Darts and Letters

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Darts and Letters episodes

February 18, 2022EP31: Moral Kombat (ft. Liana Kerzner, Cyril Lachel, & Henry Jenkins) [Rebroadcast]
*Programming note: This is a rebroadcast.
You can learn much about a media and political culture by examining when it panics, and who it panics about. And we’ve always panicked about video games, from the early arcades until this very day. Whether you are a prudish Christian conservative, or a concerned liberal-minded paternalist, demonizing video games has long been good politics.
On this episode: guest host and lead producer Jay Cockburn travels back to the 90s, and looks at the story of Mortal Kombat. The game was violent, gory, glorious. It was a youth rebellion in miniature. Parents rebelled against the rebellion, staging their own petulant counter-revolution, and politicians embraced it. It triggering a moral panic and even congressional hearings into violence in games. But why did it happen, who did it serve, and what does it tell us about our own culture?
First (@14:21), Liana Kerzner is a game developer and critic, YouTuber, and gamer. She takes us through her discovery of Mortal Kombat and the visceral attraction to…just how cool and groundbreaking the game was. Then, she looks at the moral panics around games today: panics about sex and nudity.
Then (@22:52), Cyril Lachel is a journalist and the editor in chief of Defunct Games. He explains the history and evolution of gaming in the 1990s as Sega tries to differentiate itself from Nintendo as an edgier system for its gamers as they enter their teenage years. Plus, he points out what parents and politicians got wrong about video games and how gaming media evolved around the time.
Finally (@39:34), Henry Jenkins is Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of South California. He tells us why moral panics keep coming back time after time, starting with comic books in the 1950s. Then he takes us through their generational politics and sociology. Plus, he takes us back to his appearance before the congressional hearings into video games.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Visit Liana Kerzner’s Patreon Page and her YouTube channel. Also, read some of her past blogging.
Have a look at Defunct Games’ YouTube channel to go back in time to look at games that are now, well, defunct. To listen to more with Cyril Lachel, hear him on Super Gamer Podcast.
Pull up Henry Jenkins’ website and peruse his academic and media work at USC. Plus, check out his latest books Comics and Stuff and his co-authored Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination.
——————-EVEN MORE FURTHER READING AND ACADEMIC SHOW SOURCES——————
Ferguson, C. J., & Colwell, J. (2017). Understanding why scholars hold different views on the influences of video games on public health. Journal of Communication, 67(3), 305-327. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12293
Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do angry birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children’s and adolescents’ aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615592234
Ferguson, C. J. (2014). Violent video games, mass shootings, and the supreme court: Lessons for the legal community in the wake of recent free speech cases and mass shootings. New Criminal Law Review, 17(4), 553-586. https://doi.org/10.1525/nclr.2014.17.4.553
Ferguson, C. J. (2007). Evidence for publication bias in video game violence effects literature: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12(4), 470-482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2007.01.001
Kline, Stephen (n.d.). Moral panics and video games (source)
Markey, P. M., & Ferguson, C. J. (2017). Internet gaming addiction: Disorder or moral panic? The American Journal of Psychiatry, 174(3), 195-196. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.16121341
Markey, P. M., & Ferguson, C. J. (2017). Teaching us to fear: The violent video game moral panic and the politics of game research. American Journal of Play, 10(1), 99-115.
Quandt, T., & Kowert, R. (Eds.). (2015). The Video Game Debate: Unravelling the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315736495.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
This week, Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Jay Cockburn, who is also our lead producer. Our editor and usual host is Gordon Katic. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio.. David Moscrop wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This episode received support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor. This is also part of a wide project about the emerging politics of video games housed at UBC with advice from Lennart E. Nacke at the University of Waterloo.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
1 hr 7 min
February 11, 2022EP50: Don’t hate the player (ft. Alexander Lee)
Guest host (and regular lead producer) Jay Cockburn gets ready to enter the world of e-sports, with a lesson in Super Smash Bros from a top player and professional coach. Find out why he won’t make it (spoiler alert: he doesn’t have that reaction time he used to); but also, find out why he might not want to make it. Unfortunately, e-sports have many of the problems that ‘real’ sports do, and some are even worse. E-sports have lower pay, more stringent IP regimes, singular corporate control, and less labour organizing. However, could things be changing? Jay talks to Alexander Lee, esports and games reporter at Digiday. He takes us through the booming world of esports: the good, the bad, the repetitive stress injuries, and what to do about it.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Check out Alexander’s work at Digiday, including his take on holding companies as the future of esports and the competition between traditional and esports. Also, be sure to read his piece in The Nation on endemic exploitation within e-sports.Plus, visit his website to see more of his work and his media appearances.
