Antifascist Dad Podcast

Matthew Remski

Your waypoint for antifascist lore, strategy, and wisdom from the generations, and now.

  1. 1D AGO

    16. Mark Carney is Not Your Antifascist Dad

    Carney’s recent speech at Davos really is as important as everyone’s saying it is. But in my view, it’s not important for the obvious truth we just heard him confess, but for the lessons it provides about the deep contradictions and hypocrisies of liberal politics, and how when it pretends to stand up to fascism it’s really asking that the capital order return to an era of better optics. Carney told a truth about neoliberalism that conceals a bigger lie about capitalist inevitability, and how pulling this off with the affect of a more benevolent patriarch can be really attractive and distracting. Part two, available now on Patreon, explores Carney’s masculinity and paternal political style in depth. Does he offer secure attachment? Notes ICE taps Canadian firm for 20 armoured vehicles despite Trump trade war | Globalnews.ca ‘Deeply troubling’: Canadian legislators call for halt to ICE armored vehicle sale after report by The Independent Leadnow. “Stop the Contract: No Canadian Weapons to ICE.” “Principled and pragmatic: Canada’s path” Prime Minister Carney addresses the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting  The Power of the Powerless  ECONOMIC WARFARE. (Hansard, 17 January 1940) All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026). Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ Instagram: @matthew_remski TikTok: @antifascistdad Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad  Chapters (00:00:07) - Mark Carney Is Not Your Anti-Fascist Dad(00:03:14) - Roshel Selling Armored Vehicles to ICE(00:08:31) - Havel's Power of the Powerless(00:19:31) - Carney's Policies(00:25:16) - A Kinder Father Figure?

    27 min
  2. 4D AGO

    UNLOCK 14.1 How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism w/ Craig Johnson Pt 2

    Picking it back up with historian of fascism Craig Johnson with the question of why fascism can feel cool—especially online—and how we might interrupt that appeal without fighting on fascism’s terms. But fascism isn't just pretending to be cool: it’s popular, aesthetic, and subcultural, and it sells itself through speed, power, transgression, and a sense of newness. There's a tactical dilemma: how to puncture influencers like Andrew Tate or Nick Fuentes without reinforcing their own status metrics (looks, dominance, sexual access). Craig feels, for instance, that jawline mockery backfires, and why we have to keep the critique on what actually matters: cruelty, exploitation, and fascist politics. No one organizes alone: tactics are collective, context-dependent, and always strategic. We close on coalition-building and why real, lived diversity makes fascist lies harder to sell. I end with a brief coda on talking with my kids about the attack on Caracas. Notes: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism — Johnson Fifteen Minutes of Fascism — Johnson's podcast All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026). Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ Instagram: @matthew_remski TikTok: @antifascistdad Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad  Chapters (00:01:07) - Does Fascism Pretend to Be Cool?(00:10:23) - Andrew Tate and the Politics of Influence(00:18:17) - Does the Left Have a Natural Immunity to Fascism?(00:25:16) - Anti-Fascism: The Transgressive Value of Slog(00:29:19) - On the Strategy of Protest(00:32:48) - On Diversity and Anti-Fascism

    43 min
  3. JAN 21

    15. Mother and Minister in Minneapolis w/ Rev. Angela Denker

    I’m joined by Rev. Angela Denker,  Lutheran minister, journalist, and mom in Minneapolis, as the city groans under intensified ICE activity. We discuss realities on the ground for families and schools, how she talks with her own kids about fear and safety, and why she believes clear, steady adult context matters in a fragmented media world. As a minister, Denker's visitation and public theology assignments weave pastoral care and sacramental life into public resilience. As a journalist, the core revelation of her book Disciples of White: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, revolves around her framework of “White Jesus” as a cultural product that sanctifies hierarchy, masculinity, and domination. We talk about how that distortion links to the wider ecosystem of white Christian nationalism. Part 2 now up on Patreon, explores misogyny in the church, antifascist readings of parables, and hard questions about force, nonviolence, and witness. Notes: Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood | Broadleaf Books All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026). Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ Instagram: @matthew_remski TikTok: @antifascistdad Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad  Chapters (00:00:05) - Mother and Minister in Minneapolis(00:15:06) - Lutheran and Catholic clergy: an ecumenical conversation(00:18:23) - What Does a Visitation Pastor Do?(00:25:15) - White Jesus: The Story of Christian Nationalism(00:32:42) - White Jesus and the Right

