Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, we chat with comedian Jake Flores of the Pod Damn America and Why You Mad podcasts about the surrealist comedy of our current political atmosphere in the era of Trump and Biden. Additionally, we talk about comedy, opening for Doug Stanhope, how comedy and horror are similar, comedy being written off as "low-brow" culture, and that one time Jake got a visit from Homeland Security after a joke about ICE on Twitter. We also tie in David Cronenberg's VIDEODROME and Adam Curtis' HYPERNORMALIZATION into the conversation as well. In other words we go all over the place. Hopefully this will be a nice pick me up for those of you who may be constantly saying to yourself, "Has the planet gone mad!?"

Oh yeah, and we even talk about what it's like to interview John McAfee. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. Harvey J. Kaye, author of Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again, joins us to discus his new book, FDR on Democracy: The Greatest Speeches and Writings of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as giving his thoughts on the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and the Democratic Party's de facot nominee Joe Biden. In this wide-ranging conversation Harvey explains why he believes American must dig back in history and remember the legacy of FDR. What did FDR, his fault aside, represent and why does his legacy still matter? And most importantly can be gleaned from the Roosevelt Legacy for use in the 21st century? In addition to discussing these matter, Harvey also gives his take on the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and how the Left should handle Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Silicon Valley darling Elon Musk is back in the news as he welcomes his new born child into the world alongside his musician girlfriend Grimes. But what of Elon Musk's ventures in the tech world, specifically the push for autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars? Former Lockheed Martin whistleblower Michael DeKort joins us to discuss what he considers the major problems with the push for autonomous vehicles today and specifically his criticisms of Elon Musk, Tesla, and other companies looking to make autonomous vehicles a reality. Although Michael is not against the idea of autonomous vehicles he is pointedly critical of the approach taken by Musk and others to make them a reality and argues that such approaches are a danger to the public. In fact, DeKort says, the current approaches are reckless and could lead to great harm. In addition to discussing the push for autonomous vehicles and Michael's criticisms of Musk, et al. we also discuss whistleblowing and COVID-19 in this fascinating conversation.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, a previously unpublished conversation w/ writer M.K. Anderson on her Protean Magazine piece "On Eugenics, Richard Dawkins Offers Nothing But Sophistry". M.K. fills us in on how, just a few short months ago, Dawkins claimed that, while it was ok to oppose eugenics on "ideological, political, and moral grounds" that it would "work" for humans. M.K. says this is incorrect and that Dawkins ignores that historically eugenics has always been a  politically motivated and that the alleged science on it doesn't add up. In addition to this M.K. also discusses issues related to the mental health system in America and how it relates to these matters as well as sharing her personal thoughts on debates had amongst the political left today. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, we revisit the topic of China in light of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic as well as looking at China from a historical and political perspective with scholar Sasha Day, author of The Peasant in Postsocialist China: History, Politics, and Capitalism. Sasha provides a different view on these matters than previous guest Ian Goodrum of the China Daily, but also pushes back on conspiracy theories blaming China for the pandemic. We discuss a number of issues in addition to the pandemic (and the sinophobia it has unfortunately produced) including the debate over whether China is still communist like in the days of Mao or if it has gone capitalist since the 1970's under Deng along with a number of other issues.

On this edition of Parallax Views, noted activist and organizer Howie Hawkins joins us to discuss his 2020 run for President under the Green Party ticket and what he calls the "life or death issues" facing the United States of America today. Although many have written off the Green Party as a "spoiler" party whose candidates have potentially sabotaged the efforts of the Democratic Presidential Part's Presidential opportunities over the years, Howie makes a passionate case for the importance of Third Party Politics and the Green Party as a force that can push for progressive reforms. Additionally, he notes that a large part of his campaign is about helping to build the base of the Green Party at the local level so that it can grow and prosper in the future. Moreover, Howie offers a number of nuanced, thoughtful takes on issues including policing, the War on Drugs, ecology and environmentalism, military spending, and income inequity that are worth considering and details his involvement in the original Green New Deal. Even if you haven't considered voting for the Green Party in this election it is my hope that listening to voices like Howie Hawkins will give a new, fresh perspective on hot-button topics that need to be addressed more seriously. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

Video Version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft2xlllutbA

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Silicon Valley is often hailed as pushing the world towards a better, more prosperous future through a model creative destruction and brave technological innovation. Economics professor Rob Larson, however, offers a competing viewpoint to this rose-colored narrative of darlings of the tech world like Microsoft, Apple, and Google in his new book Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley (Haymarket Books, 2020). In many ways picking up where his previous book, Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom (Zero Books, 2018), left off, Rob launches a scathing but thoughtful critique on libertarian-style techno utopianism and reveals the often ignored aspect that the public sector has played in important technological innovations. Additionally, Rob details the less savory elements of the Silicon Valley story and how historically the Silicon Valley's current position of power and the effect it has on society bears a resemblance to the Gilded Age. Rob joins us to give an overview of this fascinating new book and fills us in on how it connects to his previous book Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom in the course of this fascinating conversation. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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In this edition of Parallax Views, David Talbot, - journalist and founder of the pioneering web magazine Salon - joins us to discuss his new book: 'Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke'. 

Previously David has written the New York Times bestseller 'Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years', as well as, 'The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government', and 'Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love'. In 'Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke', David offers a heartfelt, honest, and often-times cheery memoir of his experiences facing mortality after suffering a stroke and how, thanks to family and a community of caregivers, he survived it and became something of a different person as a result. In this emotionally powerful conversation, we cover David's stroke and his survival, as well as the themes of gratitude and community that permeate the memoir. Additionally, David and I discuss some of his early experiences with Salon: how Salon famously took on right-wing hypocrisy during the Clinton impeachment; a fascinating personal story from David about Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos; and David's experience trying to get his books a cinematic treatment from Hollywood. We even begin the conversation with a bit of trivia about David's father, the legendary character actor Lyle Talbot, who starred in movies like Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space (David even has an anecdote to share about the notorious Ed Wood!). All that and more in this edition of Parallax Views.

 

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On this edition of Parallax Views, Michael Brooks of The Majority Report, The Michael Brooks Show, and Weekends w/ Ana Kasparian and Michael Brooks joins us once again to discuss his brand new book Against the Web: A Cosmopolitan Answer to the New Right. In Against the Web, Michael critiques the "Intellectual Dark Web" that gained notoriety a few years ago through figures like Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, and Ben Shapiro. Although some would argue the IDW's influence has waned, Michael nonetheless provides good answers for how the Left can build movements that challenge the American right. After all, this won't be the IDW won't be the last iteration of right-wing thought in American social life. In addition to discussing Against the Web, Michael, J.G., and Casey also discuss Michael's takes on current matters like the woke vs economic reductionism debate, the end of the Bernie moment, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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On this edition of Parallax Views, rabble-rouser, former Anonymous associate, journalist, and press critic Barrett Brown joins us to give an update on his current wars with the press. In particular, Barrett tells us about his latest suspension from Twitter and his recent series of exchanges with David Enrich of the New York Times. Enrich, who recently wrote the book Dark Towers: Donald Trump, Deutsche Bank, and an Epic Trail of Destruction, came to Barrett's attention to do whistleblower Val Broeksmit (who we recently interviewed alongside journalist Scott Steadman on Parallax Views) and Barrett has a great deal to say about the relationship between Broeksmit and Enrich. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views.

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