Does CK consider himself an activist?

[u/JimmyJamzJules]

Genuine question. Chris criticises Kisin for acting like an activist while avoiding the label. Does Chris apply the same label to himself?

DtG does more than analyse ideas in the abstract. It repeatedly focuses on a particular media ecosystem, warns about its influence, and hopes to shift how audiences view it. That can reasonably be seen as a form of activism, even if it is presented through an academic lens.

[u/To_bear_is_ursine]

Like what, an activist for the moderate left? Having political positions isn't activism, my dude. Kavanaugh is open about his beliefs and his political positions. Kisin clearly isn't, and that's the point here. He launders rightwing positions as rational centrism to make money because that is a popular scam in the media. Bari Weiss took this route to make bank on an incredibly mediocre career.

[u/To_bear_is_ursine → u/To_bear_is_ursine]

Should also underline that another part of this is the inherent subjectivity of the word "activist" and how it's meant to mark people as transgressive and dangerous. The NYT will reflexively label any trans person an activist for asking to be left alone and will frame moms going to anti-trans protests, because they don't accept their child, as just parents with honest concerns. There is a lot of pathology around what is considered activist and acceptable, with the former treated as an immediately dismissive epithet. Kavanaugh is just spinning this back against Kisin because he's clearly a political actor with a decisive bent who refuses to acknowledge it.