Abstract

While it is now common for people on the Right to criticize people on the Left for censoring speech and trying to cancel people with whom they do not agree, it is evident that many activists on the Right engage in the very same tactics. As I demonstrate, this effort to shame and condemn the other side is structured by an imaginary, split world where political beliefs are presented in a polarized manner. Moreover, by sharing some of the same unconscious defense mechanisms, people on the Left and Right tend to get locked into a dual relationship of demonization and idealization. To further clarify how the Right has appropriated political, psychological, and rhetorical tactics from the Left, I examine David Horowitz’ The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America and recent debates over the relation between antisemitism and free speech.