The White House release of that ‘ASMR’ video of a migrant being shackled and deported was rightly attacked for its shocking dehumanization. But it revealed something else.
From Nuremberg rallies to Trump rallies, we usually think of fascist leaders mobilizing popular support by igniting feelings of fear, anger, vengeance, and the violent targeting of demonized groups.
This video may be showing us another side of contemporary authoritarian affect. ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is meant to trigger sensory cues for relaxation and stress relief; to induce sleep; or simply to produce a mildly pleasurable “tingly” feeling. It is as if Trump’s fascist propaganda here is less oriented toward creating anxiety and rage than alleviating it.
For an exhausted, overstimulated, disoriented, and attention-deprived nation, the quiet sound and action of the laying out chains in orderly rows; the slow, methodical shackling of the undocumented person on the tarmac; and then the deliberate escorting them up into a departing airplane is meant to soothe and relax the senses.
The faceless captive is not so much demonized and hated than simply emptied of any humanity at all. Instead of symbolically-produced feelings of rage for the fascist project, the undocumented person in this video is used for somatic release.
The massive deportation apparatus of ICE; the terrifying disruption of communities; and the snatching people from their homes, workplaces, schools, and loved ones is transformed into a gentle consumer product of the wellness industry, serving a different kind of emotional and physiological need for the fascist subject.
The White House may have meant it as a sick joke, but jokes are often the most revelatory communication of all.
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