The Chauncey DeVega Show

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Ep. 150: Timothy Snyder Explains how Donald Trump will use Charlottesville to advance his fascist agenda Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

Timothy Snyder is the first guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is an award-winning professor of history at Yale University and author of numerous books including Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin as well as Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning. His newest book is On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. This is Professor Snyder's second appearance on The Chauncey DeVega Show. His first conversation with Chauncey DeVega about Trump's election and the potential for a coup and a fascist regime was read several million times at the online magazine Salon and also shared almost 300,000 times on Facebook. That episode of the podcast was also listened to and downloaded more than 20,000 times. During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Professor Snyder and Chauncey evaluate the health of American democracy after eight months of Trump as president, discuss how the recent white supremacist terrorism in Charlottesville could potentially fit into Trump's plans for authoritarianism in America, if Charlottesville was a "Reichstag Fire" moment, and how the rule of law is threatened by Trump's regime. Professor Snyder also explains the historical antecedents and disturbing echoes of the white supremacist and neo-Nazi hate festival in Charlottesville relative to their origins in Nazi Germany.

This week's podcast also features Professor Cedric Johnson. He is the author/editor of several books including Revolutionaries to Race Leaders: Black Power and the Making of African American Politics, as well as The Neoliberal Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, Late Capitalism and the Remaking of New Orleans. Dr. Johnson is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Cedric and Chauncey discuss the new movie Detroit, the accuracy of its depiction of that city's racial rebellion, how the civil rights movement is presented by Hollywood, and share some thoughts on the problematic racial essentializing politics of the much discussed and highly praised film Get Out. On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega demands accountability from those people who are in denial about the threat posed by Donald Trump, shares a story about filming a documentary, and explains how today's black conservatives are a modern day version of the black people who helped the Ku Klux Klan in the American South after slavery.

Ep. 149: Analyzing the White Supremacist Terrorism in Charlottesville Aug 18, 2017

Show notes

This week's special episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show examines the white supremacist terrorism in Charlottesville, Virginia which took place last week.

The first guest is Adele Stan. She is a journalist for The American Prospect. Her work has also appeared at Alternet. Adele was present in Charlottesville during the "Unite the Right" hate festival and shares her first person account of what transpired there.

The second guest is "James" from the leading antifascist, anarchist, and human rights information clearing house and website "It's Going Down". James has been tracking the white supremacist and other fascist organizations who ran amok in Charlottesville. He explains their connections, funding, if the "Unite the Right" hate festival was a success, and the role of physical active resistance in standing against fascists and their allies.

The third guest is Amanda Marcotte. She is a politics and culture writer for the online magazine Salon. Amanda shares her thoughts about resistance and non-violence in the aftermath of Charlottesville, as well as Trump's statements about white supremacist violence.

The fourth guest is Tim Wise. He is one of the United States' leading anti-racism activists and scholars. Tim reflects on the role of white privilege in the white supremacist political violence and mayhem in Charlottesville, toxic white masculinity and the white supremacist movement, how last weekend's events were very predictable, and white folks' denial about the dangers posed by the so-called "alt-right".

The fifth guest is Dr. David Reiss. He is a psychiatrist who has written extensively about Donald Trump. Dr. Reiss also a chapter in the forthcoming book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President which attempts to assess Trump's mental health. Dr. Reiss offers his suggestions about maintaining one's sense of self and wellness in the aftermath of the terrorism in Charlottesville. He also provides some insights about the mental health of the white supremacists and other fascists who attended the "Unite the Right" hate festival and carnival of thugs.

During this week's episode, Chauncey implores white Americans to clean up their own house and to finally confront the deep sickness of racism and white supremacy that ran amok in Charlottesville--as well as the broader problem that is Trump's cabal and political cult.

Ep. 148: Van Jones Explains How Best to Resist Donald Trump Aug 13, 2017

Show notes

Note: this week's podcast was recorded on the Friday evening before the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. Van Jones is the first guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is the president of Dream Corps, a two-time New York Times bestselling author, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, an activist and organizer, as well as commentator on CNN. He is currently traveling the United States as part of the WE RISE tour in an effort to mobilize voters to stand up against Donald Trump by working for systemic change on a local and national level. During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Van and Chauncey discuss America at six months under Trump's regime, the Democratic Party's failure to mobilize its voters, Trump's so-called "white working class" voters, what resistance should look like in this moment, and the responsibility that Bernie Sanders' and other third party voters who chose not to support Hillary Clinton on Election Day share for the national disaster that is Trump's presidency. This week's podcast also features two other great guests. Friend of the podcast and contributor to Jacobin magazine "Werner Herzog's Bear" stops by to share some stories about his recent pilgrimage home to Nebraska and how "Trumplandia" is often misrepresented by the mainstream corporate news media. Writer and journalist Jared Yates Sexton also sits down at the virtual bar and salon to share his experiences fighting Trump's and other right-wing trolls online. Jared and Chauncey also make some predictions about the violence that Trump has unleashed in America and what they feel is the very real possibility of imminent death and mass mayhem across the United States caused by white supremacists and their allies.