Learn more about Jay’s Smash Bros. coach, Dabuz, and book a coaching session with him at Metafy. And check out his YouTube channel and team.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content. Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is usually hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. This week, our lead producer Jay Cockburn hosted. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This episode had support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. It is was part of a wide project about the emerging politics of video games housed at UBC with advice from Lennart E. Nacke at the University of Waterloo.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
33 min
February 04, 2022EP49: Unionversity: College Athletics and the Fight for Fair Pay (ft. Edwin Garret, Helena Worthen & Joe Berry)
College athletes are workers, and they deserve to get paid. They put their bodies and futures on the line for the profit of their schools, without seeing real compensation for their labour. However, things are changing. For instance, a 2021 Supreme Court decision upholding a lower court decision that found the NCAA were being anti-competitive in capitalizing on the name, image, and likeness of their players, while not letting the players do the same. Plus, a November memo from the National Labor Relations Board that noted student-athletes have been misclassified as ‘student athletes’ – they are, in fact, employees with a right to organize. On this episode of Darts and Letters, we go downfield to look at university labour and the battle for union rights.
First (@6:40), get to know the College Football Player Association. It’s not a union, but it’s growing a membership base and who knows where that will lead. Ed Garret, a brand ambassador with the group and former cornerback at the University of Mexico, takes us through his time (and injuries) in college football and the working conditions college athletes face on the field, off the field, and in the classroom.
Then (@30:39), labour organizing isn’t just for college athletes. And it’s on the rise on campuses across North America. We talk to JP Hornick, bargaining chair with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and Glynis Price, president of the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association, about their strikes. Then, Helena Worthen and Joe Barry are scholars, organizers, and the co-authors of Power Despite Precarity: Strategies for the Contingent Faculty Movement in Higher Education. They tell us about successful labour strategies in academia, and why university workers are no different from other workers.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Read the NLRB’s memo on employee status for college athletes and see more on the push to organize from In These Times. See more on the NCAA Supreme Court decision. Also, check out the College Football Players Association and the National College Players Association.
Have a look at Joe Berry and Helena Worthen’s Pluto Press book Power Despite Precarity: Strategies for the Contingent Faculty Movement in Higher Education.
Dig into stories of on-campus unionization and other strike efforts across North America: a University of California lecturer strike, a Howard University housing protest, a student workers strike and Columbia University, a faculty strike at Ontario Tech University, OPSEU vs. CEC, and a Concordia University of Edmonton faculty and administration strike. Then peruse the list of student employee unions.
And have a listen to episodes 20 and 21 of Between the Lines: A Podcast About Sports and the Law to learn more about college athletes and labour rights.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. The lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This episode had support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. It was part of a wider project looking at neoliberal educational reforms. The lead is Dr. Marc Spooner at the University of Regina and Franklynn Bartol at the University of Toronto. They provided research and advising on this episode.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
57 min
January 28, 2022EP48: Plague Robbers: Nothing Spreads Like Greed (ft. John Nichols)
Has the pandemic taught us anything? As we look forward and imagine what the future might look like, we like to think ‘next time will be different.’ But, if we don’t take a serious look back, it won’t. Not as long as the people who made this pandemic so bad face zero consequences. In this episode of Darts and Letters, John Nichols says it’s time for a COVID reckoning. His new book is Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis. Nichols, who is also national affairs correspondent of the Nation, retraces his reporting – revealing how so many suffered while others made out like gangbusters. Plus, we ask: could it have been different?
——————PROGRAMMING NOTE——————
There will be an extended video version of this interview on our YouTube channel this Monday. Subscribe today, if you don’t already.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Check out John Nichols’ book Coronarvirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers. Plus, have a look at his work for The Nation, including “The Making of a Coronavirus Criminal–Criminal Presidency,” and “There is No Military Solution Out of This Ukraine Crisis.”
For more, have a look at Nichols’ other books with Verso.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. The lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes. Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This is a production of Cited Media. We produce this program in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
44 min
January 22, 2022EP47: Lost Utopias: A History of World’s Fairs (ft. Rob Rydell, Jade Doskow & Jennifer Slack)
Welcome to 21st century techno-utopianism. Driven by a new tech-bro/crypto culture, supported by online hordes of true believers, and couched in philosophies of meritocracy and technocracy, techno-utopianism is born anew. But this thinking, while different, is not really new. As Darts and Letters sets out on a series of episodes to explore the persistent belief that technology will save us, we start by looking back to past utopias: rising, shimmering images of a future of wonder and plenty, out towards the horizon. For that, we visit the world’s fairs of techno-utopias past.
