Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
1,732 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsExpertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
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Episodes
Bonus Sample #299 Selling Bliss
April 18, 2024 09:30 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBAir Date: 4-18-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how a tech start-up is trying to sell a shortcut to bliss - the world of drug-free psychedelic experiences - the capitalists trying to solve the loneliness epidemic REFERENCES: The Meditation Start-Up That’s Selling Bliss on Demand What’s it like to take a $249 drug-free psychedelic trip? We found out Origin of the Dreamachine Can You Solve Loneliness? These Startups Are Betting On It. Join our Discord Serve...
#1249 Understanding the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians (Throwback)
April 16, 2024 16:45 - 1 hour - 43.7 MBOriginal Air Date 2/12/2019 Today we take a look at both the BDS movement and the backlash response to it resulting in firings and legislation in many states (and pending federally) to restrict employment and business opportunities from those who fail to pledge in writing to not support of the boycott of Israel Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our...
#1622 Capitalism Culture Catastrophes On Land, Sea, And In The Sky - Baltimore Bridge Collapse, Boeing Blowout, and the Continuing Threat to Railway Workers
April 12, 2024 22:34 - 1 hour - 46.8 MBAir Date 4/12/2024 The forces of capitalism and deregulation loom large as industrial transport disasters continue to pile up with new focus brought to the issue by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and the series of dangerous and deadly failures from Boeing. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch...
#1621 How Democrats Lost Their Way On Economics And Are Starting To Find It Again
April 09, 2024 09:30 - 1 hour - 42.4 MBAir Date 4/9/2024 The neoliberal legacy of the New Democrats continues to loom large but it really does seem like the progressive wing of the party and the broader demand for populist economic policies has had an impact. Now people just need to know that it's happening. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOT...
Bonus Sample #292 Someone is Wrong on the Internet
April 07, 2024 19:10 - 14 minutes - 9.83 MBAir Date: 4-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Many facets of our society are clearly broken by capitalism, and bizarrely for some, chaos is the only thing that beings agency to their life - The delusion of RFK Jr. voters, the understandable desire to vote third party, and the age-old cry of the 'uniparty' - The trend of conservative voters among communities of color and where they find themselves in Trump's Republican Party - And that one of the Democrats main stumbli...
#1379 Tell Stories, Not Myths: Democracy in America (Throwback)
April 05, 2024 09:30 - 1 hour - 47 MBOriginal Air Date: 11/10/2020 Today we take a look at the long and shifting history of the myth of democracy in America. We've never had it since the beginning but the reasons have shifted, ebbed and flowed over time. Now, in the midst of an attempted slow-motion coup, we look back at this most central American myth. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + ...
#1620 Threatening the 2024 Election to Subvert Democracy, from Legal Maneuvers in Congress and Unconstitutional Congressional Maps to Violent Threats Against Election Workers
April 03, 2024 09:30 - 56 minutes - 39.3 MBAir Date 4/3/2024 As the country gears up for the election in November, we look at a variety of ways the GOP and their election-denialist supporters are preparing to subvert the democratic process to get the result they want. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Election Dissection 'How can the...
Bonus Sample #297 No Laughing Matter
April 01, 2024 16:01 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBAir Date: 4-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how Trump uses humor to normalize his behavior and engage his supporters - how humor is not always a great weapon against fascism and autocracy REFERENCES: Can Parents Prevent Their Sons From Sliding to the Right? In on the Joke: The Comedic Trick Trump Uses to Normalize His Behavior Laugh Riot Laughing All the Way to Autocracy Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tom...
#1619 A Guide to Protests Against Injustice from the Peaceful to the Deadly
March 30, 2024 12:20 - 54 minutes - 37.8 MBAir Date 3/30/2024 We are living through an age of protest from the opposition to the Iraq war, the Arab Spring uprisings, Occupy Wall Street, through to marches against Trump, and now the war in Gaza. So, we thought we should take a look at the art and science of protest itself. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community!...
Bonus Sample #296 Coping: Magic Mushrooms, Bath Time, Perpetual Therapy, and Pain Killers
March 28, 2024 10:00 - 14 minutes - 9.93 MBAir Date: 3-28-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how the wealthy use psilocybin to deal with stress and break the rules of time - the working class get bath time and training on how to self-care their stress away - the REFERENCES: It’s Time to Give Up on Email The Working Woman’s Newest Life Hack: Magic Mushrooms Stress Less Had a bath. still stressed. How America Became Addicted to Therapy Life Under the Algorithm Join our Discord Server Leave...
