Monster in the Mirror

By Lucas KwongSociety & Culture Documentary Arts Books

Monster in the Mirror episodes

December 19, 2022 Ep. 7: Facing the Mirror
In this final episode, we take a look back at the late Victorian prequels of contemporary white Christian nationalism. With a little help from emergence theory, cultural memory studies, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, we talk about how Christian nationalism itself might be thought of as something of a monster in itself, a hybrid creature stitched together from past mythologies, present complicities, and future escalation. With insights from Dr. Bradley Onishi and visual artist Danny Houk, we close off the series by contemplating how we might confront this monster, as well as imagine a world without it.
With Dr. Bradley Onishi and Danny Houk (https://dannyhouk.com/about/)
Written, produced, and narrated by Lucas Kwong
Voice acting: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Naomi Kwong, Lucas Kwong
Special Thanks to Pixabay's audio artists for public domain FX clips
Clips from various films and news used under fair use laws
Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (https://brotherk.bandcamp.com/track/lair)
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/lucaskwong!
Or leave a review at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-in-the-mirror/id1654399705
FURTHER READING
Matt Croasmun, The Emergence Of Sin: The Cosmic Tyrant In Romans
David Graeber, "Dead Zones Of The Imagination"
Rae Jereza, "Inheritance As Alternative To Ethnographic Empathy With The Far Right" https://www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/english/news-and-events/right-now/2022/inheritance-as-alternative-to-ethnographic-empathy.html
H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call Of Cthulhu"
Bradley Onishi, Preparing For War: The Extremist History Of White Christian Nationalism - And What Comes Next
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
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1 hr 25 min
December 12, 2022 Ep. 6: Worlds at War
Before H.G. Wells penned War Of The Worlds, the alien invasion genre as we know it didn't exist. And perhaps more than any text in this series, his landmark science fiction novel focused readers deliberately on the monster in the mirror: the British Empire's civilizing, Christianizing mission, refracted through his technologically enhanced Martian colonizers. But 120 years later,
War of the Worlds
and its central premise have been coopted by the forces of nationalism, and Christian nationalism in particular. Today we’re going to talk about how
War of the Worlds
captures the tension between two visions of the future amidst escalating crises today: a world that moves beyond the hallowing of blood and soil, and a world that
violently, defiantly, embraces it.
With Dr. Sarah Cole of Columbia University
Written, produced, and narrated by Lucas Kwong
Voice acting: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong
Special Thanks to Pixabay's audio artists for public domain FX clips
Clips from various films and news used under fair use laws
Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (brotherk.bandcamp.com)
Closing song "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" by The Brother K Melee
Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/lucaskwong!
Or leave a review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-in-the-mirror/id1654399705
Further Reading
Michael Barkun. A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America
Sarah Bond. "Pseudoarchaeology and the Racism Behind Ancient Aliens." https://hyperallergic.com/470795/pseudoarchaeology-and-the-racism-behind-ancient-aliens/
Jason Colavito. The Cult of Alien Gods: H. P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestial Pop Culture
Jason Colavito. "Review of Ancient Aliens S03E12: Aliens and Deadly Cults." //www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-s03e12-aliens-and-deadly-cults
Sarah Cole, Inventing Tomorrow: HG Wells and the Twentieth Century
Michael Coren, The Invisible Man: The Life And Liberties Of H.G. Wells
John Carlos Frey. Sand and Blood: America’s Stealth War on the Mexico Border
Michael Heiser. "Ancient Astronaut Nonsense as an Interpretive Filter for the Bible."
https://drmsh.com/ancient-astronaut-nonsense-interpretive-filter-bible/
Sam Moore and Alex Roberts, The Rise of Ecofascism: Climate Change and the Far Right
A. Brad Schwartz. Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News
Alexander Zaitchik. "Close Encounters Of The Racist Kind." https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/02/close-encounters-racist-kind
Ben Zeller, Ed. Handbook of UFO Religions.
Full Text of War Of The Worlds: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36/36-h/36-h.htm
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1 hr 24 min
December 05, 2022 Ep. 5: The Sheepdog, The Wolf, And The Warlock
Rudyard Kipling is best known for his children's classic The Jungle Book. But the creator of boy-hero Mowgli also created copaganda for his Nineties - the 1890’s.
In his recurring character Adam Strickland, Kipling fashioned an officer who elicits scorn for his unconventional methods, but who always gets his man. In the story we’re going to look at today, “The Mark Of The Beast,” Strickland faces a mysterious Hindu priest who curses his friend by turning him into a wolflike beast. As such, “The Mark Of The Beast” isn’t just a cop story. It also features two horror archetypes that would come into their own in the 20th century: the man-beast and the supernaturally powerful devil worshipper. Or, if you like, the Wolf-Man and the Warlock. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how Christocops today similarly see themselves as fighting an uphill battle to keep Wolf-Men and Warlocks at bay . . . by any means necessary.
Text of "Mark Of The Beast":
https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/134558/TheMarkOfTheBeastRudyardKipling.pdf?sequence=1
RECOMMENDED READING:
Kathryn Belew, Bring The War Home
Anthea Butler, White Evangelical Racism
