How Right Wing Rhetoric appeals to the perception of Nonconformity/Counter-Culture/etc.
Just today I had a massive lightbulb moment. I was scrolling through reddit because I was thinking about counterculture in the modern world when someone mentioned that MAGA is the new counterculture. Not too long ago I was on Twitter when I was saw this post (I'd seen it before) Where marginalized groups were depicted as marginalized groups like the unemployed or the working class were depicted as the VIPs while Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other elites were depicted as the Squid Game contestants oppressed by the elites in comparison.
When I connected the two together, I was like "OH!". It was then I realized that one of the biggest appeals of right wing rhetoric... Was the idea that it's against the norm! I know this because thats exactly why I was initially right wing in the first place!
Ok for some context, When I was just entering high school which was unfortunately also COVID-19 time which sucked, I finally started to dip my toes into politics. At the time, I was exposed to "left-wing" thought which was mostly just by chance so for a very long time, I thought that being a leftist was the norm, Until I met this right-wing libertarian dude. He didn't say it right away but when I asked him, He said he considered himself as that. And I was like... Wow, Being left wing sounds super lame and conformist so I decided to adopt right wing rhetoric.
Now frankly, I am not the brightest dude, but I think the appeal to nonconformity is a huge part of why a lot of people get into right wing politics. By playing the "we are nonconformists" card, those people are inclined to believe that the left is the one that's the norm and conformist whilst being the right means revolting against the norm and stuff.
Now you might be thinking that I am just saying shit out of my ass, But I have some pretty good examples. The biggest of which? The concept of wokeness and the "anti-woke" movement. The entire concept of "anti-wokeism" lies in the idea that "leftist" ideology is heavily present in all forms of media like DEI or the inclusion of marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ or other non-white races. And by being "anti-woke" You are revolting against the norm of this "leftist" ideology. Thats why whenever a piece of media that they deem "woke" comes out, They heavily push the idea that "wokeness" is there because they want to convince others that THIS everywhere. Not the "chad" pieces of media that is totally not prevalent, But the "wokeness" is. By pushing this, The anti-woke movement reinforces and affirms that they are niche and the ones who need to stand up against the norm they just created.
Another example? The manosphere community like red-pills of self-improvement gurus like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate. They LITERALLY appeal to the idea of nonconformity by claiming that the modern world (which is usually leftism) is now the dominant system and that THEY can help you gain your individuality and fight back against the modern world. And the whole Red Pill Blue Pill thing? That's a metaphor for either accepting the truth, Or continue living as is. The reason why right wingers co-opted the "red-pill" is because they want YOU to think that by taking their red-pill, You are seeing the truth about the modern world.
Obviously, The idea that "leftist" ideology is highly prevalent is untrue. But why do they do it? I don't really have the definitive answer to that but I think that all of us people desire a solid identity that when people look at us, They'll go "Yup! That's them alright!". For some people, The desire for a solid identity is stronger than most people. That's how you end up with Counter-culture. Right Wingers know about this desire and use it to portray themselves as the underdogs against an increasingly "leftist" world.
I will have to say though, This isn't just exclusive to the right, The left is equally as guilty in portraying themselves as nonconformists, But in a completely different way but that's for another post.