Reformed w/James Killen

In this episode we focus on Constitutional exceptionalism, the second hardest thing for me to deconstruct as a former conservative. This one doesn't just affect conservatives though, many liberals in America struggle with Constitutional exceptionalism too. If you make it all the way to the end without wanting to have me sent to a desert island and left for eternity, the links I mention are below. Thanks everyone!

https://reviseus.bubbleapps.io/version-test?debug_mode=true 

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As promised, here is the bonus episode. I hope you all caught the TikTok Live I did with AmericanDad111 too!

Website to get your feedback: https://reviseus.bubbleapps.io/version-test/

We've partnered with Meidas Touch Media ( https://www.meidastouch.com/ ) so check out these videos and consider sending them to your Conservative friends and family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-_mapaDhk&t=21s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEnG8ru5saQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOZUBrXpu8A

In this episode we talk about tribalism, what it is, what is good about it, what is bad about it, and what it's doing to American Politics. A shout out to the LGBTQ+ community and a happy Pride Month! We touch on Fascism in this episode and rather than do a deep dive into a political ideology, check out this book by Jason Stanley, "How Fascism Works" for a great run down of Fascism's rise in the United States.

Website to get your feedback: https://reviseus.bubbleapps.io/version-test/ 

How Fascism Works: https://amzn.to/3mZn2bn

We've also partnered with Meidas Touch Media ( https://www.meidastouch.com/ ) so check out these videos and consider sending them to your Conservative friends and family. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-_mapaDhk&t=21s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEnG8ru5saQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOZUBrXpu8A

In all honesty, I’m not done deconstructing my views on the second amendment. It’s a topic I genuinely go back and forth on, which means it’s a gray area. If you believe it is one hundred percent either way, either unfettered access or destroy all guns, you’re probably not helpful in this discussion, so let’s just get that out of the way now. I want to help the discussion, not hurt it. There are few issues in America that can spark a debate more heated than the second amendment, it’s as much a part of our culture as the first amendment. To Americans in the 21st century its central premise is to protect the American public from tyranny, oppression, invasion, and unlawful seizure. But should we repeal the second amendment? Is the second amendment outdated or can it be saved while reducing the number of mass shootings and unnecessary firearm deaths in the United States? Stick around to the end of this episode, I look forward to your feed back on my answer to these questions!

Got into a back and forth on TikTok with someone who said his five year old came home talking about Critical Race Theory, and this "father of the year" marched straight down to the school and gave them a piece of his mind. To which I responded, no you didn't. That didn't go over well, but I knew he was lying and I wasn't prepared to let him off the hook. Folks, Critical Race Theory is a lens through which to view the American Empire. It requires a high degree of intellectual maturity and a deep understanding of the institutions, history, and complex demographic structures of America to apply it to a discussion. Consider CRT like a pair of corrective glasses, if the prescription isn’t yours, you aren’t going to be able to see through them clearly.

So why are conservatives misrepresenting CRT? We talk about that this episode. Buckle up! It's a fun one!

You get my first real off the cuff session in this episode, as well as an explanation for my absence. Working on a new intro, let me know what you think. We'll definitely be talking about Roe v Wade, even though I did not want to by any stretch of the imagine dive into that topic too early in this podcast, or even at all to be honest. SCOTUS kinda blew that up. But SCOTUS may have just done the United States a favor. Conservative or Liberal, gonna leave that one there for you all to find out in the podcast. A thank you as well to #UNFTR, this UnF*cker was blown away by your shout out in show notes and is finally caught up on every episode of UNFTR If you aren't familiar, check them out, you won't be disappointed, and I'm eagerly waiting for their view on the SCOTUS bombshell and sending the governance around abortion rights back to the states. We'll be launching a FB page soon too, check us out at Deconstructing American Conservatism! 

In this episode we'll take a trip down memory lane and hear the 2015 version of me talking about minimum wage equals minimum skills and that the market will not support a $15 minimum wage without killing jobs. Then we get to peel my palm from my forehead and examine the perspective conservatives take on minimum wage and why its time to change the perspective. We also take a look at a podcast I found this last week that I have been binge listening to and cannot get enough of! I hope you'll check out UNFTR, where Max and his team take on UnF()@king the Republic. It really is an amazing podcast. If you're listening to me to get ideas, you'll love UNFTR. If you're listening to me because you are in the process of deconstructing your conservatism, you'll hear a wildly different perspective than you're used to in the conservative echo chamber. Listen with an open mind and you'll be blown away by the intelligent and well constructed arguments of the UNFTR team. 

In 2009 I began to see the hypocrisy in conservative media, more specifically conservative talk radio and pundit hosts on Fox News. By 2011 I had all but stopped consuming conservative media, seeing it only when I was directed there by other more reputable sources. I found my news online at places like Real Clear Politics, I sought out programs where the burden of journalistic integrity was high, like Meet the Press, and I looked specifically for the motives of the people giving me information. That's the problem with conservative media. The echo chamber created by folks like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Ben Shapiro is self-insulating and that is done on purpose. These folks are salespeople, and when you begin to look at them like salespeople you'll see their content in a whole new light. For this episode I dug back into conservative media. I checked out the Glenn Beck Program to see if Glenn had moderated at all or if he was still traveling warp speed into the conservative rabbit hole. What I heard was one step above the charlatan that is Alex Jones. Glenn Beck was selling and selling while spinning events to help push his twisted narrative, selling his book and keeping his audience in fear. These folks keep conservatives in fear because that's how they sell their books, their merchandise, and their speaking engagements. It's money, and you know what they say, taking a page right out of the conservative media playbook, the love of money is the root of all evil. I hope this episode helps someone recognize the salesmanship of these charlatans, if it pulls one person out of the echo chamber I'll be over the moon. 

Have you ever wondered why conservatives are so dead set against a single payer healthcare system? In this episode we deconstruct the arguments that hold America back from adopting a healthcare system better suited for the needs of Americans and how I myself used to be a staunch opponent of single-payer healthcare. You may also discover ways to talk to your conservative friends and family about coming around on this very important and very complicated issue facing America. 

This episode took a lot out of me! Emotionally because I had to confront a lot of painful things I have believed and supported, but also because I am effectively throwing a lot of my friends and family under the bus. But I have to believe those who love me and respect me will understand at least what I'm trying to do and where my heart is while I do it. This is a breakdown of the modern American Conservative. We talk about how to identify that person, or yourself, and how modern conservatism is impacting the United States. I look forward to your feedback. Please consider joining our Patreon community if you'd like to help push this message and help me Deconstruct American Conservatism.