The dirtbag left is a style of

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...

that eschews

civility Civility comes from the word ''civis'', which in Latin means "citizen". Merriam Webster defines civility as civilized conduct (especially: courtesy or politeness) or a polite act or expression. Historically, civility also meant training in the hum ...

to convey a

left-wing populist Left-wing populism, also called social populism, is a political ideology that combines left-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric often consists of anti- elitism, opposition to the Establishment, and speaking for the ...

and

anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as so ...

message using

vulgarity Vulgarity is the quality of being common, coarse, or unrefined. This judgement may refer to language, visual art, social class, or social climbers. John Bayley claims the term can never be self-referential, because to be aware of vulgarity is to ...

. It is most closely associated with American left-wing media that emerged in the mid-2010s, such as the podcast ''

Chapo Trap House ''Chapo Trap House'' is an American left-wing political podcast founded in March 2016 and hosted by Will Menaker, Matt Christman and Felix Biederman with Amber A'Lee Frost as a recurring co-host. The show is produced by Chris Wade and formerly by ...

''.

Origins

The term was coined by Amber A'Lee Frost and is associated with her essay "The Necessity of Political Vulgarity", published in ''

Current Affairs Current affairs may refer to: News * ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly magazine of culture and politics. * Current affairs (news format): a genre of broadcast journalism * Current Affairs, former name for Behind the News Politics * An ...

'' in 2016. While the essay does not directly use the term ''dirtbag left'', it mounts a defense of politics that uses "vulgarity as a tool for fighting the powerful", citing ''

libelles A ''libelle'' is a political pamphlet or book which libels a public figure. ''Libelles'' held particular significance in France under the Ancien Régime, especially during the eighteenth century, when the pamphlets’ attacks on the monarchy became ...

'' used to slander

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

, '' Cohen v. California'', and

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

's protest song "

Fuck tha Police "Fuck tha Police" is a protest song by American hip hop group N.W.A that appears on the 1988 album ''Straight Outta Compton'' as well as on the ''N.W.A's Greatest Hits'' compilation. The lyrics protest police brutality and racial profiling ...

", among others. Frost writes that vulgarity in itself is not "inherently subversive", but argues that the left must reclaim vulgarity "from the

Trumps A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games. Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a ''trump suit''; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the terms ''trum ...

of the world", lest it be "handicapped by tsown civility." The dirtbag left is most closely associated with the American politics podcast ''

'', which Frost co-hosted. ''Chapo'' emerged in 2016 in the context of the

2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential ...

and subsequent

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

. It combines political analysis and

pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

ry from a socialist perspective with elements of comedy and irony, in the style of a

shock jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor and/or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative o ...

. ''Chapo'' gained attention for its criticism of both the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and Democratic parties, particularly what the podcast claimed was the Democratic Party's complicity with a conservative agenda. Beyond ''Chapo'', media outlets that have been alternately linked to or described as dirtbag left include the podcasts ''

Street Fight Radio ''Street Fight Radio'', or ''Street Fight'' is an American politics and humor radio show and podcast founded in June 2011 and hosted by Bryan Quinby. The show produces three distinct episodes per week. In addition to producing the radio show and p ...

'', '' TrueAnon'', ''

Red Scare A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which ar ...

'', ''

Cum Town ''Cum Town'' was a comedy podcast that was hosted by New York City-based comedians Nick Mullen, Stavros Halkias, and Adam Friedland, and produced between 2016 and 2022. During its run, it was consistently one of the most popular podcasts on P ...

'', the publications ''

The Baffler ''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachuse ...

'' and ''

'', and

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

streamer Hasan Piker. These outlets are noted as presenting comedy as "applied to an ideological reading of the news of the day, with a particular focus on political feeling or style."

Tenets and rhetorical style

The dirtbag left has been described as an anti-

fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

, anti-

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, anti-

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the ...

, and anti-

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

ideology. It has been linked to a variety of political stances, including anti-

political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

; anti-

inequality Inequality may refer to: Economics * Attention inequality, unequal distribution of attention across users, groups of people, issues in etc. in attention economy * Economic inequality, difference in economic well-being between population groups * ...

; a disregard for

; opposition to the wealthy and support for redistributive economic policies; and support for both the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

and 2020 presidential campaigns of

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

. The

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

and 2008 financial crisis have been cited as particular radicalizing events for the dirtbag left. Rhetorically, the dirtbag left is noted as a vulgar, "bawdy offensive balance to cautious mainstream liberal politics", with "a dismissive attitude towards the niceties of liberal political correctness" that frequently direct insults and attacks through

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

at specific public figures with political or economic power. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' (London) cited the rise of this rhetorical style as evidence of "the limitations of

woke ''Woke'' ( ) is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexi ...

ness as a political force" and an example of the changing nature of politics on the internet. Despite the connotations of the term "dirtbag left", its use is not typically considered derogatory, with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' calling the term "a

defense mechanism In psychoanalytic theory, a defence mechanism (American English: defense mechanism), is an unconscious psychological operation that functions to protect a person from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and o ...

that doubles as a nickname." Self-identification with the term is indicative of the dirtbag left's tendency toward

irony Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...

and

self-deprecation Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be u ...

