The Bulwark Podcast Thomas Chatterton Williams: How MAGA Learned to Love Cancel Culture
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Sep 19, 2025 
Thomas Chatterton Williams, a staff writer for The Atlantic and author, dives into the complexities of cancel culture and politics. He discusses the alarming trend of authoritarianism in the U.S. and critiques the vice president's call for citizens to inform on one another. Williams examines the right's embrace of cancel tactics and the genuine versus performative outrage in today's political landscape. He also reflects on the unintended consequences of the Harper's Letter and the challenges of free speech on college campuses.
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Peer Policing Harms Free Expression More
- Williams invokes Mill: bottom-up censoriousness is more pernicious than state limits because social spaces are ubiquitous.
- He warns neighbor-driven policing of speech is harder to escape than formal state action.
Grievance Makes Authoritarianism Popular
- Williams argues many Americans welcome punitive uses of power because they want revenge for perceived elite transgressions.
- He notes that turnabout and grievance make abuses politically popular among sizable constituencies.
Apply Anti-Cancel Principles Consistently
- Resist adopting your opponent's illiberal tactics even when they proved effective in past years.
- Apply anti-cancellation principles consistently, not selectively for your team.