First (@10:42), what exactly is a world’s fair and what purpose does it serve? Rob Rydell is an historian of world’s fairs at Montana State University–Bozeman.. He argues these events provided “the cultural ballast for stabilizing and advancing capitalist industrializing societies.” During the 1920s and through to the 1940s, this function was essential to the United States and the rest of the capitalist West as they stared down fascism in Europe.
Next, (@32:55), what’s left once the circus leaves town? Or, more precisely, the fair? Jade Daskow is a photographer based in New York. Her project Lost Utopias features photos of old fair grounds, many of which are left in disrepair. She takes us through the disused utopias that have turned into dystopian relics that betray the promises of techno-utopian visions of the future.
Finally (@47:30), when all is said and done, should we be pessimistic? Optimistic? Is there some promise in techno-utopian visions? What does it even mean to ask that question? Jennifer Slack is Distinguished Professor of Communication and Cultural Studies at Michigan Tech and the co-author, with J. MacGregor Wise, of Culture and Technology: A Primer. She takes us back to the future and breaks down the meaning of progress, technology, techno-determinism, and more.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Check out Rob Rydell’s books on the history of world’s fairs: All the World’s a Fair, World’s Fairs: The Century-of-Progress Expositions, and Fair America: World’s Fairs in the United States. Plus, see more of his work on ResearchGate.
Visit Jade Daskow’s photography project Lost Utopias to see what remains once the fair leaves town. Then, visit her homepage to have a look at her other projects, including The Architecture of Activism.
Have a look at Jennifer Slack’s co-written book Culture and Technology: A Primer. Then, see her faculty page at Michigan Tech to peruse more of her work.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. The lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This is a production of Cited Media. This episode received support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It is the first in a series of episodes on techno-utopianism. We had research advising from Professor Tanner Mirrlees at Ontario Tech University and Professor Imre Szeman at the University of Waterloo.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
1 hr 10 min
January 14, 2022EP46: School Scams (ft. Derek Robertson & Gavin Moodie)
Last year was a rough one for academia – inauspicious, to say the least. The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on students, universities lurching between open and closed, leaving students strained and uncertain about their futures, and stuck in Zoom classrooms. Meanwhile, mental health struggles soared. Students paid full tuition price for this cut-rate experience. On the research side, there have been at least 72 retracted papers on Covid-19 and a total of 32,000 retractions. And, of course, universities themselves kept alive their long, esteemed tradition of operating like cartels – with a handful of them facing a lawsuit for alleged violations of antitrust law related to the amount of financial aid they paid out.
All of that is bad. But wait – there’s more! In this episode of Darts and Letters, we take two of the most frustrating aspects of the higher education world: endless culture wars around free speech and identity, and the continued corporatization of the curriculum.
First (@7:00), what is an anti-woke, free-thinking academy and who does it serve? Derek Roberston is a writer and contributing editor at Politico. Last November, he wrote about the new ‘free thinking’ University of Austin. He takes us through the tensions, contradictions, controversies, and ideological commitments underpinning the “fiercely independent” new school and its quest for free inquiry–and maybe Elon Musk’s money.
Then (@29:57), purpose-built micro-credentials are en vogue right now in higher-education, leading many to ask: What? And why? Canada is on board, with Ontario investing tens of millions into microcredits alongside several other provinces. Gavin Moodie is an adjunct professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He breaks down microcredits and explains them as an outsourcing of job training built for the hodge podge, ephemeral gig economy – or “gig qualifications for the gig economy.”
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Read Derek Robertson’s piece on the new University of Austin in Politico. You can read some of his past work here and check out his website for more. Also, check out the University of Austin’s statement regarding Steven Pinker and Robert Zimmer stepping down as members of the school’s advisory board.
Check out Gavin Moodie’s work on microcredits, co-written with Leesa Mary Wheelahan, “Gig qualifications for the gig economy: micro-credentials and the ‘hungry mile’.” Plus, check out more of his research here and here. See also his popular writing for Times Higher Education.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content. This week, our subscribers get a bonus interview with Jeff Beall, the founder of Beall’s List.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. The lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This is a production of Cited Media. This episode received support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It was part of a wider series of episodes about neoliberal educational policies. The lead researcher is Franklynn Bartol at the University of Toronto and our academic advisor is Dr. Marc Spooner at the University of Regina.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
46 min
January 07, 2022EP45: New Years Resolutions from, and for, the left
Happy new year! We’re a few days behind, but as we catch up after the holidays and prepare to enter the third year of the plague, we wanted to bring you a few resolutions from, and for, the left by way of the Darts and Letters team and a handful of our past guests.
