I started listening to the Red Scare Podcast after watching Alex’s War, a documentary about the life of controversial figure Alex Jones. Alex’s War was directed by Alex Lee Moyer, a filmmaker known for her 2020 directorial debut, TFW NO GF. The two Alexes joined self-proclaimed “bohemian layabouts” Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova on their podcast, Red Scare, in August of 2022 to discuss Alex’s War. This was a full circle moment, as Nekrasova had become known as “Sailor Socialism” after an interview with one of Jones’s InfoWars reporters went viral back in 2018. Red Scare is frequently associated with the “dirtbag left,” a style of left-wing politics that conveys a social populist and anti-capitalist message using vulgarity. The podcast provides listeners with cultural commentary, often criticizing feminism, the #MeToo movement, cancel culture, identity politics, and political correctness. It has been dismissed by some for relying on shock value without justification. This is a valid critique, as much of what Khachiyan and Nekrasova argue is not substantiated. However, I have a different perception of their content. Like Alex Jones, I see them less as public intellectuals and more as performance artist provocateurs taking unpopular stances on taboo subjects in an attempt to create discourse. Last week, Nekrasova joined the Yale Political Union to debate political polarization. “Discourse should be in service of truth,” said Nekrasova at the event. “But also, the truth is not something that is simply resolved or arrived at, but is imminent. The news is evolving with history, the driving force of which is always in conflict.” In 2021, Nekrasova co-wrote, starred in, and directed her debut film, The Scary of Sixty-First, a horror thriller that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Best First Feature Award. The film tells the story of two roommates who, unknowingly, move into an apartment previously owned by the notorious and recently-deceased sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. Shot on 16mm film, it has obvious similarities to Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and is heavily influenced by the work of Roman Polanski. This is ironic, considering the subject matter and the fact that Polanski was charged with sexually abusing a minor in 1977. Despite this contradiction, it is an ambitious first work and daring attempt at showcasing the effects of modern day, conspiracy-fueled paranoia, much of which can be attributed to the likes of Alex Jones. It takes the viewer along on a descent down the rabbit hole of theories surrounding the life and death of Epstein and his co-conspirators, such as Prince Andrew. Khachiyan even makes an appearance in the role of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for procuring underage girls for Epstein. Khachiyan’s partner, Eli Keszler, composed the soundtrack for the film. Overall, I walked away from the film the same way I walk away from many of Red Scare’s podcast episodes, intrigued but ultimately wondering how much of it was meant to be taken seriously. Regardless, I see both as forms of captivating niche entertainment.