In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “Total Life Reform: The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help Grift” by Shane Burley, the second in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Fall 2020 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read the article here.

In this episode, Koki is joined by Aidan Orly, one of a handful of U.S.-based researchers writing and speaking about Christian Zionism: the right-wing domestic and international movements that use a Christian biblical interpretation to promote and endorse Jewish nationalism. Christian Zionism forms the largest political base of support for the state of Israel in the U.S. Koki and Aidan focus on the authoritarian nature of Christian Zionist movements, and discuss their key leaders, organizations, and financial and cultural engines (including tourism and popular media). They also speak to the ways the Left can both unintentionally spread Christian Zionist policies and actions and also how the Left can identify and call those out, and thus push back against the broader Christian Right’s efforts. Orly is a writer, researcher, and fundraiser at Political Research Associates. 

EPISODE RESOURCES

• 101: Christian Zionism by Aidan Orly, Political Research Associates, 2024.
• The Jewish Federation is Marching with Christian Antisemites Out of Support for Israel, Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg and Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele, Mondoweiss, 2023.
• Progressive Movements Cannot Afford to Ignore the Role of Christian Zionism in the Dispossession of Palestinians, Jonathan Brenneman and Aidan Orly, Political Research Associates, 2021.
• End Times Antisemitism: Christian Zionism, Christian Nationalism, and the Threat to Democracy, Steven Gardiner, Political Research Associates, 2020.
• The New Christian Zionism and the Jews: A Love-Hate Relationship, Rachel Tabachnik, Political Research Associates, 2010.
• For Many Christian Zionists, Israeli Protesters are a Threat to God’s Plan, Aidan Orly, Religion Dispatches, 2023. 
• What’s Next for American Christian Zionists?, Colum Lynch, Foreign Policy, 2021.
• This is How the Republican Party Became So Strongly Pro-Israel, Danielle Kurtzlebe, NPR Morning Edition, 2023.
• Israel-Hamas is Not a Religious War and this is Not Your Rapture, Thomas Lecaque, Religion Dispatches, 2023.
• Taking Evangelical Support for Israel at Face Value is a Terrible Idea: a Response, Chrissy Stroop, Religion Dispatches, 2019.
• The Pentecostalization of Christian Zionism, Joseph Williams, Church History 84, no. 1 (2015): 159–94.
• Explaining Christian Zionism to Israelis, by Sarah Posner, Religion Dispatches, 2015. 

--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------

Anti-Muslim, Christian Nationalism, Christian Zionism, Israel, Jerry Falwell, Jerry Falwell Jr., Jewish State, Jewish Zionism, The Late Great Planet Earth, Left Behind Series, Mike Huckabee, Zionism

In this episode, Koki reads “Why Are Gen Z Girls Attracted to the Tradwife Lifestyle?” by Marielle Cooksey, the first in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA's more than 40 years of publishing. In this article, Cooksey explores the growing online Tradwife subculture, one with deep ties to White nationalism, Christian nationalism, and anti-feminism. This article was published in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read this article online at politicalresearch.org.

Mariel Cooksey is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Institute for Far-Right Studies (CIFRS). Her current research focuses on the intersection of climate collapse and accelerationism, as well as anti-government movements in Western Canada.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Real Tradwives: Why More Young Moms Are Becoming Traditional Housewives, Caroline Burke, Katie Couric Media, 2024
• From Baking To Hating: Tradwives and Terrorism with Dr Kristy Campion, Kristy Campion, The Wholesome Show, 2023
• #TradWives: Sexism as Gateway to White Supremacy, Miranda Christou, openDemocracy, 2020 
• The Housewives of White Supremacy, Annie Kelly, The New York Times, June 1, 2018, sec. Opinion. 
• Conversations with Other (Alt-Right) Women: How Do Alt-Right Female Influencers Narrate a Far-Right Identity?, Maria-Elena Kisyova, Veilleux-Lepage Yannick, and Newby Vanessa, Journal for Deradicalization, no. 31 (2022): 35–72.
• Tradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology, Sophia Sykes, and Veronica Hopner, GNET, 2023