As is their habit, Jared and Chauncey also spend some time discussing professional wrestling, the upcoming WWE Summerslam pay-per-view, and of course Mayweather vs. McGregor. This is bonus content that can be heard at the very end of this week's podcast. In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega reflects on Trump's threats of nuclear war with North Korea, the white supremacists in the White House, and pleads with listeners to prepare for what seems like obvious and predictable violence at this weekend's Charlottesville white supremacist hate festival. At the end of this week's podcast Chauncey also shares a story about how small the world really is and why we should all count our blessings.

Ep. 147: Randi Weingarten Explains the Dangers of Gangster Capitalism and the War on America's Schools Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

Randi Weingarten is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. She is the president of the American Federation of Teachers and one of the country's leading advocates (and defenders) for public education and a true "we the people" democracy.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Randi and Chauncey discuss the war on America's public schools and teachers being waged by Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos, how "privatization" and other neoliberal "reforms are actually hurting American society, race and class and the Commons, gangster capitalism, and the ways that the battle for health care and public education intersect.

This week's podcast also features a special segment honoring the life and work of the American auteur and master filmmaker George Romero who passed away several weeks ago.

Author Joe Lansdale stops by to offer his thoughts on Romero's legacy and the politics and impact of Night of the Living Dead. "Champion" Joe also tells a great story--as only he can--about seeing Night of the Living Dead at a drive-in theater during its initial release in 1968.

Writer and podcaster Alasdair Stuart also sits down at the virtual bar and salon to offer his insights about George Romero's impact on the United Kingdom in addition to sharing some thoughts on the present state of zombie horror cinema.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega reflects on how in Donald Trump's America history may not be repeating itself but it sure does rhyme. To that end, Chauncey shares a newspaper column from The New York Times that was written in 1922. The author's conclusion? Hitler did not really hate the Jews and was just pandering to get support from an ignorant public.

Ep. 146: Tom Nichols Explains How Anti-intellectualism and the War on Expertise Led to the Rise of Donald Trump Jul 29, 2017

Show notes

Tom Nichols is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a professor of national security affairs at United States Naval War College and also teaches at the Harvard Extension School. His new book is "The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters." During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Tom and Chauncey discuss the ways that anti-intellectualism, greed, and societal affluence led to the victory of Donald Trump, the American public's increasing disdain towards experts and the very idea of expert knowledge, the role of the internet and social media in the country's broken public discourse and politics, and how the importance of reading and literacy has become increasingly suspect in the United States. Historian John Broich also stops by the podcast to discuss his great essay over at Slate about the new movie Dunkirk and what it gets right (and wrong) about that epic World War 2 battle. In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega is both horrified and very entertained by Donald Trump's very special week that involved the child-king emperor telling boy scouts about his very rich friend's orgy on a yacht, encouraging America's out of control police to brutalize black and brown people (i.e. "suspects"), and sharing torture porn stories about how drug gangs are ravaging good and innocent (white) American women. Chauncey also gives thanks and honors the kind folks who donated to the June fundraiser to support the podcast and his other work.

Ep. 145: Randolph Hohle Explains How Neoliberalism and the Color Line Intersect Jul 23, 2017

Show notes

Randolph Hohle is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a professor of sociology at SUNY Fredonia and the author of several books including Race and the Origins of American Neoliberalism as well as Black citizenship and authenticity in the Civil Rights Movement.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Randolph and Chauncey discuss how the color line and white supremacy intersect with neoliberalism, the ways that the language of "free markets" and "opportunity" do the work of colorblind racism, white elites in the aftermath of Jim and Jane Crow, and how markets help to perpetuate racial inequality. Randolph and Chauncey also share some stories about growing up as members of the working class, life paths, social capital, and neoliberalism's assault on higher education and learning.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega ponders if Americans are addicted to chaos in the Age of Donald Trump, discusses some new polling data which shows that Republicans would support the child king tyrant Donald Trump even if he shot someone dead in the street, and does a little reading from a great essay on rural white Americas's ignorance, racism, and religious fundamentalism.

Chauncey also shares some fun hate mails in this week's episode as well.

There is also a bonus segment at the end of this week's show where Chauncey drives to the casino with Mama DeVega during his recent trip home.

Ep. 144: Resisting Fascism and White Supremacy in the Age of Donald Trump Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

This week's very special episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show focuses on how to resist fascism and white supremacy in the Age of Donald Trump. There are four guests on this week's show.

The first guest is Ryan Lenz. He is an investigative journalist and researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ryan provides some context for the rise of the extreme right-wing under Donald Trump, voter suppression, and violence by the so-called "alt right" and their affiliated groups.

The second guest is Walidah Imarisha. She is an expert on the white supremacist origins of Washington and Oregon as well as the broader Pacific Northwest. Walidah provides some local context and historical background on the recent white supremacist murders of two white martyrs in Portland that occurred several weeks ago.

The final segment features two representatives from the antifascist labor organization the Chicago General Defense Committee Local 3. Mike and Andy share their thoughts on how best to resist fascists and white supremacists in the Age of Donald Trump, offer some insights on working class identity and organizing, free speech and the role of self-defense, non-violence, and corporeal politics in this moment.

During this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega laughs at how Fox News brought in Superman to complain about his recent essay on flying the American flag upside down as an act of protest against Donald Trump and continues to mock how easily the mainstream media and the public are hustled by Trump's Twitter game.

Ep. 143: Joseph Baker Explores the Lives of Bigfoot Hunters, Demonologists, and UFO Researchers Jun 30, 2017

Show notes

Joseph Baker is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a professor of sociology at Eastern Tennessee State University and the author of the book Paranormal America. During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Joseph and Chauncey discuss alternative knowledge systems and conspiracy theories, the rise of Donald Trump, Infowars, and fantastical thinking, as well as how those people who believe in UFOs, Bigfoot, and ghosts construct reality. Joseph also shares some great stories about searching for Bigfoot and spending time with ghost hunters. In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega calls out the foolishness that is America's obsession with Donald Trump's Twitter feed, tells a story about how he may have told too much truth during a recent radio appearance in San Francisco, and asks listeners if he should soften his approach to talking about the horrible reality that is America under Donald Trump. In the spirit of this week's episode, Chauncey also shares some stories from The Weekly World News.

Ep. 142: Jason Aaron on Writing "Star Wars", "Southern Bastards", and Reflections on the South Jun 23, 2017

Show notes

Jason Aaron is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Jason is the writer of such great comic book and graphic novel series as Star Wars, Thor, Southern Bastards, and The Goddamned. Jason has also written The Punisher as well as Scalped.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Jason and Chauncey discuss their love of graphic novels and comic books, rejection of religion, reflect on personal codes of honor and masculinity, and of course the greatness that is Star Wars. Jason and Chauncey also talk about "Southern culture" and identity, the Confederate flag, "diversity" and "representation" in comic books and graphic novels, as well as creating authentic stories and real characters.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega explains how the Republican Party's so-called "healthcare" bill in the Senate is actually a way to kill those Americans they view as "useless eaters", corporate news media malpractice, and how the Georgia special election reveals the likelihood that Trump will win another term as president in 2020.

Chauncey also reviews the amazing and powerful new film Okja which he saw at an early screening last week.

At the end of this week's episode of the podcast, Chauncey explains how the Republican Party is comprised of political sociopaths and cannibals like the notorious Albert Fish who want to eat poor and working class people in order to given rich people more money.

Ep. 141: Barry Blaustein Talks Professional Wrestling, Donald Trump, and Eddie Murphy Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

Writer, movie producer, and director Barry Blaustein is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Barry is the writer of such great comedies as Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, and Boomerang. Barry also helped to write Eddie Murphy's legendary skits on the TV show Saturday Night Live. And of course, Barry Blaustein narrated and produced the amazing documentary about professional wrestling Beyond the Mat.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Barry and Chauncey discuss their shared love of professional wrestling, how Donald Trump is a performance artist, how he made Beyond the Mat, what it was like trying to tell the true life behind the scenes stories of the (then) World Wrestling Federation, talk about Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and some of the "good" and "bad" things about professional wrestling today. Barry also shares some stories about working with and writing for Eddie Murphy as well as the challenge of being creative for a living.

Jared Yates Sexton is also a guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a journalist and writer who has extensively covered Donald Trump's campaign and now presidency. This is the third time that Jared has stopped by the virtual bar and salon and he has some great stories to tell about how Trump and the Right-wing media are causing violence and other problems within families and communities, offers some thoughts about Trump and the Russia scandal, and ponders how Trump's regime may end. Jared also loves professional wrestling, so of course, he and Chauncey have to talk about the WWE and Brock Lesnar's upcoming battle with Samoa Joe.

In this week's episode Chauncey DeVega shares some insights about a crazy week that included an attack on a Republican congressional baseball game in Alexandria, violence by conservatives against Democrats, liberals, and their other enemies, and how a racist thug cop got away with the de facto lynching of Philando Castile.

At the end of this week's episode of the podcast, Chauncey shares a story about gun violence and other foolishness at Chuck E. Cheese restaurants in Chicago.

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