The Chauncey DeVega Show

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Ep. 170: George Ciccariello-Maher Told the Truth About Toxic White Masculinity and Mass Shootings and Lost His Job Jan 13, 2018

Show notes

George Ciccariello-Maher is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a political scientist and activist who is a visiting faculty member at New York University. Professor Ciccariello-Maher was formerly at Drexel University before he was forced out of his position by a coordinated right-wing campaign of harassment which included death threats and other violence. Professor Ciccariello-Maher was targeted by the right-wing mob in this new era of McCarthyism because of a series of online posts and other comments which discussed toxic white masculinity and mass murder by guns in the aftermath of the Las Vegas Massacre. He further inflamed the mob by also mocking the delusional myth of so-called "white genocide" that is circulated by white supremacists across the right-wing echo chamber including Fox "News". During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, George and Chauncey discuss white identity politics, the right-wing's assault on higher education, as well as the rise of Donald Trump and what this moment reveals about enduring white supremacy and white male rage. George also shares what it was like to go on "Fox News" and defeat Tucker Carlson. In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega continues to caution people to remain focused on the real issues instead of being mesmerized by Donald Trump's extremely bad and shameful second week of 2018--a week which included revelations about hush money to a porn star, saying that nonwhite people come from "sh@!hole" countries, the release of the very damning Fusion GPS testimony, and incompetence during a public meeting on immigration. To close out this week's podcast, Chauncey discusses the connections between "white trash" and Trump's "sh@!hole" slur of nonwhite immigrants.

Ep. 169: White Supremacy and the So-Called "War on Christmas" Jan 07, 2018

Show notes

Randy Blazak is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a tenured sociologist and criminologist who has taught at Portland State University as well as the University of Oregon. He is the author of numerous books and articles and has had his work featured on NPR, CNN, the Discovery Channel, BBC, and the New York Times. He is most well known for infiltrating white supremacist hate groups such as the neo-Nazis in an effort to help the public understand the threat embodied by such organizations and individuals. Professor Blazak is also heavily involved with human rights organizations such as the Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crime.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Randy and Chauncey discuss how Trump and the American right-wing wing's obsession with the nonexistent "War on Christmas" is part of a larger white supremacist agenda, why young white men are so angry and attracted to Trumpism and other white supremacist so-called "alt-right" organizations, if Trump himself is a white supremacist, and the lies and confusion about "white working class economic anxiety" that helped to usher in American fascism under Donald Trump.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega tries to make sense of the maelstrom of chaos and confusion that is the first week of 2018 where the book "Fire and Fury" has distracted too many people from substantive politics, a white supremacist planned a mass murder spree against black folks on an Amtrak train, Trump continues his fascist assault on the Constitution and an independent legal system, and the radical right-wing keeps on winning while so-called progressives and liberals (and too many other Americans) are stuck in a condition of learned helplessness.

And to close out this week's podcast, Chauncey shares two uplifting stories about our animal family members and their human friends.

Ep. 168: News Journalist Marvin Scott Shares Five Decades of Amazing Stories Dec 30, 2017

Show notes

Marvin Scott is the guest on this week's special New Year's Eve episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a journalist and reporter with more than 50 years of experience. Scott is an iconic personality in the New York area and has been a host on WPIX Channel 11 since 1980. He is also a master storyteller who covered some of the 20th century's most important events and personalities. He shares those stories in his new book As I Saw It: A Reporter's Intrepid Journey.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show Marvin Scott and Chauncey talk about the rise of the 24/7 news cycle and Donald Trump, how Scott watched the news business quite literally change before his eyes, interviewing Yasser Arafat, a chance encounter with Martin Luther King Jr., and all of the regular people who helped to make the civil rights movement and the black freedom struggle possible. Scott also shares what it was like to spend a night in the infamous "haunted" house of Amityville horror fame.

On this week's New Year's Eve episode, Chauncey reflects on the year past and shares some of his favorite movies, TV shows, podcasts, and comic books from 2017. On this week's show, Chauncey also does some personal reflecting about the year that was and his hopes and plans for 2018.

And in keeping with the new tradition that is The Twilight Zone marathon on New Year's Eve, Chauncey reads a wonderful short story from Ray Bradbury about black folks on Mars who face a dilemma when white people seek salvation from a ruined Earth as refugees.

Ep. 167: Brian Klaas Explains How Donald Trump is the Despot's Apprentice Dec 22, 2017

Show notes

Brian Klaas is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a fellow in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics. In addition to writing columns and essays that have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Affairs and numerous other publications, Klaas is the author of several books. His newest book is "The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy."

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Professor Brian Klaas and Chauncey discuss how Trump's behavior is in keeping with despots around the world, the ways that political polarization helps democracy to fail, and how Trump's apparent incompetence lulled the public and the news media into a false sense of complacency which made American fascism possible. Klaas also explains how Trump's election is a powerful reminder of how there are tens of millions of Americans who have fascist and authoritarian inclinations.

In this week's Christmas week episode, Chauncey DeVega shares some stories about the real people who are the targets of Trump and the Republican Party's vicious and evil "tax reform" bill, a plan that is really designed to kill the useless eaters. To that end, Chauncey reads some stories about elderly people who have been evicted from nursing homes and thrown out into the street. And to close out this week's podcast, Chauncey--who loves animals--can't help but share how macaques are apparently now having sex with deer in Japan.

Ep. 166: All Things "Star Wars" and "The Last Jedi" Dec 15, 2017

Show notes

May the Force be with you.

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show celebrates all things Star Wars and the release of the newest installment in the saga "The Last Jedi".

Patrick Johnson is the first guest on this week's show. He is an assistant professor of physics at Georgetown University and the author of the new book The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

Patrick and Chauncey discuss how science can help us to understand the Force, the physics behind lightsabers, the engineering involved in building the Death Star, and yes, if Han Solo could have made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

The second guest on this Star Wars themed episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is Bill Slavicsek. He is one of the world's foremost experts on Star Wars. Bill helped to perfect the classic Star Wars roleplaying game from West End Games, wrote the legendary A Guide to the Star Wars Universe as well as the Star Wars Sourcebook. Bill's work continues to influence the writers and creators of the new Star Wars films including Rogue One and the TV show Rebels. He is also one of the principle game designers for Dungeons and Dragons and the online video game The Elder Scrolls.

Chauncey and Bill discuss the joy of playing "old school" roleplaying games like Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons, how Bill became a game designer, the principles of good storytelling and share some life wisdom. Bill also offers his thoughts on the health of traditional pen and paper roleplaying games in an era of digital culture and video games.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega tells the truth about all of the folks who claim to love black women after the latter helped to defeat the wicked likely child sex predator and Christian fascist Roy Moore in Alabama. And Chauncey also shares his thoughts about Star Wars: The Last Jedi--hint it is not the great success that many reviewers and other people are claiming it is.

Ep. 165: Nancy MacLean Dissects the Evil Republican "Tax Reform" Bill Dec 09, 2017

Show notes

There are two guests on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Nancy MacLean returns to explain the real impact and long-term devastation to the American people that will be caused by the Republican so-called "tax reform" bill. She is the William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University and author of the new book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America.

Democracy in Chains was also one of the five finalists in the 2017 National Book Awards for non-fiction.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Nancy and Chauncey discuss how the Republican Party's "tax bill" is part of a bigger plot by the most extreme elements of the right-wing--including libertarians allied with the Koch brothers--to return America to a time before the 20th century. With last week's passage of their "tax plan" the Republican Party and the plutocrats (as well as Christian fascists) to which they are beholden have taken one more stop closer to eliminating programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid with the ultimate goal of eliminating the "useless eaters". Professor MacLean predicted this would happen in her new book Democracy in Chains.

John Feffer is the second guest on this week's installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a foreign policy expert, philosopher, and author of the much-discussed new book Splinterlands which is a brilliant exploration of a future ruined Earth, an America in the midst of a de facto civil war, and how it call came to pass. This conversation with John is just a preview of a much longer full length episode that will air in the very near future.

On this week's show Chauncey mocks the Democrats and other liberals who actually believe that forcing Senator Al Franken and others who have been accused of sexual harassment to resign will somehow shame the Republicans into moving against Donald Trump and Roy Moore. Chauncey also shares some wisdom from Hannah Arendt about Trump's fascism and the threat posed by his human deplorable trash mob. And at the end of this week's podcast Chauncey shares a story about meeting an angel in human form at the local library.

Ep. 164: Henry Giroux Evaluates America One Year After Donald Trump Dec 02, 2017

Show notes

Henry Giroux is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He has written dozens of books and articles including America at War with Itself and the forthcoming The Public in Peril: Trump and the Menace of American Authoritarianism. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Professor Giroux and Chauncey evaluate American democracy one year after Trump's election, wonder about how to stay positive during such a horrible time, and ponder what resistance looks like against American fascism. Professor Giroux also explains the dangers of malignant reality, why Trump's voters will never leave his side, and makes a bold prediction about the 2020 presidential election.