Martin Danahay and Deborah Morse, ed. Victorian Animal Dreams: Representations of Animals in Victorian Literature and Culture
Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's Tales Of Horror And Fantasy
Craig Mann, Phases Of The Moon: A Cultural History Of The Werewolf Film
Alex Vitale, The End Of Policing
Jeffrey Victor, Satanic Panic: The Creation Of A Contemporary Legend
Written, narrated, and produced by Lucas Kwong
Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (www.brotherkmusic.com)
Voice actors: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong
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1 hr 24 min
November 28, 2022 Ep. 4: Meet the Beetle!
Christian nationalism is a kind of con game. And of all the authors examined in this podcast, the one most likely to appreciate that con would be Richard Marsh, author of the 1897 horror novel The Beetle. A one time con artist himself, Marsh treats the gender fluidity of his shapeshifting monster as a con game, a scam that defrauds God himself. Today, we're going to talk about how The Beetle's view of transgenderism illuminates the complex of hate, fear, and fascination with which Christian nationalists tell some of their most vicious lies: the ones about LGBT+ people.
Written, narrated, and produced by Lucas Kwong
Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (www.brotherkmusic.com)
Closing song "Expire/Exhale" by Lucas Kwong
Voice actors: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Naomi Kwong
Join Brad in Costa Mesa, CA - January 13: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/473515687167
Join Brad in Los Angeles - January 14: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/466693531917
Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163
For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/products/the-orange-wave-a-history-of-the-religious-right-since-1960
To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus
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Further Reading:
Victoria Margree, British Women's Short Supernatural Fiction, 1860-1930: Our Own Ghostliness
Daniel Orrells Minna Vuohelianen, and Victoria Margree, eds., Richard Marsh, Popular Fiction, and Literary Culture, 1890-1915
Joe Vallese, ed. It Came From The Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror.
Cynthia Miller, ed. The Silence Of The Lambs: Critical Reflections On A Cannibal
If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider making a donation at ko-fi.com/lucaskwong or leaving a review at our Apple Podcasts page: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-in-the-mirror/id1654399705
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1 hr 19 min
November 14, 2022 Ep. 3: The Asiatic Criminal Mastermind
The trope of the “Asiatic criminal mastermind” has haunted Asians for over a century, from the notorious Fu Manchu right up to the myths of dastardly Wuhan virologists circulating in the COVID era. But these myths, which have helped fuel a historic spike in anti-Asian racism, didn’t start with Sax Rohmer’s “Devil Doctor.” Before Fu Manchu, there was Dr. Yen How, the villain of M.P. Shiel’s smash hit The Yellow Danger (1898). In this episode, we examine how Asians today live not only in the shadow of the ruthless Yen How, but also in the shadow of the mindless monster that Yen How commands: the “Heathen Chinee.”
We have in-person tickets at 50% off - use SWAJ50 (limited number available)
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Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163
For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/products/the-orange-wave-a-history-of-the-religious-right-since-1960
To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus
SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron
Narrated and Scripted By Lucas Kwong
Voice acting: Christian Young Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong
Sound Effects courtesy of royalty free sources Played N Faved, The Sound Source, Free Sound Effects
Theme Song “Lair” by The Brother K Melee (brotherkmusic.com)
End song “Pledge Of Allegiance” by The Brother K Melee (brotherkmusic.com)
Various film and news audio clips used under fair/educational use laws.
Further Reading:
Sascha Auerbach, Race, Law, and the ‘Chinese Puzzle’ in Imperial Britain
Harold Billings, M.P. Shiel: A Biography Of His Early Years
Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief In Modern American Culture
Lou Cannon, President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime
Ross G. Forman, China And The Victorian Imagination: Empires Entwined
Christopher Frayling, The Yellow Peril: Dr. Fu Manchu And The Rise Of Chinaphobia
Kathryn Gin Lum, Heathen: Religion And Race In American History
Mark Jerng, Racial Worldmaking: The Power Of Popular Fiction
Kirsten MacLeod, "M.P. Shiel and the Love of Pubescent Girls: The Other 'Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,'" English Literature in Transition 51.4 (2008): 355–80
Caroline Yang, The Peculiar Afterlife of Slavery: The Chinese Worker And The Minstrel Form.
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1 hr 10 min
November 13, 2022Ep. 2: Dracula's Tale of Two Conspiracies
When it was first published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula immediately triggered a spate of strong emotional responses. These responses partly stemmed from its action-movie depiction of Christianity, but also partly from the xenophobic fears of European Jews that lurk beneath its titular monster. Dracula also introduced the idea of a holy conspiracy, whose members must conduct their sacred fight against evil in secret. In this episode, we talk about how a century of adaptations has preserved the notion of dueling conspiracies, and thereby provided the narrative that fuels QAnon, the Oath Keepers, and other modern Crusaders consumed with their own secret plot to take America back from the "globalist" monsters they fear and loathe.
Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163
For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/products/the-orange-wave-a-history-of-the-religious-right-since-1960

