Episode 22 — Can Political Violence Ever Be Justified?

Disclaimer: The first half of the episode came out a bit tinny and lo-fi. We don’t know why and we aren’t sure what we did wrong, but we will attempt to change things on the backend to ensure the podcast’s quality is as high as it can be. Sorry. Please love us.



In the first half of this episode, your hosts spend some time meditating on the issue of violence. Is it ever justified? Obviously, most can agree that there are instances wherein violence is completely justifiable. But, is it ever acceptable in the political realm? To answer this question, Ryan and Andrew each quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a springboard into a broader conversation about violence as political strategy. The conversation that ensues encompasses violent revolution, non-violent protest, and the subtleties of the nature of violence as a methodology for change.



In the second, better produced, half of this episode, Ryan introduces yet another quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to further complicate the moral complexities of looting and rioting as a form of social change. What does this mean for the culture at large? Is violence as a methodology for change a black and white issue, or is there a sliding scale of justifiability, and, if the latter is indeed the case, what does such a spectrum look like. What must be taken into consideration? Your hosts continue their meditation, and probably screw up along the way, in an honest effort to uncover deeper truths about the nature of violence and the ethical dimensions of righteous change.



Music Notes:



“Sun Whitened Clearing” by Head Vs Wall: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Head_Vs_Wall/; https://soundcloud.com/user-985578315




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Episode 22 — What is Postmodernism?

In the first half of this episode, Ryan and Andrew talk about the notion that people on both sides of the aisle, but primarily those on the right, use and misuse the term “postmodernism.” This begs the question, “what is postmodernism?” Is it an epistemology? Is it a theoretical lens? Is it an ideology that, when mixed with Marxism, will bring about the downfall of the West? But, before Ryan and Andrew can answer any of these questions, they must first answer the question, “what is modernism?” Your hosts spend the first half of this episode defining and describing this term.



In the second half of this episode, your hosts transition into a deeper analysis of what constitutes “postmodernism.” In doing so, they explore some of the central tenants of the movement and compare them to how the term is used colloquially. By the end of the episode, through their investigation of these deep questions, your hosts return to a basic truth about philosophical and aesthetic movements… and their spouses.

MUSIC:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Creative_Centre/Grey_Days_

HOW TO FIND US:

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In the first half of this episode, your hosts talk about their recent appearance on Steve Zelt's podcast, "A Small Good Thing" (for more information about the podcast, visit https://www.asmallgoodthing.org/). The conversation lasted about two hours, but the content will be redacted to a trim thirty minutes. Within this conversation, your bois and Zelt grappled with the notion of what universities ought to do, though they did not do so thoroughly. So, we decided to devote an entire episode to talking about what we think the purpose of a university ought to be; in doing so, we articulate six principles upon which universities ought to based.

First, we argue that colleges ought to challenge students. We do not merely imply that university coursework ought to be difficult; rather, we argue that professors ought to present controversial ideas that challenge students' fundamental suppositions about what they think they know. Secondly, we argue that in order to achieve the first goal, colleges need to place students within an environment where they will be made to feel uncomfortable (which is not the same as making students feel unsafe). Third, colleges ought to instill a set of discipline specific skills within students who pass through their halls, if not only for the reason that students ought to be prepared to do work within their given discipline.

In the second half of the episode, we argue that colleges must foster within students a sense of intellectual independence. This ought to take the shape of meta-learning (that is, learning how to learn across contexts and disciplines). Professors and professionals will not always be readily available, especially not for free, and, thus, students ought to be able to take up the mantle of responsibility and individuality required to learn a new thing. Fifth, we argue that colleges ought to teach a discipline specific canon and then challenge it, for much of our intellectual growth stems from learning about how and why our predecessors messed up. And, finally, we argue that colleges ought to prepare students to interface with society and the world in a sustainable manner that ensures the next generation will be wiser as well as intellectually and civically exemplary.

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.


Music Notes:



"Amsterdam" by LASERS: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/LASERS/LASERS_EP/01_LASERS_-_Amsterdam





HOW TO FIND US:

Website: www.seatedinaction.com

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Soundcloud:

In the first half of the episode, your hosts congratulate themselves for reaching twenty episodes and usher in the new age of "season two." They move on to apologize about the episode's title. From there, they elaborate on the emotional responses that lie beneath the prevalence of clickbait and other such annoying internet attention grabbers.

