American Id | Craig Franson | Substack This is Craig Franson's Substack on democratic worldbuilding. I write about politics, popular culture, education, imagination, and living as a leftist in a right-trending world. Click to read American...

And here is the #AmericanId substack, if you want more elaboration in the future. americanid.substack.com

Anyone wanting a citation for this can use my talk, "'The Enemy Within': Antisemitism, Christian Nationalism, & American Politics," Temple Israel of Boston, Boston, MA, 28 October 2024. You can also find a few references to this schema on our #AmericanId mini-podcast on #Tolkien & the far right.

American Id slide showing "Three Fascistic 'Drives'" that lead into a fascist fusion called the "Alt Right." Those three drives are white supremacism (racism), masculine domination (misogyny), & the so-called "Authoritarian Complex" (essentialism).

Groypers aren't exactly a "fringe" group. They grew out of the alt-right & sit at the terminus of three interrelated "drives," white supremacism, masculine supremacism, & the so-called "Authoritarian Complex" (essentialist antisemitism). All lead toward a neofascist synchrony. 1/
#AmericanId

Why Silicon Valley’s Most Powerful People Are So Obsessed With Hobbits

Will have a great deal to say about this little Tolkien article tomorrow on the #AmericanId Substack. #LotR #RoP

A de-gaslighting thread for #Authoritarian times.
#AmericanId

The Cruelty Is the Point Trump and his supporters find community by rejoicing in the suffering of those they hate and fear.

Life got out of hand this week, so your reading for WEEK 3 of America's #AuthoritarianCrisis is an old standard, Serwer's "The Cruelty is the Point"--an essential notion that most journalists still can't manage to hang onto.
#AmericanId

The First White President The foundation of Donald Trump’s presidency is the negation of Barack Obama’s legacy.

For WEEK 2 of America's #AuthoritarianCrisis, your reading assignment is Ta-Nehisi Coates's classic, "The First White President" (2017). What was true then is even more obvious now--MAGA represents the mainstreaming of the American White Power movement.
#AmericanId @theatlantic.com

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder - Timothy Snyder On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.

For WEEK 1 of America's #AuthoritarianCrisis, your reading assignment is #OnTyranny by @timothysnyder.bsky.social. Get it, study it well, & return to it often over the next four years.
#AmericanId

Dani & I have been chomping at the bit to do an #AmericanId podcast series on fascism starting with Eco's list. Even though it isn't authoritative, it's one of the best entries to the subject there is. I'd love to write an article on it one day.

Sidebar: shout outs to my sister, who designed our #AmericanId logos, & #BlueManGroup's Matt Ramsey, who made the theme music, while on a family vacation.

2. Eye of Sauron: Frodo Lives! — American Id In today’s episode, we go back in time, when the hippies discovered The Lord of the Rings, making J.R.R. Tolkien an icon for the counter-culture, from Joni Mitchell to Dungeons and Dragons.

#WarOfTheRohirrim is out this weekend! For the early political context of #Tolkien's writing, check out Ep. 2 of our #EyeOfSauron podcast series, #FrodoLives. It covers the hippy adoption & conservative appropriation of #LOTR.
#AmericanId #ROP

1: Eye of Sauron: Rings of Power — American Id Today’s episode kicks off our series on the American right’s obsession with Lord of the Rings. Craig tells Dani all about Amazon’s brand new, billion-dollar Rings of Power series.

Before seeing #WarOfTheRohirrim, go back & give a listen to our little #EyeOfSauron series. Episode 1 covered the far-right hate-machine that cranked back into motion with #RingsOfPower, drawing some sectors of #Tolkien fandom into unwitting neo-fascist activism.
#AmericanId #LOTR #ROP

Advertisement for Open Hours session, Understanding Fascism. Image of January 6 Insurrection and American Id logo.

Teaching a bit on fascism in tonight's #OpenHours zoom, so here are some recent publications that lay out the context (if not quite my argument). 1/ #AmericanId

#raymondpettibon #AmericanID #queerart #gayart #lgbtqia #art

Covers of Terry Pratchett's first three novels in the witches series.

Eight years ago I prepped with Hannah Arendt. Thinking this time about settling into some classic essays in story power.
#AmericanId #Pratchett

Sharing our most recent #AmericanId talk: "The Enemy Within: Christian Nationalism, Antisemitism, and Popular Politics." Thanks to Temple Israel of Boston for inviting us!

Believe Them They told us who they are.

From my post-election substack: "They knew he was a fraud and felon; they understood he was a rapist; they heard he was a fascist; and they saw him launch a violent murderous mob on the U. S. Capital. They just didn’t care." #AmericanId americanid.substack.com/p/believe-them

Here's a link to the #EyeOfSauron series from the #AmericanId
podcast (currently on a long hiatus). The episodes cover #Tolkien & right-wing politics.
#ROP #RingsOfPower #LOTR #LordOfTheRings
www.theamericanid.com/podcast