I Don't Speak German
| I Don't Speak German | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Daniel Harper, Jack Graham |
| Genre | Political podcast |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Original release | January 2019, 8 |
| Related | |
| Website | idontspeakgerman |
I Don't Speak German is a podcast about white nationalism in the United States, self-described as "a podcast confronting white nationalism one asshole at a time"[1] by its hosts Daniel Harper and Jack Graham.
History
Harper started the podcast after listening to Fash The Nation, and after the Unite the Right rally white nationalist movement occurred.[2]
Episodes in September 2019 discussed Siege, a collection of neo-Nazi writings by James Nolan Mason, considered essential reading by The Base – a neo-Nazi hate group – and the Bowl Patrol, a group of idolizers of Dylann Roof. The groups adhere to its theory of accelerationism, which advocates for mass killings to create a white ethnostate. Harper also discussed Bowl Patrol's leader, Andrew Richard Casarez aka "Vic Mackey",[3] who has a "penchant for trafficking in obscene rape and death threats".[4]
Casarez, and former Wisconsin congressional candidate Paul Nehlen (whom Harper called "a vicious, horrible human being"), attempted to dox Harper, finding a similarly named individual in the town of Dexter, Michigan. Bowl Patrol members began driving by this unrelated house, taking photos and videos of the home, to send threats to Harper. Days later, US Army soldier and Atomwaffen Division member Jarrett Smith was arrested in Fort Riley, Kansas, alleging he discussed bomb-making, sending bombs to CNN and Beto O'Rourke, and setting fire to Harper's house.[4]
In late October 2019, a video was posted on Nehlen's Telegram channel, showing his Bowl Patrol patch and the incorrect Harper house. The residents later received a threatening white supremacist letter directed at Harper, signed "the Cüm Bomber".[4] Black-clad members of The Base continued to visit the house through mid-December, including taking flash photos of the house the same night the residents came home with their newborn son. The family wrote to Harper, asking him to publicly disavow the address. Harper was finally able to get a response from the FBI and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office; the Sheriff's office described the details as "non-threatening photographs and statements"[5] and indicating they had not connected Jarrett Smith to the other people casing the house, indicating they considered the case closed.[6]
In October 2020, two members of The Base were arrested by the FBI for their harassment at the home a year earlier, and were charged with gang membership, unlawful posting of a message, and using computers to commit a crime.[7][8]
Reception
The podcast was described as "uncomfortable" by The A.V. Club's Anthony D. Herrera, who noted "what is most surprising about I Don't Speak German is just how much cringe comedy is involved in the lives of these racists".[9]
Writing for The Daily Beast, Nick R. Martin said it "might be the most important podcast countering the white nationalist movement today."[2]
See also
References
- ^ Harper, Daniel. "about @danieleharper". Retrieved 6 January 2020.
Co-host, 'I Don't Speak German,' a podcast confronting white nationalism one asshole at a time.
- ^ a b Martin, Nick R. (20 October 2019). "This Podcaster Dug Into the World of Neo-Nazis. Now They've Put a Target on Him". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
Daniel Harper is the co-host of what might be the most important podcast countering the white nationalist movement today.It's called I Don't Speak German, and since launching in January it has helped lead people back from the brink of radicalization, drawn plaudits from researchers of violent extremism, and attracted an audience of thousands of regular listeners.
- ^ ""Vic Mackey" of the "Bowl Patrol" Identified as Andrew Casarez of Orangevale, California – Anonymous Comrades Collective". Retrieved 2020-07-08.
- ^ a b c Martin, Nick (6 January 2020). "The wrong house". The Informant. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ Dodge, Samuel (24 December 2019). "White supremacists target Dexter home by mistake". mlive. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
The sheriff's office said that neither the Sheas, Harper the podcaster nor the Harpers that moved have received direct threats related to their investigation, and that only non-threatening photographs and statements have been shared in connection with the address.
- ^ "Dexter family wrongly targeted". The Sun Times News. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
Knowing the post office couldn't return it to the sender and thinking hand written likely meant personal and sentimental, I forwarded the letter to the former homeowners," she said. "It turned out to be a threatening letter of a white supremacist nature. At this point, the Harpers who used to lived at our address let us know what the letter was, that they were in touch with the FBI and we learned that the intended target was in fact another Michigander, also named Daniel E. Harper, who has a podcast designed to unveil and antagonize white supremacist organizations. Apparently they are not amused.
- ^ "Feds arrest alleged white supremacy group member who claimed to run "hate camp" in Michigan". CBS News. October 30, 2020.
- ^ "White supremacists facing charges after allegedly terrorizing family in Dexter". WXYZ ABC News. October 29, 2020.
- ^ Herrera, Anthony D. (3 November 2019). "Inside Conan serves up the nuts-and-bolts of comedy for true late-night dorks". The A.V. Club. Podmass. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
What is most surprising about I Don't Speak German is just how much cringe comedy is involved in the lives of these racists.