How cowboys, action movies, and hypermasculinity can help us understand the war with Iran episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 12, 2026 · 49 MIN

How cowboys, action movies, and hypermasculinity can help us understand the war with Iran

from The Colin McEnroe Show · host Connecticut Public Radio

The Trump administration’s messaging around the war with Iran feels reminiscent of stuff like … cowboy movies. And video games. And the manosphere. This hour, a look at the rhetoric around the war and where it’s all coming from. GUESTS: Casey Ryan Kelly: Professor of Rhetoric and Public Culture in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Speech, and author of books including Manifesting Violence: White Terrorism, Digital Culture, and the Rhetoric of Replacement Jonathan Guyer: Program Director at the Institute for Global Affairs at Eurasia Group, and a reporter and editor focused on foreign policy, national security, and the Middle East. He is host of the podcast “None of the Above” Roger Stahl: Author and Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. He is director of the documentary Theaters of War Music featured (in order): “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo – Aaron Copland, NYO-USA, Michael Tilson Thomas You Should Have Seen the Other Guy – Nathaniel Rateliff Under My Thumb – Rolling Stones Son of Your Father – Elton John Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other – Orville Peck and Willie Nelson I Am a Rock – Simon and Garfunkel Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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How cowboys, action movies, and hypermasculinity can help us understand the war with Iran

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This episode was published on March 12, 2026.

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The Trump administration’s messaging around the war with Iran feels reminiscent of stuff like … cowboy movies. And video games. And the manosphere. This hour, a look at the rhetoric around the war and where it’s all coming from. GUESTS: Casey Ryan...

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