Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History

A bracing, accessible history of white American liberals—and why it’s time to change the conversation about them.

If there’s one thing most Americans can agree on, it’s that everyone hates white liberals. Conservatives hate them for being culturally tolerant and threatening to usher in communism. Libertarians hate them for believing in the power of the state. Socialists hate them for serving as capitalism’s beard. Even liberals hate liberals—either because they can’t manage to overcome thei...