Current Affairs

Thom Hartmann is the #1 progressive talk radio show host in the country. Today, he joins Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the world of talk radio, as well as his book "The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed The American Dream." Nathan asks why the right has been so dominant in talk radio, and how leftists can effectively counter them. We talk about:

- Why Rush Limbaugh was so good at what he did

- Whether there is anything about talk radio as a medium that is inherently favorable to conservatives

- How giant radio corporations limit the reach of progressive voices (including the billionaire station owner who once told Thom "I won't put anyone on the air who wants to raise my taxes")

- What it takes to hold people's attention for 3 hours straight on the air

- How to do a professional "radio voice"

- How the left can produce successful radio (and why we need to)

Thom's book on big business is here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49195416-the-hidden-history-of-monopolies

Thom's Nation article about why the left should enter the talk radio field is here: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/conservative-talk-radio/

Author Jim Freeman discusses his book "Rich Thanks To Racism: How The Ultra-Wealthy Profit From Racial Injustice." Jim looks at three issue areas, education, policing, and immigration, and how in each, the ultra-wealthy have found ways to make vast fortunes off the suffering of Black and Brown people.

Jim directs the Social Movement Support Lab, which provides multidisciplinary assistance to communities fighting for racial justice. He was formerly a Senior Attorney at Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization, where he directed the Ending the Schoolhouse-to-Jailhouse Track project. He served under President Obama as a Commissioner on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. His book is available here: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501755132/rich-thanks-to-racism/

Nathan's audio quality is crap because he accidentally used his computer microphone instead of his podcasting mic. He will try to avoid doing this again.

Edited by Tim Gray.

Seattle city council member Kshama Sawant was elected as an open socialist in 2013, long before the present wave of local socialist political victories began. During her time in office, she has taken on Amazon and helped make Seattle the first large city in the country to adopt the $15 minimum wage. In this interview, she discusses how she was able to get elected as a socialist during the Obama years, how movements can successfully pressure useless centrist Democrats to do what they are otherwise disinclined to do, why she doesn't think it's a good idea to associate with the Democratic party under any circumstances (but she supported Bernie anyway), and why she has recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America.

Author Jeremy Lent discusses his new book "The Web Of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place In The Universe." Jeremy's book shows how the individualistic philosophical underpinnings of capitalism destroy our ability to find meaning and our appreciation of the wonders of nature. He shows us the environmental horrors that are unleashed by free market thinking, but then begins to construct an alternative worldview that can help us live harmoniously and sustainably in the universe. He integrates both the insights of the hard sciences and wisdom from traditional religious and cultural practices around the world, showing how even slime molds have something to teach us.

The Web Of Meaning can be purchased from New Society Press: https://newsociety.com/books/w/the-web-of-meaning

Jeremy's demolition of Steven Pinker can be read here: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/steven-pinker-s-ideas-are-fatally-flawed-these-eight-graphs-show-why/ and the article in which Nathan J. Robinson cites Jeremy is here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/05/the-worlds-most-annoying-man

https://www.jeremylent.com/

Current Affairs is joined this week by Jacobin staff writer Luke Savage! Together, the panel asks if there are countries that exist outside the US and if they are bad, investigate the trope "the left are so crazy that they drove me to the right", and give some TV recommendations.

The flock this week was made up of Luke Savage, senior editor Brianna Rennix, business manager Allegra Silcox, and bird-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson.

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs flock investigate how the right created a moral panic around "critical race theory", dare to make all tax records public, and dream of utopia.

The flock this week is made up of senior editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Lyta Gold.

"How a Conservative Activist Invented the Conflict over Critical Race Theory": https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory/amp

"Solidarity Never" by Current Affairs lyrebird Danny Bradley.

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Studio H3 of the Current Affairs World Headquarters is closed for renovations this week, so instead of the usual panel format, we have something different for you. Aisling, Allegra and Lyta discuss Aisling's article "Satanic Panic and the Death of Mythos" and use it as a jumping-off point for a freewheeling conversation about the current cultural landscape, including overly literal readings of art, fandom, moralizing, and YA...just, YA in general.

"Satanic Panics and the Death of Mythos": https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/02/satanic-panics-and-the-death-of-mythos

Red Letter Media video on Darth Vader lore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVzc20Bm8Xo

"The Buzzfeed-ification of Mental Health": https://mentalhellth.xyz/p/the-buzzfeed-ification-of-mental

Allegra's favorite tweet: https://twitter.com/ambientGillian/status/1391880931724648451?s=20

Petscop: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZKQv0ZFHpeIUkOtNjtq4KA

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

This episode was originally on our bonus feed, but as Tiffany's election is tomorrow we're putting it out today for everyone!

Pete speaks to Tiffany Cabán, public defender and organizer with the Working Families Party, whose campaign for Queens County District Attorney drew national attention last year, and who is now running for New York City Council in District 22.

https://www.cabanforqueens.com/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel give their NFT takes, propose a universal database of all human knowledge, and share some hard-earned life lessons.

The nest this week was inhabited by finance editor Sparky Abraham, poet-at-large Cate Root, editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson, and amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold.

"The Truth Is Paywalled But The Lies Are Free": https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/08/the-truth-is-paywalled-but-the-lies-are-free/

"As Google Fights Fake News, Voices on the Margins Raise Alarm": https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/technology/google-search-bias-claims.html

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

You've been asking for it, you've been waiting for it. Now, episodes 6 through 12 of Is MMT Real? are available to our Patreon subscribers. They will eventually be made free to the public, but for those who can't wait, you can pay just $5 to subscribe to our bonus feed and gain access to all the episodes now, as well as all our other bonus episodes. Go to www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs to learn more!

Episode 6: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49309389

Episode 7: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49366210

Episode 8: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49413998

Episode 9: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49433441

Episode 10: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49516234

Episode 11: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49796660

Episode 12: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51225458