This week's episode also features some bonus content that can be heard at the end of the show. Documentary filmmaker Charlie Siskel stops by the virtual bar and salon to discuss his new project American Anarchist. Charlie also shares some insights learned from the making of the documentary projects Bowling for Columbine, The Awful Truth, and Finding Vivian Maier. And in the spirit of our ongoing discussion about Donald Trump, Charlie works through his initial thoughts about a documentary on America's fascist-in-chief demagogue.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega tells the truth about the murderous and evil Republican "tax bill" which passed during the middle of the night last Friday. Chauncey is also disgusted by the Democratic Party and all the so-called liberals and progressives who are unable to stop the Republican Party--as well as how the American people are sheep who have not taken to the streets in massive protests against the Republican Party's destruction of the Commons and efforts to bring the United States back to a time before the 19th century.

Ep. 163: Anti-Black Violence, Whiteness, and the Pleasures of Owning People Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Volney Gay is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a professor of religious studies, psychiatry, and anthropology at Vanderbilt University and author of the new book On the Pleasures of Owning Persons: The Hidden Face of American Slavery. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Volney and Chauncey discuss how black chattel slavery was pleasurable for white people, anti-black violence throughout American history, the psychology of white supremacy, and white racial paranoia thinking. Volney also explains how anti-black violence helps to constitute Whiteness and the power of sadism together with racism in Donald Trump's appeal to his supporters. This Thanksgiving week's episode also features some bonus content that can be heard at the end of the show. Gabriel Mendes stops by the virtual bar and salon to discuss his new book Under the Strain of Color: Harlem's Lafargue Clinic and the Promise of an Antiracist Psychiatry. Gabriel shares some hidden history about how Dr. Fredric Wertham --who is most famous for his campaign against comic books--worked with the great Richard Wright to make mental health services more accessible to the residents of Harlem during the 1940s. In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega explains why right-wing Christians like Roy Moore prey on young girls and how this is connected to the so-called "purity" movement where fathers take a vow to protect their young daughters' virginity. And reflecting on the real meaning of Thanksgiving, Chauncey also shares Tecumseh's Speech to the Osages (Winter 1811-12) about the imminent threat posed by white Americans to First Nations people.

Ep. 162: Bruce Bartlett Explains Why the Republican Party Must Die Nov 18, 2017

Show notes

Bruce Bartlett is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He served in the Reagan White House and also under George H.W. Bush. Bartlett is also a regular contributor to The New York Times and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and other major news networks. His new book is The Truth Matters: A Citizen's Guide to Separating Facts from Lies and Stopping Fake News in Its Tracks.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Bruce and Chauncey discuss how the Republican Party became a threat to American democracy, the failures of the American news media, the danger of "fake news" and its role in Trumpism. Bruce also shares some guidelines and suggestions for how we can improve our news media literacy.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega explains why the Democratic Party is pathetic as shown by their inability to defeat movement conservatives and the Republican Party. Chauncey also ponders the particular case of the sex deviant racist pervert Roy Moore and why Christian fascists are in love with him. And at the end of this week's show Chauncey shares some poetry in the spirit of Veterans Day.

Ep. 161: Rory Karpf on His New ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary About the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair Nov 11, 2017

Show notes

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Rory Karpf is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. His much-anticipated ESPN 30 for 30 film "Nature Boy" on the amazing life and times of the legendary professional wrestler Ric Flair debuted earlier this week.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Rory and Chauncey discuss their mutual love of professional wrestling, how they fell in love with the sport, getting to know Ric Flair, the personal tragedies and the public persona, and why and how Flair has remained so relevant in global popular culture some forty years after he first debuted. Rory also gives some advice for aspiring filmmakers and those others who want to pursue their creative dreams.

Mama DeVega also makes her return to the virtual bar and salon this week. Mama DeVega is very angry at people who suggest that somehow she is being manipulated and does not have opinions of her own. In rare form, Mama DeVega also tells the truth about Donald Trump, relays stories about being a civil rights pioneer, and gets upset about "the phantom pooper".

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega shares a story about the human trash monsters who still support Donald Trump and also urges folks to not get too excited about the Democratic Party's wins at the polls on Tuesday. Chauncey also has a case of the blues and realizes that his sad mood is caused by the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump's conquering of the presidency and the climactic ascent of American fascism.

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