    37 min
  4. JAN 18

    UNLOCK: 13.1 More Degenerate Art, Please! w/ Sarah Jaffray pt.2

    I'm back with Sarah Jaffray to probe the aesthetics of fascism and the politics of cultural memory. We talk about how fascist movements rely on a triumphalist victim complex that cannot tolerate vulnerability or disability, and how this connects to the Nazi impulse to purify society through the language of degeneracy and the “enemy within.” Of course we also ping Hitler’s own frustrated artistic ambitions and the nineteenth-century “beautiful ruin” vibe, tracing how nostalgia for an imagined past becomes a visual template for authoritarian order. I close out with a personal coda on writing, mentorship, attention, and rebuilding an inner voice after a personal collapse—through time and cursive. About — Sarah Jaffray  You can support the show on Patreon! All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026). Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ Instagram: @matthew_remski TikTok: @antifascistdad Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad  Notes Barron, Stephanie, ed. “Degenerate Art”: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991. https://www.getty.edu/publications/virtuallibrary/0892362651.html Bauhaus-Archiv Museum für Gestaltung. “Bauhaus History 1919–1933.” https://www.bauhaus.de/en/das_bauhaus/21_history/ Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1935. https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm Dixon, Paul. “Uncanny Valley.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/uncanny-valley Dix, Otto. “War (Der Krieg), 1929–1932.” Dresden State Art Collections. https://skd-online-collection.skd.museum/Details/Index/334771 Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin, 2003. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297974/the-coming-of-the-third-reich-by-richard-j-evans/ G... Chapters (00:09:29) - The Reich's critique of modern art(00:16:03) - The Problem With Art History(00:23:19) - In the Elevator With Art Historians(00:23:54) - Antifascist Art(00:27:14) - Advice for Young Writers(00:32:48) - How to Rescue Your Inner Voice

    37 min
  5. JAN 14

    14. How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism w/ Craig Johnson

    I sit down with historian of fascism Craig Johnson to talk about one of the hardest and most urgent questions facing parents right now: how do we talk to our sons about fascism in a world where so much political socialization happens online, fast, and without supervision? I open the episode in the shadow of the killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE—and how disorienting it feels to say what we plainly saw while powerful institutions deny it. As a parent of two sons, I think out loud about what it means to slow things down, to regulate myself first, and to create a space where fear, grief, anger, and dignity can all be held without panic or cynicism. Johnson argues that fascist movements have always relied on young men to do their dirty work, and traditional Western masculinity—organized around power, domination, speed, and violence—creates a gateway. Boys aren't inherently fascist, but gendered expectations are easily exploited. We talk about how platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Discord are dense ecosystems where irony, transgressive humor, and memes function as social signals. Racist or sexist jokes are designed to pull kids in quietly, and how adult outrage can sometimes backfire by confirming the fascist story that these ideas are “forbidden.” When a kid brings a meme to you, that moment is a crossroads. Punishment and shutdown don’t work. Curiosity, care, and asking a child to explain the joke can slow everything down and open space for honesty.  Notes: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism — Johnson Fifteen Minutes of Fascism — Johnson's podcast Part 2 now up on Patreon. All theme music by the amazing www.kalliemarie.com. Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times (North Atlantic Books, April 2026). Preorder: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ Instagram: @matthew_remski TikTok: @antifascistdad Bluesky: @matthewremski.bsky.social (Bluesky Social) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntifascistDad  Chapters (00:04:20) - How to Talk to My Son About Renee Good(00:09:55) - Why Fascism Targets Boys(00:14:39) - Are These Political Spaces Safe for Kids?(00:23:15) - How to Talk to Your Child About Social Media(00:28:10) - Hacking Virality

