Why does the World Suck so Bad Right Now: with Greg Stoker

[00:00:03] [Music] [00:00:24] [Music] [00:00:31] Hello and welcome to State of Play on [00:00:34] Mint Press News for your weekly Monday [00:00:36] episode where we look at all the [00:00:38] terrible things that happened over the [00:00:39] weekend. There's an interesting MAGA [00:00:41] vers Trumpian Zionist uh realignment [00:00:44] going on, which I'm bringing popcorn to [00:00:47] the watch party for as that story [00:00:48] develops. Uh Israel has launched another [00:00:51] offensive into Gaza, which we'll be [00:00:52] addressing later this week. Netanyahu [00:00:55] has delayed his corruption trial again [00:00:58] and uh a Jubilee debate with Medi Assan [00:01:02] vers 20 farright conservatives dropped [00:01:04] and is sparking a ton of debates. Guys, [00:01:07] strap in. This is going to be a [00:01:10] rantbased episode uh you know, not [00:01:14] where I'll answer your questions uh to [00:01:16] the best of my abilities here at the [00:01:18] end. why the world sucks so bad right [00:01:21] now and also why you shouldn't despair [00:01:23] and maybe what you can do about it. I'm [00:01:25] your host Greg Stoker and since the [00:01:27] world again sucks right now and we exist [00:01:29] in a collapsing [00:01:32] uh late stage of capitalism, it's time [00:01:34] to get my editormandated plug out of the [00:01:37] way. If you're new here on Mint Press [00:01:39] News, we are a small independent [00:01:42] newsroom with no corporate sponsors. I [00:01:45] do the live shows twice a week. Um, [00:01:48] there's other journalists that do other [00:01:49] stuff. I'm the live show guy for now. 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[00:02:36] So, today we are going to be addressing [00:02:39] something um the broader why [00:02:42] everything's kind of weird and [00:02:44] collapsing. We're going to bring in like [00:02:45] hypernormalization stuff. We're also [00:02:47] going to talk about platforming fascists [00:02:50] and liberal resistance politics. [00:02:54] And you know, there's a lot of stuff [00:02:55] that we can bring in too. AOC uh had a [00:02:58] controversial vote in her office in the [00:03:00] Bronx was vandalized because, you know, [00:03:03] she has a problematic history of playing [00:03:06] political sheep dog cover for the [00:03:08] ongoing genocide in Gaza. We're going to [00:03:11] get to all of that. So to begin, we're [00:03:14] going to start with this Jubilee debate [00:03:16] which has actually sparked a lot of [00:03:17] controversy. Should we be platforming [00:03:19] this? How should we approach, you know, [00:03:23] self-avowed fascists? And I will just [00:03:25] say that humans have this perennial [00:03:28] habit of always believing they occupy [00:03:33] the most consequential political and [00:03:36] cultural moment of human history. And of [00:03:38] course, you know, that might be true [00:03:39] because it's the only one currently [00:03:41] happening. So, we're not going to get [00:03:42] into like temporality and philosophy on [00:03:45] this one. It's beyond the scope of the [00:03:47] show. Um, I'll just say this, it's not [00:03:51] looking great right now. Um, and can we [00:03:55] please stop platforming, this is my [00:03:57] personal opinion, and engaging with [00:03:59] Jubilee on their quote one progressive [00:04:02] verse 20 farright conservatives. [00:04:04] Clickbait BS. Um, there have been a lot [00:04:07] of good takes on this, but here's mine [00:04:09] first. And this is the last time I'll [00:04:11] ever play one of these videos on here. [00:04:13] Again, just for context in case you guys [00:04:15] weren't tracking democracy. [00:04:17] >> No, I don't. Absolutely not. [00:04:19] >> What do you believe in? [00:04:21] >> Autocracy. [00:04:21] >> How do we get to an autocracy? [00:04:23] >> I think quite frankly that if we are [00:04:26] able to enact local leaders, [00:04:28] >> the Wii, by the way, [00:04:29] >> I think quite frankly these farright [00:04:31] conservatives sitting right around here, [00:04:32] >> white people. Yeah, I'm for defending [00:04:34] the traditional demographics of this [00:04:35] country, which is majority white. I [00:04:38] should stay. [00:04:38] >> I mean, look, there there's huge [00:04:40] revisionist history in white supremacist [00:04:42] culture. It's actually kind of crazy. I [00:04:45] might be able to like go into it more [00:04:47] and like talk about it, but um I don't [00:04:50] know. I grew up all around it in Texas, [00:04:52] which you know, we we stole from Mexico. [00:04:55] Uh anyways, who were also uh colonizers [00:04:58] as well. So, anyways, continuing. How [00:05:00] does the United States, how would [00:05:02] Connor's America look? What would it [00:05:04] look like? [00:05:04] >> Well, quite frankly, I think we would [00:05:05] deport people who shouldn't be here. [00:05:07] >> What does the government look like? [00:05:09] >> It's the friend enemy distinction, [00:05:10] right? You [00:05:12] >> the Nazi theoretician. [00:05:13] >> Absolutely. I don't care. [00:05:15] >> Are you fan of the Nazis? [00:05:16] >> Well, they persecuted the church a [00:05:18] little bit. I'm not a fan of that. But [00:05:19] >> what about the persecution of the [00:05:20] >> I want to bring this up. Um, so he [00:05:23] brings up the persecution of the church [00:05:25] under the Nazis. And as people are still [00:05:27] filtering into the live, I'm going to [00:05:30] regurgitate the uh I think Pastor Frank [00:05:33] or Francis Nemholeer. [00:05:37] Okay, someone has to fact check me in [00:05:38] the comments, but it's Neimler. He was a [00:05:41] Lutheran pastor, I believe. He was [00:05:43] either Lutheran or Presbyterian. I think [00:05:44] Lutheran. And he was a Nazi. He was a [00:05:47] member of the Nazi party, as I recall. [00:05:49] He supported the Nazi party and a lot of [00:05:51] their deportation, uh, blood and soil [00:05:54] rhetoric. and he wrote the uh the spoken [00:05:57] word poem. At first they came for the [00:05:59] communist, but I said nothing because I [00:06:00] wasn't a communist. Then it came for the [00:06:02] socialist, but I said nothing because [00:06:03] that I wasn't a socialist. Then it was [00:06:05] the trans union uh the unionists, the [00:06:07] trade unionists. Uh then they came for [00:06:09] the Jews and then they came for me and [00:06:12] there was no one left to speak for me. [00:06:14] Um so yes, the Nazis did persecute the [00:06:16] church. And the reason this fascist [00:06:18] pastor who eventually kind of flipped [00:06:20] his political position, he was still [00:06:22] completely problematic was because um he [00:06:26] objected to the fascist control of uh [00:06:29] the state control of churches. But [00:06:32] obviously under this kind of stuff, [00:06:34] churches will always be wrapped into the [00:06:36] state. It's baked into their entire [00:06:37] political philosophy. So that was [00:06:39] stupid. Anyways, I just wanted to point [00:06:41] that out as a historical artifact before [00:06:44] we continue this [00:06:44] >> Jews. Well, I mean, I I certainly don't [00:06:47] support anyone's human dignity being [00:06:49] assaulted. I'm a Catholic, [00:06:50] >> but you don't condemn Nazi persecution [00:06:51] of the Jews. [00:06:53] >> I I think that there was a little bit of [00:06:56] persecution and stuff like that, which [00:06:57] rename the show because you're a little [00:06:58] bit more than a farright Republican. [00:07:01] >> Hey, what can I say? [00:07:03] >> I think you can say I'm a fascist. [00:07:04] >> Yeah, I am. [00:07:07] >> Cuz you know that. [00:07:09] >> Okay. Uh yeah, you know, there was just [00:07:12] a Fox News host uh speaking a couple [00:07:15] days ago and he said uh you know, we [00:07:18] need to like the the the black he said [00:07:21] quote the blacks. Jesus Christ. Uh you [00:07:24] reclaim the n-word. Well, we need to [00:07:27] reclaim the Nazi word. You know what's [00:07:30] up, Nazi? He said this on prime time [00:07:32] Fox. Uh so now they're just really out [00:07:34] in the open about it. And first of all, [00:07:38] just wanted to point out real solid [00:07:40] master race vibes coming off that Uber [00:07:42] Mench who was just talking. Just [00:07:44] kidding. That's sarcasm, by the way. [00:07:46] Second, of course, uh a lifelong debater [00:07:49] like Medi Hassan annihilated a bunch of [00:07:51] Gen Z fascists since their ideology is [00:07:53] so inherently rife with contradictions. [00:07:56] But this just goes to show you that if [00:07:57] you make white supremacists fear that [00:08:00] they'll become a minority, like white [00:08:02] replacement theory, uh they assume at [00:08:05] the very least non-conciously, but they [00:08:07] assume that they will be treated as they [00:08:09] treat minorities or see minorities [00:08:12] treated under their policies and they'll [00:08:14] see their entire political position as [00:08:17] an extension exist sorry as an [00:08:19] existential battle for their [00:08:21] self-determination, freedom, and [00:08:23] physical survival. So yeah, because they [00:08:26] treat minorities like that, they don't [00:08:27] want to become a minority. It's one of [00:08:28] their greatest existential fears. And [00:08:30] they will vote while they still can [00:08:32] vote, even though that guy was just [00:08:34] championing for one more time to vote in [00:08:36] an autocrat and then no more voting to [00:08:38] impoverish themselves. They'll vote to [00:08:40] improvish themselves, to evict [00:08:42] themselves, to imprison themselves, and [00:08:44] ultimately in this age to enslave [00:08:46] themselves to what you could call [00:08:48] capitalists or their technofudal [00:08:51] oligarchic masters in order to maintain [00:08:53] their own supremacy and therefore their [00:08:55] own safety. So, they're fascists. They [00:08:58] control and are inextricably embedded in [00:09:01] the apparatus of state violence. They [00:09:03] are still testing the waters not to see [00:09:07] what they can get away with, but how [00:09:09] fast they can get away with it without [00:09:12] being actually challenged. And that [00:09:14] challenge really has to come from us, [00:09:17] right? And we will talk about what that [00:09:18] can look like, but it's not going to [00:09:20] come from controlled opposition [00:09:21] democratic socialists like AOC, Bernie [00:09:25] Sanders, soon to be Mom Donnie. Uh, it's [00:09:28] already happening. It seems like he [00:09:29] probably gonna end up kissing the ring. [00:09:31] he's changed a lot of his speeches on [00:09:33] Israel and that's how they get you. And [00:09:35] it came after his meeting with the [00:09:36] billionaires last week in New York City. [00:09:40] um you know these guys who wish to [00:09:44] incrementally reform the system under [00:09:47] terms and authority of the boogeoisi and [00:09:49] that's why they're always co-opted you [00:09:51] know uh because they sacrifice the [00:09:53] ideals and promises they made to get [00:09:56] elected in order to maintain their [00:09:58] newfound privilege and access to [00:10:00] political power. This is why under our [00:10:02] political system [00:10:05] politicians say whatever they want to [00:10:07] say to get arrested. It doesn't matter [00:10:08] if you're a Democrat or a Republican, [00:10:10] you never do what you say you're going [00:10:12] to do. Um, and it's time to get real [00:10:15] about this before it's too late, right [00:10:16] y'all? Because the look, we can see from [00:10:20] the interview, and I think Mediasan, and [00:10:21] I have a lot of problems with him, uh, [00:10:23] did it to expose them and to generate [00:10:25] clickbait because he's all about [00:10:27] clickbait, too, at his Zateo news. [00:10:28] That's why he gets on to Piers Morgan, [00:10:30] which we'll talk about as well. Uh, but [00:10:32] like his ostensible thing was to expose [00:10:34] them and beyond all their rhetoric. Um, [00:10:38] they want you dead. They may go into [00:10:41] clickbait YouTube channels like Jubilee [00:10:43] and engage in a rulesbased debate, but [00:10:46] they want you dead. And that's why [00:10:48] platforming them in a cordial [00:10:50] environment [00:10:52] muddies the waters and is truly [00:10:54] irresponsible because it spreads their [00:10:56] vile message and makes them seem [00:10:58] somewhat innocuous in their pastel polos [00:11:01] and stupid hats, following the rules of [00:11:04] debate, shaking hands after that. But [00:11:06] they want you in a cage, right? Whether [00:11:08] that's physical in terms of the ICE [00:11:10] detention center in Miami, which you [00:11:12] know, the Human Rights Watch just [00:11:14] reported on and the Guardian just [00:11:15] published an article that detainees were [00:11:17] shackled with their hands behind their [00:11:19] backs and forced to kneel and eat food [00:11:21] from styrofoam plates like dogs. Real [00:11:23] Abu Grae