Taki Theodoracopulos Explained

Taki Theodoracopulos
Birth Name:Panagiotis Theodoracopulos
Native Name:Παναγιώτης Θεοδωρακόπουλος
Birth Date:11 August 1936
Birth Place:Greece
Alma Mater:University of Virginia
Occupation:Journalist, publisher, writer

Panagiotis "Taki" Theodoracopulos (; Greek, Modern (1453-);: text=Παναγιώτης "Τάκης" Θεοδωρακόπουλος in Greek, Modern (1453-); pronounced as /panaˈʝotis ˈtacis θeoðoraˈkopulos/; born 11 August 1936)[1] is a Greek writer and publisher who founded Taki's Magazine and co-founded The American Conservative. His column "High Life" appeared in British weekly The Spectator from 1977 to 2023. He has lived in New York City, London, and Gstaad.[2]

Early life and education

The son of a Greek shipping magnate,[3] Theodoracopulos was privately educated in the United States at Lawrenceville School and Blair Academy[4] before attending the University of Virginia.[5]

Theodoracopulos was a sportsman early in life. He represented Greece at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962,[6] having been a tennis player beforehand, including playing at the 1961 French Championship.[7]

Career

Theodoracopulos's column "High Life" has appeared in British weekly The Spectator since 1977, where he wrote a series of controversial articles, including one claiming that black people had lower IQs than other people, for which Boris Johnson, made editor in 1999, later apologised.[8] [9] He has also written for other US and UK publications, including Esquire, Hamptons Magazine, Newsweek, the New York Press, The Sunday Times, and Vanity Fair.

In 1984, he was arrested for the possession of cocaine, after attempting to board a plane at Heathrow Airport, and served three months in HMP Pentonville. He documented his prison experiences in Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs (1991) and discussed them in an extended appearance on the British television programme After Dark.

In 2002, Theodoracopulos founded The American Conservative magazine with Pat Buchanan and Scott McConnell.[10] He was also the publisher of the British magazine Right Now! He currently publishes and writes for Taki's Magazine. In 2016, the organization Proud Boys was launched with an article in Taki's Magazine by Gavin McInnes.[11] [12] [13]

Theodoracopulos appeared in the 2013 James Toback film Seduced and Abandoned as himself.[14] [15]

He received criticism for writing in support of Greek ultranationalist political party Golden Dawn, describing them as "good old-fashioned patriotic Greeks" in a 2013 editorial. The editor of The Spectator, Fraser Nelson, defended Theodoracopulos by tweeting that "Our readers like diversity and well-written pieces that they disagree with. We have no party line."[16] [17] In a 2021 interview, months after many Golden Dawn leaders were convicted by Greek courts for heading a criminal organisation, the chairman of The Spectator, Andrew Neil, who does not have influence over the magazine editorially, condemned the column, stating it was "beyond the pale". He further added that he had requested the editor to inform Theodoracopulos that he should not return to that topic following its publication.[18]

His frequent criticism of Israel[19] led Conrad Black to accuse him of antisemitism.[20] In 2018, he wrote an article commemorating D-Day in which he praised the Wehrmacht and asked readers to sympathize with them.[21] [22] [23]

Racism

Theodoracopulos is described as having expressed racist views directed against West Indians, Puerto Ricans, and Jews, among others.[24] He has used the racial epithets "nigger" and "Sambo" to describe black people[25] and he referred to Saudi royal family members as "ruling towelheads".[26]

Attempted rape conviction

On 5 October 2023, Theodoracopulos received a 12-month suspended sentence for an attempted rape that occurred in 2009 in his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland. His lawyer indicated that he would appeal the verdict by a Swiss court.[27]