#1463 People Are Waking Back Up To The Need For Labor Unions (Throwback)
March 26, 2024 21:22 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBOriginal Air Date: 12/23/2021 Today we take a look at some of the history of labor struggles in America and the current wave of strikes that is giving renewed energy to the labor union movement and the struggle for better working conditions for all. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Lessons from the Luddites - On the Media - Air Date 12-10-21 ...
#1618 Forget Equality, Embrace the Feminism of Freedom - Breaking entirely free from the structures of White supremacy and heteropatriarchy
March 23, 2024 21:00 - 55 minutes - 38.5 MBAir Date 3/23/2024 Equality has been at the heart of civil rights movements for decades but what we have failed to see is that in striving for equality we cannot help but reinforce the unquestioned preexisting structures of society which, themselves, may be at fundamental odds with true freedom for all. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Joi...
Bonus Sample #295 Cause it's all about control
March 21, 2024 17:18 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBAir Date: 3-21-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how AI became a tool in the gender culture war - the real reasons "soft girls" and "tradwives" are a thing REFERENCES: You Will Not Believe the Dumb Reason My Son Gave Me for Refusing to Wipe His Butt AI has come to the gender culture war, yielding some truly dumb content The False Escapism of Soft Girls and Tradwives Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks ...
#1617 The Profitable and Political Moral Panic Around Trans People: Debunking Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, Groomers, and Detransitioning Misconceptions
March 19, 2024 18:26 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBAir Date 3/19/2024 We break down some of the pseudoscience the trans panic is built on, look at the political drive to erase trans people, understand how language of panic shifts over time, and present and alternate view of societal healing for a healthier humanity. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES ...
#1616 The Party of Putin and the Propaganda Leading the GOP to Trump and the US to Russian-Style Autocracy
March 15, 2024 09:30 - 57 minutes - 40 MBAir Date 3/15/2024 Republicans have been trending toward Putin fandom for more than a decade but with each passing year the stakes get higher, the propaganda gets more brazen, and what they're willing to support gets more grotesque. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Chris Wallace DESTROYS for...
Bonus Sample #294 Answering men's cry for help
March 11, 2024 15:58 - 12 minutes - 8.96 MBAir Date: 3-11-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - mascuzynity and the conservative male ethos - talking to young men to prevent their slide to the right - and that brutal man camps that are more a symptom and cry for help than a solution REFERENCES: Mascuzynity: How a nicotine pouch explains the new ethos of young conservative men Can Parents PreventTheir Sons From Sliding to the Right? Men are going to brutal boot camps to reclaim their masculinity. How did we ge...
#1165 To Exist is to Resist: Life and Activism in Occupied Palestine Working Toward Rights and Democracy For All in Israel (Throwback)
March 08, 2024 10:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBOriginal Air Date 2-17-2018 We hear from activists and advocates to get a sense of the life, land, and walls that divide occupied Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! Show Notes Ch. 1: Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr Ch. 2: Amer Zahr on working toward rig...
#1163 Strange Bedfellows: Looking at why Ethno-Nationalists Admire Israel and the Violence Inflicted on Gaza (Throwback)
March 05, 2024 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBOriginal Air Date 2/7/2018 Looking at Israel from a variety of angles including what they do to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and why White supremacists, of all people, support them Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! Show Notes Ch. 1: Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr Ch. 2: Breakin...
Bonus Sample: #293 I love you, man
March 03, 2024 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBAir Date: 3-3-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - why men struggle with friendship - why men and boys are lonelier than ever - the impact of different masculine identities on relationships - something The Beatles apparently did that no one seems to talk about REFERENCES: Why Men Struggle With Friendship Boys and men are lonelier than ever. What can we do about it? 3 ‘Masculine Identities’ Men Take On In Relationships Release the Beatles Jerk-off Cut Join o...
#1615 Envisioning a Leftisț Economic Future of Postcapitalism, High-Tech Automation, Universal Basic Income and a World (Mostly) Without Work
March 01, 2024 20:34 - 59 minutes - 41.3 MBAir Date 3/1/2024 We don't have to think too hard to understand the fears of a world in which work, and the ability of millions to support themselves, are lost to automation and artificial intelligence. But that is only a capitalist future in which the benefits of technological advancement are hoarded by the already-wealthy. Today we imagine a different path. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Su...
#1614 Deep-Fakery and Deep Consequences for Democracy: AI-generated fake news threatens elections around the world and makes people question the ability to know what is real
February 28, 2024 10:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBAir Date 2/28/2024 AI-generated deepfakes, entirely fabricated audio and video of recognizable people, are here. They have been on the horizon for years but they have finally arrived during the biggest global election year in history which may prove to be a make of break year for democracy itself as we struggle to separate fact from fiction and autocracy is on the rise around the world. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Trans...
