# #1277 Matthew McManus: The Right Wants You Stupid, and Steven Pinker Is Wrong About Marxism

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dissenter-1161217/1277-matthew-mcmanus-the-right-wants-you-stupid-and-steven-pinker-is-wrong-about-marxism
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dissenter-1161217/1277-matthew-mcmanus-the-right-wants-you-stupid-and-steven-pinker-is-wrong-about-marxism.md
Podcast: [The Dissenter](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dissenter-1161217)
Published: 2026-07-09T18:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedissenter/episodes/1277-Matthew-McManus-The-Right-Wants-You-Stupid--and-Steven-Pinker-Is-Wrong-About-Marxism-e3lld3q
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/822ba20/podcast/play/122384954/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-4%2F7cd8f2f0-dcbc-d874-08ce-6253367cf7cf.m4a
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Duration seconds: 4942

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******Support the channel****** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on****** Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/ The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Matthew McManus is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He is the author of books like The Emergence of Postmodernity, The Political Right and Equality, and The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. In this episode, we start by talking about the piece “The Right Wants You Stupid”. We explore the historical link between anti-intellectualism and the American right, the idea of a natural order to society, and how it benefits the ruling class. We talk about anti-intellectualism in the American modern era, and charges against SJWs, feminists, Marxists, the wokes, and “cultural Marxism”. We also discuss whether the right is really in favor of academic freedom. We then talk about Dr. McManus’ piece “Steven Pinker Doesn’t Know Anything About Marxism”, and explore how he is wrong about Marxism; whether Marxism has really been tried in any society; Pinker’s flawed take on the Enlightenment; and issues with Pinker’s approach to history, anthropology, politics, and economics. Finally, we discuss the crit…

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