On this episode of Rough Drafts, L and M interview political cartoonist Ben Passmore about his newly released graphic novel Black Arms to Hold You Up, a book about Black armed struggle histories in the United States. L introduces Ben at the beginning of the episode and talks about his involvement as a researcher for the book. Ben talks about inserting himself into the novel (15:55) as a character in relation to Black radical histories. The conversation also touches on humor in the graphic novel when writing about Black radical histories with a respect and reverence (24:45). M asks Ben about his artistic process, panels and inspirations in regard to the graphic novel (30:30). Finally, Ben talks about white readership and career opportunities as a Black author (48:08). Ben has an upcoming release event on October 9th at Making Worlds in West Philadelphia. You can buy the book wherever books are sold. Follow him at @daygloayhole on Instagram and Patreon.

Notes and Sources:

Maus by Art Spiegelman (mentioned by Ben early in the episode)

Letter from a Stone Mountain Jail:

https://thenib.com/letter-from-a-stone-mountain-jail/

Your Black Friend:

https://www.silversprocket.net/your-black-friend/

What does war mean in the context of the 21st century? How has 9/11 and the so-called War on Terror shaped American life? And, what do the conflicts of the future look like?

M reflects on his brief stint at the United States Military Academy, and L shares about the military’s influence on the manosphere. They think about the role of technological innovations like drones, artificial intelligence, and robots, as well as present-day conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine, and the formidability of non-state actors in Myanmar and Hamas (18:30). They further reflect on the military’s relationship with shaping national pride and identity, tracing the shift away from the draft to a professionalized military with family ties (35:30). They conclude by asking what war will look like when it is brought against the state’s own citizens, with particular attention to the roles National Guards may play (44:00).

Notes and Sources

*This episode was recorded in October 2024; since then, the U.S. armed forces under Pete Hegseth have banned affirmative action at service academies *

“America Isn’t Ready for the Wars of the Future,” Mark A. Milley and Eric Schmidt, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/ai-america-ready-wars-future-ukraine-israel-mark-milley-eric-schmidt?utm_medium=social

“Barack Obama doubles US troop levels for War against ISIS in Iraq” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/07/obama-doubles-us-troop-levels-iraq-isis

Frederic Jameson, “An American Utopia: Dual Power and the Universal Army” https://archive.org/details/americanutopiadu0000jame

“Megacities and Urban Warfare in the 21st Century: The City as Cemetery of Revolutionaries and Resources” https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2189&context=jss

“Robot-delivered lethal explosive in Dallas police standoff was a first, experts say” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/robot-delivered-lethal-explosive-in-dallas-police-standoff-was-a-first-experts-say

“The U.S. Military’s Recruiting Crisis” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/10/the-us-militarys-recruiting-crisis

What is a parasocial relationship, and have you ever been in one? In this episode, Luke and Maurice invite Dimo back to the pod to define and share stories about their primary social relationships (with references to One Direction, Frank Ocean, Bob Dylan and Tyler the Creator). They break down the historical evolution of parasocial relationships–mediated by different medium forms such as radio, television, and social media–as well as the various types of parasocial relationships, including fictophilia (26:00). The group also discusses the impact of parasocial relationships in the political sphere, including its impact on Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory in the New York City mayoral race. Throughout the episode they return to the affective registers of entitlement and sincerity that influence our seeking out of parasocial relationships.

Notes and Sources:

Arthur C. Brooks, “Parasocial Relationships Are Just Imaginary Friends for Adults”

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/04/parasocial-relationships-imaginary-connections-fans-celebrities/673645/

Monique Judge, “What we should leave behind: Parasocial relationships with celebrities”:

https://andscape.com/features/snoop-dogg-trump-inauguration-parasocial-relationships/

National Geographic, “What are parasocial relationships doing to our brains?”

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/parasocial-relationships-social-media

The (not so) Simple Life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WAavEUyxMg

Being Bobby Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS4u3896mdk

Free Britney:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GegdKMHnxxY