more explanation is his relationship to the left.

Liberals in American seem to harbor a special form of hatred for Yiannopoulos, a form of hatred that is typically reserved for politicians (i.e. the makers of policy) and rarely aimed at journalists or commentators (i.e. people merely expressing their opinions on policy). In fact, the left's hatred of Yiannopoulos is so strong that it's developed into what can only be described as a censorship campaign directed at him and his work. His speeches at college campuses around America in the past year were heavily protested, with things coming to a peak at a speech he was scheduled to give at UC Berkeley -- protestors set fires and broke windows on the Bay Area campus, and Yiannopoulos was unable to give his speech.

Controversy has also surrounded the publication of his book Dangerous. Originally accepted by American publishing giant Simon & Schuster, the contract quickly received heaps of protest from American liberals -- including many celebrities -- claiming that Simon & Schuster would be promoting hate speech by selling the book. At first, and admirably, Simon & Schuster refused to back down; but a video soon surfaced of a podcast during which Yiannopoulos made what were judged to be pro-pedophilic remarks. Simon & Schuster subsequently cancelled the book deal. Dangerous, however, was published on July 4 by Yiannopoulos's recently founded publishing house (founded, in fact, expressly to publish Dangerous) and became an instant bestseller.

So, what explains these unprecedented attacks on a political commentator? There are two obvious things, which are intertwined: The first is Yiannopoulos's association with Trump, and the second is his extreme talent as a public speaker. Much of the right loves him because they view him as an articulate stand-in for Trump; the left hates him for the very same reason. But the fact that the latter have repeatedly tried so hard to silence him only attests to his effectiveness and appeal as a speaker and political commentator.

Kyle Burnaby is a journalist from Cheyenne, Wyoming. He now lives in Bangkok.


Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. 

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