What's With The Online Right's Bizarre Haredi-LARP?

The Haredi Jews (commonly known as Ultra-Orthodox or Hasidic Jews, though many Haredim are non-Hasidic) pursue a collective strategy of isolating themselves from mainstream society. The stringency of this isolation varies. Some pursue higher education at secular colleges, some only attend Jewish institutions, to some even the Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva University is not Orthodox enough. The result for many is relative material poverty, though without the pathologies commonly believed to be "caused by" poverty. The Haredim have been very successful at the thing they value most: preserving their ethnic and religious tradition. Haredim have many children and almost all marry other Jews.

One can't help but see a parallel between the Haredi attitude and the attitude various conservative influencers have adopted over the last decade as the GOP became increasingly downscale. Here's what Matt Walsh said after the election:

People without college degrees saved us from a Kamala presidency. This is yet more reason why in most cases you shouldn't go to college and you shouldn't send your kids to college. The vast majority of people don't need it and in fact will be harmed by the experienced[sic] -- harmed financially, mentally, and spiritually.

I have no degree and I have never once in my life regretted my decision to skip college. I thank God that I didn't go. I don't know that I'd be where I am today if I'd spent the first half of my twenties in an indoctrination camp.

A relatively small number of people should go to college if they plan to enter fields where it's actually necessary to have additional formal education (doctor, lawyer, etc). But the vast majority of jobs are learned entirely by doing. Your degree is irrelevant.

While there's much truth in the claim that most jobs are learned by doing, it doesn't matter if you never get a chance to work the job in the first place. Many boomers don't get this, but many hiring managers flat-out refuse to consider anyone who didn't graduate from college. You will not get a chance to interview; your application will be thrown in the electronic trash bin. This will only get worse when the next recession hits and employers can afford to be choosier.

Even if this is the case, perhaps the economic price of not going to college is worth it to preserve one's "faith." But there's a reason I called Walsh a Haredi-LARPer. The Haredim pursue a general strategy of withdrawal from society. They live in heavily Haredi neighborhoods, enroll their children in Haredi schools, restrict access to the TV and Internet, dress uniquely, etc. They don't just object to secular higher education, to them a trade school with an overwhelmingly goyische student body also poses a danger of assimilation.

For the most part, people like Walsh aren't promoting anything like that. Walsh makes no mention of the many Christian colleges that exist to educate people in a faith-friendly environment. He's not telling people to isolate themselves from American popular culture, from TV or social media, or from the often vulgar culture of America's not-very-religious right. The exclusive focus on higher education reveals the real issue.

From 2012 to 2024, the GOP lost a lot of support from college-educated whites. Many imagine these people as Starbucks baristas, adjunct professors, Dr. Jill Biden, and various other unaccomplished people. But they're also doctors, lawyers, engineers, and businesspeople. In 2024 exit polls, both CNN and Fox News found that Harris received the highest percentage of support from the highest income bracket. The disparity is even higher if you restrict the analysis to whites. Trump won 63% of whites in families that made less than $30,000 and 51% of whites in families that made more than 200,000. The disparity by race and college education is higher. Trump won 66% of non-college whites and 45% of college-educated whites.

This is an uncomfortable subject for many Republicans. The Democrats can say their low-income supporters are poor because the system is rigged against them, but people like Walsh still believe in capitalism. Walsh squares the circle by telling his low-class supporters that there's nothing wrong with the system and there's nothing wrong with them. They should be glad they're low-class because they avoided those indoctrination camps.

It brings to mind a quote by Kurt Vonnegut. "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." You start off making a strategic decision. Having Hulk Hogan speak at the Republican convention will alienate some high-class voters, but it will attract low-class voters, and there are more low-class voters. But not everybody gets the memo that it's just a political strategy. To them, Hulk Hoganism is the Republican party. Telling them to give it up is like telling the Democrats to cool it with the LGBT stuff, a sacrilege. Zoomer Republicans who came of age under Trump never knew anything different.

You might respond that Hulk Hogan Republicanism is working electorally, so why should the GOP abandon it? Well, if that's your strategy, then be honest with yourself. Don't rage against college-educated whites for not voting for you after you did nothing to appeal to them.

I should note that some Christians really are pursuing a Haredi-like strategy. There are those private Christian colleges I mentioned earlier. There's the town of Saint Marys, Kansas, where trad Catholics are building a separatist community. (See this Atlantic article from 2020.) However you feel about it, the people there are building something real. They're not a bunch of D-students pretending their lack of money and education is proof of their superiority because they weren't "indoctrinated."* If the Matt Walsh's of the world were actually leading people to live in separatist Christian communities and have seven kids each at the expense of reduced wealth and political power, there'd be a debate to be had about whether that strategy was politically wise. But all he's doing is telling people to fail on purpose at mainstream society. All it will do is drive high-class people away from a conservative movement they'll see as a low-class clown show and an escalator of downward mobility.

P.S. One thing about Saint Marys that sets it apart is that for them "social conservatism" means more than "no abortions" and "no trans kids." Thus, they isolate themselves from their normie Republican neighbors. Lauren Boebert is a problem as well as Taylor Swift.

* This isn't to say that everyone should always go to college under every circumstance. If you like working with your hands and really despise the thought of working at a desk, you might well be happier not going.