Subjekt.no
Frogs, clowns, and swastikas Alt-right |
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Chuds |
Rebuilding the Reich, one meme at a time |
Buzzwords and dogwhistles |
—Are Bøe Pedersen |
Subjekt.no (or Subjekt) is a Norwegian alt-right, pro-fascist and "anti-woke" blog 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,"[1] but is in reality the blog of Danby Choi, who is essentially the Norwegian Andy Ngo. Choi is an alt-right blogger and influencer, and a self-styled "chief editor" (of his own blog), 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,"[2] while other journalists have called Subjekt "little more than a culture war blog" for "brainless Trump fanboys".[3]
Evan McLaren described Danby Choi as "the most visible and successful apologist for fascism and right-wing extremism" in Norway and Subjekt as "a laundering machine for vile right-wing ideas and behavior".[4] Andreas Bjørnbekk argued that Subjekt is "doing the bidding of American fascists" and publishing disinformation and propaganda.[5] In Filter Nyheter, Harald S. Klungtveit argued that Subjekt and Danby Choi are actively whitewashing far-right extremism and fascism.[6] 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."[7] In 2025 Subjekt published a long rant that defended child murderer Anders Behring Breivik, along with the usual concerns about "mainstream media", George Soros, so-called "woke", and so on.[8][6] 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[edit]
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 Dagens Næringsliv, Choi's critics have accused him of being "a transphobe, racist and fascist."[9] 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 Didrik Søderlind
, an advisor at the Norwegian Humanist Association
, 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.'"[10]
Are Bøe Pedersen, an assistant professor at the University of Bergen, described Subjekt in 2021 as "Resett with art reviews"[11] while Didrik Søderlind at the Norwegian Humanist Association described the website in an interview with Dagens Næringsliv
as "Resett for former students at Westerdals" (a private media and communications college with a less than stellar academic reputation).[9] Søderlind has also compared Subjekt to other Norwegian far-right, conspiracy theorist and "anti-woke" websites such as Document.no and Steigan.
[12] 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,[13] and he later clarified that he believes Subjekt is "worse than Resett."[14]
The Norwegian humanist and skeptic Gunnar Tjomlid 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.[15]
The humanist, skeptic, and biology professor Øivind Bergh noted that "Choi and his insignificant, but unbelievably self-congratulatory 'cultural journalists' are the new Resett."[16]
Green politician Torkil Vederhus wrote that the website peddles falsehoods and "shamelessly milks the culture war."[17]
Conservative historian Bård Larsen, 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".[18][note 1]
In 2022 Subjekt extensively promoted an interview with a Norwegian anti-transgender activist by Tucker Carlson. In response, Harald Klungtveit, 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.[19] In 2023 Klungtveit said Subjekt and its editor are part of the "Norwegian alt-right."[20]
In August 2022, the Professional Committee of the Press (PFU) ruled, following a complaint by law professor and human rights scholar Mads Andenæs, that Subjekt had violated press ethics in its articles about LGBT+ rights activist Begard Reza.
[21]
In 2023, cultural magazine Natt&Dag 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."[22]
It has been described as "a 'cultural newspaper' which wallows in anti-woke rhetoric, transphobia, and outlandish conspiracy theories."[7]
Choi has long attempted to embellish his Wikipedia biography, purportedly via sockpuppetry and with varying levels of success.[23][24]
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.[25] In a review of the book, Nazneen Khan-Østrem of the conservative newspaper Aftenposten wrote that Choi's ideas about "wokeism" are anchored on the US political right:
In one of the world's most woke countries, Danby Choi sees cancellations everywhere. His supporters in the United States will probably be a little surprised (...) It's quite the allies Choi has with him in the war. Over time, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has become the most famous anti-wokeist. Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon is also part of the gang. He praises Putin because he is anti-woke and Elon Musk. He has declared war against the woke virus. (...) Is it excessive to draw parallels to this far-right landscape when writing about Subjekt and Choi? Not really. What they have in common is the same nagging anxiety that 'someone' is out there to get them[26]
Eivind Trædal said on Choi's book:
Your [Choi's] analysis is superficial and rarely well-reasoned. You write poorly (frequently using words incorrectly), think quite poorly, and come across as a "one-trick pony" who provokes for the sake of provocation. As you know, I have thoroughly read your book, and it was not an enjoyable experience. It was weak and self-centered, with a distorted moral foundation.[3]
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".[27][28]
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.[29] 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."[30]
In 2025 Subjekt published a long rant that defended Anders Behring Breivik, along with concerns about "mainstream media", George Soros, so-called "woke", and so on.[8] Eivind Trædal has said Subjekt is a "garbage blog" and that it is "incredibly embarrassing that this amoral poser [Choi] has been so uncritically cheered on in Norwegian public discourse."[31]
In Filter Nyheter, Harald S. Klungtveit argued that Subjekt and Danby Choi are actively whitewashing far-right extremism by defending Curtis Yarvin, a known Breivik sympathizer. He exposes how Yarvin openly celebrated Breivik’s massacre, yet Subjekt still rushed to frame him as an intellectual voice rather than a fascist ideologue. Klungtveit condemns Subjekt's long-standing pattern of ridiculing anti-fascists while downplaying the threats of authoritarianism, calling Choi’s approach a shallow contrarian act that enables dangerous ideologies. Instead of confronting the growing far-right influence, Subjekt positions itself as an apologist for fascist and anti-democratic forces.[6]
Andreas Bjørnbekk argued that "Subjekt's columnists and guest writers are doing the bidding of American fascists" and that the blog publishes disinformation and propaganda.[5]
Choi has said he thinks Donald Trump is "cool."[32]
Political commentator Eivind Trædal summarized Choi's shtick in this way:
"Trump is super cool," that's how the perpetually contrarian and never interesting influencer Danby Choi sums up the news week. Over the past two years, Choi has executed what must be the most successful use of reverse psychology ever. "Cancel me if you can!" he shouted, and Norwegian media responded by carrying him on a golden throne into every conceivable debate platform and reality show. Haha, you won't fool us, Danby; we'll give you all the airtime you could ever dream of!