To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus
SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron
Voice acting: Christian Young Valdovinos, Alfred Kwong, Lucas Kwong, Naomi Kwong
For Further Reading:
Stephen Arata, Fictions Of Loss
Barbara Belford, Bram Stoker: A Biography Of The Author Of Dracula
Roger Luckhurst, ed. The Cambridge Companion To Dracula
Raymond McNally and Radu Florescu, In Search Of Dracula: The History Of Dracula And Vampires
David Skal, Something In The Blood: The Untold Story Of Bram Stoker, The Man Who Wrote Dracula
Bram Stoker And Valdimar Asmundsson, Powers Of Darkness: The Lost Version Of Dracula.
Bram Stoker, Dracula.
Audio from various films used under fair/educational use laws.

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1 hr 7 min
November 13, 2022Ep. 1: Christian Nationalism's Gothic Genesis
Monster in the Mirror is a limited audio series produced by Straight White American Jesus, and created and written by Dr. Lucas Kwong.
Monster in the Mirror is a series about monsters. It's about how the fantastical beasts who stalk the imagination of contemporary Christian nationalists were birthed in another white God fearing empire. It's about how Christian nationalism's past and the clues to its future line, the pages of some of the most popular novels in English.
Christian nationalism isn't just a set of policies or a material network of influencers. It's a story, a story that seduces the imagination, one that's been told over and over, but that is now enjoying a renaissance. And if we wanna trace today's reboot back to its source material, we have to go back further than the Reagan eighties or even the Billy Graham fifties.
We have to go back to another time and place where the script that MAGA religion has now revived first entered white Christian consciousness, not as an explicit political ideology, but as entertainment. That time and place is late 19th century Britain. Monster in the Mirror explores how at the height of its powers, the British Empire began to suffer nightmares, visions of an apocalyptic future, of a decline.
That in some sense, actually is happening today in our place in time. And we're gonna see how the monsters that today's Christian right blames for that decline originated in the stories that the late Victorians told themselves about Christianity's enemies and protectors.
To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi
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1 hr 2 min