Bonus Sample #292 Techno Authoritarians vs Interoperabilities
February 25, 2024 16:21 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBAir Date: 2-25-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: - authoritarian Technocracy - and why interoperability may be one of the best weapons against it REFERENCES: THE RISE OF TECHNO-AUTHORITARIANISM Big Tech Won’t Let You Leave. Here’s a Way Out The Great Interoperability Convergence: 2023 Year in Review Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/Be...
#1613 Breathless Speculation: Biden's Baggage, Trump's Tyranny, Misleading Media, Courts and Criminality
February 23, 2024 15:16 - 1 hour - 42.7 MBAir Date 2/23/2024 2024 is already shaping up to be even more of a disaster than expected. The causes for anxiety are many and varied, leaving many of us with questions. We generally try to avoid topics and commentaries that lean into the realm of pure speculation but today we decided to lean all the way in to answer your most pressing questions. What about Biden's support of Israel? What about his age? Should he be replaced at the Democratic Convention? How likely is Trump to do the horri...
#1612 New Tech and the New Luddite Movement; Inequitable Distribution of Benefits from New Technology Always Sparks Demands from Labor and AI is Rekindling the Old Arguments
February 20, 2024 17:55 - 59 minutes - 41 MBAir Date 2/20/2024 "Luddite" should never have become the epithet that it is as the Luddites were never afraid of or opposed to technological advancement, they only opposed the exploitation of workers and the degradation to society that came with the unfair distribution of the benefits of the targeted technology. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No A...
Bonus Sample #291 Recommendations and Manipulations
February 19, 2024 12:22 - 12 minutes - 8.65 MBAir Date: 2-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda and Deon discuss: - how augmented reality and the Apple Vision Pro affects the human brain - how algorithms are changing and flattening our culture - how to take back your life from algorithmic choices REFERENCES: The Vision Pro's scary side effect Why Tim Cook Is Going All In on the Apple Vision Pro We’ve Forgotten How to Use Computers Have Algorithms Ruined Our Culture? How to Take Back Your Life From Algorithms Join our Disco...
#1611 Higher Education: the Myths, McCarthyism, and Change Makers at a time when education is under attack for free speech, DEI and CRT but arguably needs changes to meet a changing world
February 17, 2024 10:36 - 1 hour - 44.3 MBAir Date 2/17/2024 The debate over education has been derailed from the legitimate concerns of the past focused on the downfalls of No Child Left Behind and Common Core policies into a cul-de-sac of ignorance over opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and the teaching of critical race theory. Not to mention the new McCarthyism that has sprung up to squash any criticism of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or e...
#1610 The Border, and Our Border Politics, Are a Mess - As Trump and MAGA-driven misunderstanding and panic about the nature of immigration dominates election concerns.
February 14, 2024 15:18 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBAir Date 2/13/2024 The entire political system has lurched to the right on immigration as Democrats adopt the talking points of the Republicans and the MAGA Republicans put Trump's election chances over the policies they claim to support. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: ‘Basically a cult’...
#1609 The Post-Roe World is Bad But it Could Still Get Worse - Abortion Bans in the US Are Causing Widespread Suffering for Both Patients and Doctors Attempting to Navigate the New Normal
February 10, 2024 13:47 - 1 hour - 51.2 MBAir Date 2/10/2024 Continuing to tell the stories of those directly impacted by abortion bans is important to demonstrate the extreme stances taken by anti-choice politicians but we also look ahead to potential ways the situation could be made even worse as well as efforts to relieve the suffering. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Texas Abortion Laws Cruel Outcom...
#1608 Widespread Loneliness is a Solvable Social Problem - Urban Design, Architecture, Co-housing, and Community Action and Support Can Make Our Towns Better
February 07, 2024 16:35 - 59 minutes - 41.4 MBAir Date 2/7/2024 Loneliness is an epidemic that long-predates the COVID lockdowns that only made things worse but it's not primarily cultural or even technological in origin. The issue largely has to do with how our built environment is designed and then social and technological aspects compound the problem. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!)...
Bonus Sample #289 A Cul-de-Sac of Ignorance
February 06, 2024 10:29 - 11 minutes - 8.32 MBAir Date: 2-6-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The impacts of the myth of the model minority - Haley and Ramaswamy Denying America's racism as they both experience and use racism during the Republican primary race BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the full Bonus Shows! + No Ads!) REFERENCES: Vivek Ramaswamy and the lie of the “model minority” Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy Can’t Escape GOP Racism Scholars worry Haley and Ramaswamy's race-blindness helps GOP adva...
