Fighting Fascist Feelings
Brussels workshop, new podcast episodes, and more
Fighting Fascist Feelings workshop, Brussels, Nov. 20-23
Fascism is on the rise thanks to scheming billionaires, capitalist crisis, patriarchal power struggles, resurgent racism and imperialism, vicious nationalism and so much more.
As we struggle against fascism and the systems that created it, we want to pause to ask: what motivates the fascist imagination and what attracts people to fascism, historically and today? These questions are key to understanding the enemy and strategizing for a better future.
Sense & Solidarity presents a four-day intensive in Brussels for those deeply engaged in projects that are pushing back against the rising authoritarian, reactionary, and fascist elements of society. Perhaps you’re community organizing. Maybe you’re making transformative art or doing radical research. Or it’s possible you’ve taken to the streets. If you want to think more deeply about both theory and strategy (and meet likeminded committed people) we hope you’ll join us.
More information and registration (by September 30): https://senseandsolidarity.org/fff/
Recently, on Against the Fascist Game…
We’re drawing to the end of Season 2 of The Exploits of Play, the podcast I produce with Faye Harvey for Weird Economies, this season dedicated to the theme "Against the Fascist Game.”
We have some excellent recent episodes:
Rulemakers and Rulebreakers: Vicky Osterweil on fascist games and and antifascist play
In this episode we discuss the contradiction within games between gender play and fantasies to control and order; video games as reproductive technology; the playfulness of the far right which could be characterised as play without pleasure; how rulebreaking and gamebreaking play out in liberal democracy and fascism; and the possibilities of play and protest in antifascist practices and riotous revolution.
Vicky Osterweil is a writer, worker and agitator based in Philadelphia. She is a founding member of the anarchist writing collective CAW, which can be found at cawshinythings.com She is the author of In Defense of Looting and the forthcoming book The Extended Universe: How Disney Destroyed the Movies and Took Over the World.
Fight Fight Fight: Jack Bratich with a bestiary of fascist masculinities, from the micro to the macro
In this episode, we discussed the concept of microfascism, which refers to everyday life practices, and intersubjective relations that establish power dynamics and form the organisation of desire. The yearning for and supplication to power is at work in everyone and must constantly be guarded against, for these are easily amenable to fascist organisations and movements. As the saying goes: “Kill the cop in your head!” We also discussed martial masculinity as it manifests in combat sports such as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), as well as figures of such franchises such as Dana White, who is a close associate of Trump and many other fascist personalities.
Jack Z. Bratich writes about the intersection of popular culture and political culture. He applies social and political theory to such topics as social movements, craft culture, patriarchal subjectivities, and the cultures of secrecy. He is professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University and author of On Microfascism: Gender, War, Death (Common Notions, 2022) and Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture (2008). His latest publication is “What Can a Body Do(om)?: Fratriarchy’s Affects and the Capacities to Break Together” (2025) in Capacities to: Affect Up Against Fascism.
THOUGHTSNACK, a new podcast from Sense & Solidarity
Over at Sense & Solidarity, Sarah Stein Lubrano and I are trying out a new format: semi-regular Instagram live discussions about whatever one of us is nerding-out about. Follow Sarah or me on Instagram for the latest. We also release the content as a podcast called THOUGHTSNACK a few days later.
THOUGHTSNACK 1: What Motivates Fascists? Opportunism, Paranoia and Psychedelic Power
THOUGHTSNACK 2: Have More and/or Fewer Babies
THOUGHTSNACK 3: Whom are you cheating (with generative AI) [coming soon…]
Upcoming
October 12-14 - I’ll be at The World Transformed festival in Manchester. On Friday evening I’ll be hosting a live, gameshow version of Billionaires & Guillotines. On Sunday, Sarah Stein Lubrano and I will be leading a workshop “Fighting Fascist Feelings: Countering the Political Psychology of the Far Right.”
October 16-18 - I’ll be at the Pluriverse of Peace coference in Berlin, leading a stream dedicated to game-making.
November 6-9 - I’ll be at the Historical Materialism conference in London
Fascism has nothing to do with left or right. It is about control of people, messaging and production. It can use toxic masculinity or toxic femininity. Right/left division is one of fascisms best weapons.