Against the Web: A Cosmopolitan Answer to the New Right

Michael Brooks

Apr 2020 · John Hunt Publishing

About this ebook

"A brilliant critique of the Right with very sharp insight on some of the shortcomings of the Left, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand how dishonest actors spread their propaganda." Ana Kasparian, Host and Executive Producer of The Young Turks

Michael Brooks takes on the new "Intellectual Dark Web." 

As the host of The Michael Brooks Show and co-host of the Majority Report, Brooks was a progressive fighter whose work brought people together from around the world. In this, his first book, he lets his understanding of the digital media environment direct his analysis of the "conservative rebels" who had taken YouTube by storm in 2018.
Brooks provides a theoretically rigorous but accessible critique of the most prominent "renegades" including Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and Brett Weinstein while also examining the social, political and media environment that such rebels thrive in.

Ratings and reviews

Against the web is a great book for our current political moment. Michael Brooks, a great modern pundit and thinker, is acutely aware of the needs of a left movement and is always centering the working class in his work. At every moment he is always relatable and open, welcoming and embracing people of all stripes into leftism. This book requires some political context (little theory but a good knowledge of online political right wingers to care) but ultimately reaches a profound conclusion and expresses what makes him such a vital figure. Love his work and can't wait for more.

Great read about the rise of a right wing group who calls themselves the intellectual dark web and how they used internet resources like social media to get their message out and gain a large following. Mr. Brooks breaks down their arguments and demonstrates where and how they break down, all while offering a leftist alternative.

Rest in Power Michael Brooks. This book begins with breaking down the falsehoods the various "Intellectual Dark Web" figures like to perpetuate, specifically pointing out what they conveniently leave out of their "exchange of ideas." The book then finishes with a positive outlook on where we can go from here to reach a social structure that is actually fair, while being very grounded in reality, pointing out specific structures that exhibit what Michael is explaining. I would recommend listening to the compilations of Michael Brooks' impersonations of the folks mentioned in the book, as it'll give you a good laugh as you read to imagine Michael reading sections as his various impersonations.

About the author

Michael Brooks was the host of the Michael Brooks Show and contributing host for the four-time award-winning independent political talk show, The Majority Report. He was also briefly the co-host, along with Anna Kasparian, on a new YouTube show for Jacobin Magazine entitled Weekends. His writing appeared in Al Monitor, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, among other publications.
Upon Brooks passing the former president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed his condolences: "May his passion for social justice be remembered and inspire people around the world."