Stay ConnectedThe world has never been more connected. Yet never more divided. We yell at each other from inside our echo chambers. But change doesn’t happen inside an echo chamber. It’s time to get out, to stretch our legs, to step on some land mines. It’s time to have an uncomfortable conversation with Josh Szeps.
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Copyright: © 2024 Josh Szeps 224787
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What should we make of politics in the 2020s? Are we in an ascendant moment for the centre left? The US swung Democratic at the last midterm elections. The Australian conservatives were annihilated at the last poll. The same will happen to the UK Tories later this year.
Peter van Onselen is a professor of politics who has written multiple books about the rise and fall of almost every recent conservative prime minister. He has worked inside parliament house, written political commentary for The Australian newspaper, he was the chief political reporter for Channel Ten, and hosted Australia's nightly TV news panel show, The Project.
Should the Right be conservative, or populist? Should the Left be woke, or working class? Peter and Josh take stock of the political landscape in 2024.
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Peter Garrett is one of the most iconic Australians. As the lead singer of Midnight Oil, he's had countless number one hits all over the world. He entered politics and reached the highest levels of government as a cabinet minister, including spearheading the campaign to ban Japanese whaling worldwide. As an environmentalist and indigenous rights activist, he has seen a half-century of social justice. Josh sits down with an Australian legend to pick his brain about modern culture, the left and the right, China, climate chaos and much more.
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Can a non-white person be racist? Or is racism something only white people do? The beloved captain of Australia's national women's soccer team, Sam Kerr, a woman of colour, was charged by UK police with racial harassment after allegedly calling a white male police officer a "stupid white bastard" in London.
Australia's commentariat has been twisting itself in knots trying to find the correct anti-racist hot take. The official consensus is that people of colour can't be racist, so she did nothing wrong. The other side shrieks that that's hypocrisy, insisting that all race-based insults are equally bad. Josh tries to bring rationality to an irrational debate.
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When Josh left his ABC Radio show in December, keen observers recalled an appearance he'd made on the hugely popular US podcast The Fifth Column some months earlier, which had hinted that all was not well in paradise. For the first time since jumping off from the legacy media train, Josh sits down with the Fifth Colunmistas in New York City for a catch-up... and a review of the spiciest stories in the news.
This is a crossover episode with The Fifth Column podcast. If you've already heard it on their feed, sorry. If you've never heard of them, check them out at https://wethefifth.substack.com.
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Yesterday we released a preview of this paid episode. Due to the reaction to the full episode on the paid feed, we are re-releasing it here for free as a public service.
Amid the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, "anti-Zionism" has become shorthand for "anti-bombing-Palestinians". But what do we mean when we ask if someone opposes Zionism? Does being a “Zionist” mean you support Israel's brutality? Josh is being asked this question more and more. He tries to untangle an answer.
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Do we fetishise indigenous culture? Praising timeless First Nations wisdom makes us feel warm and fuzzy. But what do land acknowledgements, smoking ceremonies and racial sensitivity classes have to do with the oldest continuous civilisation on earth and its future in the modern world?
Tyson Yunkaporta is an Aboriginal scholar at Deakin University in Melbourne. His new book is "Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking". He and Josh have it out.
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Well, the knives are out. Later this month, Josh is touring Australia with the outspoken British journalist Douglas Murray. It's the first in a series of live tours that'll bring you the world's most interesting minds from across the entire political and ideological spectrum. You'll hear some of those events on this very pod.
But now, the threat of cancellation looms. Activists are trying to force theatres to cancel the Douglas Murray events. Here, Josh shares his thoughts.
This episode is only available in full for premium subscribers. If you're not a paid subscriber, enjoy a short taste -- or, to experience the full multicoloured glory of Uncomfortable Conversations, hit the Substack page at https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe
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The Worthless Twink is one of the most prominent gays on Instagram. But he's not called that any more. Tim Abbott is reinventing himself as a meme artist. He gets real and raw with Josh about influencers, the gays, and self-obsession.
This episode was recorded before the tragic death of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies on Monday the 19th of February.
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Josh is joined by fan favourite Professor Joel Pearson, neuroscientist and psychologist, to discuss the biggest stories in technology... and how they'll affect your life.
To get more content like this and to join in the fun of the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page at https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe
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This week, Josh is joined on the panel couch by Courtney Act, one of the world’s most iconic drag queens (or, rather, by her even more captivating alter ago, Shane Jenek) and by the ABC's National Technology Reporter, Ange Lavoipierre.
To subscribe to Josh’s premium podcast feed, hit the Substack page at https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe
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