About White Rose Magazine

During World War II, in the heart of Nazi Germany, a group of college students made the sober decision to be the voice of sanity in the midst of chaos. They decided that truth needed to be expressed even as they knew the price to be paid for speaking out against the systemic pressures to be silent. Those brave heroes whose story inspired us in 2021 to follow their example were known as the White Rose Society. Their inspiration is our mission. 

In this new age of cancel culture, where public discourse feels like a never-ending shouting match between extremes of the far left and the far right, most people feel underserved, under-represented, and too often ignored in the political arena. Simply stated, the all-or-nothing approach of political activism is not reflective of how most people think. During elections, the silent majority is often defined, labeled, and packaged for mass consumption by political parties and others aligned with their thinking.

It is, however, our view that the silent majority endorses neither extreme conservatism nor extreme leftism, but rather is made up of people who work hard and want to be able to support their families, having something left over for the enjoyment of life. Most have tuned out the mainstream pundits because they hear people talking about them for political points without speaking to their actual needs. And most have given up speaking for themselves in this cancel climate because, as noted, they are concerned about being able to provide for their families. 

The silent majority is whom we seek to address, and whose spirit we hope to channel. We choose this voice to call out extremist and divisive views on all sides and work to bridge gaps in society that have for too long grown unchecked. In the process, we look to inspire a new era of true liberalism and expose disguised illiberalism. Having left-of-center views does not create a liberal. Like many words these days, “liberal” has been corrupted. In popular culture, it has become synonymous with the word “leftist.” Leftism is not liberalism but in fact illiberalism. It is a closed-loop echo chamber where like-minded people repeat, reinforce, and agree. 

Most Americans—the silent majority—have long waited for solutions and ideas that make sense, and to be involved in an open and honest discourse. That is the goal of White Rose Magazine. White Rose will platform new writers as well as veteran writers who see the void and are willing to be part of bridging differences in society, rather than exacerbating them. It is our hope that people who read this do so with an open mind. Open minds lead to open and healthy discourse, the foundation of true liberalism.  

We are also reintroducing the idea that aesthetics and liberalism align—that together they have the capacity to elevate and unite. That together they can create a civil society that, in the words of Ahad Ha-Am, has the power to exalt the soul, transcend differences, and honor humanity.

Contributing Writers and Editors

Thane Rosenbaum, Olga Meshoe Washington, Christina Hoff Sommers, James Lindsay, Asra Nomani, Jonathan Haidt, Matthew Menachem Feuer, Micha Mitch Danzig, Michael R. Caplan, Karen Harradine, Jason D. Paluch, Michael Pregent, Dmitri Shufutinsky, Brandy Shufutinsky, and Brian Gottesman

Karen Lehrman Bloch has been an editor and writer at The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wilson Quarterly. She is also the author of The Lipstick Proviso: Women, Sex & Power in the Real World (Doubleday); The Inspired Home: Interiors of Deep Beauty (HarperCollins); and the forthcoming The Elegant Soul: Love, Sex & Dignity in the 21^st Century.