stuff. Or a cage that's like [00:11:27] basically an oppressive legal cage [00:11:29] typified by their perverse crusade to [00:11:31] control women's bodies through [00:11:33] legislation. And it begins as it always [00:11:36] does with the most marginalized groups [00:11:39] first and works its way up the privilege [00:11:41] ladder until they have to finally deal [00:11:43] with the race traders. Unless you're a [00:11:45] socialist, um then you'll get the hammer [00:11:47] early on, even if you're white. Again, [00:11:49] they want us dead. Until you actually [00:11:52] internalize that reality, you're going [00:11:55] to be absolutely useless to the rest of [00:11:57] us. And while it was gratifying, and [00:11:59] I'll admit it, I watched a lot of the [00:12:01] clips and I enjoyed them. He's a master [00:12:03] debater. While it was gratifying to see [00:12:05] Medie wipe the floor with these mouth [00:12:07] breathing idiots so that people can [00:12:09] finally see what they really think. I [00:12:11] mean, if somehow you missed what they [00:12:13] really think and how they really feel [00:12:15] and what they really want to do, somehow [00:12:17] you missed it. Ultimately, I'm reminded [00:12:20] by something like honestly my [00:12:21] grandfather once said he fought the [00:12:23] fascists up through Italy and across [00:12:25] Europe and Patton's third army. And then [00:12:27] he had a cattle ranch after he retired [00:12:29] from the military out in uh Mina, [00:12:32] Arkansas. and there was clan in those [00:12:34] woods uh growing up there. So, uh he [00:12:37] basically always said that you don't mud [00:12:39] wrestle with a pig cuz you'll get [00:12:41] covered in [ __ ] and the pig probably [00:12:43] likes it. And also he said that the only [00:12:46] debate worth having against fascists is [00:12:48] with a gun. And that's just what he said [00:12:50] as an anecdote and I'm just reporting [00:12:53] that and I'm not endorsing anything for [00:12:56] legal reasons. But those words were said [00:12:58] by a person I once knew. Uh, and you [00:13:00] know, as a four-time combat veteran, the [00:13:02] social contract was, now that I was I [00:13:04] think about this earlier today, was that [00:13:05] I wage unjust imperial wars and if I [00:13:08] don't, you know, get killed or kill [00:13:09] myself, I get to chill for the rest of [00:13:11] my life and collect benefits. Uh, but if [00:13:14] you think that's still going to happen [00:13:16] or be a reality going forward in the [00:13:19] country that we're now a part of, I [00:13:21] don't think you've really been paying [00:13:23] attention. you know, the the the life [00:13:25] that we were promised by our boomer [00:13:28] parents or Gen X parents, uh, is really [00:13:31] not going to come to fruition, right? In [00:13:33] summary, I don't know why we're engaging [00:13:36] in debate and platforming people who [00:13:39] effectually want us dead, displaced, or [00:13:42] in cages. You know, there's a reason why [00:13:44] the Palestinians don't argue with [00:13:47] Zionists. Why can't we learn from them? [00:13:51] But know this is an existential conflict [00:13:53] and we need to start treating it like [00:13:55] one. Um, and guys, there's always going [00:13:57] to be fascists and people who yearn for [00:14:00] autocracy and propaganda to stoke a [00:14:03] culture war so we don't have a class [00:14:05] war. And that's [00:14:08] that last piece is the real problem, [00:14:10] right? There is the same propaganda [00:14:12] coming from conservative and liberal [00:14:13] spaces. So, let's talk about liberal [00:14:16] spaces. Have you heard of dark woke? No, [00:14:20] it's pretty much as dumb as it sounds. [00:14:22] And this it's like this social movement [00:14:24] within the Democratic party, dark woke. [00:14:27] All right, let me pull up the New York [00:14:29] Times article that came out um earlier [00:14:31] this year uh uh about it. So guys, dark [00:14:36] woke, what is dark woke? Democrats are [00:14:39] trying out a new attitude. It's [00:14:40] provocative, edgy, and periously towing [00:14:43] the line of not being too offensive. As [00:14:46] liberals try to get their groove back, [00:14:47] some party insiders say Democratic [00:14:49] politicians have been encouraged to [00:14:51] embrace a new form of combative rhetoric [00:14:53] aimed at winning back voters who have [00:14:55] responded to President Trump's no hold [00:14:57] barred version of politics. It's an [00:15:00] attempt to step outside the bounds of [00:15:03] the political correctness that [00:15:04] Republicans have accused Democrats of [00:15:06] establishing. And it requires being [00:15:07] crass but discerning, rude, but only to [00:15:12] a point. It's definitely gonna work, [00:15:14] guys. All right. So, dark work, you [00:15:18] know, woke is actually a term that some [00:15:20] Democratic strategists are using to [00:15:22] describe a more aggressive combative [00:15:24] rhetorical style aimed at winning back [00:15:26] voters who have been dawn drawn to [00:15:29] Donald Trump's style of politics. As we [00:15:31] as the article just said, it involves [00:15:33] stepping outside traditional PC [00:15:36] political correctness, right? being [00:15:38] willing to use blunt language and attack [00:15:40] opponents, even if it means being [00:15:42] perceived as rude or crass, but with a [00:15:44] degree of discernment. The term is meant [00:15:46] to be a counterpoint to what some see as [00:15:49] an overly cautious rhetoric on the quote [00:15:51] unquote left, but of course they're not [00:15:53] the left. And honestly though, from a [00:15:56] sociological perspective, this dark woke [00:15:58] term is related to the broader concept [00:16:00] of woke, which originated in um black or [00:16:04] African-American vernacular English to [00:16:06] describe awareness of racial prejudice [00:16:09] and discrimination. And in recent years, [00:16:11] woke has become a widely used term, [00:16:13] often with political connotations and [00:16:15] has been uh both embraced and criticized [00:16:17] by different groups. Obviously, the dark [00:16:19] woke approach is a more assertive and [00:16:21] confrontational interpretation of the [00:16:23] woke concept, particularly within the [00:16:26] context of political discourse. So, [00:16:29] essentially though, if you're really [00:16:30] looking at it, dark woke is a strategic [00:16:32] attempt by some Democrats to adopt a [00:16:34] more aggressive and less restrained [00:16:36] communication style, drawing uh [00:16:39] inspiration from the tactics of Trump, [00:16:41] but with goal of winning back voters [00:16:43] again. And it's not going to work. It's [00:16:46] really not going to work. This is just [00:16:47] another marketing strategy that they're [00:16:48] still trying to string out instead of [00:16:50] actually fighting. And I wanted to talk [00:16:52] about this because it ties into the [00:16:54] whole problem with our media landscape. [00:16:57] Uh here's Matt Walsh, a vowed Christian [00:17:00] fascist and MAGA influencer talking [00:17:03] about it. And honestly, it's not the [00:17:06] worst take. [00:17:07] >> Last few months, there's a phrase, a [00:17:09] term that started popping up in [00:17:11] headlines. And the term is dark woke. [00:17:14] And this is a a new form of wokeness [00:17:17] that has emerged. This is perhaps the [00:17:19] answer to countering Donald Trump and [00:17:21] MAGA. They they've not been able to come [00:17:23] up with an answer over 10 years. And now [00:17:25] the New York Times has a long think [00:17:26] piece on the topic. Headline, what is [00:17:28] dark woke? Democrats are trying out a [00:17:30] new attitude. It's provocative, edgy, [00:17:33] and perilously towing the line of not [00:17:35] being too offensive. There was a time [00:17:37] last summer when the Democratic Party [00:17:38] was cool. Kla Harris had just stepped [00:17:40] in. [00:17:41] >> Okay. The Democratic Party was never [00:17:43] cool. Even even when you know it was [00:17:45] supposed to be Brat Summer [00:17:46] >> as Democrat party nominee for president [00:17:48] the waning days of brat summer. She went [00:17:50] on the popular podcast Caller Daddy. Tim [00:17:52] Walls's outdoorsy drip led to a chapel [00:17:55] ran inspired camo trucker hat. The memes [00:17:58] were flowing and the party's mood was [00:18:00] high. The Democratic party was not cool [00:18:02] during that time. Some party insiders [00:18:04] say Democrat [00:18:05] >> I hate how he's right. [00:18:06] >> Politicians have been encouraged to [00:18:08] embrace a new form of combative [00:18:10] combative