EPISODE KEYWORDS:

America First, Anti-feminism, Anti-LGBTQ, Christian Nationalism, Climate Collapse, Christian Fundamentalism, Ecofascism, Far Right, Feminism, Manifest Destiny, Misogyny, Online Amplification, Nick Fuentes, Racism, Social Media, TikTok, Tradwives, Tradwifery, White Nationalism, White Supremacy

This week, Inform Your Resistance is on a mid-season break. Instead of interviewing a guest, host Koki Mendis shares some quick takes on incredible new content from our quarterly magazine, The Public Eye. See links to the pieces she discusses below, and listen to the episode for Koki’s analysis!

• “Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism,” by Peter Montgomery, The Public Eye, 2024. 
• “County Capture: The Role of Militias in County Governments in Central and Southside Virginia,” by Carolyn Gallaher and Priya Dixit, The Public Eye, 2024. 
• “Review: The Age of Insurrection,” by Shane Burley, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “When the Sheriff Is Above the Law: The Rise of the Far Right in Western New York,” by Raina Lipsitz, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Author Q&A with Dr. Maha Hilal,” by Habiba Farh, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “Countering the Ideology of “Violent Care”: Lessons from Bay Area Radical Abortion Defense,” by Angela Hume, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “Practicing Emergent Strategies to Fight the Right and Resist Fascism,” by Andrea J. Ritchie, The Public Eye, 2024.
• “The Art of Activism: Zoe Newton,” The Public Eye, 2024.

In this episode, Koki interviews Peter Montgomery, Research Director at People for American Way, to discuss Project 2025, the Right’s playbook to remake the U.S. government as we currently know it toward authoritarianism. Peter discusses the architects of this plan, the people and movements who have signed on to it, and the implications for the American public if it should be put into place. Koki and Peter discuss how the Right has stitched together such disparate tensions and factions in the Right, in Peter’s words, with the am to do so “long enough just to get the power they need to overwhelm political and legal opposition.” They end the conversation with how useful Project 2025 is to mobilize and organize the Left to take action, and offer what we must and can do to forestall a precipitous decline into authoritarianism.

Episode Resources

• Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism by Peter Montgomery, The Public Eye, 2024.
• Project 2025: An Authoritarian Conspiracy. Conspirituality Podcast, Episode 187. January 4, 2024.
• Ryan Anderson’s Road Map for Marriage Resisters by Peter Montgomery, Right Wing Watch. July 2, 2015.
• The MAGA enemies list is growing, and so are the odds that you’re on it, by S. Myrick, The Hill. February 26, 2024.
• “Project 2025” Promises Revenge, Oppression, and Autocratic Rule by Thomas Zimmer, Democracy Americana. March 4, 2024.
• Project 2025 is GOPers’ blueprint for destroying the planet. It must be stopped, by Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2023. 
• What “Project 2025” Would Do to America by Thomas Zimmer, Democracy Americana. February 29, 2024. 
• Project 2025: The Right’s Dystopian Plan to Dismantle Civil Rights and What It Means for Women by Carrie N. Baker, Ms. February 8, 2024.
• Inside the Next Republican Revolution by Michael Hirsch POLITICO. September 19, 2023.

Keywords

Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Association, American Family Association's Center for Judicial Renewal, America First Legal, American Legislative Exchange Council, American Moment, anti-aborition, anti-CRT, anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ, anti-marriage equality, Article V Convention of States, authoritarianism, Center for Immigration Studies, The Center for Renewing America, Christian Right, Christian Nationalism, Claremont Institute, Corporate Right, Family Research Council, Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College, Leonard Leo, Moms for Liberty, Project 2025, Republican, Right, Stephen Miller, Students for Life, Trump, Turning Point USA

In this episode, Koki talks with Alex DiBranco, executive director of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism. Alex breaks down for us: What is male supremacism? What is its relationship to other supremacist ideologies and movements? And how does male supremacism form part of a political strategy? 