In the second half, Ryan and Andrew discuss how clickbait titles work to create a less informed audience before moving on to some advice that just might fix the internet if enough people get behind it.

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.

LINKS:

Music Notes:
“As Colourful as Ever” by Broke for Free: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Layers/As_Colorful_As_Ever

Articles:

“One Amazing Reason Clickbait Can Be Bad For You!” by Simon Oxenham: https://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/the-harm-caused-by-a-bad-headline
“How to Lose 20 Pounds in 20 Minutes, The Psychology of Clickbait” by Anna Miller: https://www.zmescience.com/science/psychology-clickbait-042343/
You Won’t Finish This Article by Farhad Manjoo: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/06/how_people_read_online_why_you_won_t_finish_this_article.single.html
“An Emerging Science of Clickbait” by the editors of Emerging Technology from the arXiv: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/536161/an-emerging-science-of-clickbait/

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At first, your mindful, forward-thinking hosts wanted to make a state of the union podcast for the 20th episode, but then we realized that we already technically released a 20th episode; so, before releasing the actual 20th episode, we're releasing a state of the podcast episode (as, technically, our 22nd episode...). Are we illogical? We like to think not. Is our podcast scheduling odd? Maybe a little. Is this arbitrary? Absolutely, but you've stuck with us thus far and we really wanted to take the time to talk about our first four months in the podcasting world.

In this episode, we talk about things we've done poorly, things we've done well, potential plans for the future, and we let you in on some of the back-end/behind-the-scenes information about how we put this podcast together (and we let you in on our pitiful statistics). And, for the first time, we seek to give a little something back to you, kind listener. We're giving away a copy of Johnathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion," a text we have alluded to, and whose ideas we explored during episodes six (The Righteous Mind & Political Morality) and ten (Moral Reframing & Fetus Showers). For details about how to win your copy, be sure to listen to this episode!

P.S. WE'RE FINALLY LISTED ON SPOTIFY, YOU GUYS!

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.



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In this episode, Ryan and Andrew discuss a compilation film called Ten Years. The film is split into five distinct chapters, all of which were written and directed by different auteur Hong Kongese directors. The first episode, Extras, follows two characters (an immigrant from India and a middle-aged failed-Triad) who are caught in a plot to instigate a false flag attack on two public officials; the second episode, Season of the End, explores anthropological taxidermy and the razing of houses at the behest of an ever-encroaching authoritarian government; the third, Dialect, chronicles the day in the life of a Cantonese-speaking taxi-driver who is marginalized due to his inability to speak Madarin (Putonghua) fluently; the fourth episode, Self-Immolator, mixes genres in order to tell a sort of whodunit story about an unknown person who sets themselves ablaze in front of the British consulate; and, finally, the fifth episode, Local Egg, tells the story of Uncle Sam, a Hong Kongese grocer, who seeks to run his shop in the way he sees fit--namely, without government intervention.

Your hosts attempt to work through the themes and comment on the aesthetics of each episode, and, in doing so, they seek to make connections between the episodes and the political landscape at large. By the end of the episode, attitudes about each of the episodes shift due to healthy critique and conflict. But, of course, Andrew ends up dissatisfied because Ryan's ranking does not perfectly align with his own.

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.

LINKS:



Music Notes:

Beyond's Zhen De Ai Ni (真的爱你): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCHafQIhFk




HOW TO FIND US:

Website: www.seatedinaction.com

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In the first half of this episode, Ryan and Andrew attempt to identify the constitutive elements of political populism. Of course, one cannot define populism without first talking about the notion that both left and right populism often manifest as anti-establishment, anti-elite ideologies; however, your hosts attempt to more fully flesh out American populism. In a rare (maybe?) disagreement, Ryan claims that populism is a neutral movement whereas Andrew claims that populism is almost always charged because it is inherently divisive (and therefore moralistic). Your bois, thankfully, adhere to their own conversational advice and, in doing so, they find some common ground. As a supplement to their conversation, Andrew brings up Uri Friedman's article "What Is a Populist?" (which is well worth a read).

