''I Don't Speak German'' is a
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
about
white nationalism
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...
in the United States, self-described as "a podcast confronting white nationalism one asshole at a time" by its hosts Daniel Harper and Jack Graham.
History
Harper started the podcast after listening to ''
Fash The Nation'', and after the
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
white nationalist movement occurred.
Episodes in September 2019 discussed ''Siege'', a collection of
neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
writings by
James Nolan Mason, considered essential reading by
The Base – a neo-Nazi hate group – and the
Bowl Patrol, a group of idolizers of
Dylann Roof
Dylann Storm Roof (born April 3, 1994) is an American mass murderer, white supremacist and neo-Nazi who perpetrated the Charleston church shooting. During a Bible study on June 17, 2015, at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charle ...
. The groups adhere to its theory of
accelerationism
Accelerationism is a range of ideologies that call for the drastic intensification of capitalist growth, technological change, and other processes of social change to destabilize existing systems and create radical social transformations. It is ...
, which advocates for mass killings to create a white
ethnostate
An ethnocracy is a type of political structure in which the state apparatus is controlled by a dominant ethnic group (or groups) to further that group's interests, power, dominance, and resources. Ethnocratic regimes in the modern era typically ...
. Harper also discussed Bowl Patrol's leader, Andrew Richard Casarez aka "Vic Mackey", who has a "penchant for trafficking in obscene rape and death threats".
Casarez, and former
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
congressional candidate
Paul Nehlen
Paul Nehlen (born May 9, 1969) is a white supremacist and former Congressional candidate from Wisconsin. During the 2016 and 2018 Republican Party primary elections in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, he spouted various racist, white na ...
(whom Harper called "a vicious, horrible human being"),
attempted to
dox
4-Substituted-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamines (DO''x'') is a chemical class of substituted amphetamine derivatives featuring methoxy groups at the 2- and 5- positions of the phenyl ring, and a substituent such as alkyl or halogen at the 4- positio ...
Harper, finding a similarly named individual in the town of
Dexter, Michigan
Dexter is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,500.
Established in 1830 as a village, Dexter was incorporated as a city on November 20, 2014.
History
On Mar ...
. Bowl Patrol members began driving by this unrelated house, taking photos and videos of the home, to send threats to Harper. Days later,
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
soldier and
Atomwaffen Division
The Atomwaffen Division (''Atomwaffen'' meaning "atomic weapons" in GermanModern standard German prefers ''Kernwaffen'' () for the concept.), also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, was an international far-right extremist and ...
member
Jarrett Smith was arrested in
Fort Riley, Kansas
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...
, alleging he discussed bomb-making, sending bombs to
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
and
Beto O'Rourke
Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke ( , ; ; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States) ...
, and setting fire to Harper's house.
In late October 2019, a video was posted on Nehlen's
Telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
channel, showing his Bowl Patrol patch and the incorrect Harper house. The residents later received a threatening white supremacist letter directed at Harper, signed "the Cüm Bomber".
Black-clad members of The Base continued to visit the house through mid-December, including taking flash photos of the house the same night the residents came home with their newborn son. The family wrote to Harper, asking him to publicly disavow the address. Harper was finally able to get a response from the FBI and the
Washtenaw County
Washtenaw County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county ...
Sheriff's Office; the Sheriff's office described the details as "non-threatening photographs and statements,"
indicated they had not connected Jarrett Smith to the other people casing the house, and that they considered the case closed.
In October 2020, two members of The Base were arrested by the FBI for their harassment at the home a year earlier, and were charged with gang membership, unlawful posting of a message, and using computers to commit a crime.
Reception
The podcast was described as "uncomfortable" by ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
''s Anthony D. Herrera, who said that "what is most surprising about ''I Don't Speak German'' is just how much cringe comedy is involved in the lives of these racists".
Writing for ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'',
Nick R. Martin said it "might be the most important podcast countering the white nationalist movement today."
See also
*
Christopher Cantwell
Christopher Charles Cantwell (born November 12, 1980), also known as the Crying Nazi, is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and federal informant.
A member of the broader alt-right movement, Cantwell e ...
*
Political podcast
Political podcasts are podcasts that focus on contemporary politics and current events. Most political podcasts maintain a connection with an existing media source such as a newspaper or magazine. They aim to inform or entertain or advocate a c ...
*
Proud Boys
The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...
*
Tom Kawcyznski
*
Traditionalist Worker Party
The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was a neo-Nazi political party active in the United States between 2013 and 2018, affiliated with the broader "alt-right" movement that became active within the U.S. during the 2010s. It was considered a hat ...
*
White supremacy in the United States White supremacy in the United States traces to the origins of the country.
History
Early history
White supremacy was dominant in the United States both before and after the American Civil War, and it persisted for decades after the Reconstr ...
References
External links
* {{official website, https://idontspeakgerman.libsyn.com/, I Don't Speak German podcast
Political podcasts
Alt-right
American nationalism
Neo-Nazism in the United States
Terrorism in the United States
White supremacy in the United States
2019 podcast debuts
Audio podcasts
2019 establishments in the United States