Subjekt.no

Subjekt.no (or Subjekt) is a Norwegian alt-right and "anti-woke" website that presents itself as a newspaper focused on art. Subjekt hilariously claims to be "the leading cultural newspaper" of Norway and "your best friend in all matters of good taste,"Self description of Subjekt.no but is in reality the blog of Danby Choi, who is essentially the Norwegian Andy Ngo and who says he thinks Donald Trump is "cool." Hans Petter Sjøli of the mainstream newspaper VG described Choi as part of "the provocative and contrarian far right."Hans Petter Sjøli: Det er Elon, Danby, Ole Asbjørn og Ödes tid nå, VG, 5 january 2025 The blog is often compared to Resett.no and publishes a steady stream of transphobic, racist, Holocaust-denying, and anti-vaccination writers, as well as complaints about "woke culture", "Pride ideology", and "identity politics." It has been described as "a 'cultural newspaper' which wallows in anti-woke rhetoric, transphobia, and outlandish conspiracy theories." Some of its writers also contribute to websites such as Resett.no and Steigan.no. The blog's focus on transphobia and conspiratorial "anti-wokeism" has made it the main forum for far-right anti-gender populism and disinformation in Norway.
==Role in the culture war==
Despite the stated focus on art and good taste, a large amount of the content consists of articles complaining about "woke culture" and "identity politics". The website is published by Danby Choi, a blogger and self-styled journalist who is pretty much the Norwegian Andy Ngo. According to an article in leading daily , Choi's critics have accused him of being "a transphobe, racist and fascist.""Danby Chois kritikere mener han er transfob, rasist og fascist" [Danby Choi's critics believe he is a transphobe, racist and fascist], , 28 April 2022 The website has published articles attacking LGBT+ rights, articles ridiculing allegations of rape and sexual abuse, and articles by prominent anti-immigration activists and anti-semites; for example the Norwegian humanist and skeptic , an advisor at the , has noted that "Subjekt has become a platform of the group surrounding Hans Olav Brendberg. They believe it is reasonable to ask whether Jews are a 'state within the state.'"Subjekt gjør seg til talerør for miljøet rundt Hans Olav Brendberg. Her kan vi for eksempel lære at det er rimelig å si at jødene er en "stat i staten" [Subjekt has become a platform of the group surrounding Hans Olav Brendberg. They believe it is reasonable to ask whether Jews are a "state within the state"] by Didrik Søderlind (10:52 PM - 16 Mar 2022) Twitter (archived from March 17, 2022).
Are Bøe Pedersen, an assistant professor at the described Subjekt in 2021 as "Resett with art reviews"Are Bøe Pedersen (2021). "At de nå er Resett med kunstanmeldelser var verdens mest forutsigbare utvikling" [That they have become Resett with art reviews was the world's most predictable development] by @Zealuu (2:42 PM - 28 Nov 2021) Twitter (archived from November 30, 2021). while Didrik Søderlind at the Norwegian Humanist Association described the website in an interview with as "Resett for former students at Westerdals" (a private media and communications college with a less than stellar academic reputation). Søderlind has also compared Subjekt to other Norwegian far-right, conspiracy theorist and "anti-woke" websites such as Document.no and Det ER et segment som vil være interessert i det Subjekt som Choi og co legger opp til, men det segmentet har allerede Resett, Steigan, Document, Sivilisasjonen og en haug enda mer obskure "alternative medier" by Didrik Søderlind () (2:46 AM - 6 May 2022) Twitter (archived from May 6, 2022). After Subjekt published an article insinuating that Jews are a "state within the state," Søderlind wrote that the website is worse than openly neo-Nazi outlets such as Nordfront and Frihetskamp,Didrik Søderlind () (2022). Slåttavik er nemlig så drøy at de organiserte nazistene holder ham på avstand and he later clarified that he believes Subjekt is "worse than Resett."Aha. Men jeg mener jo ikke det. Jeg mener Subjekt er verre enn Resett by Didrik Søderlind (11:51 PM - 5 May 2022) Twitter (archived from May 6, 2022).
The Norwegian humanist and skeptic has noted that Subjekt has published anti-vaccination disinformation, transphobia and articles by Holocaust deniers, falsely portraying it merely as a matter of freedom of speech and without any regard for the minorities the website incites hatred against. (25 July 2022). Når kampen for «ytringsfrihet» fører til mindre ytringsfrihet
The humanist, skeptic, and biology professor noted that "Choi and his insignificant, but unbelievably self-congratulatory 'cultural journalists' are the new Resett." (2022). Jeg har formulert mitt generelle syn på Subjekt etter Ellingsen-gate. Choi og hans ubetydelige, men ufattelig selvhøytidelige «kulturjournalister» er det nye Resett 
Green politician wrote that the website peddles falsehoods and "shamelessly milks the culture war." (2022). Fact-checking of Subjekt
Conservative historian affiliated with the free market think tank Civita, said in 2022 that he thought the website "is about to tip over into problematic terrain", as it "often happens with the most monomaniacal anti-wokeists"."Provokatøren". In: , 29 April 2022, pp. 10–22.It bears repeating that a conservative said this.
