Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

 

On this edition of Parallax Views, an excerpt from our Patreon program The Week That Was in which we celebrate the life and times of radio host Michael Brooks (1983-2020) of The Michael Brooks Show and The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder. J.G. shares a Michael story or two (Michael was on Parallax Views on three separate occassions) as well as explaining Michael's desire to lift others up using the rising popularity he experienced as a media personality. RIP Michael Brooks

 

Full Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39705881

 

On this edition of Parallax Views, the coal industry may be dying, but the business refuses to go without taking others down with it. Case in point with the Appalachia regions of Amerca, which is simultaneously bombabrded with propaganda from the coal industry and fed false promises by the fracking industry. In the new documentary Hard Road of Hope, activist and artist Eleanor Goldfield examines the exploitation of West Virginia by these corporate interests and the fight that across that cuts across lines of race, class, and gender against those interests.

In this conversation we discuss:

- The West Virginia Mine Wars, 20th century fights against labor exploitation and SCABs, and how those fights relate to today's stuggles in Appalachian region of the United States

- Coal company corruption in West Virginia, fracking, the poisoning of water supplies and the effect on the community

- Talking to people from different cultures as an activist

- The propaganda used against the populace, coal company front groups like Friends of Coal, fear of the Left

- Indigenous struggle, solidarity, and much, much more

 

Mickey Huff of the media watchdog/media literacy group Project Censored returns to Parallax Views for a video chat about the project's latest works including the e-book compilation Censored News on Policing and Prisons and the documentary The United State of Distraction: Fighting the Fake News Invasion.

 

Links:

https://www.projectcensored.org/

https://www.projectcensored.org/united-states-of-distraction-fighting-the-fake-news-invasion/

https://www.projectcensored.org/product/censored-news-on-policing-and-prisons-e-book/

https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

 

This is a repost Parallax Views Ep. 5 featuring Michael Brooks (1983-2020). The loss of Michael Brooks has hit a number of us very hard. As such I feel the need to repost this classic episode. This was recorded before I was technically proficient (which is to say that my audio comes in on one end and Michael's audio comes in on the other end; this caused problems for some listeners; but I am unable to remaster the episode).

Ep. 5: Michael Brooks on Leftism, Humor, the Intellectual Dork Web, and Illicit History

June 10, 2018

On this edition of Parallax Views I speak with Michael Brooks of The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder and The Michael Brooks Show about leftist politics, the power of humor, and the Intellectual Dork Web... er... "Intellectual Dark Web", and his Illicit History podcast series.

We start the discussion by delving into how Michael Brooks got into leftist politics. Then we transition into how Michael's show follows in the long tradition of left-wing comedy. We talk a bit about the importance of humor in getting out a political message and building a viable social movement.

This leads into Michael's hilarious "Nation of Islam Obama" impersonations and a wider discussion of the Obama Presidency, Obama's likable personality, and having a measured left-wing critique of the Democratic Party.

From there we delve into the rise of the so-called Intellectual Dark Web, or, as I like to call it, the Intellectual Dork Web. We discuss all the usual players like Sam Harris, Charles Murray, and the lobster man himself, Jordan Peterson and following the money trail behind these characters while still debating their ideas. This opens us up for a discussion of the late great sociologist Zygmunt Bauman in contrast to Jordan Peterson.

We also take some time to discuss Michael's excellent Illicit History podcast series. This series deals with little dealt with history from perspectives that often go unconsidered. Interview subject for the series have included Dr. Christopher Ryan, author of Sex at Dawn, and Silicon Valley critic The Baffler's Corey Pein, author of Live Work Work Die: A Journey Into the Savage Heart of Silicon Valley.

We wrap up by talking about Michael's love of rap and hip hop and why in the world he isn't a fan of political rap king Immortal Technique.

All this and more on this fun, thoughtful edition of Parallax Views.

 

On this edition of Parallax VIews, fake news has been thrown about by both Republicans and Democrats since the 2016 election, but what does it mean? Nolan Higdon of Project Censored joins us to discuss his new book The Anatomy of Fake News: A Critical News Literacy Education. We begin how discussing how the term "fake news" gained popularity, how "fake news" is a reality beyond being a meme turned into a cultural phenomena thanks to Donald Trump, and the PropOrNot "fake news" list that targeted a number of left-wing websites, like Counterpunch and the Black Agenda Report, as Russian propaganda and why such lists are dangerous. We then move on to discussing what fake news is in the context that Nolan uses it, his books non-partisan, broad approach to the topic, and historical examples of fake news like the proto-tabloid penny press (and the story of Christopher Columbus!?). In addition we also talk about:

 

- The necessity of a free press for a healthy, functionining democracy

- The Daily Show's , the proble of satirical news like Last Week Tonight w/ John Oliver, The Daily Show w/ Trevor Noah, and Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee

- Corporate media's pro wrestling representation of politics; former WCW executive Eric Bischoff's TedX Talk on how political media mirror the dynamics of pro wrestling storytelling; the problems arising from a media ecosystem that runs off a narrow Red Vs. Blue dichotomy

- Why we need critical media literacy if we hope to maintain a healthy democracy

- The danger of looking towards Silicon Valley to solve the problem of fake news

- TV personalities (talking heads?) vs journalists; news consumers being unable to distinguish between op-ed and hard-nosed reporting

- Combat TV news and sensationalism; the media ecosystem focusing on sensationalism rather than policy and keeping voters informed

- The media ecosystem's potential role in the rise of phenomena like Trumpism, Brexit, and right-wing populism etc.

- Nolan's experiences teaching young people about fake news and critical media literacy

 

On this edition of Parallax Views, in these trying, some would say quasi-apocalyptic, times of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government jackboot coming down on citizens and activists the sci-fi genre seems like it could provide a lot of escapism. However, literary trends in sci-fi have moved towards a darker view of the future. Cynicism within literature has come to be seen as more "authentic". But what about sci-fi that envision utopias rather than dystopias? That's where author Brian M. Lewis's Farima:  An Afrofuturist Sci-Fi Adventure (The Homo Maximus Saga Book 1) comes into play. In this novel, his literary debut, Lewis provides readers with a vision of the future that, rather than drowning in pessimistic vision of post-apocalyptic dreariness, tries to imagine a world different than our own. In a words, Farima bravely bravely bucks the dystopian literary trends by imagining a better future through the lens of Afrofutursim and Solarpunk aesthetics that envisions a truly future with a truly progressive government. Brian Lewis joins us to tell us about the book, his views on technology and blockchain, Octavia Butler, the Black Panther movie, the COVID-19 pandemic, BLM and the recent Orwellian disappearing of protesters in Portland, and much, much more.

Synopsis for Farima by Brian M. Lewis:

"The Founder of a nation hides a destructive secret,

From a collective of scientists building disruptive technology,

While an enemy from the past hides in plain sight as he plots to destroy them all.

Dr. Natia Greenheart has brought together the most advanced team of scientists in all of New Manden. They've built many things, but nothing as disruptive as Homo Maximus. When complete, this breakthrough will offer effective immortality - for free.

However, a series of unfortunate attacks forces Natia and her team to travel to a private man-made island to finish the work.

Yet when they get there, Natia soon realizes that the island holds many secrets that could cost her and her team their lives. Natia will have to overcome sabotage, deception and the threat of death to not only complete the project but save a young nation from destruction."

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Les Wexner, the founder of L Brands and former CEO of Victoria's Secrets, has come under scrutiny in the past year for his close association with the late billionaire pedophile "International Man of Mystery" Jeffrey Epstein. In some ways Wexner's association with the wealthy abuser can be considered the "Ohio Connection" to the sordid saga of Jeffrey Epstein. Lawyer, professor of political science, and maverick Columbus, Ohio-based journalist Dr. Robert Fitrakis joins, who has been investigating the Wexner/Epstein story since the 1990s, joins us to discuss this aspect of the Epstein scandal. Our resident Epstein correspondent in France, Marlon Ettinger, joined J.G. to co-host this episode.

In this conversation we discuss:

- Bob's background in journalism and how he got on the trail of the billionaire Les Wexner in Columbus, Ohio

- How Epstein and Wexner met

- The 1985 mob-style murder/hit carried out against Wexner's tax attorney Arthur Shapiro and "The Shapiro Murder File"

- Wexner's connections to public corruption and organized crime in central Ohio

- State of Ohio Inspector General David Sturtz, who went after Epstein and Wexner and referred to Epstein as Wexner's "boyfriend"

- Wexner's ties to the scandalous Iran/Contra affair through the CIA-connected Southern Air Transport (SAT)

- The Wexner Foundation's involvement in the selling of the Iraq War

- Epstein and sexual blackmail operations; the large sums of money transferred from Wexner to Epstein; why Bob believes that Wexner is still worth looking into rather than someone who didn't know Epstein's true nature; the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell (does she have the goods?) and much, much more.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, is there a connection between the rise of mass incarceration through what has been called the carceral state and elements of feminism? Aya Gruber says there is and joins us on this edition of the program to discuss her provocative new book The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in  Mass Incarceration.

In this conversation we discuss:

- The meaning of feminism and it's history.

- What is the carceral state and the prison-industrial complex?

- The dilemma/paradox Aya Gruber faces as a a feminist and civil libertarian-oriented attorney/public defender.

