INTRODUCING THE DISSIDENT RIGHT TO CULTURISM

by John K. Press

Culturism (cǔl-chər-ǐz-əm) n. 1. The philosophy, art, and science that values, promotes and protects majority cultures. 2. The opposite of multiculturalism.

Culturist (cǔl-chər-ǐst) n. 1. An advocate of culturism. 2. One who engages in the arts or sciences of managing and protecting majority cultures. 3. One who judges cultures. 4. Adj. Of or pertaining to culturism, culturists or culturist policy.

In introducing the philosophy of ‘culturism’ to the Dissident Right, I need to make a confession: the section on race, in the first chapter of the book, Culturism: A Word, A Value, Our Future, is disingenuous. I knew it was at the time. In the introduction, I briefly argue that race is not a biological category. In denouncing the book, The Bell-Curve, I wrote, “there is no reliable evidence that there are any mental differences between groups of humans.” I was trying to distance ‘culturism’ from ‘racism’ as much as possible, (fearing that any association with racism could blunt the spread of the memes ‘culturist’ and ‘culturism’).

In fairness to myself, I gave the savvy reader two clues that I was being disingenuous. One is that my very dismissal of The Bell-Curve meant that I had read it. Anyone familiar with this book knows there are mounds of reliable evidence showing different mental differences between races. Moreover, I purposely backed up the statement saying there is no reliable evidence with an insubstantial footnote. While the cited authors (Boyd and Richerson) are giants in their field, the actual reference is to a throw away line. At the time I thought, discerning readers would pick up on such clues.

But, more importantly, I still stand by my larger point: whereas racism gives you no useful policies, culturism provides a multitude of practical policies. As I wrote in the book’s introduction, people cannot change their race. And, if you think my nation, the United States of America, is going to become white again, you’re dreaming. That can only happen through the horror of a race war. It’s a bad idea. On the other hand, culturism gives you ample workable policies, such as stopping Muslim immigration and promoting a positive view of American history inside and outside of schools. We can identify and protect our culture.

One further salvo from the book’s introduction on this front: a problem with racism (as well as nativism) is that can easily lead to the simplistic fallacy: black is bad, white is good. First of all, white culture is in big trouble (check our divorce rate). White race pride demands no refinement. In this vein, white racial pride actually retards needed cultural self-scrutiny. Secondly, the racist point of view ignores the fact that there are many great non-white American patriots and western citizens. Any movement that fails to acknowledge them can only lead to a partial reclamation of America.

While I invite you to peruse the many policy implications of culturism available at www.culturism.us and in the final chapter of the book, herein, I will highlight just a few policy categories and concepts:

Race with its polarities plays into the
Manichean moralizing of the Left.

First, we must spread the words ‘culturist’ and ‘culturism.’ Culturism is easily understood as the opposite of multiculturalism: it values unity not diversity. And culturists believe in culturism and judge cultures. Due to its simplicity, use by a single media figure, could spread these memes and undermine PC clamps on Western political discourse. Rhetorically, saying, “I’m not racist,” and groveling is not a winning strategy. Saying, “No, I am culturist. I believe in culturism, not multiculturalism. Isn’t cultural diversity real? Can we talk about cultural diversity?” allows us to go on the offensive. We need to be able to honestly discuss both the West having a culture and the negative aspects of cultures and cultural diversity; As a rhetorical strategy, being a ‘culturist’ for ‘culturism’ can help.

In countering multiculturalism, culturism implicitly acknowledges that the Western nations have traditional majority cultures. Germany has a culture. England has a culture. And, yes, the United States has a culture. Moreover, the wider West shares a culture. We are not Asia. We are not Islamic. Our culture, as the seminal culturist Matthew Arnold phrased it, has its roots in Athens and Jerusalem. This does not mean that there can be no Hindu temples in the West. But, our school curriculum, holidays and laws should acknowledge and promote our traditional majority cultures. Plato is a Western hero; Vishnu is not. In this manner, culturism also rebukes globalism.

