A New Normal

This time on the podcast, the story of an invisible war. Shots are fired. Injuries sustained. But how do you fight an enemy you can't see — one that may not even exist?

An armchair safari to a place where humans and elephants are engaged in a deadly conflict over resources — and the one man who can communicate with both sides.


-----
Much of the music in this episode is from the Free Music Archive by:

• Bruce Miller (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Broos) CC BY-NC-ND
• Vinod Prasanna (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vinod_Prasanna__Okey_Szoke__Pompey) CC BY NC
• Siddhartha Corsus (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Siddhartha) CC BY
• Podington Bear (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear) CC BY NC

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Confederate soldiers never reached the US Capitol during the Civil War, but the "Confederate flag" (which was actually the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) finally arrived in the building on January 6. Join us for a deep dive into the question: why does that symbol still speak to people so long after the Civil War? The answers lie in another disinformation campaign — one that took root in this country 155 years ago, and still impacts us today. This time on the podcast: America’s original Lost Cause — and the real cost of alternative facts.

Cover art:
A printed poster from 1896 celebrates the Confederacy more than 30 years after the end of the Civil War. It features (center) Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson, PGT Beauregard and Robert E. Lee along with three versions of the flag of the Confederate States of America and the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. Surrounding them are Confederate notables including President of the Confederate State of America, Jefferson Davis, Vice President Alexander Stephens, and storied army officers James Longstreet and A.P. Hill. 

For photos and resources, visit our website: anewnormalpodcast.com

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Much of the music in this episode was from the Free Music Archive by:

• Lobo Loco (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco) CC BY-NC-SA 
• Cletus Got Shot (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Cletus_Got_Shot) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
• Shake that Little Foot (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Shake_That_Little_Foot) CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
• The Joy Drops (https://freemusicarchive.org/search/?quicksearch=the+joy+drops)CC BY

The divisions that have taken hold of the country are playing out not only in our public lives, but also in some of our closest relationships. 

What drives the tensions are our very different answers to that perennial question: What do you do when you believe your country is heading the wrong direction? 

In this episode, we look to history — and the story of a man who has been called “one of the most troubling figures in American History”— for insight. 

Note: The cover image of John Brown is from a painting called Tragic Prelude, a mural painted in 1937 by John Steuart Curry for the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka.

Portrayals of Brown have changed over time. "From 1890 to about 1970 John Brown was insane. Before 1890 he was perfectly sane, and after 1970 he has slowly been regaining his sanity." —from Lies My Teacher Told Me, Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, byJames W. Loewen

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

The music at the end of the episode is
Battle Hymn of the Republic Medley by Marisa Anderson
Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US

Is Santa real? You bet. These days he goes by the name Mike Gray, a retired jack of all trades who lives not at the North Pole, but in a recycled house in the Arizona desert—when he’s not with the Lakota on Pine Ridge or the Seri people in Mexico. He's given up the red suit for a work shirt, jeans and a straw hat. And he's stopped making toys in favor of making gardens, building houses and furnishing clinics for people who need them. The sleigh filled with gifts? He traded it in for a van full of tools he also uses to carry people and art—and he is the gift. 

You can watch the film on the Seri (Comcaac) people that Mike mentions in the podcast on YouTube. It's called Seri-People Live by the Desert and Sea

And while I wouldn't normally reference Wikipedia, the entry on the Seri people has some basic information for the mildly curious as well as a lot of resources for anyone interested in a deeper dive.

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Other music in this episode by Podington Bear from the albums Meet Podington Bear and  Liquid Gold; Licensed under CC BY-NC

In the first of our “be the change” stories — stories about people who are being the change they want to see in their own communities — we talk with Matt Marasch, former infantry paratrooper and green beret turned potter and healer. 

A couple of years ago, having lost a number of veteran friends to suicide and struggling to reinvent himself, Matt started looking for a way to bring veterans together to learn new skills and build the kind of close relationships they missed from their days in the military — and Veteran Potter’s House was born.

Veteran Potters House on Facebook
Veteran Potter's House on YouTube

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

This has been a time of trauma — for some of us it started four years ago, for others just last week. It's tempting to think the answers to our pain lie in retreating further into tribalism. But if there’s one thing this election made painfully clear, it’s that we can’t vote the other side away.

Transcending our differences won't be easy. Our guest, Alaine Duncan, Author of the Tao of Trauma explores this time through the lens of our national body as a trauma survivor. How do we heal the divisions and the mistrust? How can we — individually and collectively — act from the connection and regulation of our frontal cortex instead of the primitive, reactive fear of our brain stem? And how can we play a role in helping all parties find that all-important moment to distinguish between “I am uncomfortable” and “I am unsafe"?

Keep listening (from 42:30) as we talk with co-host Obaidul Fattah Tanvir in Bangladesh about some of the surprising (and hilarious) responses people there have had to the US election.

Cover Art: A joke in the form of a typical Bangladeshi style campaign poster supporting Donald Trump that has been widely circulated on Facebook. Loosely translated, it says that the Republican Party has selected him as their candidate, he has the endorsement of the Bush dynasty (ha!), he is a successful businessperson and one-time successful President; he is honest, and he will sacrifice everything for the country. So please vote for Donald Trump and give him another chance to make America great again. 