    31 min
  6. JAN 7

    13. More Degenerate Art, Please! w/ Sarah Jaffray

    What makes art politically dangerous to fascism—and why does empathy now count as transgression? Today I'm joined by art historian, educator, and curator Sarah Jaffray for a wide-ranging conversation about modern art, fascism, and the politics of perception. Starting from the Nazis’ infamous “Degenerate Art” campaign, Sarah traces how artists in the aftermath of World War I deliberately abandoned realism, narrative, and institutional aesthetics in order to resist authoritarian power. We explore why fascist movements obsess over image control, why abstraction and disorientation can be politically subversive, and how artists make the invisible visible—in part by slowing us down and drawing out deeper levels of attention. We discuss Dada, Surrealism, New Objectivity, Otto Dix, and George Grosz alongside contemporary struggles over AI-generated art and outcome-driven creativity. We talk a lot about time: the time art requires, the time empathy needs, and the way authoritarian systems try to eliminate both. Sarah argues for art as witness, process, and lived testimony in the face of political dehumanization. Part Two of this conversation, available now on Patreon, continues into practical guidance on aesthetic freedom and creative survival under pressure. Antifascist Dad is out on April 26! You can preorder here. Notes About — Sarah Jaffray  Barron, Stephanie, ed. “Degenerate Art”: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991. https://www.getty.edu/publications/virtuallibrary/0892362651.html Bauhaus-Archiv Museum für Gestaltung. “Bauhaus History 1919–1933.” https://www.bauhaus.de/en/das_bauhaus/21_history/ Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1935. https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm Dixon, Paul. “Uncanny Valley.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/uncanny-valley Dix, Otto. “War (Der Krieg), 1929–1932.” Dresden State Art Collections. https://skd-online-collection.skd.museum/Details/Index/334771 Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin, 2003. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297974/the-coming-of-the-third-reich-by-richard-j-evans/ Gross, George. “Background and Biography.” Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/george-grosz-1188 Harrison, Charles, Francis Frascina, and Gill Perry. Primitivism, Cubism, Abstraction: The Early Twentieth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300055191/primitivism-cubism-abstraction/ Hitler, Adolf. Speech at the opening of the Entartete Kunst exhibition, Munich, July 19, 1937. English excerpts reproduced at: https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/entart.htm Holbein, Hans (the Younger). “The Ambassadors... Chapters (00:02:03) - Vanity Fair's Anti-Fascist Portraits(00:07:17) - Interview(00:08:22) - What Makes Transgressive Art Impactful?(00:11:04) - In the Elevator With Art That's Transgressive(00:12:59) - Art in the Age of AI(00:18:34) - Art and the Uncanny Valley(00:22:51) - The Shift in Modern Art History(00:30:12) - The Degenerate Art Exhibition

    35 min
  7. 12/31/2025

    UNLOCK 11.1 The Communism of Love w/ Richard Gilman-Opalsky pt 2

    Happy New Year, everyon! This is Part 2 of my conversation with Richard Gilman-Opalsky on the “Communism of Love." Love isn’t something to trade, measure, or deserve, and this makes it incompatible with capitalism, and how it gets distorted into obligation, sacrifice, and unpaid, gendered domestic labor. We talk about improvisation in music, parenting, and politics. Suppressing improvisation is rooted in an obsession with control, predictability, and rigid developmental maps—hallmarks of fascist thinking. Against that are openness, uncertainty, and experiment as conditions of human flourishing. We talk family and education, where communistic relations already exist in partial, uneven ways. What would it mean to de-privatize care—while recognizing, as bell hooks warned, that family is not a reliable site of love for everyone? Richard Gilman-Opalsky at UIS  Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/antifascistdadpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@antifascistdad TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@antifascistdad Matthew on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/matthewremski.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthew_remski  Preorder Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times Chapters (00:03:01) - Piano Lessons & Improvisation(00:04:23) - Jazz against the Fascists(00:07:58) - Anti-Fascism and Humanism(00:13:56) - The Right to Not Control Love(00:23:44) - The Right to Deprivatize Love(00:31:00) - The Communism of Christmas

    48 min
4.8
out of 5
38 Ratings

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Your waypoint for antifascist lore, strategy, and wisdom from the generations, and now.

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