Audio From A Collapsing State | Jared Yates Sexton

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Like a lot of you, I have been disgusted by the Democratic Party’s response to Zohran Mamdani’s miraculous victory in the New York City Mayoral Primary. Members of his own party have engaged in relentless fearmongering and race-baiting in an attempt to undermine his campaign. This effort, which has been helped by corporate media, has done everything pos…

It was another great week of checking in with my friend Danielle Moodie. In this episode we discuss the upset victory by Zohran Mamdani, including the repulsive attempt by the status quo to smear him and maintain power. That conversation revolves around the complicit factions within the Democratic Party that are beholden to the wealth class, the fact that their smears and fear tactics are falling short, and the work each of us needs to do in order to realize the better future we all deserve.

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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

In this episode of The Check-In, my friend Danielle Moodie and I discussed the ramp up to an illegal and unnecessary war with Iran, as well as the worsening authoritarian conditions we all face, and got into the need for mass action and a general strike. This is difficult, obviously, for a variety of reasons, but also because we do not have the apparatus yet. We need to get busy organizing. And in a hurry.

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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 weekend there will be protests in over 1,800 locations around the country. Many of us are planning on attending and I think that’s beautiful and inspiring. But a lot of people have never done this before and we are facing an authoritarian takeover the likes of which we’ve never seen. So, I wanted to get some thoughts out there for people looking to be prepared.

In this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State, I give a primer on protesting. It starts before you even arrive, the choices you make in terms of how you dress, what you bring, whether you should go at all, and in mentally and emotionally preparing. At the protest, we talk about how to get a sense of the crowd makeup, the different sections of activity, choosing where to stand and march, and general strategies for keeping yourself and the people you love safe. There’s an overview of general self-maintenance - drink water, lots of water, and use water for cleansing - and the rights you need to know as you could potentially interact with law enforcement.

Please listen and share with anyone planning on protesting this weekend or in protests in the future. We aren’t taught these things and you can only learn them over time and with experience. I’ve been in my fair share of protests and riots and this is all what I wish I would’ve known prior. Please, if you decide to go this weekend, be safe. Be aware. And do not, under any circumstances, forget that you are fighting for our future. The future we deserve.

This episode of Audio From A Collapsing State is free for everyone because I think it’s important heading into these protests. I do depend on your support, however, so if this information or any of the other articles is useful for you, please become a paid subscriber. This is an independent project and it depends on that support.

Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so become a paid subscriber today

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

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my friend Danielle Moodie. In this week’s episode of The Check-In, we discuss the building anxiety and dread as the situation in Los Angeles and in cities around the country builds. Anxiety is a hell of an adaptation meant to prepare us for threats. And, right now, we are in incredible danger.

The conversation gets into that, as well as the need to nurture ourselves and gain strength from our connections and our principles. As we head into the weekend and mass protests, we must prepare for whatever comes, including paradigm-changing violence and oppression. And, as I get into in this discussion, how we view the parameters of what protest and resistance actually are. None of it is comfortable, but this situation is so far from comfortable and it is necessary for us to meet this situation where it is and leave behind our denial. Because, otherwise, this is going to be a disaster.

Thank you for the support and the kindness. It has meant everything.

Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so please become a paid subscriber

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

The messy fight between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is eating up all the headlines. It’s an absolutely horrid thing considering these two men control so much power and have so much influence and their unhinged implosion only drives home the fact that they shouldn’t be anywhere near the controls of government.

In this episode of Audio From A Collapsing Sta…

Man alive, I love doing these livestreams with Danielle Moodie. In this episode of The Check-In, Danielle and I talk about listening to the Self and recognizing what things bring us joy and what things deserve our time, our attention, and our labor. The vast majority of Americans spend their time running from themselves and avoiding any kind of discomfort, thereby putting off the necessary self-reflection that can defeat authoritarianism and lead to a better world.

The conversation from there trends toward how one of the most pressing threats is the unwillingness to wrestle with our mythologies and stories, to recognize what is real and what is fake, and how authoritarianism, as a destructive cult, enables people to continue living in all of America’s fairytales and stave off that necessary discomfort in order to discover who they really are. And then, a discussion of how so many of our systems and features, including our careers and even career-centric therapy, are about reassuring us that we don’t actually need to change but become more willing and compliant cogs within the capitalistic machine, which leads to people who are “anti-fascist,” including white liberals and moderates, sometimes quickly turning the other way and unintentionally capitulating with fascism.

Thank you for everyone who keeps tuning in and for the kindness. I hope your conversations are going so well out there in the world. Keep up the fight.

Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. Please become a paid subscriber today

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

Authoritarian takeovers are strange. There are moments of absolute chaos and violence, then periods where it’s oddly quiet. Right now, we’ve entered into a bizarre chapter where people are tired, exhausted, and behaving in ways we might not have expected. This is an ongoing fight and we need to take stock of how it shifts and changes.

Over the past week …

Another week, another conversation with my friend Danielle Moodie. Just to start: I’m sick. Like, beat-up sick. We talked about that. About how even though an authoritarian takeover is happening, we are still living and going through all of our stuff. That takes a toll and adds to the overwhelming nature of things because living, even under the best circumstances, is hard work, and these are most certainly not the best circumstances.

I hope this finds you well and possibly helps in your life and in your organizing and resistance. These conversations have meant everything to me and the support and kindness around them has been so replenishing and inspiring. I’ll have an article out tomorrow and an audio, god willing, this weekend. Thank you. Again. And keep hanging in there.

Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so become a paid subscriber today

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

On this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State, I delve into the hard work of trying to stay grounded while American descends into chaos. Every day is another deluge of lies, abuses, and manipulation, which can leave us feeling exhausted and lost. This is a key weapon in the authoritarian arsenal and is designed to wear us down. If we’re going to sur…