The Weird Intellectual Roots of J.D. Vance’s Hatred for “Cat Ladies"

 

 "In the article that earned me my first “childless cat lady” accolade, I pointed out that the roots of the New Right’s ideology lie in a particular interpretation of the work of the midcentury political theorist Leo Strauss. To cut a long story short: The New Right’s understanding of Straussianism makes a crucial distinction between what he calls “exoteric” and “esoteric” communication. The “exoteric” stuff is what you tell the little people who are thought to be simple-minded and religious by instinct. “Esoteric” messages are what you tell your fellow leaders and allies in private as you prepare to rule over the herd (for their own good, of course).

Leaders of the New Right, such as Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, the architect of Project 2025, and Christopher Rufo, the mastermind of the Critical Race Theory hysteria, present themselves as members of a new intellectual elite—even as they cast themselves as representatives of ordinary folk. (Roberts, in conversation with Ted Cruz in 2022, commented that “Driving big trucks is one way we can defeat cultural Marxism in America.”) Yet they are unabashedly elitist, and this is a key part of the New Right movement to which Vance belongs. They manufacture lies for the little people, but they do it all in service of some greater truth, at least in their own minds. Vance evidently sees himself as a member of this club, which may explain why he is so comfortable portraying himself as a wholesome hillbilly despit"

more in the article by KATHERINE STEWART

The Weird Intellectual Roots of J.D. Vance’s Hatred for “Cat Ladies” | The New Republic