Parasitic Publics

Abstract

We introduce “parasitic publics” as a necessary, generative addition to scholarship on publics and counterpublics. Parasitic publics are reactionary discursive spaces formed residually and institutionalized affectively through the invention, circulation, and uptake of demagogic rhetorics. They feed off of oppressive conditions in the public sphere by (1) articulating with dominant discourses to exploit dominant publics’ centripetal force and (2) safeguarding the assemblage of dominant publics against counterdiscursive challenge. To illustrate and elaborate on this concept, we use articulation theory to analyze a highly organized white nationalist collective that swarms digital forums and comment sections. Founded by a former Republican congressional aid and Ronald Reagan appointee, this collective maintains training podcasts on their politics and debate strategies, two different databases of copy-and-paste rhetorics, two rhetorical style guides, and a subforum through which they direct each other to swarm digital spaces. We conclude with implications for future research on contemporary public spheres.

Keywords:

• articulation theory
• counterpublics
• public sphere
• publics
• white nationalism

Acknowledgments

Kyle Larson first and foremost thanks Taylor Meredith for her tremendous courage in giving consent for him to proceed with this research and her tireless support during the process. He also greatly appreciates the concerned counsel and generous feedback received from Linh Dich, Yu-Fang Cho, Tim Lockridge, Heidi McKee, and Michele Simmons. He especially thanks Jason Palmeri, whose mentorship, guidance, and feedback are truly meaningful beyond words.

Notes

¹ We say their names to recognize and remember the victims of racist terrorism.

² We thank Ryan Vingum for brainstorming different names for this type of public with Kyle Larson. See also Rogers.

³ A larger rhetorical style guide, developed separately and published in 2011, now appears on a newcomer’s onboarding thread. See Appendix B.

⁴ While BUGS Buddy and Whitaker STINGS use the term “white genocide,” National Salvation uses the term “white racial genocide.”

⁵ Short mantras were especially designed for Twitter and other forums with length limitations.

⁶ The progressive research and information center, Media Matters for America, published a detailed twelve-year timeline outlining Carlson’s “descent into white supremacy” (see Peltz).