Doomscroll: Dasha Nekrasova

Doomscroll is back. Episode #13 with guest Dasha Nekrasova is out now. As we enter this new and historic era of Trump 2.0, we’re releasing a collection of episodes to debrief on the state of American politics and culture.

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This week, my guest is actor, director and podcaster, Dasha Nekrasova. You may recognize her from her role on HBO’s hit series Succession or her directorial debut The Scary of Sixty-First. She is a host of the Red Scare podcast. In this episode we discuss:

• Trump’s historic victory in the popular vote and its powerful cultural shift. How will political elites, the media and Hollywood react?

• The sailor socialism meme, the crisis of American health care and Luigi Mangione’s alleged murder of CEO Brian Thompson.

• Dasha’s political journey from a Bernie Sander’s supporter in 2016 to a Trump voter in 2024. What is post-politics?

• Our fractured counter-culture and the disappearance of the mainstream. What happens to political consensus when all narratives have now become alternative?

Among the topics we discuss are the roles and responsibilities of online personalities during the collapse of establishment media. I ask, when do we begin to apply the ethics of legacy journalism to ourselves? Or should this new paradigm disregard that framework entirely? Today’s media landscape is dominated by cultural producers, comedians, and entertainers, whose audiences are vastly larger than what we have traditionally called “the mainstream”.

“Sailor Socialism”, a viral clip from her interview on Infowars in 2018

I first encountered Nekrasova’s work through creative circles in downtown New York. Eugene Kotlyarenko, her longtime collaborator and director of films such as Wobble Palace (2018) and The Code (2024), was active in post-internet art circles back in 2011.

Red Scare is a powerful example of the ways in which niche creative spheres can have significant downstream effects onto mass culture. When the podcast launched in 2018, I was a strong supporter of the program. In the years following, the show has not advanced the type of politics I personally would like to see more of. However, it has become an influential cultural force and its reach should be taken seriously. The left should reflect on why this message resonates with a mass audience. We could all read more of Christopher Lasch.

Later this week in NYC, Nekrasova will co-host a discussion with friend of the podcast, Dean Kissick, exploring his recent cover story in Harper’s magazine, “The Painted Protest: how politics destroyed contemporary art”. Dean and I discussed some similar themes on a previous episode that can be found back in the podcast archive.

The aspirations of post-internet art always reached far beyond the walls of the gallery. In the early years, young creatives saw their involvement in creative scenes as an intensive incubator for novel aesthetics and avant-garde projects. Many participants have since gone on to produce films, books, commentary and to influence culture outside the confines of elite institutions.

You can watch the full episode here. We’re already editing and shooting new episodes of Doomscroll. You’ll be hearing more from us soon.

In addition to today’s public episode you can also find a bonus episode for subscribers only below. Paid subscribers will get access to the second video and audio episode: