Rough Drafts

Episode 15: Black Arms to Hold You Up (w/Ben Passmore)

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/ [https://thenib.com/letter-from-a-stone-mountain-jail/] Your Black Friend:  https://www.silversprocket.net/your-black-friend/ [https://www.silversprocket.net/your-black-friend/]

Episode 14: The Past, Present and Future of American and Global Wars

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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [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 [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/10/the-us-militarys-recruiting-crisis]

Episode 13: Parasocial Relationships (w/Dimo O.)

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/ [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/ [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 [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/parasocial-relationships-social-media]  The (not so) Simple Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WAavEUyxMg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WAavEUyxMg]  Being Bobby Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS4u3896mdk [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS4u3896mdk]  Free Britney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GegdKMHnxxY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GegdKMHnxxY]

Episode 12: Major Topics (w/ Major Eason)

Major Eason is a PhD student at Harvard University in the Department of Sociology who studies environmental racism and environmental justice. In a wide-ranging conversation with L+M, Major addresses attacks on DEI, the relationship between race, sport and childhood (17:00), and American car culture (31:00). They also discuss the phenomenon of Dr. Umar (42:50), Black Lives Matter Global (48:50), and grifting/black misleadership more broadly. They return to themes of narrative and perception in social movements, as well as the ritual/drama of modern political theater.    Elijah Anderson, A Place on the Corner (1978): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo3619613.html [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo3619613.html]  Zandria Robinson, The B-Side of Blackness: https://www.thebeliever.net/the-b-side-of-blackness/ [https://www.thebeliever.net/the-b-side-of-blackness/] Ellen Cushing, Americans Need to Party More: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/throw-more-parties-loneliness/681203/ [https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/throw-more-parties-loneliness/681203/]   Common, The Corner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mnKNr2Tiq8 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mnKNr2Tiq8] Monaleo, Beating Down your Block: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnMPEfV0bSA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnMPEfV0bSA] Project Row Houses, Houston TX: https://projectrowhouses.org/ [https://projectrowhouses.org/]

Episode 11: Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham

In this episode, Luke and Maurice sit with Vinson Cunningham’s novel, Great Expectations (2024). The novel follows the campaign of a historic presidential campaign narrated by a young Black man who works on the campaign. The hosts reflect on their own memories of the campaign, with Maurice reflecting on having to “act” as Obama for a school performance, and Luke sharing his own school reminiscences. They put Cunningham’s text in conversation with Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, and a documentary of the Obama campaign. Ultimately, they wonder about the impact of the campaign on contemporary political movements, returning to their themes of political hope and nihilism.   Note: Luke spends significant time in the episode recounting a false memory of seeing Obama on the campaign trail; the hosts have included that part rather than redacting to emphasize the overarching allure/power of the campaign on individual and collective memory.    Great Expectations: A Novel by Vinson Cunningham https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690565/great-expectations-by-vinson-cunningham/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690565/great-expectations-by-vinson-cunningham/]  “How Barack Obama Won the 2008 Presidential Election: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7EmNLpkP8s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7EmNLpkP8s]  How to Write An Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee  https://www.alexanderchee.net/autobiographical-novel [https://www.alexanderchee.net/autobiographical-novel]