Mon, 31 January 2022
Air Date 1/31/2022 Today we take a look at the new buzz around the "metaverse" and why it is not only fairly dystopian in and of itself but also seems to require that the real world be a dystopia in order for the concept to fully succeed. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) BestOfTheLeft.com/Advertise Sponsor the show! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Neil Postman Technopoly - C-Span Book TV - Air Date 7-10-92 Neil Postman, author of Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology published by Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, spoke on the theme of his book which noted the dependence of Americans on technological advances for their own security. Ch. 2: Enter the metaverse! - Today in Focus - Air Date 11-3-21 Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook’s name to Meta last week – and launched a vision for his company that he claims will transform the way we interact with the internet and each other. So what exactly is the metaverse? Ch. 3: Prof. Wolff: New Metaverse, Same Old Capitalist BS - The Zero Hour with RJ Eskow - Air Date 12-3-21 Ch. 4: Why the Metaverse Must Be Stopped w/ Brian Merchant Part 1 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 11-4-21 Brian Merchant discusses Mark Zuckerberg’s big plans for the metaverse, everything that’s wrong with it, the concept’s scifi origins, and why Silicon Valley is desperate to make it happen. Ch. 5: Why Metaverse Real Estate Is Selling For Millions - Cheddar Explains - Air Date 10-29-21 How much real money would you pay for a virtual plot of land? Developing technology is introducing everyone in the real world to new, virtual worlds, like Decentraland. Ch. 6: Why Chris Hayes thinks we're all famous now - Vox Conversations - Air Date 11-15-21 They discuss his recent essay in the New Yorker about fame and the internet, why we seek attention from strangers online, and how some German philosophers might offer guidance for our predicament. Ch. 7: Why the Metaverse Must Be Stopped w/ Brian Merchant Part 2 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 11-4-21 MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 8: Why You Should Be Worried About Facebook's Metaverse - Vice News - Air 12-7-21 On December 6, Facebook was sued for its role in facilitating the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The Facebook Papers revealed how the company chased profits - often at the expense of safety. VOICEMAILS Ch. 9: I don't want to tier people but I think I do - Nick From California FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 10: Final comments on the humanizing impact of examining people structurally MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1467_Metaverse_Air_Date_1-31-22_General_-_13122_20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:44pm EST |
Tue, 25 January 2022
Original Air Date 1/26/2021 Today we take a look at our long history of ignoring domestic, right-wing terrorism from the Oklahoma City bombing through to the predictable actions of militia groups in 2020 and beyond. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com MEMBERSHIP, Gift Memberships and Donations! (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) CALL TO ACTION: Join the CCAN Polar Plunge to fight Climate Change: KeepWinterCold.com Want to advertise/sponsor the show? Details -> advertisecast.com/BestoftheLeft SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Tracing the roots of the America's biggest domestic terror attack - PBS News Hour - Air Date 2-17-20 The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing was the largest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. A new documentary on the PBS series American Experience takes a fresh look at the events and motivations that led to the attack by Timothy McVeigh Ch. 2: The Dangers of White Supremacy - It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders - Air Date 10-2-20 Sam talks with Kathleen Belew, assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago, about what we get wrong when we talk about the white power movement. While working as a senior analyst in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2009, Daryl Johnson authored a report warning about the increasing dangers of violent right-wing extremism in the United States, sparking a political firestorm in the process Ch. 4: How the Oklahoma City Bombing Changed the U.S. - AJ+ - Air Date 2-26-19 In the almost 25 years since explosives killed 168 adults and children, what has the United States learned from the Oklahoma City bombing? And what can it tell us about the future of far-right extremism in the U.S.? Ch. 5: Most Violence is Right Wing. Period. Stop Lying - David Pakman Show - Air Date 8-22-19 Most violence is right wing, and it's important not to be distracted from that undeniable reality. The government must wake up to the threat of domestic terrorism before it's too late, says former Homeland Security counterterrorism analyst Daryl Johnson. Ch. 7: What’s Fueling Far-Right Hate in America? - AJ+ - Air Date 2-19-19 The number of far-right extremist groups prone to violence is increasing in the U.S. It's a threat the government was warned about a decade ago. But what's fueling the rise of hate, and what's the nation doing to combat it? Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson discusses what the Biden administration's national security team will have to undertake. MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) To talk about the rise of white supremacist violence and the Trump administration’s response, we speak to Daryl Johnson, a former senior analyst in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. No one listened when the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sounded the alarm about the rise of white supremacist and far-right domestic terrorism, says former DHS intelligence analyst Daryl Johnson and Greg Huffman of Facing South. VOICEMAILS Ch. 11: We made it! (But not all of us) - Nick from California Ch. 12: The cause and result of moral panic - Paul from Vermont FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 13: Final comments on moral panic and the shifting eras of white supremacist violence MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
SHOW IMAGE: Composite design by Amanda Hoffman. Original images: "Proud Boy - Jan 6th" Elvert Barnes on Flickr, License | "Before the Siege" by Elvert Barnes on Flickr, License | "Tree of Life building at sunset" by David Fulmer on Flickr, Lincese | "Charleston Church" (Mother Emmanuel) by Zack Carlson on Flickr, Public Domain | "20th Anniversary - Oklahoma City Bombing" by US Army Corps of Engineers - Tulsa, License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1394_White_Terrorism_and_Willful_Ignorance_repost.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:48pm EST |
Wed, 19 January 2022
Original Air Date 1/10/2021 Today, in our 15th-anniversary episode, we take a look at the years and years of warning signs we have been highlighting since 2006 that collectively predict the armed insurrection against the government as the natural endpoint for a radicalized, conspiratorial, White/Christian-supremacist, permanently-minoritarian political movement that has lost its ability to win power by legitimate means. SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: American Fascists, Chris Hedges - Ring of Fire - Air Date 2-12-07 Chris Hedges explains the decades-old prediction of the rise of Christian fascism Ch. 2: Ginsberg and O'Connor death threats - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 2006 Ginsberg and O'Connor deal with detailed death threats as part of the effort to take over the judiciary Ch. 3: O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts - NPR Morning Edition - Air Date: 3-10-2006 Sandra Day O'Connor warns of creeping dictatorial tendencies referencing efforts to control the courts Ch. 4: Avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings - The Young Turks - Air Date 3-22-2006 Cenk Uygur highlights the need to prevent dictatorship by avoiding the first steps that can lead to it Ch. 5: Tim Wise on How Donald Trump Legitimizes Racist Ideas - @DavidPakmanShow - Air Date 01-07-16 Tim Wise explains what drives Trump supporters and the burgeoning Trumpism movement Sasha Abramsky speaks with Trump supporters, many of whom ask him his ethnicity before being willing to speak with him Ch. 7: Thirty Black People Booted From Trump Rally - @theyoungturks - Air Date 03-02-16 Secret Service agent choke-slams a journalist at a Trump rally. What will Trump do if he actually wins? Ch. 8: CNN's morally bankrupt hiring of former Trump campaign staffer - CounterSpin (@FAIRmediawatch) - Air Date 7-1-16 CNN profits from the Trump campaign to the detriment of the country Ch. 9: Trump Victory Inspires Acts Of Hate Against Minorities - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 11-11-16 Post-election rash of hate-crimes spike after Trump victory. Ch. 10: You Will Not Believe This Insane Antisemitic Email - @DavidPakmanShow - Air Date 11-14-16 David Pakman shares an email he recieved and vandilism he witnessed in the wake of Trump's victory Ch. 11: A White Nationalist Will Be Advising Trump's Administration - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 11-14-16 Steve Bannon tapped to join the Trump administration Ch. 12: How to fight our enemies, the blacks and jews - A real-life White supremacist podcast - Air Date 11-10-16 Clips from an unabashedly White-nationalist podcast in the wake of Trump's election win Ch. 13: It can't happen here - Ideas from the CBC - Air Date 1-17-17 A look at the long history of racial grivance that fuels fascist tendencies in the US Trump issues an executive order effectively banning Muslims from several countries Trump's treatment of the media is precisely in line with the strategies of dictators around the world Trump doubles down when criticized for his comments in the wake of the Charlottesville White supremacists rally Ch. 17: Donald Trump Puts Our Democracy and Our Lives in Serious Danger - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 