Apocalypse Man: The Death Drive and the Rhetoric of White Masculine Victimhood

214 Pages·2020·6.541 MB·English

by  Casey Ryan Kelly

The
DEATH DRIVE
and the
RHETORIC
of
WHITE
MASCULINE
VICTIMHOOD
CASEY RYAN KELLY
APOCALYPSE MAN

APOCALYPSE MAN
THE DEATH DRIVE AND THE RHETORIC
OF WHITE MASCULINE VICTIMHOOD
CASEY RYAN KELLY
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
COLUMBUS
Copyright © 2020 by The Ohio State University.
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kelly, Casey Ryan, 1979– author.
Title: Apocalypse man : the death drive and the rhetoric of white masculine victimhood /
Casey Ryan Kelly.
Description: Columbus : The Ohio State University, [2020] | Includes bibliographical
references and index. | Summary: “Examines white masculine victimhood by looking at
the rhetoric of gender-motivated mass shooters, white supremacists, online misogynist
and incel communities, survivalists and doomsday preppers, gun culture and political
rallies, and political demagogues”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019044295 | ISBN 9780814214329 (cloth) | ISBN 9780814277775 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mass media—United States—History—21st century. | Men, White, in
mass media. | Masculinity in mass media. | Death instinct in mass media. | Identity
(Psychology) and mass media—United States. | Rhetoric. | Men, White—United
States—Attitudes. | Mass media—Political aspects—United States. | Masculinity—
Political aspects—United States. | Identity politics.
Classification: LCC P94.5.M432 U654 2020 | DDC 305.809—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019044295
Cover design by Susan Zucker
Text design by Juliet Williams
Type set in Adobe Minion Pro
C O N T E N T S
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
INTRODUCTION The Apocalyptic Male 1
CHAPTER 1 Doomsday Preppers: The Man-pocalypse 29
CHAPTER 2 The Red Pill: The New Men’s Rights Rhetoric 59
CHAPTER 3 Incel Rebellion: Fascism and Male Autarky 83
CHAPTER 4 Sun’s Out, Guns Out: Open Carry and the White
Male Body 105
CHAPTER 5 Midnight in America: Donald J. Trump and Political
Sadomasochism 131
CONCLUSION Return to Charlottesville 153
Notes 165
Bibliography 179
Index 197

I L L U S T R AT I O N S
FIGURE 1 Ohio Minutemen gathering at the 2016 RNC. Photo
courtesy of Peter Larson. 116
FIGURE 2 Ohio Minutemen greeting police at the 2016 RNC.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Grillot. 119
FIGURE 3 Kory Watkins open carrying at Kroger grocery store.
Facebook. 123
vii

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I AM PRIVILEGED to have a network of generous friends and col-
leagues who have supported this project in one way or another.
Whether they know it or not, my thinking throughout writing this
book has been influenced by our informal conversations, spontane-
ous riffs, and moments of commiseration. I am also fortunate enough
to have the institutional support of my department, university, and
national association. In short, this book would not have materialized
were it not for the invaluable support of others. I would be remiss
if I did not acknowledge at the outset my gratitude to Tara Cyphers
and The Ohio State University Press. Their enthusiastic support for
this book was indispensable, and I am proud that this book is part of
their growing library of critical rhetorical scholarship. A book about
the compulsions of white masculinity is not for the faint of heart,
and I have been fortunate enough to work with a press and reviewers
who were willing to go down the rabbit hole with me. I also wish to
acknowledge those who have provided financial support for this book.
Namely, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department
of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as
well as the National Communication Association’s Karl R. Wallace
Memorial Fund.
ix