#1607 The Tangled, Flammable Web of War in the Middle East
February 03, 2024 15:03 - 58 minutes - 40.6 MBAir Date 2/3/2024 We attempt to understand as many of the interlocking elements as possible in the current Middle East conflicts sparked most prominently by the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: From Red Sea to Iran, Will Israel's Gaza Assault Spark Wider War - Demo...
Bonus Sample #288 Make the Children Cry in Order to Save Them
January 28, 2024 18:49 - 11 minutes - 8.52 MBAir Date: 1-28-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Boardgames Ritual - Making kids cry buy taking their phones away at school - Making kids sad by never buying them phones in the first place REFERENCES: It Sure Looks Like Phones Are Making Students Dumber Schools don't want kids on cellphones. Is banning them the solution? Birmingham head calls for ban after pupils 'in tears' when phones confiscated The Schools That Ban Smartphones I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Sm...
#1606 Biden's Barriers and Boons to Reelection
January 26, 2024 17:55 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBAir Date 1/26/2024 In an election year where, more than ever before, democracy itself is on the ballot, there is less democracy happening in the lead-up to the election than at any time in recent memory. And with two profoundly disliked candidates running, the supporters of democratic ideals have a hard uphill push ahead of them. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips a...
#1605 Our Prison System is a Demonstrable Failure
January 23, 2024 18:15 - 52 minutes - 36 MBAir Date 1/23/2024 The recent discovery of hundreds of bodies buried behind a jail in unmarked graves sparks a renewed discussion about the futility and counter-productiveness of our system of incarceration and the context of our history that has brought us to this point. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript Join our Discord community! Related Episodes: #1313 Why Prison Abolition is not Nearly as Scary as it So...
#1529 Monopolies Run By Morons (Repost)
January 20, 2024 12:13 - 1 hour - 48.7 MBOriginal Air Date 12/3/2022 Today, we take a look at the mega-companies that touch all of our lives and the monopolistic practices that have been developed to keep power and wealth concentrated with the few while the rest of us get screwed. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Tech Monopolies - Last Wee...
#1604 The Border Crisis is Manufactured for Political Opportunity
January 17, 2024 16:52 - 1 hour - 41.7 MBAir Date 1/17/2024 It is evident that the immigration debate is more about acquiring raw power than about immigration as demands from the Republican Party change along with whatever strategies they feel are most likely to get Republicans elected and in the age of Trump, that means the most draconian, harmful and, ultimately, pointless demands to date. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (M...
Bonus Sample #286 Looking to the Past to See Ourselves
January 15, 2024 13:11 - 12 minutes - 8.86 MBAir Date: 1-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - why one of the last isolated tribes in the world desperately wants to stay that way - why we know that women also hunted, counter to what all the male archeologists would have us believe REFERENCES: Why Uncontacted Tribes Want to Stay Uncontacted They choose to live in isolation—but the world won’t leave them alone The Mission Documentary The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong ...
#1603 Clarence Thomas and the Highest Court in the Land with the Lowest Standards of Ethics
January 13, 2024 18:34 - 53 minutes - 37.3 MBAir Date 1/13/2024 The Supreme Court began to lose its legitimacy in the eyes of many when President Obama wasn't allowed to fill the open seat left by the death of Antonin Scalia but, in truth, the scandal and manipulation of the nation's highest court go back much, much farther than that. However, in a bygone age, scandal was handled much differently than today, putting our current state of disfunction and hyper-partisanship into sharp focus. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or ...
#1535 We Don't Do Accountability (Trump and GOP Crimes That Go Unpunished) (Repost)
January 09, 2024 18:27 - 1 hour - 43.7 MBOriginal Air Date 1/7/2023 Today, we take a look at the criminal charges against Donald Trump that the January 6th Committee has referred to the DOJ but examine them through the lens of past presidential crimes that have gone unpunished from Nixon to George W. Bush Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: ...
Bonus Sample #285 The Christians and the Pagans
January 08, 2024 01:00 - 13 minutes - 9.28 MBAir Date: 1-7-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the little bit of Paganism that's in all of us - the Christian priests who want to reform the church through psychedelic mushrooms REFERENCES: The Return of the Pagans God, Magic Mushrooms, and Me Join our Discord Server 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 Contac...
