Fascism is a confidence game, and it relies on emotional manipulation to succeed. Whereas some people are telling y’all to go to the gyms and get strong to fight fascists, I’m gonna suggest you learn about your emotions— and gain a sense of emotional literacy—to help you uproot fascism for good.
In this episode, I talk about forced-teaming as a way narcs fuse with other people, and institutions, to manipulate them. I also critique what the managerial middle-class refers to (in a pearl-clutching way) as “profanity,” and explain how such calls for “civility” are actually related to a centuries-long campaign (of white supremacy) to create a taboo around experiencing & expressing emotion. There’s a good reason for that: when you numb yourselves out, you’re more easy for the ruling classes to control. Emotion is the seat of our discernment.
Weirdo’s References
Gavin de Becker’s The Gift of Fear
Harriet B. Braiker’s Who’s Pulling Your Strings?
Karla McLaren The Language of Emotions
