Stay ConnectedExpertly-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.
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Original Air Date: 10/16/2018
Today we take a look at the distant and recent history of conservatism in America and beyond and follow the steps that have led to their rejection of science at a moment in history when it has never been more critical to heed the warnings of scientists
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Corey Robin on the right from Burke to Trump - Jacobin Radio (@jacobinmag) - Air Date 12-3-17
Corey Robin on the Right from Burke to Trump. While most people on the Left fear and demonize the Right, they aren't interested in its ideas. Robin, however, takes them very seriously and analyzes their ideas for us.
The state of the conservative movement and where it goes from here.
Ch. 3: Kurt Andersen: How religion turned American politics against science - Big Think - Air Date 1-18-28
In the last 30 years, religion has radicalized American politics and seriously harmed the perception of science, says journalist and author Kurt Andersen. This can be directly tied to the rise of the Christian Right in the 20th century.
Ch. 4: The fall of family values - Past/Present - Air Date 6-25-18
Explaining how we came to the end of "family values" conservatism
Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment.
Yascha Mounk discusses how to cover the Trump presidency; the complicity of the Republican party; and the future of the right with proud conservative and staunch Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin.
Amy Goodman began by asking Noam Chomsky about the catastrophically destructive tendencies of the Republican Party.
Ch. 8: America: The Farewell Tour (with Guest Chris Hedges) - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 10-2-18
Chris Hedges on the erosion of democratic infrastructure, imperialist leanings, and the widening gap between the morbidly rich and the working class, a sign of America's farewell?
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 9-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The ever-stranger headlines about RFK Jr. ...and dead animals - The political philosophies and missteps behind unipolar, bipolar or multipolar world views - The dogmatic history of the American Communist Party - The deeper reasons having kids is on the decline - The impacts of our bizarre online world on kids and teens
REFERENCES: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits He Falls for Online Misinformation "All the Time"
RFK Jr. Whale-Beheading Story Gives RFK Jr. Bear-Murder Story a Run for Its Money
Environmental Group Wants Answers About RFK Jr. Chainsawing a Whale's Head Off
RFK Jr. in Hot Water With Environmental Group Over That Wild Whale Story
As Eurasia Awakes Our World Will Shake
The "Multipolar World": A Euphemism to Support Multiple Imperialisms
The Real Reason People Aren't Having Kids
The Big Problem Faced by Teens Isn't Caused by Phones. It's Deeper.
What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get from Us
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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!
Air Date 8/30/2024
Israel's assault on Gaza is fueled by pain, rage, trauma... a desire for safety, a desire for revenge, the hope for the safe return of hostages. It's a complicated mix of all of the above and more and it will be different for each person. However, there's also a deep well of denial and delusion about the decades-old status quo between Israel and Palestine that made the current conflict all but inevitable and the pursuit of genocide by some decision-makers in the Israeli government - as well as the support of the US government - possible.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Substance vs Vibes in VP Kamala Harris' Gaza PR Reboot - Citations Needed - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 4: Torture Is Systemic in Israel's Prisons / Shai Parnes - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-21-22
KP 5: EXPOSED- Netanyahu's Plan to Set World on Fire - Double Down News - Air Date 8-23-24
(50:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the deep denial at the heart of Zionism
My Father and the Withering of Liberal Zionism - New York Mag
DEEPER DIVES
(1:02:24) SECTION A - UNCOMMITTED
(1:28:38) SECTION B - TORTURE
(1:56:35) SECTION C - ARMS EMBARGO
(2:26:17) SECTION D - JOURNALISM
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A young woman in the middle of a protest in Washington, DC holds up a sign in front of her that says "End the Siege On Gaza Now"
Credit: "March on Washington for Gaza" https://www.flickr.com/photos/perspective/53463705757/ by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.en | Changes: Cropped
Air Date 8/27/2024
People feel lots of ways about immigration. Sometimes it's fear of the other, other times it's not about the people but just dismay over a broken system. The validity of these concerns and others certainly exist on a spectrum, some are utter bullshit and others aren't. Left-wing political parties tend to do a terrible job creating immigration policy - in that they just don't do it at all - while the right wing is all too happy to create and implement terrible policy. And given a choice between action and inaction, regardless of how misguided the proposed action is, people with concerns will choose action.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK's Far Right Riots - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 2: Riots in the UK - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-24
KP 3: Introducing 'Battle of 187' week! - The Times Essential news from the L.A. Times - Air Date 7-19-21
KP 5: RNC & "Migrant Crime"- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 7-25-24
(50:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the electoral politics of immigration policy
DEEPER DIVES
(58:41) SECTION A - THE UK RIOTS
(1:13:16) SECTION B - CA PROPOSITION 187
(1:26:59) SECTION C - TRUMP VS HARRIS
(1:49:23) SECTION D - MIGRANTS
SHOW IMAGE: Description: Two young women stand amidst a protest in London showing their signs to the camera that say "No human is illegal."
