08: Political Economy, Libidinal Economy

Abby puts Patrick on the hot seat to talk psychoanalysis and politics. They discuss how psychoanalytic concepts can help bypass partisan political explanations; the construction of a “we”; identifications and disidentifications with individuals, groups, and social orders; pleasure and the disavowal of pleasure; the church and the military; why more people don’t steal from Target; the rhetoric of how weapons of war “don’t belong on our streets”; why political legitimacy is like clapping for Tinkerbell; repetition compulsion, the death drive, and human disposability; and the concepts that animate Patrick’s writing on gun violence and mass shootings, especially political economy and libidinal economy. They return repeatedly to the case of Jordan Neely, who was killed on an F train in New York City on May 1st, 2023.

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Theme song:
Formal Chicken - Gnossienne No. 1
https://open.spotify.com/album/2MIIYnbyLqriV3vrpUTxxO
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