In the second half of the episode, Ryan and Andrew drill down on left and right wing populism--they use Donald Trump as the embodiment of right wing populism and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the embodiment of left wing populism. Your hosts compare and contrast these visions of populism and attempt to extract a pattern from these ideologies (if such a pattern exists). Before doing so, however, Ryan talks about Teddy Roosevelt, the brash, first American President of the 20th century (who also happened to be an interesting type of populist--one who loved the environment but also loved shooting bears in the face). Ryan and Andrew examine the ways other ideologies latch onto populistic movements--namely nationalism on the right and socialism on the left--and they, perhaps not surprisingly, segue into a conversation about what we can do to expand democracy.

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.

LINKS:



Music Notes:

KieLoKaz's Inside Piny Hall: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/



Articles:

Uri Friedman's "What Is a Populist?": https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/02/what-is-populist-trump/516525/




HOW TO FIND US:

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Episode 17 - The Aesthetics of Separation: Hou Hsiao Hsien's THREE TIMES

In this, our first official film review, episode, your bois discuss Hou Hsiao Hsien's 2005 triptych, THREE TIMES. THREE TIMES is a film divided into three 45-minute sections. Each section is played by the same actors, though the times and characters are different (one takes place in 1966, one in 1911, and one in 2005). In exploring the themes and motifs of THREE TIMES, Ryan and Andrew discuss the cultural and political landscapes of Taiwan during these three eras, and they explore how the characters' identities are shaped by their surroundings and cultural context.

This will be the first of three movie reviews as an overview of Chinese cinema (that is, Taiwanese, Hong Kongese, and Mainland Chinese). In a few weeks, we will drop the next episode in the sequence, which will cover a compilation of short films (title: TEN YEARS) from Hong Kong. We will explore the themes in a similar manner in an attempt to understand how people are influenced by geopolitical and sociocultural forces (and in doing so maybe learn a thing or two about these beautiful countries).

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.

LINKS:



Music Notes:

Wang Lee Hom's "An Quen Gan:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW1zfcBq_Sk



Watch THREE TIMES by renting it here via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Times-English-Subtitled-Chang/dp/B004GZPSR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534128207&sr=8-1&keywords=three+times



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In this episode, Andrew and Ryan discuss the lessons that can be taken from the newly coined "Intellectual Dark Web." The hosts cover the ideological connective tissue between the members of the collective, their points of departure, and the limitations of the movement. They move on to the rhetorical strategy of rebranding and manipulating language in order to persuade listeners and give a movement new life. They then grace the audience with their knowledge of photography while critiquing rebranding gone awry.

Music Link:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/N_Dropkick/

Article Discussion:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/intellectual-dark-web.html

HOW TO FIND US:
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We’re talking about Russia today—but first, your hosts talk about a webcomic from The Oatmeal about the Backfire Effect, a psychological phenomenon that tracks the ways in which our brains respond to ideas that challenge our most fundamental ideological suppositions. Studies conducted at the University of Southern California suggest that, when we are faced with such ideas and challenges, our amygdalae fire up and put us in a state of fight or flight—such a phenomenon presents obvious, real world problems. Your hosts use this discussion as a segue into a discussion about memetic theory and the emotional and psychological state of the social media landscape.

In the second half of the episode, Ryan and Andrew talk about a tumblr memo that catalogued the expulsion of numerous Russian bot infiltrators on their platform. Ryan points out some of the patterns in the Russian bot names and, in doing so, shows how said pattern functions as a mean to spread discord within the American political factions. This serves as a springboard into a larger discussion about how the Kremlin attempts to foster a sense of doubt towards democratic institutions and why the Kremlin wants to support nationalists and take down globalists.

You can reach out to Seated in Action by email us at [email protected] Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, check out our website at www.seatedinaction.com, stayed tune for our next episode, and leave us a (preferably favorable!) review on your podcast app of choice.

Music Link:
Vitas’ “7th Element”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwzUs1IMdyQ

Links:
The Oatmeal’s “The Backfire Effect”: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
CGP Grey’s “This Video Will Make You Angry”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc
David Frum’s “Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic”: https://www.amazon.com/Trumpocracy-Corruption-American-David-Frum/dp/0062796739/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532791151&sr=8-1&keywords=trumpocracy+david+frum
James Kirchick’s “The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age”: https://www.amazon.com/End-Europe-Dictators-Demagogues-Coming/dp/0300234511/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532791189&sr=1-1&keywords=the+end+of+europe

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