"That’s the sex appeal of fascism: the desire to be violated. To be cut through like butter and spread... Fascism is sexy because it’s dangerous, confident, and... leather! It’s scary and comforting at the same time, because you don’t have to make any decisions. We’re afraid of it because our power is taken away, and we want it because we want our power to be taken away." //
CW: two Jewish anti-fascist leftist queers in Brooklyn talking about the history, aesthetics, and complicated erotic allegories of fascism.
In Part Two: The empty symbolism of punk / Derek Jarman’s Jubilee, / Adam Ant’s "Deutscher Girls" / Are people jerking off to Mel Brook’s "Hitler Rap"? / Are gay skinheads fascist? / Yukio Mishima / Forced breeding and medical experiments / Adrienne Rich’s response to Susan Sontag’s NYRB essay / Slave Play //
"Unless you contend with desire, you’re never gonna get anywhere.” //
JB Brager is a writer and cartoonist living in Brooklyn NY, Lenape-ho-king. They are a founding editor of Pinko Magazine and founding host of the Bluestockings bookstore comics reading series In The Gutter. They hold a PhD in Women’s & Gender Studies from Rutgers University New Brunswick. They are on all social media as well as Patreon at @jbbrager  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.