Personal life

Theodoracopulos has an interest in Asian martial arts, and holds a black belt in karate.[28] He owned a 37.5-metre yacht named Bushido that was put up for sale in 2012.[29]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Taki . .
  2. News: Eaton . Phoebe . 31 October 2014 . Gstaad: The Last Resort . . 30 December 2014 . 7 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150107225135/http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/gstaad-switzerland-hotels-resorts/ . dead .
  3. News: Bell . Matthew . 15 May 2010 . What's the point of Taki if he isn't offensive any more? . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/whats-the-point-of-taki-if-he-isnt-offensive-any-more-1974383.html . 26 May 2022 . subscription . live . . 29 May 2018.
  4. Web site: 9 April 2008 . 26 January 2018 . Taki Speaks at Skeptics . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080720093706/http://www.blair.edu/News_Events/2007_2008/news_ev_Taki.shtm . 20 July 2008.
  5. News: Byrne . Ciar . 12 June 2006 . The Indestructible Journos . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-indestructible-journos-6098454.html . 26 May 2022 . subscription . live . The Independent . 29 May 2018.
  6. Web site: Skiing for pleasure » 19 Mar 2005 » The Spectator Archive. The Spectator Archive.
  7. Web site: Taki: on the tennis circuit. AVS Allmedia.
  8. Book: Purnell, Sonia . Just Boris: Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity . Aurum Press Ltd . London . 2011 . 978-1-84513-665-9 . 193 .
  9. News: Boris says sorry over 'blacks have lower IQs' article in the Spectator . 30 August 2018 . Evening Standard . 2 April 2008.
  10. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c82f7mrk/ "Patrick J. Buchanan Papers, White House Special Files, 01/21/1969 - 12/31/1972"
  11. Web site: The rise of the Proud Boys in the US. 7 October 2020.
  12. Web site: Coaston. Jane. October 15, 2018. The Proud Boys, the bizarre far-right street fighters behind violence in New York, explained. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20181017001652/https://www.vox.com/2018/10/15/17978358/proud-boys-gavin-mcinnes-manhattan-gop-violence. October 17, 2018. October 1, 2020. Vox. The Proud Boys were officially launched in September 2016, on the website of Taki’s Magazine, a far-right publication for which white nationalist Richard Spencer once served as executive editor. .
  13. Web site: Martin. Nick R.. 19 October 2018. Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has been using the same anti-gay slur hurled in the NYC attack for at least 15 years. 10 August 2021. Southern Poverty Law Centre. Back in 2011, Gavin McInnes, the writer and talk show host who would later found the Proud Boys, published his thoughts about anti-gay and racial slurs on the paleoconservative website Taki’s Magazine... McInnes even used the anti-gay epithet in the column that announced the formation of the Proud Boys. The group began, he wrote, by “laughing at the politically correct culture they insist we take seriously.”.
  14. News: Theodoracopulos . Taki . 25 May 2013 . What's Cannes all about? Seducing someone important . The Spectator . 11 November 2013 .
  15. News: Ross . Deborah . 9 November 2013 . Ryan Gosling couldn't play Taki better than Taki . The Spectator . 11 November 2013.
  16. News: York. Chris. Should The Spectator Have Published An Article Defending Golden Dawn?. 23 July 2013. The Huffington Post. 8 October 2020.
  17. News: Hollander. Gavriel. Spectator editor defends column supporting Greek far-right party Golden Dawn. Press Gazette. 23 July 2013. 8 October 2020.
  18. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, Andrew Neil: a 50-year media career. BBC.
  19. Web site: High seas and high horses – Opinion. The Jerusalem Post. 5 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181005212834/https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/High-seas-and-high-horses. 5 October 2018.
  20. News: Conrad. Black. Conrad Black. MY FRIEND TAKI HAS GONE TOO FAR. 3 March 2001. The Spectator. 31 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180731134537/http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/3rd-march-2001/18/my-friend-taki-has-gone-too-far. 31 July 2018.
  21. News: Respected British magazine publishes defense of Nazi German troops. Jewish Telegraph Agency. The Times of Israel. 18 May 2018. 7 June 2019.
  22. News: Spectator editor Fraser Nelson claims power of editors 'comically overstated' in 500th issue under his editorship. James. Walker. Press Gazette. 5 April 2019. 7 June 2018.
  23. News: Spectator removes Harvey Weinstein quotes from interview. Jim. Waterson. The Guardian. 17 July 2018. 7 June 2019.
  24. Web site: Leader: Boris Johnson. TheGuardian.com. 21 October 2004.
  25. News: Freeman . Alan . 2001-03-03 . Black berates U.K. columnist . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-06-13.
  26. Web site: To Slur, with Love: 'Ironic Racism' is More Than Just Taki. The New York Observer. 16 May 2012.
  27. News: 5 October 2023 . Taki Theodoracopulos given 12-month suspended sentence for attempted rape . . 5 October 2023.
  28. News: Theodoracopulos . Taki . 19 July 2013 . Black Belts and Golden Dawn . . 24 July 2022.
  29. Web site: Coletti . Paul . 28 June 2012 . Taki's Yacht Bushido for Sale . Paul Coletti . 8 November 2015.

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