Of the many interviews with radical young people that I have done over the last few years, I found that this one effected me the most. I’m not quite sure why —I have interviewed people with more extreme ideas in the past— but something about this conversation struck me as a unique and deeply unsettling marker of our times.
Third Position is the post-WWII rebranding of Fascism. It combines right wing nationalism and left wing socialism. Adherents claim to reject capitalist and communist political alternatives. It is rarely heard of outside the internet or IRL extremist movements.
At the time of this interview my subject was 15 years old. I found myself deeply saddened that a child of this age would first, be so familiar with these fringe political theories and second, feel that they were a necessary or inevitable measure. Throughout this series I have done my best to remain objective and impartial. But speaking plainly, the sheer ugliness of these ideas coming from a child so young effected me greatly.
Below I have reproduced images from his account to give context to the communities and memes that he participated in at the time. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this project is getting to see how people later incorporate these radical political ideas into their life decisions as adults. Today he is enrolled at a military college in the US and plays in the school marching band. His public account shows images of band practice and football games, alongside fit pics of military uniforms.
This installment also marks the end of my 20 Interviews project, a series of in depth conversations with Gen Z meme posters from across the political spectrum. You can read the full series here.
At the moment, I’m working hard on a new video podcast series that will be released in the fall. For the past few months we’ve been shooting with a variety of amazing guests. I’m glad to reintroduce my own voice to this project.
Reflecting back on the interviews of the last few years, I can see how these many conversations with anonymous posters expanded my understanding of ideology. We are often tempted to attribute these radical politics to the poor designs of social media platforms, but its important to remember that narrative is the most powerful human technology. Understanding ourselves as part of a larger story or history has potent effects on our interpretations of the world.
PapaCoomer
age 15
USA
Instagram
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How would you describe your politics or ideology?
Third Position
Who are your biggest influences?
Hans Herman Hoppe, James Mason, William Luther Pierce or Mencius Moldbug
When did you first learn about or start visiting online political communities?
2017
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