01-13-18 Not a single president has met more than one of the four qualities identified by political scientists as warning signs of an authoritarian or fascist leader. Trump meets them all. Is this how our Democracy dies? Scott Crow explains why the rise of progressive-left movements are always countered by a rise in right-wing conspiracy theories and why fascism downright requires conspiracies to survive. Donald Trump is "stoking and inciting - for the purposes of political power - the worst amongst us to take action in his name," says Steve Schmidt. Ch. 20: Violent Extremism in the U.S. - NowThis World - Air Date 11-4-18 White supremacist and other right-wing violence are currently the deadliest active domestic extremist movements in the U.S., according to data from several civil rights groups that track hate crimes and extremist violence. Ch. 21: Corruption of Department of Justice Sets Off Alarm Bells - Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 2-12-20 Rachel discusses the crisis in the justice department and the authoritarian actions of Trump. President Trump claims without evidence that anti-fascists are inciting riots at protests against police brutality, but has downplayed groups like the “boogaloo” movement, which are using the protests as cover to carry out violence, even murder. Ch. 23: Marjorie Cohn on Portland Secret Police - CounterSpin - Air Date 7-24-20 While we wait to see if corporate media can decide which optic is an optic too far, we talk about the legal, constitutional elements of the fight for our right to protest, including against the forces that are sent to police the protesting. Marjorie Kohn. Ch. 24: Trump Caravans and the Threat of Sectarian Violence - The Muckrake Podcast - Air Date 9-1-20 Right Wing vigilantism turns to roving bands of MAGA supporters driving into cities and doling out violence. FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 25: Final comments to wrap up this anniversary episode
Direct download: 1391_Fascism_Remix_Air_Date_1-9-21_Members_-_1-10-21_11_Repost.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:19pm EST |
Sat, 15 January 2022
Air Date 1/15/2022 Today we take a look at tradeoffs that are becoming ever more evident between the advancement of mass communication and social media technologies and the ways in which those advancements contribute to the degradation of social cohesion. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) Visit Bombas.com/Best for 20% Off! BestOfTheLeft.com/Advertise Sponsor the show! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Re-musing Ourselves - On the Media - Air Date 3-3-06 The late media critic Neil Postman argued in his seminal book "Amusing Ourselves to Death," that as TV prevailed over the printed word, it impaired our ability to make sense of a world of information. Jay Rosen writes the blog, PressThink. Ch. 2: Neil Postman Technopoly - C-Span Book TV - Air Date 7-10-92 Neil Postman, author of Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology published by Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, spoke on the theme of his book which noted the dependence of Americans on technological advances for their own security. Ch. 3: Prescient Predictions 1984; Brave New World; and Network Part 1 - Future Tense - Air Date 7-7-19 The dystopian best-seller 1984 was published exactly seventy years ago. Its influence has been profound. But does it really speak to today’s politico-cultural environment? Scott Stephens believes Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a closer match. Ch. 4: The Trouble With Reality - On The Media - Air Date 5-17-17 This is a conversation between Brooke Gladstone, author of "The Trouble with Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time," and WNYC morning show host Brian Lehrer. Ch. 5: Prescient Predictions 1984; Brave New World; and Network Part 2 - Future Tense - Air Date 7-7-19 Ch. 6: Neil Postman on Cyberspace - The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour - Air Date 7-25-95 Charlene Hunter-Gault interviews media theorist and cultural critic Neil Postman on PBS' The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour in 1995. Postman discusses new media and the "Faustian bargain" of technological change in the context of the "Information Superhighway." Ch. 7: Alexa, What's Amazon Doing Inside My Home? - Land of the Giants - Air Date 7-30-19 What’s the downside to letting Alexa run your entire home? And why is Amazon making a microwave oven powered by Alexa? FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 8: Final comments on Faustian Bargains MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1466_Faustian_Technology_Air_Date_1-15-22_General_-_12722_10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:47am EST |
Wed, 12 January 2022
Original Air Date: 12-21-21 Today, I am joined by Amanda, Erin and Deon to discuss: - Empathy and the In-Group/Out-Group dichotomy - Santa's new side hustles - Races vs Racialized Groups - Representation: Who is allowed to do what to, or take what from, whom?