, with Frost noting that the term "speaks to a lot of people who have been dismissed or chided by liberals for embracing vulgarity, eschewing sanctimony or piety, and refusing to be civil to the right wing", adding that the term "says something positive about what we do believe, and what we’re willing to ruthlessly fight for, regardless of established etiquette." ''Chapo'' co-host Will Menaker joked that "if you sleep on a mattress on the floor and fuck in a sleeping bag, then you just might be the dirtbag left", before explaining that he sees the dirtbag left as a "scurrilous and funny approach to left-wing politics" that contrasts "utterly humorless and bloodless" liberalism.

Criticism

Writer

Amanda Marcotte Amanda Marie Marcotte (born September 2, 1977) is an American blogger and journalist who writes on feminism and politics from a liberal perspective. Marcotte has written for several online publications, including ''Slate'', ''The Guardian'', a ...

argued that the ideology is linked to "that male privilege of intimidating people into assuming you're cool" and comparing it to the television series '' Jackass''. Writer

Jeet Heer Jeet Heer is a Canadian author, comics critic, literary critic and journalist. He is a national affairs correspondent for ''The Nation'' magazine and a former staff writer at ''The New Republic''. As of 2014, he was writing a doctoral thesis at Yor ...

argued that the dirtbag left is a form of "doomed to fail" dominance politics, arguing that "derision is useful for one half of politics—defeating the opposing party—but has nothing to say to the crucial other half of forming alliances that can govern effectively for the people."

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , last1=Frost , first1=Amber A'Lee , title=The Necessity of Political Vulgarity , url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/05/the-necessity-of-political-vulgarity , website=

, access-date=5 May 2020 , date=25 August 2016 {{cite web , last1=Jones , first1=Sarah , title=The Dirtbag Manifesto , url=https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/chapo-trap-house-book-dirtbag-manifesto-satire-liberalism-socialism , website=

Dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

, access-date=5 May 2020 , date=Fall 2018 {{cite web , last1=Koshy , first1=Yohann , title='The Voice of the Dirtbag Left': socialist US comics Chapo Trap House , url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/03/chapo-trap-house-podcast-interview-trump-socialist-us-comics , website=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, access-date=15 May 2020 , date=3 June 2019 {{cite web , last1=Semley , first1=John , title=The rise of the internet's 'dirtbag left' , url=https://www.macleans.ca/society/the-rise-of-the-internets-dirtbag-left/ , website=

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

, access-date=5 May 2020 , date=5 July 2017 {{cite magazine , last1=Tolentino , first1=Jia , authorlink1=Jia Tolentino , title=What Will Become of the Dirtbag Left? , magazine=

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

, url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/what-will-become-of-the-dirtbag-left , access-date=5 May 2020 , date=18 November 2016 {{cite magazine , last1=Heer , first1=Jeet , authorlink1=Jeet Heer , title=The Dirtbag Left and the Problem of Dominance Politics , url=https://newrepublic.com/article/143926/dirtbag-left-problem-dominance-politics , magazine=

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...

, access-date=15 May 2020 , date=19 July 2017 {{cite web , last1=Bowles , first1=Nellie , title=The Pied Pipers of the Dirtbag Left Want to Lead Everyone to Bernie Sanders , url=https://www.nytimes.com./2020/02/29/us/politics/bernie-sanders-chapo-trap-house.html , website=

, access-date=5 May 2020 , date=1 March 2020 {{cite web , last1=Rhode , first1=Jason , title=Chapo Trap House are the Vulgar, Brilliant Demigods of the New Progressive Left , url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/media/chapo-trap-house/chapo-trap-house-are-the-vulgar-brilliant-demigods/ , website= Paste , access-date=15 May 2020 , date=29 July 2016 {{cite web , last1=Malone , first1=Noreen , title=''Red Scare'' Leans Into Nothing , url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/10/profile-red-scare-podcast.html , website= New York , access-date=5 May 2020 , date=25 October 2018 {{cite web , last1=Beckwith , first1=Caleb , title=Epstein Brain is for the People , url=https://openspace.sfmoma.org/2020/03/epstein-brain-is-for-the-people/ , website=

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

, access-date=30 April 2020 , date=3 March 2020 {{cite web , last1=Power , first1=Nina , authorlink1=Nina Power , title=Oracles, perverts and the Dirtbag Left , url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/oracles-perverts-and-the-dirtbag-left , website=

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

, location=London , access-date=15 May 2020 , date=7 March 2020 {{cite web , last1=Marriott , first1=James , title=Goodbye woke liberals, hello dirtbag left , url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/woke-liberalism-is-dead-stand-by-for-the-dirtbag-left-v5v29pw57 , work=

, location=London, access-date=15 May 2020 , date=21 April 2020 {{cite web , last1=North , first1=Anna , last2=Stein , first2=Jeff , title=Listen to what socialist women are saying about misogyny on the left , url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/24/16503462/dsa-women-cumtown-chapo , work= Vox , access-date=5 May 2020 , date=24 October 2017 {{cite web , last1=Beauchamp , first1=Zac , title=The raging controversy over "Bernie Bros" and the so-called dirtbag left, explained , url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/9/21168312/bernie-bros-bernie-sanders-chapo-trap-house-dirtbag-left , work=Vox , access-date=15 May 2020 , date=9 March 2020 2016 neologisms 2010s neologisms American political neologisms Left-wing populism in the United States Socialism in the United States Youth politics in the United States