"An aspect of ICE's deadly performance in Minneapolis that goes hand-in-hand with its mission to intimidate is the absolutely farcical tone of the ICE aesthetic. Broadway numbers like Springtime for Hitler in The Producers and more recently, Das Ubermensch in Operation Mincemeat, a showstopper performed with a German techno beat and Nazi boyband Third Reich on the mic vocals, present fascism as an essentially camp enterprise and we're reminded this week that ICE fits the mould entirely."
"Meanwhile, as Lydia Polgreen pointed out in the New York Times, their sheer incompetence adds a darkly slapstick layer to events via videos of, for example, large men dressed for war slipping on ice and going ass over teakettle. If you laugh in their faces you run the risk of being shot, but there's nothing to stop it going on behind their backs."
ICE adopts a theatrical, costume-driven aesthetic that resembles camp portrayals of fascism and emphasizes uniforms and militarized accoutrements. Border officials and agents display trenchcoats, vests, fatigues, goggles, and full battle rattle, performing a rugged team persona that also functions as intimidation. Public figures highlighted this visual style, likening it to SS garb and theatrical swagger. Videos reveal frequent incompetence and slapstick moments, such as heavily outfitted agents slipping on ice, which undercuts the performance yet does not eliminate the lethal risk posed to those they confront. A dramatic theatrical line about blindly following orders has provoked strong audience reactions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]