This episode features offerings from:
Robert Greene II
Victor Pickard
Nora Loreto
Hilary Agro
Jasmine Banks
David Moscrop
Jay Cockburn
Gordon Katic
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content.
Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected].
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
18 min
December 30, 2021 EP8.1: Bantering with Bannon [Rebroadcast]
Note: As the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol approaches, we are revisiting an episode on Steven Bannon and traditionalism with a rebroadcast of this bonus episode from late January 2021.
In this bonus episode, host Gordon Katic speaks with Ben Teitelbaum, author of a fascinating new-ish book called War for Eternity. He spent over 20 hours with Steve Bannon, as well as a wider network of far-right thinkers and strategists. Honestly, the things they say will surprise you. These proto-fascist thinkers of today are Traditionalists, with a capital T. They’re nothing like old-school conservatives; they have a lot more in common with hippies and new age gurus than people like William F. Buckley. We touched on this school of thought in the last episode, but in this bonus episode we really dig in. Why do their bizarre ideas appeal, and what can we do to combat them?
—————————SUPPORT US————————
This is a bonus episode. And for now, they’re free. Patrons get them a day early, but they’re kind of irregular. We’ll make them every week if enough of you chip in. Go to Patreon.com/dartsandletters.
And if you can’t do that, please do us a favour and help us get this show to more people. The best way you can help is to share this with a friend. You can also rate and review Darts and Letters on whatever podcast platform you use.
—————————-CONTACT US————————
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like to write us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
—————————-CREDITS——————————
Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, our chase producer Marc Apollonio, and our research coordinator is David Moscrop.
Our composer is Mike Barber, and our graphic designer is Dakota Koop. Our host is Gordon Katic.
We receive funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Our lead academic advisor is Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia. We are also supported by a wider project looking at the rise of far political ideologies – that project is run by Professors Andre Gagne, Ronald Beiner, and A. James McAdams.
Darts and Letters is made in two places: Toronto, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Toronto is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat People. Vancouver is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
This is a production of Cited Media. We make other fine shows like Cited Podcast and Crackdown. You can find both of those and others wherever you find your podcasts.
1 hr 19 min
December 17, 2021EP44: Gamify Everything (ft. Sebastian Deterding, Paris Martineau & Mostafa Henaway)
Setting goals for the new year? Learning a language? Going for a run? Delivering food? Picking packages off a warehouse shelf for delivery? There’s a game for that. Or, at least, a gamified system designed to nudge you in a series of pre-programmed directions in the service of the state, techno-capitalist overlords, or any number of other groups and entities that chart the course of our hyper-connected, cutting-edge, dystopian 21st century lives. This week on Darts and Letters, guest host Jay Cockburn and our guests take us through gamification of…everything.
Also, on a quick programming note: host Gordon Katic is off this week and we are all off next week for the holidays. Happy holidays! We’re back ahead of the new year on our regular programming schedule.
First (@5:01), we met Dave from Knoxville, Tennessee, on a subreddit for Lyft drivers, though he also drives for Uber. He tells us how the rideshare companies use quests to keep their “independent contractors” on the roads.
Then, (@9:03) is gamification inherently dystopian? Not necessarily. Sebastian Deterding is Professor of Digital Creativity at the University of York and a translational designer. He knows gamification. Deterding tells us the long history of gamification (from Plato, to war games, to today’s app economy, and more), and explores the contrasting philosophies of gamification.
Next (@23:48), gamified workplaces sound like hellscapes. Paris Martineau is a journalist with the Information, where she covers Amazon. She dives into the gamified warehouse workplace, including PvP (that is, worker versus worker) showdowns, and the tracking and surveillance that comes with the territory.
Finally, (@28:26) it’s one thing to study or write about Amazon warehouses, but what is it like to work in one? Mostafa Henaway is a community organiser at the Immigrant Workers Centre and a PhD candidate at Concordia University who studies Amazon. He took his work one step further when he took a job in one of its Canadian warehouses. He brings us inside the bizarre system, from the automated application to the alienating, monotonous, minutely-surveilled-and-tracked warehouse floor.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
Visit Deterding’s website and check out his publications, including his co-edited book The Gameful World: Approaches, Issues, Applications. For more of his work, visit his academic page at the University of York.
