Bonus Sample: Blessed NeoKayfabe of Santa Claus
“If you grow up with it, religion is real until you realize it is also imagined. And after a period of disenchantment or even depression that associates imagination with lies, you might then sense that the imagined part was also real, but because it’s imagined, you know you can change it.” Matthew reflects on how Santa becomes more real in the home after the kids know he’s just a story, but a story of unbridled love and causeless generosity they can now participate in telling. Happy holidays, everyone! Show Notes A Christmas Carol: Dedicated to Scrooge, And His Art Collection—McKenzie Wark Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America — Abraham Josephine Riesman Welcome to Neokayfabe—Jodie Reisman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Dec 20246min
Brief: My Dad Became a MAGA Power Broker (w/Julia Tucker)
Jeffery Tucker is the founder of the MAGA thinktank Brownstone Institute. In 2020, Brownstone published The Great Barrington Declaration, with lead author Jay Bhattacharya—now the nominee for head of the NIH. Jeffrey’s daughter, Julia, joins Matthew to discuss her dad’s rise through the punditocracy, through decades of fringe libertarian publishing, working for Ron Paul, boosting anarcho-capitalism and crypto, writing for the Epoch Times, and asking such daring questions as: “What’s so wrong about child labour?” Show Notes Patreon: Post-Catholic Music (w/Julia Tucker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Dec 202438min
237: Your Revolution is Out of Network
The murder of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson has set off shockwaves across America. This week we look at the story’s online impact, people mythologizing the alleged killer, its intersection with conspirituality, and the healthcare system in America writ large. Show Notes Jen Gunter on insurance denial for her premature babies' oxygen needs Exclusive: Luigi's Manifesto - Ken Klippenstein Savings: Quarter of Americans Have Few, One in 10 Have None | Statista The Burden of Medical Debt in the United States View of U.S. Healthcare Quality Declines to 24-Year Low MDVIP/Ipsos poll shows Americans are struggling with the healthcare system UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in Manhattan sold company stocks just before DOJ probe made public | The Independent Conservatives Face Backlash From Followers Over UnitedHealthcare Murder - Newsweek Before fatal subway chokehold, Jordan Neely was on NYC’s list of homeless individuals with dire needs | CNN Kaiser Study on Health Insurance Satisfaction NIH Debunks Myth that 60% of Bankruptcies are Medical in Nature Luigi Mangione’s Anger Wasn’t Neatly Ideological Gallup Poll on Health Care Satisfaction Ipsos Poll on Health Care Satisfaction Mental Illness is 13.5 times More Likely In Lone Wolf Shooters Narcissism, Fame Seeking and Mass Shootings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Dec 20241h 20min
Relief Project #5: Annie Kelly
The fifth installment of Matthew's Five Big Questions Posed to an Extremely Thoughtful Person. Dr. Annie Kelly joined us in Episode 61 to lay out her research on the manosphere-to-conspirituality pipeline. Today she joins me to discuss the trouble and joy of balancing extremism research with stories of hope and solidarity. Show Notes Annie Kelly Vaccine: The Human Story - YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Dec 202431min
Bonus Sample: TheoBros, Political Religion, and Christmas
Extremely online, bearded, Millennial pastors in tailored suits want to repeal women’s suffrage, criminalize gays, and Make America Christian Again. These “TheoBros” even have a guy on the inside: JD Vance. Trump’s Dept of Defense nominee, Pete Hegseth, attends an affiliated church. Julian tracks their genealogy and ugly ideas, as well as their parallel reactionary theocratic visions wreaking havoc elsewhere in the world today. Stay tuned for conversational reflections and wholesome holiday wishes at the end! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 Dec 20245min
Brief: The Unfreedom of Others (w/Talia Lavin)
Journalist Talia Lavin joins Derek to discuss her recent book, Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America. Show Notes Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Dec 202427min
236: Damage Control
As we ride out the aftershocks of the election and prepare for Trump 2.0, it’s as if nothing is bolted down. Trump’s cabinet appointments signal a disregard for competence or temperament as he seems to prioritize fervent deep state conspiracism and anti-woke aggression in his choices. The chattering classes (both legacy and new media) are on the front lines of having to adapt in real time. What to do? Double down on anti-fascist resistance, turn the disinformation detection devices up to 11, chart a course for sanguine neutrality, normalize the chaos as the world burns, or maybe give this rag-tag group of billionaire outsiders a chance to move fast and break things—in the hope that some of it was not working anyway? We look at three different modes of damage control currently ripping through American discourse. Show Notes There’s a conspiracy theory that the CIA invented the term ‘conspiracy theory’ – here’s why 87: The Aubrey Marcus Spectacle 107: An Open Letter to Aubrey Marcus 214: Aubrey Marcus is Totally Not a Cult Leader Winning the Fight for Reproductive Rights in Mexico - Open Society Foundations Madres de Plaza de Mayo | Learning for Justice Adweek article on Rogan and MeidasTouch Kash Patel QAnon Appearances Kash Patel Seal Team 6 Endangerment So Marianne Williamson Really is the Peace Candidate—Patreon “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman”: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza | Amnesty International USA NLG and Other Legal Groups Send Letter to ICC Urging an Investigation into Potential War Crimes Committed by Israel and US in Gaza under “Operation Protective Edge” Russell Tribunal on Palestine, 2014 Friday 17 November: Twenty thousand Palestinians believed to be killed in Israel’s genocide of Gaza Campus Protests Led to More Than 3,100 Arrests, but Many Charges Have Been Dropped Harris campaign rejects claim vice president thinks there is a genocide in Gaza A Study Reveals CNN and MSNBC’s Glaring Gaza Double Standard | The Nation Morning Joe: Dems’ Favorite Show, Blatant Pro-Israel Propaganda The Intercept: Israel-Palestine Coverage US MSM downplays Amnesty report TIME on Iranian Foreign Influence Methods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Dec 20241h 16min
Bonus Sample: The Raw Truth About Health
Researchers in California recently warned that just one mutation in H5N1, the bird flu virus, could make the disease transmissible between humans. While the virus was first identified in 1959 (and became globally significant in 1996), they’re also concerned that increasingly damaging effects of climate change could make us more susceptible to such viruses. The same week, California-based raw milk manufacturer, Raw Farm, was forced to recall its products due to third-party testers discovering it contained H5N1. Derek looks at these converging trends—the wellness-driven fervor over the safety and health benefits of raw milk and the chances of another pandemic—with an investigation into why this matters from a public health perspective. Along the way, he’ll define the three often-confused forms of health in public discourse—individual, population, and public health—and why influencers often confuse them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Dec 20244min