References: YouTube burnout is real. Creators are struggling to cope Words Matter: Meaning and Power bySally McConnell-Ginet NFB pulls Michelle Latimer's documentary Inconvenient Indian from Sundance festival The Jews Are Tired: The Royal Court, Rare Earth Mettle, and Why Enough is Enough No, Jewish characters do not need to be played by Jewish actors Pok Pok Changed Portland. But Its Era Was Over Before the Pandemic Toppled the Thai Food Empire. How To Negotiate Away From Cultural Appropriation With A Powerful Apology Lionel Shriver's full speech: 'I hope the concept of cultural appropriation is a passing fad' Writing the Other writing class
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts! |
Sun, 9 January 2022
Air Date 1/9/2022 Today we take a look at a few of the recent failures and challenges facing the Democratic Party in the face of an oncoming wave of anti-democratic forces bent on establishing an entrenched, minority-rule government through aggressive gerrymandering and voter suppression. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) BestOfTheLeft.com/Advertise Sponsor the show! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Why Is The GOP So Anti-Science Part 1 - The Mehdi Hasan Show - Air Date 10-14-21 Science historian Naomi Oreskes joins Mehdi to examine the Republican party’s anti-science trend. Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, just turned 93 years old. Chomsky spoke to Democracy Now! prior to the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but he predicted new variants would emerge. Ch. 3: Why Is The GOP So Anti-Science Part 2 - The Mehdi Hasan Show - Air Date 10-14-21 Ch. 4: Alpha Male Anti Vaxxers Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 1-1-22 Brad and Dan kick off this New Year's Day roundup with a look at the false binary anti-vaxxers use to criticize the COVID vaccine and put forth a bad argument as to why they shouldn't get it. Ch. 5: Bill Gates and monopoly medicine Alexander Zaitchik Part 1 - This is Hell! - Air Date 4-15-21 Journalist Alexander Zaitchik on his article "How Bill Gates Impeded Global Access to Covid Vaccines" for The New Republic, and in a Moment of Truth Jeff Dorchen foils another dictatorship before it can start. Ch. 6: Alpha Male Anti Vaxxers Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 1-1-22 Ch. 7: Bill Gates and monopoly medicine Alexander Zaitchik Part 2 - This is Hell! - Air Date 4-15-21 Dr. Robert Malone appears on the Joe Rogan Podcast and uses the term "mass formation psychosis," which instantly becomes the meme of the month for the American right-wing. MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 9: Viral Lies - Reveal - Air Date 1-1-22 Reporter and guest host Ike Sriskandarajah looks into one reason people aren’t getting the COVID-19 vaccine: conspiracy theories. The World Health Organization calls it “an infodemic,” where dangerous medical misinformation sows chaos and mistrust. As COVID cases skyrocket, we speak to Dr. Peter Hotez at Texas Children’s Hospital about the Omicron surge, as well as his groundbreaking work developing an affordable patent-free coronavirus vaccine. VOICEMAILS Ch. 11: Distinctions without ascribing meaning - Abdul from Charleston, NC Ch. 12: Continuing to value people with opinions that have no value - Quai from North Carolina FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 13: Final comments on the difference between goals and tactics to explain why libertarians are so often wrong MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1465_Anti-Science_GOP.Vaccines_Air_Date_1-9-22_General_-_1-9-22_11_New.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:50pm EST |
Wed, 5 January 2022
Air Date 1/5/2022 Today we take a look at a few of the recent failures and challenges facing the Democratic Party in the face of an oncoming wave of anti-democratic forces bent on establishing an entrenched, minority-rule government through aggressive gerrymandering and voter suppression. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Julie Hollar on Moving Democrats to the Right - CounterSpin - Air Date 11-13-20 Blaming the left has been the practice of elite Democrats and their media abettors for decades. President Biden’s signature $1.75 trillion Build Back Better package appears to be dead after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced on Fox News this Sunday he would not support the plan to expand the social safety net Ch. 3: Nancy Pelosi DEFENDS Stock Trading In Congress - The Young Turks - Air Date 12-6-21 Congress has been noticeably inconsistent when it comes to enforcing the STOCK Act, a law that is supposed to stop insider trading and conflicts of interest for Congress members and high-ranking staffers. Ch. 4: Remembering the legacy of Sen. Harry Reid - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 12-28-21 Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has died at the age of 82. Faiz Shakir, a senior adviser to Sen. Reid joins Chris Hayes to discuss his legacy. Political lines are changing, as states across the country redraw their congressional maps — a process with huge implications for the balance of power in Washington, especially heading into 2022 elections. Lisa Desjardins explores. Ch. 6: What Can Biden Do For Voting Rights - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-14-21 Ari Berman recaps President Biden's major speech on voting rights which comes at the same time as some GOP-controlled legislatures have pushed ahead new state laws restricting ballot access. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock talks with Rachel Maddow about the need for Democrats to take it upon themselves to prevent the continued dismantling of democracy in the United States before there is too much damage to repair. Ch. 8: Activism: Demand Democrats Pass Voting Rights and Election Protection Legislation MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 9: Remembering the legacy of Sen. Harry Reid Part 2 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 12-28-21 VOICEMAILS Ch. 10: Thanks for making me coherent - Nick from California New Ch. 11: To essentialize or not - Scott from Canada FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 12: Final comments on why essentializing race or sexual attraction is not good or even correct MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/51396502460/in/photolist-2kEB8fi-fTRP7-2miJvy9 | License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode | Changes: Cropped, increased brightness and increased contrast
Direct download: 1464_Democrats_and_Voting_Rights_Air_Date_1-5-22_General_-_1-5-22_16.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:39pm EST |