Read Martineau’s work on Amazon for the Information, including “The Deadly Toll of Amazon’s Trucking Boom” and “OSHA Investigates Fatal Amazon Warehouse Collapse.” See more of her work here and visit her website.
Read Henaway’s gripping story of what it’s like to work at Amazon, written for the Breach. Plus, visit the Immigrants Workers Centre to learn more about their efforts to protect worker rights. Check out his academic work on Google Scholar.
——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW————————-
We need your support. If you like what you hear, chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patreon subscribers usually get the episode a day early, and sometimes will also receive bonus content. Don’t have the money to chip in this week? Not to fear, you can help in other ways. For one: subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. It helps other people find our work.
—————————-CONTACT US————————-
To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters was hosted and produced this week by Jay Cockburn, with editing from Gordon Katic. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes. Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
This is a production of Cited Media. And we are backed by academic grants that support mobilizing research and democratizing the concept of public intellectualism. The founding academic advisor of the program is Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia. This episode was also a part of a wider series looking at the politics of video games housed at the University of British Columbia and Waterloo University. It was given support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
50 min
December 10, 2021EP43: The Dumbest Books of 2021 (ft. Luke Savage, Matt McManus, Lyta Gold, Daniel Bessner & David Moscrop)
As we prepare for a series of 2021 retrospectives looking at the highs and lows of the year, the bests and the worsts, Darts and Letters is embracing the chaos, looking to the printed word, and scouring the stacks to find the dumbest books that found their way to print. We did not have to look far. In fact, the hard part was choosing from a bursting cornucopia of awful. In the spirit of the new year, this week we feature a roundtable with three guests and two call-in friends, each of whom makes the case as to why their book is the dumbest of 2021.
First, (@4:09) the two Michaels and Meng affair gripped Canada and the world for the better part of three years. Could a single book capture the intricacies, context, and implications of that behemoth geopolitical moment? Washington Post columnist, podcaster and Darts and Letters show-notes writer/guy writing this sentence David Moscrop argues…maybe. But it’s certainly not The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War by Mike Blanchfield and Fen Osler Hampson.
Then, (@17:39) some argue trust is the glue that holds society together. But what if a book mangled the concept and mobilized it with a series of vapid phrases designed to superficially inspire centrists as only such a book–and maybe an episode of the West Wing–could? And what if that same book was written by one of the least trustworthy people in politics? Jacobin staff writer and co-host of the podcast Michael and Us Luke Savage makes the case for Pete Buttigieg’s Trust: America’s Best Chance.
Finally, (@29:01) the left needs to understand and contend with serious, right-wing books that seek to chart the course for the future of the ideology. Scholar, PillPod podcaster, and writer Matt McManus has found two offerings that are…not that. But they need to be reckoned with in their own way anyway. He takes down Ben Shapiro’s The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent and Mark Levin’s American Marxism.
——————-FURTHER READING AND LISTENING——————
First and foremost, check out our selections for dumbest book of 2021:
The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War by Mike Blanchfield and Fen Osler Hampson
American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic by Andrew Cuomo
Trust: America’s Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent by Ben Shapiro
American Marxism by Mark Levin
Read David Moscrop’s work at the Washington Post and listen to his podcast Open to Debate. He’s also got a book: Too Dumb for Democracy.
Dig into Lyta Gold’s podcast Art for the End Times and listen to her Darts and Letters episode from earlier this year “The Founding Grift.”
Check out Luke Savage’s work at Jacobin and be sure to listen to Michael and Us – and support it on Patreon. For more, also see his stuff at the New Statesman.
Read Daniel Bessner’s book Democracy in Exile and listen to his podcast American Prestige, which you can also support.
Listen to Matt McManus’ podcast PillPod and have a look at his book The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism: Neoliberalism, Post-Modern Culture, and Reactionary Politics. Plus, see more of his work at Jacobin.

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—————————-CONTACT US————————-
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If you’d like to write to us, email [email protected] or tweet Gordon directly.
—————————-CREDITS—————————-
Darts and Letters is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn. Our managing producer is Marc Apollonio. David Moscrop is our research assistant and wrote the show notes.
Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop, and our marketing was done by Ian Sowden.
Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples.
54 min

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This is about ‘arts and letters,’ but for the kind of people who might hack a dart. We cover public intellectualism and the politics of academia from a left perspective. Each week, we interview…