Manufacturing Dissent Since 1996
New interviews throughout the week
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This week we're hearing about the Genius Act, but what's happening at the local level is that when these crypto mines come in, they're also getting these really sweetheart tax deals. There's almost no regulation on the actual mines that are doing the crypto mining. It's corrupt and they're getting all these privileges and they're getting all of these handouts all the way up from the local to the federal level.

Candice Bernd returns to This Is Hell! to discuss her recent writing at The American Prospect, "The Crypto Racket." After the interview, we hear a classic "Moment of Truth" from Jeff Dorchen.

 


Posted by Alexander Jerri
1040lineup

Listen live from 9AM - 1:00PM Central on WNUR 89.3FM / stream at www.thisishell.com / subscribe to the podcast

 

9:20 - Writer Nicole Aschoff examines the left's new (old) challenges in the Trump era.

Nicole wrote the paper America’s Tipping Point? Between Trumpism and a New Left for Socialist Register.

 

10:00 - Writer Jorge Martin exposes the imperialist hand in the Venezuelan coup attempt.

Jorge wrote the article Washington Moves Towards 'Regime Change' in Venezuela for Venezuelanalysis.

 

10:35 - Writer Olivia Heffernan reports on the work of building a farmworker labor movement.

Olivia wrote the article Are we prepared to pay the price for farmworker justice? for openDemocracy.

 

11:05 - Journalist Dahr Jamail explores grief, love and wilderness on a dying planet.

Dahr is author of the book The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption from The New Press.

 

12:05 - Author Peter Fleming makes the case for revolutionary pessimism as we face the future.

Peter is author of the book The Worst Is Yet To Come: A Post-Capitalist Survival Guide from Repeater Books.

 

12:45 - In a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen squints at the future of disaster capitalism.

Is that being near-sighted or far-sighted, I always get those two mixed up.

Episode 1039

Russia Today

Jan 19 2019
Episode 1038

Last Call

Jan 12 2019
Posted by Alexander Jerri
1037lineup

Listen live from 9AM - 1:00PM Central on WNUR 89.3FM / stream at www.thisishell.com / subscribe to the podcast

 

 

9:20 - N+1 editor Marco Roth examines the political futures of a world on the edge of ecological collapse.

Marco is co-author of the N+1 essay The Best of a Bad Situation.

 

10:05 - Our Man in Budapest, Todd Williams explains how a new 'slave law' united Hungary's opposition. Maybe.

Todd will be talking about a protest wave against new laws on overtime pay, court centralization and university privatization.

 

10:35 - Journalist Aaron Miguel Cantú explains what a White press won't write about White supremacy.

Aaron wrote the article The Whitest News You Know for The Baffler.

 

11:05 - Writer Molly Smith explores the work - and politics and feminism and economy - of sex work.

Molly is co-author of the new book Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers’ Rights from Verso.

 

12:05 - Extinction Rebellion's Clare Farrell previews the global fight for survival on a dying planet.

Clare is a co-founder of the movement Extinction Rebellion.

Jan 5 2019
Posted by Alexander Jerri
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We’re so disconnected from nature that we have an ambivalence toward climate change.

Climate change will change everything including our politics and economy.

The businesses that caused climate change have moved on from denying climate change’s existence to cashing in on fighting climate change.

Ocean levels rising due to climate change are creating new shorelines.

In Puerto Rico, things are a lot worse than we know.

With hurricane season approaching, it’s likely to keep getting worse and worse and worse.

Australia is keeping immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers out of sight and out of mind.

The Honduran elections ended with deadly violence and a strengthening of a grip on power by the US-backed government.

Trump's wall can be destroyed a lot easier than bad immigration policies can.

Payday loan and rent-a-centers gouge the most vulnerable with ridiculous interest rates.

Lead-poisoned water isn’t only for Flint any more. It’s come to a community near you.

Bipartisan support for means-testing of social services is hurting the poor.

Andrew Cuomo sides with the very conservatives who he claims to challenge at every opportunity he can in the media.

The olympics are bad for cities.

Appalachia is a lot more progressive than liberals think it is - and you could see that in the West Virginia teachers’ strike.

Liberalism has completely and utterly failed.

