Audio From A Collapsing State | Jared Yates Sexton

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Hello, everyone. I’m back after a few days out in the wildness. I had a lot of time to think and write and consider and in this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State I’m discussing where I’m being called to do the work. After spending some time thinking about the problem of rising fascism and our cultural sense of isolation, I’m starting to put toget…

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Was really thrilled to talk with my friend THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali about a topic both of us have a keen interest in: the power of popular culture and its effect on reality. We trace the history of mass popular culture in the United States, how it has been used by the powerful to tamp down democratic energies, the way it has warped our understanding of the world, and the cycle between reality and culture that changes and reinforces each one. The focus, throughout, is how we’ve arrived at this point where a dictatorial fraud has gained power and has surrounded himself with aggrieved and angry failed artists and tastemakers who are taking their self-hatred out on all of us and attempting to control reality, and why we think they will ultimately fail.

This is a conversation I’ve been looking to have for a long, long time, so I’m very grateful for Wajahat for asking. I’m going to take a few days to escape an undisclosed location to get some remoteness and recharge the batteries. I’ll be back with The Check-In with Danielle Moodie of The DAM Digest on Wednesday at 12pm ET and will likely have some articles to share at some point. In the meantime, take care of yourself.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks to everybody who came out to watch Danielle Moodie and I tape another episode of The Check-In. This was a conversation I’ll remember for a long time. Danielle and I talk about the need to counterbalance shame with grace (for more on how fascism feeds off our shame check out my recent episode of Audio From A Collapsing State) and how each of us is being called on to heal from our past traumas, the coping mechanisms we learned along the way, and see the difference between right and wrong. This includes in our politics, our culture, and with infuriating tragedies like we’re seeing in Gaza, all of which reveal who we can trust and who doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near power. Along the way, we discuss the destructive elements of social media and how it keeps us jailed in our own doubt and shame, the excuses we make for white patriarchal supremacy, and much more.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com

It’s been way, way too long since I recorded an episode of Audio From A Collapsing State. I’ve been out in the world, traveling, working, and organizing. I felt called to record this today because I’m seeing a continued battle that goes unaddressed: the need for each of us to heal, but the specter of shame and self-criticism hindering that work.

We’re to…

Huge thank you to THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali for having me on. Always appreciate these conversations and in this one we get into the implications of Donald Trump’s continued struggles with the Epstein scandal, the signals that Rupert Murdoch and other Right Wing powerbrokers are turning on him or maybe looking elsewhere, what it means that we’re starting to see public acts of defiance in popular culture and politics, and discuss the American fantasy-industrial complex (expect an article on Hulk Hogan’s death and this topic here shortly).

Thank you, as always, for the support. If my work or analysis has helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It makes a world of difference and it keeps this project going.

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I was so grateful for this week’s episode of The Check-In with Danielle Moodie. Here, we get into the culture of mindless consumption and sociopathic behavior that capitalism requires and that leads to living unexamined lives that trend toward destruction and hurt. This is something that has happened to all of us and affects us in ways we are often not aware. We are supposed to sleepwalk through life, relying on products and distractions to steal our attention away from our deep wounds and pain and, ultimately, keep us from considering who we are and what we want. MAGA is both a political project and a rolling distraction machine that tells us not to question, not to search, not to grow or evolve or become healthier. With that in mind, choosing to lead a fuller, happier, more present life is a fundamental act of resistance and revolutionary in nature. It is isn’t easy. It can be very hard and even painful, but we have no choice but to recognize this pattern of self-destruction and change it before it consumes us all.

Thank you, as always, for supporting The Check-In. Your messages are incredible and keep me going in hard times. If you haven’t already, please become a paying subscriber. It keeps this project rolling forward and supports my work.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Danielle Moodie and I weren’t planning on doing an episode of The Check-In this week because I’m traveling and working, but I think the prospect of it made both of us sad. So, this was an impromptu episode and discussion about what I’m seeing out and about, namely a culture of addiction that is fueling the fascist movement. Seeing scores of “Trump Stores” and people moving from one cheap and empty thrill to another, I was disturbed. Here, we talk about the United States of America as an addicted nation consuming and indulging in order to keep one step ahead of feelings of loneliness, desperation, and pain. One of the things I mention here is that America’s main export now, outside of weapons, are the drugs of distraction, ranging from products to substance to entertainment and, now, authoritarianism.

Thanks as always for the kindness and the support. If you haven’t already, please become a paid subscriber. Your financial support is what keeps this project rolling.

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It was, as always a joy getting to hang out and talk with my friend Danielle Moodie. On this episode of The Check-In, we discussed the paradoxical state of living under a fascist regime that is attempting to dominate our minds, our spirit, and our time. It requires finding and holding onto joy while also understanding the threats we face, all while not allowing the fascists to steal our joy and ourselves. If we’re not careful, they will twist us into a mirror of them: joyless and angry and inescapably miserable. This is advanced-level stuff that many of us haven’t had to learn how to do, but now it’s required of us.

Thank you for everyone for tuning in and for the kind words. This project is one of my favorite things going right now and I always leave our Wednesday chats feeling better and more focused. I hope it’s helped you feel the same way. We’re taking next week off but will be back July 23rd with the next episode.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s episode of The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I talked about the unnerving experience of watching concentration camps being built around the country and world and wrestle with the assault on our morals, ethics, and, ultimately, our spirits. We discussed the need to hold within us a clear vision of right and wrong that will fortify us even when things get harder and harder. This isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Fascism makes us feel like we will break and can leave us worried that we are alone and powerless, but we have to find truth and solace within ourselves that will help us weather the storm.

Danielle and I stream every Wednesday at 12pm Eastern. Subscribe to get updates and watch The Check-In live.

Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe