The Cult That Calls Itself The New Left

Journalist and professor Christian Parenti dives deeper down the Scientology-adjacent cult of anti-oppression training – Extended Interview

Christian Parenti, author at NonSite and professor at John Jay College, unlocks the secrets of the privilege walk and “unlearning racism” movement, founded by influential activist Erica Sherover-Marcuse.

This movement, now headed by Robin DiAngelo (“without attribution” to Sherover-Marcuse), has turned into an industry known as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. That industry gets pumped about $8 billion a year.

And what do they teach? Not how racism is inextricably intertwined with economic inequality and helping the lower class, as friends-of-show Adolph Reed and Norm Finkelstein teach. But instead that “change hinges on a stereotypically middle-class concern with manners and etiquette,” focusing on “isms” (racism, classism, ageism, etc) rather than concrete economic and political change.

And now we are told that they are the left. So, from what we consider the “real” left, Parenti critiques the methods of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, finding it to be less of a legitimate philosophy and more of a money-and-power-making cult.

We didn’t know any of this before reading Parenti’s article. Now, we’re deep down the rabbit hole. Join us here.