Book 6, Ep. 5 | Security Theatre

This week we get into Security Theatre — and what a timely topic it is! We go over what we learned from Book 3, Episode 6 with Mercedes Eng who walked us through the carceral logics of the Wizarding World. And we review Book 4, Episode 2 about the nation state and the way Benedict Anderson theorized nations as “imagined communities” that are imagined as limited, sovereign, and in need of protection. Then we play a game Cloaks or Hoax! A goofy opportunity for Hannah to make Marcelle laugh before deciding which security measures from the Ministry are performative and which ones might actually keep people safe. Followed by a breakdown of Security Theatre as understood by Bruce Schneier in his 2003 book Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. This episode is a great listen for those of you trying to make sense of the "safety measures" put into place after 9/11 that we still encounter two decades later (not to mention how those persist in stark contrast to the rapidly lifted mask mandates). As a reminder, we need your help to reach 1000 Patreon supporters before Hannah's birthday on May 25th! Reaching 1000 supporters would be a financial game-changer for us and we're promising you a LIVE Witch, Please Q&A if we reach the goal — we're only about 70 supporters away! You can become a Patreon Supporter at any tier for more perks and bonus content. If becoming a paying subscriber isn't in the cards right now, no stress! Tell a friend about the show or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — everything helps keep our boat afloat. And be sure to follow us on Instagram or Twitter @ohwitchplease to stay connected.