#1602 What Happens in Israel and Gaza Doesn't Stay in Israel and Gaza
January 05, 2024 23:36 - 1 hour - 47 MBAir Date 1/5/2024 As the war in Gaza drags on, accusations of genocide by Israel have been filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice and we are reminded that the tactics and technology that Israel develops and tests against Palestinians are sold around the world. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community...
#1601 Christian Nationalism is not Christianity, it is Fascism
January 02, 2024 23:12 - 55 minutes - 38.7 MBAir Date 1/2/2024 Trump's greatest impact has been to bring the fringes of the conservative movement into the center and, by strongly courting the Evangelical Christian vote, helped accelerate the Christian Nationalist movement to merge religion with patriotism Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. ...
Bonus Sample #284 First they came for the Italian babies
January 01, 2024 01:22 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBAir Date: 12-31-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: - how Italy is making it harder for same-sex partners to have children by making it harder for everyone to have children - how well-meaning advocates in the US are putting same-sex families at risk - why Christian homophobia may just be based on a mistranslation of the Bible REFERENCES: ‘The state says our kids don’t exist’ - how LGBT life is changing in Italy Why Anonymous Sperm Donation Is Over, and Why That Matters Did...
#1532 Accelerationism is the Brick on the Gas Pedal of the Runaway Car of Society (Repost)
December 29, 2023 16:28 - 1 hour - 50.4 MBOriginal Air Date 12/17/2022 Today, we take a look at the fringe philosophy of accelerationism that is having a bigger impact on society than you will likely have realized as it's been behind some of the worst terror attacks in recent years and is likely behind attacks on infrastructure targeting society as a whole. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) ...
#1533 How Theocracies Begin and End (Rise of the Far-Right + Demanding Women's Rights in Iran) (Repost)
December 26, 2023 15:39 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBOriginal Air Date 12/24/2022 We compare the far-right religious extremists who are fighting to gain power in the US with the protests against the theocratic regime in Iran supporting women's rights in the country. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: How a new Christian right is changing US politics - B...
#1600 Housing Cannot be a Fundamental Human Right and a Commodity at the Same Time
December 23, 2023 23:52 - 1 hour - 44.8 MBAir Date 12/23/2023 The housing crisis is at a worse point than at any time in recent history. Solutions are available and require political will to bring into reality but because the problem is now so widespread, we may actually be able to take action that would have been untenable before. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript WINTER SALE! 20% Off Memberships (including Gifts) in December! Join our Discord communi...
#1599 Taming the Beast: AI Regulation Before Human Relegation
December 20, 2023 20:19 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBAir Date 12/20/2023 AI needs to be regulated by governments even though politicians don't understand computers just as the government regulates the manufacture and operation of aircraft even though your average politician doesn't know their ass from an aileron. That's why expert advisory panels are for. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript WINTER SALE! 20% Off Memberships (including Gifts) in December! Join our Di...
Bonus Sample #283 Meaningless rituals are useful but self-driving cars are more questionable
December 16, 2023 02:29 - 16 minutes - 11.8 MBAir Date: 12-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: - why humans need rituals for mental health and community - what happens when corporations try to adopt rituals - what happens when squishy-blob humans are allowed to drive cars that somewhat drive themselves a little bit REFERENCES: Rituals are important to human life — even when they seem meaningless Can Rituals Fix Our Soulless Corporate Culture? A Ritual Designer Says Yes THE INSIDE STORY OF MICROSOFT’S PARTNERSHIP W...
#1598 Kiss of Death: Henry Kissinger's Bloody Legacy of Indifference
December 13, 2023 01:57 - 56 minutes - 39.4 MBAir Date 12/12/2023 Henry Kissinger, it turns out, was actually a pretty good representative of the United States, the foreign policy actions we took, and the reasonings we gave for them over the past century. He embodied the idea that the US is always on the side of right, the world and its inhabitants are merely a game board and pieces for us to manipulate for our own ends, and that lives, particularly foreign lives, lost in pursuit of our interests are not of much concern. Be part of ...
Bonus Samples #281 and 282 No one likes how this is going | Not Worth It
December 11, 2023 22:29 - 31 minutes - 22.1 MBWINTER SALE! 20% Off Memberships (including Gifts) in December! Original Air Dates 12-3-23 and 12-10-23 We discuss in episode #281: - the impacts of a stratified wealth disparity - the anti-social habit we're adopting that will make us more anti-social - the desperation many feel to just put life on hold for a few days REFERENCES: Infants Are Born With Syphilis in Growing Numbers, a Sign of a Wider Epidemic Behind the Gates of a Private World for Only the Wealthiest New Yorkers...