- Feminism and punitive ideology in light of Tara Reade's accusations against Joe Biden

- Alliances between feminism and right-wing/conservative movements, particularly the "tough on crime" right wing of the Ronald Reagan era. The Violence Against Women Act and the Clinton Crime Bill

- The origins of "carceral feminism"; the idea of "dominance feminism"; second wave feminism's relation to the carceral turn; welfare rights, racial equality, and economic models of feminism being overlooked in favor of a model of feminism that turned towards the carceral apparatus; first wave feminism's relationship to the proto-carceral state and surveillance states through the temperance movement and vice crusaders

- What are the problems of taking up the governance tool of criminal law in the feminist struggle?; the Reagan era and the restructuring of the populace's moral compass vis-à-vis neoliberalism; domestic violence prosecution and arrest; has this all had negative effects on women and particularly women-of-color?

- Hillary Clinton's "Superpredators" comment; the pervasiveness of the "Superpredators" mindset amongst Democrats; the Biden-Schumer strategy that made the Democratic Party the "crime control" party and Bill Clinton's Presidential run; Joe Biden's 1994 Crime Bill; Bernie Sanders voting for the "crime control" bill and his attempts to speak out against it; the O.J. Simpson trial and the Violence Against Women Act

- The Combahee River Collective and the feminist civil war; the role of black feminist (and black lesbian feminists) in feminism and their opposition to racism and white supremacy alongside white men; conflict between the Combahee River Collective and white feminism?; black women and their relationship to feminism; the unwillingness of black feminism to give up on the struggle against racism; the welfare rights and domestic violence shelter movement; there was always dissenting voices against carceral feminism 

- Aya's idea of neofeminism; what it neofeminism means; is the story Aya telling the story of white feminism vs. black feminism?; neofeminism as a critical theory rather than an identity-based theory; claims of subordination beyond gender, intersecting identities, and their relationship to feminism

- The problem of sex trafficking; the white slavery discourse of the 1800's and how it was racialized; Chinese sex workers and the first federal anti-immigrant legislation; the Robert Kraft scandal and policies directed at ending sex slavery; the weaponization of criminal law

- What Aya Gruber wants folks to get out of the book; is she anti-feminist?; misconceptions about the book; the history of policing and its complex relationship to feminism; Aya's message to millenial feminists; achieving gender justice and shrinking the carceral state WITHOUT becoming a rape apologist; feedback for the book

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Western nations often speak about Putin and Russia in a way that would make two appear interchangeable. What if we were to view Russia beyond the lens of just seeing Putin though? That's what Tony Wood attempts to do in Russia Without Putin: Money, Power, and the Myths of the New Cold War (Verso; 2018).

Among the topics covered in this conversation:

- Red-baiting and anti-Semitic tropes in Western thinking about Russia.

- The title "Russia Without Putin", its meaning, and thinking about Russia beyond Putin as an analytic challenge; Western reporting on Russia and the decline of expertise and understanding about Russia and the Russian experience after the Cold War.

- Thinking of Putin in terms of his being a result of the Soviet system and the KGB; trying to think about Putin more in terms of Russia's neoliberal turn, continuation of Boris Yeltsin's Russia, etc.

- The lingering holdovers of the Soviet experience on Russia; thinking about Russia after the fall of the Soviet union and the transition to capitalism in Russia; Understanding Boris Yeltsin's place in history and seeing Putin as, in some ways, a continuation of Yeltsin.

- The effect of the capitalist transformation of Russia on the lives and statuses of everyday Russians, "shock therapy"; wealth and class inequality in Russia.

- A sketch of Putin's rise to power.

- Russian foreign policy; U.S. foreign policy and NATO dominance over the world after the Cold War; perceptions of Russian aggression

- Criticisms Tony would make of Putin and his regime

- Will Putin be gone in 2024?; Putin's constitutional maneuvers going into 2024

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Tupac Shakur is without a doubt one of the most beloved rappers of all-time. A voice of the hip hop generation, Tupac's death remains shrouded in controversy and conspiracy theories abound in its wake. Was it related to the gang war between the Bloods and Crips? Was it a revenge plot by Death Row Records' leader Suge Knight because the rapper sought to leave the label? Author John Potash offers another theory in his book The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders.

Regardless your opinion on the theories surrounding Tupac's death, John offers a fascinating history of U.S. intelligence agency efforts to squash black liberations movements through the FBI's COINTELPRO as well as unveiling the radical political activism of the Shakur family dating back to the 1960's and 1970's with groups like the Black Panthers. He also unveils the often overlooked political side of Tupac Shakur in the process. In this conversation we discuss:

- The history of COINTELPRO

- Shakur's family, including Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur and her involvement with the Panther 21 case, the work of Mutulu Shakur and his drug addiction recovery efforts at Lincoln Detox, and the frame-up of Assata Shakur (who remains on the lam to this very day)

- Tupac's own politics, his involvement with the shady Death Row Records, his attempts to end the East Vs. Left Coast gang wars, the suspicions related to his death, and much, much more!

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