Propagandos

This week, Conner and Alek take a look at a staple of good ol' fashioned Texas cranks: Alex Jones. The conversation starts with a breakdown of Jones' documentary Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement (2007) and how these once fringe conspiracies are now on display in mainstream U.S. politics. To sober up, the Propagandos watch and discuss the recent HBO documentary The Truth vs. Alex Jones and discuss why Jones went from attacking global elites to private citizens - and the consequences he suffered because of that.

Recorded on Monday, July 8th, 2024

It's part 2 of our discussion on the MCU (Muslim Cinematic Universe) with Aamer! This week, we're discussing The Lion of the Desert (1980), which was the big budget movie Moustapha Akkad agreed to make for Gaddafi in exchange for funding his indie passion project The Message (1976).

Got a question or comment for the Propagandos boys? Send us an email at [email protected]!

Recorded on Saturday, June 22nd, 2024

We've got one heckuva guest this week, folks. Aamer joins us for the first half of a two-part series on the (Gaddafi-funded) cinematic masterpieces from Moustapha Akkad. In this episode, we are discussing The Message (1976), how it serves as a piece of propaganda for Islam and if it would be effective in helping Donald Trump find the light of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Tune in next week for part 2!

Get your free copy of the Holy Quran here: https://www.islamicity.org/free-quran/

Recorded on Saturday, June 22nd, 2024

This week, Conner and Alek break down the 2024 Texas Republican Party Platform and what it means for the future of conservatism throughout the country. Spoiler Alert: it ain't good!

Episode image art: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/greg-abbott-seized-power/

Recorded on Saturday, June 15th, 2024

WE'RE BAAAAACK! This week, Conner and Alek kick things off with a deep dive on Angel Studios before going into a brief review of The Shift. The movie itself is loosely based on the Book of Job, so of course we have a brief conversation on suffering and what makes a GOOD Christian movie and if movies like this have cultural staying power.

Recorded on Friday, June 7th, 2024

Conner and Alek are joined by Sam "The Unconventional Journalist" Oser (@samthemullet on Instagram) to discuss a recent Supreme Court decision to not hear McKesson v. Doe and the impact that can have on protesting in the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi). In this episode, Alek gives us a brief primer on how the different levels of courts relate to one another and Sam gives us some uplifting thoughts on ways to build spaces for the marginalized beyond protest actions.

Sources for the episode:

https://inthesetimes.com/article/war-protest-standing-rock-cop-city-repression-criminalize-dissent-political-rights-first-amendment

https://www.vox.com/scotus/24080080/supreme-court-mckesson-doe-first-amendment-protest-black-lives-matter

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/supreme-court-mckesson-protests-texas-louisiana-mississippi-1235004967/

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/supreme-court-mass-protest-texas-louisiana-mississippi/

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/02/history-united-states-government-infiltration-protests/

https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/

https://www.icnl.org/post/news/analysis-of-anti-protest-bills?location=&status=&issue=6&date=

https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/global_protest_suppression_report_inclo.pdf

https://open.oregonstate.education/defenddissent/chapter/social-movement-suppression/

Recorded on April 21, 2024

Conner and Alek got together to watch Alex Garland's divisive Civil War (2024) and had a LOT to say about it... so much so that they ended up recording two separate times! A lot of talk about the politics (or lack thereof) of the film, if it's representation of a domestic civil war is realistic and, of course, is the weaponry and military equipment accurately portrayed??? We're in blanks and squib country, y'all!

Recorded on April 13th, 2024

Conner and Alek are joined by Rafael de Leon to discuss the Sicario movies! One is good, one is bad but they are both used to make your parents afraid of Mexico. Rafael also helps debunk some of the narco myths that the movies perpetuate and we're all left wondering if Benicio Del Toro can pull off a Mexican accent.

CIA Review of Sicario: https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/Sicario.pdf

Episode art by Ned Gayle

Recorded on April 6th, 2024

This week, the show opens with Conner and Alek discussing two movies about social media: Not Okay (2022) and Mainstream (2020). This leads to a greater conversation about what it means to be a person and activist online and if it even matters. Finally, the boys discuss the proposed TikTok ban and Conner lays out the case for why it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

04:53 - Not Okay discussion

30:31 - Mainstream discussion

49:01 - TikTok ban

Recorded on March 17th, 2024

We're back after an unintended break! This week, Conner and Alek discuss an actual propaganda film: The Battle At Lake Changjin. After that, a brief commentary on Joe Biden's SOTU speech and Trump's "fact-checking" on Truth Social. Finally, Conner talks about his experience getting bullied online.

Watch the film for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRVGP7GDm1E

Recorded on March 9th, 2024