We discuss both the religious and secular versions of male supremacism; its intersection with other right-wing movements; how male supremacism is central to the culture war; its relationship with anti-trans figures on both the Left and the Right; as well as its notorious conspiracism and how that has impacted women politicians and public figures.

Episode Resources

• What Is Male Supremacism?, IRMS.
• Misogynist Incels and Male Supremacism: Overview and Recommendations for Addressing the Threat of Male Supremacist Violence by Megan Kelly, Alex DiBranco, Dr. Julia R. DeCook, New America, 2021.
• Five Ways to Address Male Supremacist Violence by Alex DiBranco, Megan Kelly and Julia R. DeCook, Ms. Magazine, 2021. 
• Before the Alt Right: Anita Hill and the Growth of Misogynist Ideology by Alex DiBranco, Political Research Associates, 2018. 
• A PRA Webinar: Mobilizing Misogyny in the Service of Authoritarianism with Alex DiBranco, Shereen Essof, Isabel Marler, and Tarso Luís Ramos, Political Research Associates, 2020.
• An IRMS Webinar: Roots, Structures, and Intersections of Supremacism: Bio-essentialism and Anti-Trans Attacks with Blue Buchanan
• IRMS Conference on Supremacism and Authoritarianism: Keynote Panel on education and democracy, 2022.
• West Virginia textbook battle shows how GOP turned its image from ‘blue blood to blue collar’, an interview with Carol Mason by Kyle Vass, The Guardian, 2021
• Reading Appalachia from Left to Right: Conservatives and the 1974 Kanawha County Textbook Controversy by Carol Mason, Cornell University Press, 2009.

Keywords

Anti-trans, Authoritarianism, Biological Essentialism, Culture War, Incels, Incel Terrorism, Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, IRMS, Male Supremacy, Male Supremacism, Misogyny, Patriarchy, Right Wing, Women

In this episode, Koki interviews Prachi Patankar, an anti-caste and feminist writer and organizer, to discuss Hindu Nationalism, or Hindutva, a little understood but large and well-resourced movement that has transnational influence on U.S. politics and culture. Prachi explores the connections between Hindu nationalism, White supremacy, and other supremacist ideologies.

In the diaspora, including in the U.S., caste hierarchy persists. However, Hindu and dominant caste immigrants in the U.S. fall within the over-simplified group, “people of color.” Prachi discusses how this simplified narrative of race in the U.S. obscures the ways in which Hindu and dominant caste groups can perpetuate supremacist ideology, all while claiming a marginalized racial identity. She argues for more nuanced analysis of race and caste and argues for the importance of a multiracial, multifaith, pro-democracy movement to challenge all supremacist ideologies and create broad solidarity among oppressed communities. 

Episode Resources

• Vivek Ramaswamy Represents the Convergence of White Supremacy and Hindu Supremacy — And He May Well Be Trump’s Running Mate, Usha Kumar, Religion Dispatches, 2023
• The Global VHP’s [Vishwa Hindu Parishad / World Hindu Council] Trail of Violence, Savera: United Against Supremacy, Savera, 2024
• The Hindu Nationalists Using the Pro-Israel Playbook, Aparna Gopalan, Jewish Currents, 2023
• The Trauma of Caste, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Penguin Random House, 2022
• Bulldozer Justice and the Indian State’s Lawlessness, Harsh Mander, The Caravan, 2024

Pink Revolutions: Globalization, Hindutva, and Queer Triangles in Contemporary India, Nishant Shahani, Northwestern University Press, 2021

Keywords

Brahmin Supremacy, Caste Hierarchy, Casteism, Global Right Wing, Hindu Nationalism, Hindu Supremacy, Hindutva, Indian Far Right, Transnational Politics, White Nationalism

In this episode, Koki interviews Heron Greenesmith, Esquire, former Senior Research Analyst for LGBTQ justice here at PRA and a policy attorney with over a decade of LGBTQ advocacy experience, to reflect back on 2023 as the worst year in anti-trans organizing, and look ahead at anti-trans organizing momentum and trends in 2024. 

