The Fifth Column Crimes of Boredom (Members Only #318)
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Apr 28, 2026 They break down a failed attack at a high-profile dinner and the oddities in its reporting. They mock and analyze the attacker’s manifesto, identity claims, and moral reasoning. The conversation digs into religious justifications for violence, media self-focus, and on-site confrontations among journalists. They debate how heated rhetoric and political culture may feed real-world attacks.
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Hungover Herzog Moment Sparked A Running Gag
- Matt Welch woke up hungover and watched Werner Herzog's My Best Fiend, which sparked him doing a Werner Herzog impression on the show.
- He links that hangover moment to a vivid memory of David Hasselhoff yelling at Klaus Kinski in the documentary.
Bad Manifestos Signal Conventional, Not Original, Extremism
- The hosts analyze a recent failed assassination attempt by dissecting the shooter's manifesto and its quality as writing and motive.
- They note the manifesto's odd mix of half-apologies, bad jokes, and weak rhetorical construction that makes it conventionally crazy, not ideologically novel.
Pedophile Led Moral Hierarchy Reveals Shooter's Justification
- The manifesto's repeated phrase about not permitting a 'pedophile, rapist and traitor' to 'coat my hands with his crimes' reveals the shooter's moral framing and hierarchy of blame.
- Hosts point out the contradiction of declaring no blood on one's hands while detailing willingness to shoot through crowds to reach targets.