This absurd overexposure has added zero value to Norwegian public discourse. Choi mostly has no new ideas to bring to the table, and his "cultural newspaper" is little more than a culture war blog that imports ideological baggage from the American right into Norway.
It has been good business for Choi, but bad for most others. We really don't need to cheer on brainless Trump fanboys on every channel. They can discredit themselves freely on their own platforms, with their freedom of speech intact. All the money and attention thrown at Choi goes directly into making Norway a slightly dumber country.[3]
Evan McLaren described Danby Choi as "the most visible and successful apologist for fascism and right-wing extremism" in Norway and Subjekt as "a laundering machine for vile right-wing ideas and behavior".[4]
Salary controversy[edit]
In 2021, the website applied for and received public funding. The newspaper Dagens Næringsliv 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.[18]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ It bears repeating that a conservative said this.
References[edit]
- ↑ Self description of Subjekt.no
- ↑ Hans Petter Sjøli: Det er Elon, Danby, Ole Asbjørn og Ödes tid nå, VG, 5 january 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Eivind Trædal
(2025): "'Trump er dritfet'"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Evan McLaren (2025): "Some thoughts on fixing our free speech confusion"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Subjekt utgjør en giftpil i norsk samfunnsdebatt
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harald S. Klungtveit: Breivik-apologeten, Subjekt og Danby Choi, Filter Nyheter, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Heldigvis har vi "kulturavisen" Subjekt som rægger rundt med anti-woke, transfobi og elleville konspirasjonsteorier
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Knut Jørgen Vie: "Har Subjekt nådd bunnen?", Agenda magasin
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Danby Chois kritikere mener han er transfob, rasist og fascist" [Danby Choi's critics believe he is a transphobe, racist and fascist], Dagens Næringsliv
, 28 April 2022
- ↑ 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 (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).
- ↑ 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 (Norwegian Humanist Association
) (2:46 AM - 6 May 2022) Twitter (archived from May 6, 2022).
- ↑ Didrik Søderlind (Norwegian Humanist Association
) (2022). Slåttavik er nemlig så drøy at de organiserte nazistene holder ham på avstand
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ Gunnar Tjomlid
(25 July 2022). Når kampen for «ytringsfrihet» fører til mindre ytringsfrihet
- ↑ Øivind Bergh
(2022). Jeg har formulert mitt generelle syn på Subjekt etter Ellingsen-gate. Choi og hans ubetydelige, men ufattelig selvhøytidelige «kulturjournalister» er det nye Resett
- ↑ Torkil Vederhus
(2022). Fact-checking of Subjekt
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Provokatøren". In: Dagens Næringsliv
, 29 April 2022, pp. 10–22.
- ↑ Utløste ellevill redaktørkrangel, Dagbladet
, 22 July 2022
- ↑ Redaktør kaller Danby Choi «alt-right»
- ↑ Subjekt felt i lukket PFU-sak [PFU rules against Subjekt], Journalisten, 1 September 2022
- ↑ De åtte mest idiotiske stemmene i transdebatten [The eight most idiotic voices in the trans debate]. Natt&Dag
31 May 2023
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Eivind Trædal on the book
- ↑ Nazneen Khan-Østrem (5 November 2023): "Danby Chois tolkning av woke har et sterkt ankerfeste på USAs politiske høyreside", Aftenposten
- ↑ Slettet video etter reaksjoner, Bergensavisen
- ↑ Danby Choi etter video med overgrepsdømt: − Jeg har utvist dårlig dømmekraft, Verdens Gang
- ↑ Mariken Lauvstad (6 January 2024). "Kongen av kulturkrig" [The king of culture war]
- ↑ Natt&Dag har gjort kritikk av Subjekt til et varemerke: – De ser «woke»-spøkelser på høylys dag, Aftenposten, 19 February 2024
- ↑ Subjekt er en søppelblogg [Subjekt is a garbage blog]
- ↑ Mange unge, norske menn ville stemt på Trump. Herman Winther er én av dem.