"Storm the Capitol" Turns the January 6th Insurrection Into a Board Game w/ Walker and Z. Behl

Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Creamhound's Walker and Z. Behl joins the show to discuss their TrueAnon-approved, controversy-stirring, and darkly humorous board game Storm the Capitol. Described cheekily as "Insurrection in a Box!", Storm the Capitol allows you to relive the madness of the January 6th Capitol attack as either a MAGA "patriot" that needs to help Donald Trump "Stop the Steal" or a member of the Capitol police trying to stop them.

Needless to say, some have been offended by the game, even assuming that it's a pro-MAGA board game. A look at the game, however, reveals that it's a satirical poke-in-the-eye to our politics-as-pro-wrestling media circus spectacle with its darkly, even gallows-esque, sense of humor rather than an endorsement of MAGA or the January 6th insurrection. We'll discuss the game, its mechanics, how it came to be during the days of the pandemic, the reactions to and controversy stirred up by the game, the lameness of moral tut-tutting about the game, the influence of punk rock on the game, and some of the game's jokes about QAnon, MAGA's alleged obsession with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's feet, indie rockers (cough... Ariel Pink... cough) who participate in the January 6th Capitol attack, the QAnon shaman, and more.

Yes, a lot of horrible things happened on January 6th. But it was also a day where a guy dressed in face paint carrying a spear and animal headdress stormed the capitol building. It was like something out of a David Lynch movie. A completely surreal, absurd moment in American history. And there's something darkly comical about that absurdity. Which is what made it perfect fodder for a satirical board game.

We'll discuss all that and much more on this edition of the show.