Credit: "No Human is Illegal" by Alisdare Hickson, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Air Date 8/23/2024
The vibes of this election are nothing anyone could have predicted a month ago. And yet, some of the details have played out as though by a script. Democrats drink hope like ambrosia from the gods; Trump, when confronted with reality initiates a full blown meltdown; and everyone is doing their best to ignore the genocide in Gaza being carried out with our weapons.
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KEY POINTS
KP 6: Democrats, Republicans, and the Meaning of Life - Steve Shives - Air Date 8-19-24
(48:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
on the vibes and archetypes of the election
Kamala Harris Is Providing a Very Specific Kind of Psychological Relief to America - Slate
Tim Walz is the dad that we lost - TikTok
DEEPER DIVES
(1:03:02) SECTION A - HARRIS'S POSITIVE VIBES
(1:33:14) SECTION B - GAZA WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
(1:54:55) SECTION C - REALITY OVER VIBES
(2:25:41) SECTION D - TRUMP MELTDOWN
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite triptych graphic showing Kamala Harris smiling with her hands in the air at a podium, the flag of Palestine in vertical, and Trump in profile stepping off the stage with his head down.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Image 1: "Kamala Harris" by Marc Nozell, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped ; Image 3: "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Original Air Date: 8/23/2023
For decades, we have rightly been focused on dialing back endemic misogyny and poking holes in the patriarchy in the hopes of a new normal of gender relations emerging that would be genuinely healthier for everyone, not just women. But, with so much of the focus on the type of masculinity men and boys shouldn't embrace, we may have fallen short on giving positive direction to boys about what they should be and do.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Andrew Tate & Re-examining Masculinity - Long Story Short The Daily Show - Air Date 4-21-23
Jordan Klepper looks at Andrew Tate and breaks down how a void of role models has harmful consequences for young boys.
Ch. 2: The new crisis of masculinity - The Gray Area - Air Date 8-7-23
What does masculinity mean these days? Sean Illing speaks with Christine Emba, a columnist at The Washington Post who wrote the piece "Men are lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness."
Ch. 3: The New Masculinity - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Boys and men, Manley says, are caught between traditional definitions and understandings of masculinity, and a future definition that hasn't been fully defined.
Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with the co-founder of "A Call to Men," Ted Bunch, and developmental psychology professor at NYU, Niobe Way, to chat about boys' friendships and how therapy could be transformative for a lot of men.
Ch. 5: What Does Positive Masculinity Look Like? - Paging Dr. NerdLove - Air Date 4-12-18
Toxic masculinity doesn't mean that being a man is toxic, bad, or even undesirable. At the same time, non-toxic or positive masculinity doesn't mean apologizing for being a man or trying to be as gender-neutral as possible.
Ch. 6: What is Positive Masculinity: How Patriarchy Oppresses Men - Swolesome - Air Date 12-2-22
Looking at what patriarchy teaches boys to do
Ch. 8: The New Masculinity Part 2 - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Ch. 9: Why Allan Energy Is The New "Big D_CK Energy" - Barbie Movie - Fashionistas - Air date 8-4-23
Examining positive masculinity through Allen from The Barbie Movie
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on why emotionally stunted men are a social, not individual, problem
Air Date: 8-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How we likely all have COVID and can't believe we did a Bonus Show - The bizarre ways AI is already part of our political systems - Strong feelings on AI-generated art in a hyper-capitalist world - The ups, downs and side effects of so-called AI friends - AI in our love lives (P.S. Audiophiles Beware: We had some technical difficulties, so this show may sound a little strange in spots.)