Labor protests in Iran that are about a lot more than just the protesters bottom line.

Unions invest pension funds in Wall Street which works hard to undermine workers rights, pay and benefits.

That future is now under threat more than ever with the recent Janus ruling by the Supreme Court.

As mandatory arbitration destroys workers’ rights, corporate wellness programs are bad for workers’ health.

The largest US corporations who are engaging in billions of dollars of worker wage theft to line the pockets of their fabulously wealthy CEOs.

There is a capitalist way to get some of that power back. Maybe.

And the tech industry is starting to unionize, too.

The concentration of corporate power at companies like Amazon have been horrible for consumers, too.

Localization might combat fascism.

Maybe radical geography can change the world - and ‘zones to defend’ could be part of that radical geography.

We have been cursed by bipartisanism and BOTH parties agreeing on the bad ideas embraced by neoliberalism.

... read more

Dec 29 2018
Episode 1035

Speak and Sell

Dec 22 2018
Posted by Alexander Jerri

Welcome to the Moment of Truth: the thirst that is the drink.

"Some men are intimidated by strong women." This has been a glib, empty, un-self- aware dose of pabulum on the left for at least the last thirty years. A moment's reflection reveals its nonsensical nature. A moment's reflection is something frowned upon on the left, unless it's reflection of an acceptable dogma or bland agreement. Yes, strong people intimidate weaker people. But you're not being woke or clever or anything remotely laudable by pointing it out. Capitalism exacerbates that dynamic, incidentally. Your strength is both increased and rendered more intimidating by capitalism. Consider that, if you can.

Yes, I'm intimidated by strong women. Why shouldn't I be? Like strong men, they can reject me socially, hurt me physically, humiliate me, or merely exert power over me to my detriment. I'm supposed to feel ashamed of being intimidated? Blow me. I've got enough negative feelings just being intimidated, I'm not going to judge myself for it. Especially not by your criteria.

Yes, I've intimidated others, and I'm not proud of it. There are ways to defuse the intimidation dynamic, if you want to, if it's important to you, but it takes work, and some humility on your part. You have to be secure in yourself. And yet humble at the same time. That's the burden of the strong. That's how you see beyond your privilege.

Don't worry, I'm not very good at it either.

This is the duty, in my opinion, of everyone with privilege, whether white, male, rich, beautiful, or otherwise gifted, exalted, or accomplished. The people who understand this are incredible, you know them when they reach out from their strengths and lift you up simply through the act of reaching. Not everyone has the ability, and even fewer want to have it. It's a singular strength, the ability to be humble and open about one's strengths, because we live in a culture that rewards bullying and egoism and not caring. Winning. We're all about winning, and we have a very narrow definition of victory.

But in some ways, that's the kind of animals we are. We jockey for prestige, we cultivate the best people as friends, we learn the tricks of making ourselves useful and helpful, or trusted, or admired, or highly regarded. And if we fail at these things, we lose. We become poor or lonely. In short, as a species, we are cliquish a-holes.

We also congratulate ourselves on not being the types that are... read more

Posted by Alexander Jerri
1035lineup

Listen live from 9AM - 1:00PM Central on WNUR 89.3FM / stream at www.thisishell.com / subscribe to the podcast

 

9:20 - Writer John Pat Leary translates the new language of capitalism in the 21st century.

John is the author of the forthcoming book Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism from Haymarket Books.

 

10:00 - Live from São Paulo, Brian Mier explains what Jacobin got wrong about pre-coup Brazil.

Brian is a co-author of the article How the US Left Failed Brazil for Brasilwire.

 

10:35 - Sociologist Dylan Riley explains what Donald Trump is  - if he's not a fascist.

Dylan wrote the article What Is Trump? for the New Left Review.

 

11:05 - Writer Tony Wood explores Russian politics beyond the shadow of Vladimir Putin.

Tony is author of Russia Without Putin: Money, Power and the Myths of the New Cold War from Verso Books.

 

12:05 - The Hopleaf's Michael Roper reviews a down year in the craft beer industry.

Michael will dig into brewery closings, the hops bubble and a general decline in beer drinking - Chuck isn't contributing to that last thing.

 

12:45 - In a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen can't win for losing, can't lose for winning.