In 2022 Subjekt extensively promoted an interview with a Norwegian anti-transgender activist by Tucker Carlson. In response, a journalist and expert on far-right extremism, said that Subjekt has become "a megaphone for American fascist television" and that the website "sucks up to the far right." Klungtveit also said that Choi is not a real journalist.Utløste ellevill redaktørkrangel, , 22 July 2022 In 2023 Klungtveit said Subjekt and its editor are part of the "Norwegian alt-right."Redaktør kaller Danby Choi «alt-right»
In August 2022, the Professional Committee of the Press (PFU) ruled, following a complaint by law professor and human rights scholar that Subjekt had violated press ethics in its articles about LGBT+ rights activist Subjekt felt i lukket PFU-sak [PFU rules against Subjekt], Journalisten, 1 September 2022
In 2023, cultural magazine described the blog's "debate editor" Mikkel Ihle Tande as "one of the eight most idiotic voices in the trans debate" who is responsible for "enthusiastic and unscrupulous wholesale importation of American culture war" to Norway and who "likely devours four to five dubious (originally: alt-right) Youtube videos daily."De åtte mest idiotiske stemmene i transdebatten [The eight most idiotic voices in the trans debate]. 31 May 2023
It has been described as "a 'cultural newspaper' which wallows in anti-woke rhetoric, transphobia, and outlandish conspiracy theories."Heldigvis har vi "kulturavisen" Subjekt som rægger rundt med anti-woke, transfobi og elleville konspirasjonsteorier
Choi has long attempted to embellish his Wikipedia biography, purportedly via sockpuppetry and with varying levels of success.Sikkert også helt tilfeldig at de fleste Wikipedia-editsene som hauser opp Subjekt og Danby Choi er skrevet av anonyme kontoer... som kun har redigert saker om Subjekt og Danby Choi.Danby Choi bryr seg så lite den faktiske ytringsfriheten at han går gjennom Wikipedia med anonyme kontoer å fjerner negativ info om seg selv.
In 2023, in yet another attempt to make himself relevant, Choi published a book titled Kanseller meg hvis du kan [Cancel me if you can]. The book is an entirely unoriginal rehash of the standard repertoire of the "anti-woke" alt-right, with himself as the tiresome focus of attention. In the book he devotes a whole chapter to complaints about his Wikipedia biography. The earnestness with which Choi lists what he views as his accomplishments, down to his bachelor's degree and club memberships, while lambasting his Wikipedia biography and its "woke" authors, inadvertently adds a layer of humor to the chapter. He also devotes a substantial amount of the book to defending a friend who was convicted of rape, while smearing the victims.Eivind Trædal on the book In a review of the book, Nazneen Khan-Østrem of the conservative newspaper wrote that Choi's ideas about "wokeism" are anchored on the US political right:
In November 2023, Danby Choi appeared in a video with a man convicted of child sexual abuse. In the video, Choi tells the man that "you have been cancelled" before patting the man on his back and encouragingly telling him he that "you'll get through this".Slettet video etter reaksjoner, Danby Choi etter video med overgrepsdømt: − Jeg har utvist dårlig dømmekraft, Verdens Gang
Subjekt has been criticized for promoting culture war and milking controversy in a banal and dishonest way and primarily for economic gain, with Choi pocketing most of the public subsidies the blog receives himself.Mariken Lauvstad (6 January 2024). "Kongen av kulturkrig" [The king of culture war] Geir Magne Staurland, the editor of the cultural newspaper Natt&Dag (Night&Day), said that "they [Subjekt] are trying to squeeze everything into a worldview that revolves around Norway being threatened by a woke tyranny. With tabloid and banal stories, they create a perception of reality where one sees ghosts in broad daylight," and noted that Subjekt routinely publishes articles by "extremist anti-trans activists."Natt&Dag har gjort kritikk av Subjekt til et varemerke: – De ser «woke»-spøkelser på høylys dag, Aftenposten, 19 February 2024
Choi has said he thinks Donald Trump is "cool."Mange unge, norske menn ville stemt på Trump. Herman Winther er én av dem.
==Salary controversy==
In 2021, the website applied for and received public funding. The newspaper reported in 2022 that the website's editor Danby Choi has given himself a salary of close to one million NOK, while the other writers receive "next to nothing." This had led to resentment and controversy among the staff.
==See also==
*Resett.no
*Document.no
*Steigan.no
==External links==
*
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Alt-right
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Homophobia
Category:Internet
Category:Islamophobia
Category:Transphobia
Category:Internet kooks
Category:Media
Category:Norway
Category:Racism
Category:Sexism