REFERENCES:
RFK Jr. Doubles Down on Dead Bear Cub With Bonkers Brag
The A.I. Influencer Ads Are Coming
There's an AI Candidate Running for Parliament in the UK
An AI Bot Is (Sort of) Running for Mayor in Wyoming
OpenAI Imprisons AI That Was Running for Mayor in Wyoming
'We have to adapt or die': Daniel Bedingfield says AI is music's future
Wear This AI Friend Around Your Neck
Can an AI friend make you less lonely?
What If Your AI Girlfriend Hated You?
Computer says yes: how AI is changing our romantic lives
In the Age of A.I., What Makes People Unique?
The Big AI Risk Not Enough People Are Seeing
Bonus: Opinion: The problem with calling Trump and Vance weird
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Air Date 8/17/2024
James Baldwin's 100th birthday passed by recently and we're using the occasion to draw on his moral clarity and eloquence while we assess the state of race in America
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
KP 2: James Baldwin's Fire - Throughline - Air Date 9-17-20
KP 5: Truth, Privilege, and James Baldwin - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 10-3-23
KP 6: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(49:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the need for national self-reflection
DEEPER DIVES
(56:50) SECTION A - BALDWIN THE WRITER
A2: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 3 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(1:08:50) SECTION B - RACE IN AMERICA
(1:35:59) SECTION C - THE WHITE LIE
(2:00:40) SECTION D - GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Portrait of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, an African American man, leaning against a tree with arms folded in a park and smiling, looking away from the camera.
Credit: "James Baldwin taken in Hyde Park London" by Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Cropped
Air Date 8/13/2024
Spirits among Kamala Harris supporters, Democrats, and anyone opposing Trumpism are at an all-time high right now. That's both fortuitous and crucial to the upcoming election. By the very nature of Trumpism, this election will be the most flagrantly contested in history with far more Trump loyalists in place ready to throw wrenches in the works wherever they can. Nothing short of overwhelming victory for the Harris/Waltz ticket is necessary to stave off constitutional crisis.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How Trump (Allegedly) Tried to Steal the Election - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-12-23
KP 4: Why Millions Won't Be Able To Vote In 2024? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 5: In The Hands Of The Voters with Marc Elias - Justice by Design - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 6: Resisting Minority Rule - Brennan Center for Justice - Air Date 5-30-24
(52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the importance of happy warriors
DEEPER DIVES
(54:53) SECTION A - THE MECHANICS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:22:28) SECTION B - THE PROPONENTS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:44:21) SECTION C - THE HISTORY OF MINORITY RULE
(2:01:34) SECTION D - A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
(2:38:53) SECTION E - ACTIVISM
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A cardboard sign taped to a street poll shows an American flag image and a short arrow pointing toward it. Underneath is the word "VOTE".
Credit: "Vote!" by Kristin Ausk, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 8-11-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - Understanding the New Right - JD Vance's mangled metaphor - The best headline about RFK Jr. - Where the anti-trans movement has taken us - What Star War controversies through the years can teach us
REFERENCES: Watch: J.D. Vance Makes an Unfortunate Couch Joke at Nevada Rally
This Is Why J.D. Vance Hates "Childless Cat Ladies"
How JD Vance Thinks About Power
JD Vance Just Blurbed a Book Arguing That Progressives Are Subhuman
Read J.D. Vance's Violent Foreword to Project 2025 Leader's New Book
RFK Jr is an always sunny in Philadelphia character
The Insidious Scrutiny of Female Athletes' Bodies
The misleading controversy over an Olympic women's boxing match, briefly explained
The Right-Wing Campaign to Purge Women From Women's Sports
This Olympics Moment Shows Where Anti-Trans Calls to "Protect Women" Have Brought Us
Every Star Wars Backlash I've Ever Seen Has Really Been About The Same Thing
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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!
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