Centrist Front

Jackson and Ben talk about some of the best game expansions, DLCs, or paid content they've played over the years.

Nerdy nerds gonna nerd. This time, Jackson gives his take on violence in sports, which leads to talking about violence in video games, reflecting on what that means and how it feels, and then recount some of their most cherished PvP and cooperative gaming memories.

Chappell Roan is tripping! Jackson tells Ben about an instance where, yet again, the Left is being lumped in with the Democratic Party and the liberal center, and they discuss why it's a problem when celebrities and persons of influence get that wrong. Also discussed are Walt Disney, rhetoric, and how weird JD Vance is.

Surprise, Ben and Jackson are huge fucking nerds. This is the first PANIC ROLL episode, where they kick things off by discussing difficulty in FromSoft games (loosely) and just kind of go, as they do.

Intro and outro music: "Incinerate" by Clovis Point

Art render by Alexander Mils

Jackson takes a few minutes to detail a handful of updates regarding the podcast: a new Instagram page; a new pod within the pod focusing on nerdy stuff, or stuff that just doesn't pertain to Centrist Front; and a forthcoming mini-sode series about Marxism basics.

A lot has happened since we last recorded! Biden is no more, and Harris is here to save us all. Or is she? Ben leads a discussion on what voting for Harris means and what it's like to be a Leftist in this fully subdued country entering the stages of early fascism.

This episode is sort of a two-parter, where the first chunk is Jackson and Ben discussing ethical consumption, vegetarianism, and the struggle of being environmentally conscious in a world where it's nearly impossible to effect any meaningful change as an individual; the second chunk is Ben sharing some findings about the impact AI has on the environment.

Ben takes Jackson on a journey through Middle Earth but it's not all sunshine and roses. Ben explains how the material conditions in which one of the first and arguably the most important fantasy authors of all time grew up led to situation we're still dealing with in which western fantasy, be that book, game, film, or TV show, inherently favors white Europeans over all other cultures and races. You don't have to stop consuming fantasy - you shouldn't! - but it's good to be aware of where racial stereotypes and biases are present and how fantasy serves to uphold those prejudices.

In this episode, Ben and Jackson take a moment to geek out about Elden Ring and let the conversation go where it carries them. This episode won't be interesting to some people, but for those who stick around, there is the pair's usual sociopolitical commentary that they can't help but invoke when they analyze, well, anything.

Jackson rants angrily about celebrities and why they are largely enemies of the working class while Ben listens calmly and shares his thoughts.