SHOW NOTES
Alaine Duncan graduated from acupuncture school in 1990 and completed Somatic Experiencing training in 2007. She was a founding member of the Integrative Health & Wellness program at the DC Veterans Administration Medical Center where she served as a clinician and researcher from 2007-2017. She also co-founded the National Capital Area chapter of Acupuncturists Without Borders who, until Covid 19, provided free weekly acupuncture treatment to immigrants, refugees and neighbors in need. Her book, The Tao Trauma: A Practitioner's Guide for Integrating Five Element Theory and Trauma Treatment explores East-meets-West approaches to restore survivor’s balance and regulation. It is available in print, audio and kindle wherever you buy books on line.

Alaine mentioned the "invention of race". For more information on the origins of race as a concept, see John Biewen's TED talk, "The Lie that Invented Racism". Another huge favorite with us here at A New Normal is John Biewen's podcast (Through The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University) , Scene on Radio. We loved Season 2, Seeing White and Season 4, The Land that Never Has Been Yet. 

Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

Today, as voters head to the polls in record numbers and with concerns around the election at a fever pitch, we’re talking about a topic that has us alternately feeling like Chicken Little and Pollyanna. But we’re not alone. Everywhere you look people and organizations are prepping for this election—and most would say with good reason.

So when we heard about a training designed to prepare people to take action in the event of an undemocratic power grab, we decided it was definitely worth our virtual attendance. The premise of the training, called Choose Democracy, can be distilled into a few simple sentences: We will vote and we will refuse to accept election results until all of the votes are counted. And if this, the most basic principle of democracy, is denied, then we the people will defend our democracy through nonviolent mass protests. (Now, it’s important to say here that no one candidate is supported for the win. The objective is simply that democratic processes are honored and all votes are counted.)

About a week after the training we sat down with facilitators Michael Levi, a Quaker and long term activist schooled in non-violence and Alaine Duncan, also a Quaker as well as a healer and author of The Tao of Trauma. Her East-meets-West approach to trauma feels more needed than ever.

And one last thing: we hope you’ll stay tuned after this conversation as Kelley seeks some advice about coping with situations like this from our co-host, Tanvir, in Bangladesh—a country that has definitely seen its fair share of struggles for democracy over the years.

We hope you find this useful—and that it turns out we were Chicken Little in the end.
.
OVER ON THE WEBSITE
>We've got a new website: www.anewnormalpodcast.com
>This is where we will post show notes, transcripts and more. It's also the place to subscribe, rate, review and share the show and to sign up for our email newsletter.
>If you've got a Be the Change story you'd like to share—or like for us to share—on the podcast, please get in touch with us via our contact form, which you can find here.
 
RESOURCES
>For more information about Choose Democracy go to www.choosedemocracy.us
>Here’s a super interesting episode of Radiolab called What If that takes on the speculation about what Donald Trump might do in the wake of the election. "Part war game part choose your own adventure, Rosa’s Transition Integrity Project doesn’t give us any predictions, and it isn’t a referendum on Trump. Instead, it’s a deeply illuminating stress test on our laws, our institutions, and on the commitment to democracy written into the constitution.”
>Here's an interesting article from Buzzfeed that places our divisions and the potential for violence over the longer term into the larger context of rising inequality.

>Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4

There's nobody better to kick off our new season — and "Plan Be" — than the man who helped inspire it: Citizen Baratunde, Executive Producer and Host of the hit podcast How to Citizen with Baratunde.

Writer, activist and comedian Baratunde Thurston has been "citizening" since way back in high school (which we discuss). In addition to his podcast, check out his Ted Talk, and his New York Times bestselling book, How to Be Black. You can find all of that and more on his website: www.baratunde.com

OVER ON THE WEBSITE
>We've got a new website: www.anewnormalpodcast.com
>This is where we will post show notes, transcripts and more. It's also the place to subscribe, rate, review and share the show and to sign up for our email newsletter.
>If you've got a Be the Change story you'd like to share—or like for us to share—on the podcast, please get in touch with us via our contact form, which you can find here.

SHOW NOTES
>Cindy mentioned an episode of NPR's Hidden Brain podcast called Moral Combat. Listen to it here.
>Here's links to some resources Cindy and I are using as we set up our Plan Be conversation project, as mentioned in the last part of this episode:
The Listen First Project
The National Conversation Project
>Another podcast we're enjoying that speaks to these themes and this time: To See Each Other

MUSIC
>Slide guitar:  Thomas Robertson
>Theme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

As the pandemic drags on and the American project feels like it’s spiralling out of control, hope can feel hard to come by. What’s an ordinary person to do? Especially if you're more comfortable ghosting family members with different political beliefs than engaging them, and clicktivism is your idea of getting involved. Join hosts Kelley Lynch and Cindy Sealls in Washington, DC and Obaidul Fattah Tanvir in Bangladesh as they step outside their comfort zones and embark on "Plan Be"— a project to live more in line with at least a few of their loftier ideals by cultivating connection, community and conversation in their own backyards one episode at a time.

Ride along at our new website:  www.anewnormalpodcast.com

The theme music is Fragilistic by Ketsa
licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0