The Dissidents (w/ Cartoonist Derf Backderf) | TCHR
Summary
Chris Hedges interviews graphic novelist Derf Backderf about his book *Dissidence*, which chronicles the 1917 suppression of radical cartoonists and socialists by the Wilson administration. The discussion highlights how the Espionage and Sedition Acts, alongside the vigilante American Protective League, silenced dissent during WWI, drawing chilling parallels to modern political repression under Trump. Backderf details the persecution of artists like Art Young and the banning of publications such as *The Masses*, emphasizing the incremental nature of totalitarianism. The episode concludes wi…
Topics discussed
Historical context: Wilson, WWI, and the suppression of dissent
Introduction of Derf Backderf and his book 'Dissidence'
The incremental nature of government crackdowns on cartoonists
The impact and legacy of the socialist journal 'The Masses'
Dwight Macdonald's essay on mass culture and artistic integrity
Analysis of Robert Minor's 'The Perfect Soldier' cartoon
Art Young's career, trials, and wit during the sedition cases
Disillusionment with the Soviet Union and the Russian Revolution
The American Protective League as a vigilante force
George Creel and the first era of US government propaganda
Censorship of the press and Wilson's consolidation of power
Wilson's stroke and the secret rule of his wife and secretary
Parallels between the Wilson era and the Trump administration
Long-term consequences: McCarthyism and the destruction of unions
The Palmer Raids and the deportation of radicals
Modern parallels: economic inequality and the rise of fascism
The legacy and personal choices of the radical cartoonists
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