Heron is presently Deputy Director of the Transgender Law Center, which recently released the Trans Agenda organizing statement. Drawing on their experience and research, Heron points to the small number of well-funded organizations that promote some of the loudest voices and finance some of the largest legal cases in the anti-trans movement. Covering anti-trans laws and bans around athletics, medical care, and schooling, Heron explains how anti-trans organizing is a core feminist concern. 

Episode Resources

• 101: Anti-LGBTQ Organizing, Heron Greenesmith, Political Research Associates, 2022
• Combating Anti-Transgender Disinformation: Anti-LGBTQ Organizing 201, Heron Greenesmith, Political Research Associates, 2023
• 2023 Was the Year of Anti-Trans Hysteria, Heron Greenesmith, In These Times, 2023
• Trans Agenda for Liberation, Transgender Law Center, 2023
• Gender-affirming Care Bans Carry Significant Penalties for Physicians, UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, 2023
• The Trans Sports Panic Has Reached Peak Stupidity, Frankie de la Cretaz, The Nation, 2023
• Public Policy as Trans Harm: Troubling Administrative Governance through Transfeminist Sports Studies, Elizabeth Sharrow, TSQ: Trans Studies Quarterly, 2023
• Trans Care, Hil Malatino, UMN Press, 2020
• Histories of the Transgender Child, Jules Gill-Peterson, UMN Press, 2018

EPISODE KEYWORDS:

Activism, Anti-LGBTQ, Anti-trans, Anti-trans Laws, Anti-trans Sports Bans, Detransitioners, Disinformation, Feminism, LGBTQ, Parents Rights, Trans, Trans Athletes, Trans Children, Trans Feminism, Trans Youth, Transgender

We’re back later this month with a new season of conversations with some of the most brilliant minds working in social justice. With interviews spanning a sober assessment of the year to come in anti-trans organizing, to the pervasive influence of violent misogyny, and how the authoritarian Hindu Nationalism movement shows up in the U.S., we will engage with the question of which movements, actors, and ideologies threaten our already failing democracy and what we, on the Left, can do to block them and build a just and inclusive democratic society. Tune in on January 30th wherever you get your podcasts.

In this conversation with Lauren Jacobs from PowerSwitch Action, the discussion focuses on the role of worker power in combating authoritarianism. Lauren and host Koki Mendis explore the allure of reactionary anti-state narratives in explaining worker precarity and how labor organizing can present counter-narratives and options for reducing worker suffering. They also discuss the barriers to unionization posed by corporations, the relationship between worker organizing and the presidential administrations, and the impact of municipal and county governing structures on worker power formation.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• “Austerity Kills,” a PRA Webinar featuring Saqib Bhatti, Lauren Jacobs, Daniel HoSang, and Donald Cohen, 2020. 
• “Precarity: The American Way,” a PRA Webinar featuring Aislinn Pulley, Jessica Quiason, and Gabriel Winant, 2021. 
• “Who Works for the Workers?” by Gabriel Winant, n+1, 2016.
• “Seizing Labor’s Moment w/ Alex Press & Eric Blanc,” The Dig, 2023.  
• “How to Build a Fighting Labor Movement w/ Jane McAlevey,” The Dig, 2023. 
• “On the Line w/ Daisy Pitkin,” The Dig, 2022. 

EPISODE KEYWORDS:

Worker Power, Labor Organizing, Labor Strikes, National Labor Relations Act, Community Organizing, Unions, Corporations, Union Busting, Capitalism, Authoritarianism.