In this vein, culturism recommends an ‘America First’ style foreign policy. The idea that we can turn Iraq, Afghanistan and other Islamic nations into progressive, freedom-loving, rights-based democracies comes from total ignorance of cultural diversity. With its ‘Clash of Civilizations’ model, culturism denounces the concept of ‘human rights.’ If the West falls, neither China nor the Middle East will promote the concept. Human rights are, in fact, western rights. So, to protect ‘human rights,’ we need to start labeling them properly as ‘Western rights,’ and protect the West. Thus saving ‘human rights’ means rejecting ‘humanitarian’ asylum laws. We’re not the world. Our laws and funds should help us, not prop up our enemies’ regimes.

Thus culturism suggests we focus our energies domestically. And, domestically, culturism differs from libertarian individualism. Western culture needs to get out of the gutter. Culturists can argue this point based on biohistory and r/K theory, but common sense also bolsters the directive: stoned children from single-mother families do not often have the job skills that First World economies require. And, yes, stripping down the welfare state will help enormously in this regard. But, in other realms laws can help bolster morality. For example, zoning strip clubs out of city centers and censoring lewdness on public airwaves conveys morality. Keeping drugs illegal does the same. Our welfare laws are disastrous because they ignore morals. Our government policies should not be either culturally or morally neutral.

This gets us back to the first point in this section: using the words ‘culturism’ and ‘culturist’ can help clean up and direct our culture. For example, we must say ‘culturist profiling, not ‘racial profiling.’ Far from arbitrary racism, statistics back up the need for culturist profiling of Muslims in airport security screening. Using the term ‘culturist profiling’ clarifies the cultural rationality. ‘Culturist profiling’ also explains blacks in jail as it acknowledges black cultural dysfunction. Rather than fuel Black Lives Matter resentment, culturist profiling can lead black communities to self-scrutiny. In general, culturists judge cultures based on Western values. This reflexive cultural scrutiny, asking ‘What would Jesus, George Washington or Winston Churchill do?” can help guide western culture. As this applies to all of us, it is culturist, not racist.

The idea that all cultures are
equal is patently absurd.

Finally, as it is a primary concern of the Dissident Right generally, I wish to discuss the Islamic threat to the West. There is a range of culturists: ‘Absolute Culturists,’ believe we need to repatriate all Muslims now. ‘Pragmatic Culturists,’ only want to deport those affiliated with radical mosques. Both sides wish to halt all Islamic immigration immediately. Both sides, recognize the necessity of culturist school curricula that says, ‘the West is the best and Islam is retarded.’ Both wish to prosecute Sharia courts. Similar culturist policy debates and agreements are had concerning the Latino threat to the United States. While culturists are not lock step on all details, saving the West from Islam is the main priority of all of us.

While reasonable culturists will disagree about specific policies aimed at saving the West, no one advocates the insane racist policy of removing all non-white people from the West. Any such attempt, would not work in the United States. And, so we come full circle to my opening paragraph. We culturists can acknowledge race as a potential cause of national division. We can note races’ propensities. But, the solutions to our ailments do not lie there. Multiculturalists and globalists deny that the West has a core culture. We must not only acknowledge and celebrate our Western culture, but use it as a basis to protect and judge our specific nations and cultures. We must have culturist immigration laws that question compatibility with western values. Herein lays a path to safeguarding and guiding our (like it or not) multi-racial nations.

Using culturist rhetoric, (rather than just sadly denying we’re racist), can once again make it safe for the West to have the rational discussions about culture that it so desperately needs. Take action! Spread the words ‘culturist’ and ‘culturism’ today! It costs us nothing. And, the words could quickly go viral and, thereby, aid us in saving the West.


John K. Press, Ph.D., teaches culturism at a university in South Korea. He is the author of the book, Culturism: A Word, A Value, Our Future. More information can be found at www.culturism.us.