The UltraViolet Podcast

Just a quick update about my channel, why I’ve been MIA for a bit, and what to expect in the near future :)

Links to cool people on the website at www.ultravioletpod.com/notdead

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Do you ever feel like the system is stacked against you? Like no one, not even the people you elect to help you, really have your back? Do you ever worry about the encroaching dystopia of privately owned artificial intelligence & automation that will make human workers obsolete? Ever think to yourself “why don’t they just fucking DO something about all of this?” only to be annoyed when someone inevitably brings up the supposed financial cost of a better world? If so, then todays interview is for you! I sit down with YouTuber 1Dime as we talk politics, socialism, modern monetary theory, automation, and universal basic income and a whole lot more. So check it out! 

On today’s episode I’m joined by YouTuber HeyItsVadim. Vadim, like myself, is a former New Atheist turned social commentator who’s recently set his sights on the Alt-Right and other public reactionaries. He’s produced two excellent documentaries on Time Pool & Lauren Southern which we discuss at length. We also talk about his movement into and then out of the YouTube skeptic scene. It was an absolute blast and super informative and I really enjoyed having Vadim on the show. So check it out!

We use language everyday to communicate, but the way we use language can also convey a deeper meaning that we may be unaware of. On today’s episode I’m joined by the wonderful Dr. Caitlin Green, a professional linguist, to discuss how language shapes our world and our interactions with it. We talk about the pragmatics & evolution of language, the concept of dog whistling, the conservative myth of cancel culture, & the controversy surrounding Steven Pinker’s undeserved role as the spokesperson for all of linguistics everywhere and forever. Check it out! 

Fighting bullshit is a 24/7 job on the internet these days and Phrost is a veteran at the task. Cutting his teeth in the old MMA forums of the before time, when the internet was more than just Facebook & Twitter, Phrost and his crew have turned their art of combating martial arts woo into a rhetorical style and thought process designed to cut through any and all bullshit that you're likely to encounter. We talk about anti-vax bullshit, identifying the types of people vulnerable to bullshit, and developing positive & healthy masculine roll models in the modern world. It was great time. Check it out! Links at www.ultravioletpod.com/phrost

Today’s guest is Hilary Agro, a PhD researcher in anthropology studying the effects of drugs on modern users in Toronto’s rave scene. She’s also a strong advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of all drugs, as well as the promotion of harm reduction practices.

We have a wonderful conversation about the failures of our society to properly care for drug users, the systemic failures of capitalism as it relates to drug policy, how to implement harm reduction techniques, and the weird and trippy world of psychedelics. We talk about our own experiences with psychedelic drugs, what to expect when you use them, how they can be beneficial, and the dangers that can come from using them in the wrong place, at the wrong time, without proper guidance.

It was an absolute pleasure to have Hilary on and a super fun conversation about a subject very near and dear to my heart. So check it out!

www.UltraVioletPod.com/hilaryagro

The way stories are told can have a dramatic effect on the way we engage with them. The mechanics of a video game, for instance, may tell one story, while the narrative itself may lead you in an entirely different direction.

Finding oneself within media that you care deeply about, but which all together ignores the existence of you and your identity group, can be a paradoxically joyful & painful experience. Aranok has, in their short career on YouTube, combined both of these lenses of analysis to create a series of uniquely insightful, deeply touching, and profoundly funny video essays that examine the way that we tell stories to ourselves, and what we do when we're unable to find ourselves within them. We also nerd out about Dune for like twenty minutes, which is ALWAYS a huge plus in my book. One of my favorite interviews that I've done so far, so check it out! References & links at www.UltraVioletPod.com/aranok

Just a quick update about some changes to the show and where we're headed. Thanks for listening!

The modern western world, and by extension its colonial projects abroad, are largely dominated by neoliberal ideology & economics. On the surface, these ideas can seem inoffensive--at least to those raised on western values: the opening of markets, the elimination of poverty via the uplifting forces of capitalism, individual responsibility, and self reliance. But when we dig a bit deeper we're confronted with the full scope of the horror that these economic policies and political prescriptions have unleashed upon the world. 

On todays episode I'm joined by John Duncan, a PhD candidate researching neoliberalism and it's more macabre elements known as necropolitics: the politics of death. John spends his time investigating the ways that neoliberal economics have embedded themselves into our daily lives and seek to extract from us as much value as possible before discarding our exhausted and depleted remains on the ash heap history. Cheery stuff.

Check it out!

www.reasoningaloud.org/JohnDuncan