Episode 60: The Jan. 6 Fascist Insurrectionists: Enemy of Jacobin’s Enemy

Brendan and Andrew critically review, and provide an alternative to, Jacobin writers’ soft-on-fascist-insurrection discourse: sympathy for insurrectionists facing prosecution who weren’t “personally violent,” foregrounding of their “anti-government” sentiment and alleged economic distress while concealing the racism, xenophobia, and “great replacement” thinking that motivate them, facile comparison of the January 6 insurrection with radical protest, and––of course!––shifting the blame to “neoliberalism” and the Democratic Party. How does this help to advance Jacobin’s politics … and what does that tell us about its politics?

 
The co-hosts discuss pieces in Jacobin by Branko Marcetic, David Sirota, and Daniel Bessner and Ben Burgis, and statements by Burgis in podcasts and a Platypus-sponsored panel that was discussed in a previous RFH episode. They also summarize and discuss the empirical evidence––recently published by political scientist Robert Pape and colleagues––on who the Capitol insurrectionists actually are and what actually drives pro-insurrection thinking. During the discussion, reference is made to the advice sung by Ariana Grande in the Adam McKay/David Sirota film, “Don’t Look Up,” and to Jean-Paul Sartre’s discussion of the use of words on pages 13 and 14 of Anti-Semite and Jew.

 
This episode includes no distinct current-events segment because the whole episode has a current-events focus.

As noted in the episode, the public is invited to a discussion of MHI’s new statement, “Capitalism and the Ecological Crisis.” The discussion will take place by Skype, on Jan. 30, 1-3 pm Eastern Standard Time (6-8 pm in the UK). Write a few lines about yourself and what interests you about MHI and send to mhi@marxisthumanistinitiative.org by Jan. 22.

 
Radio Free Humanity is a podcast covering news, politics and philosophy from a Marxist-Humanist perspective. It is co-hosted by Brendan Cooney and Andrew Kliman. We intend to release new episodes every two weeks. Radio Free Humanity is sponsored by MHI, but the views expressed by the co-hosts and guests of Radio Free Humanity are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of MHI.

We welcome and encourage listeners’ comments, posted on this episode’s page.

Please visit MHI’s online print publication, With Sober Senses, for further news, commentary, and analysis.

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