rhetoric. It's an attempt to [00:18:12] step outside the bounds of political [00:18:13] correctness that Republicans have [00:18:15] accused Democrats of establishing and [00:18:16] requires being crass but discerning, [00:18:18] rude, but only to a point. This is this [00:18:20] is what they're claiming and that [00:18:21] Democrats have, you know, have this [00:18:23] problem and they've started to get more [00:18:24] aggressive and more confrontational. Um, [00:18:26] because they weren't already, right, [00:18:27] with the rioting and, you know, [00:18:29] destroying vehicles and all that like [00:18:31] that they weren't already aggressive and [00:18:32] confrontational enough. And [00:18:35] the this is one narrative of the of the [00:18:37] far right I can't understand like hey go [00:18:39] to an actual protest get pepper-sprayed [00:18:41] a bunch of times. Okay. And that was [00:18:44] when a Democrat was in office. [00:18:46] I'm referring to the Biden Palestine [00:18:48] protests. [00:18:49] >> This is dark woke. And the New York [00:18:50] Times says that it it uh it may just [00:18:53] save the party. This is the party's [00:18:55] redemption is dark woke. [00:18:58] >> Okay. Um, yeah, obviously it didn't [00:19:01] work. And I I don't think you guys [00:19:03] remember when Representative Jasmine [00:19:06] Crockett, who obviously is a supporter [00:19:09] of Israel's combat operation in [00:19:12] Palestine, uh, called Governor Greg [00:19:15] Abbott of Texas, who I hate too. I hate [00:19:18] him. Uh, who is paralyzed and in a [00:19:20] wheelchair Hot Wheels. Well, this is an [00:19:23] encapsulation of dark woke. And it's the [00:19:26] entire problem with everything that [00:19:29] they're doing. Wait, where is she? Is [00:19:30] she here? [00:19:31] >> Hot Texas streets, honey. Um, [00:19:36] y'all know we got Governor Hot Wheels [00:19:38] down there. Come on now. [00:19:41] And and the only thing hot about him is [00:19:44] that he is a hot mess, honey. So, um, so [00:19:48] yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. [00:19:53] >> All right. Look, yo. Yeah. So, that's [00:19:56] really going to do the trick, right? Uh, [00:19:58] it's worse and less effective rage bait [00:20:00] obviously than what MAGA comes up with. [00:20:02] But there But hey, anything not to talk [00:20:04] about class or workers or taxation of [00:20:07] the rich or imperialism or capitalism or [00:20:09] genocide. Am I right? Uh, while [00:20:14] sorry, I had a [00:20:16] I had a long weekend. Uh, yeah. Anyways, [00:20:21] while it was cathartic to watch Medie [00:20:23] Hassan wipe the floor with people, his [00:20:25] entire stance though, and this is really [00:20:27] what what I wanted to get into is [00:20:29] problematic and endemic of the crisis of [00:20:32] neoliberalism. I saw one person comment [00:20:34] under my video, quote, I watched the [00:20:37] entire debate earlier. It's a pretty [00:20:38] gross clickbait factory and Medy's [00:20:40] liberalism was pretty gling, police [00:20:42] good, constitution sacrian. Couldn't [00:20:45] explain why Trump would ethnically [00:20:47] cleanse Gaza, US imperialism, [00:20:49] capitalism, etc. Yeah. And that's it [00:20:52] right there. Honestly, why Medi is [00:20:54] routinely on Piers Morgan as Piers tries [00:20:58] to rehabilitate his image. Let's take a [00:21:01] look at what my colleague at Mint Press, [00:21:02] Loki, who has debated Piers multiple [00:21:05] times on his own show, has to say about [00:21:08] it. [00:21:10] >> Nothing. He's changed nothing. He's [00:21:13] trying to save his own reputation [00:21:16] historically and because he understood [00:21:19] that it's irrefutable what Israel is [00:21:22] doing. But he's been a key weapon of [00:21:25] Israel throughout this war. Let's be [00:21:27] clear. When he asks you if you condemn [00:21:30] Hamas, he's trying to do one of two [00:21:32] things. Either criminalize you or enlist [00:21:36] you into Israeli military propaganda. [00:21:39] Those are his two objectives. And so [00:21:42] what he's done throughout this period of [00:21:43] time, it can't be separated from [00:21:45] Murdoch's history. You know, when Modkai [00:21:47] Venunu was kidnapped by Mossad, it was [00:21:50] while he was under the care of Murdoch's [00:21:52] newspaper, The Times. Yeah. Murdoch [00:21:56] literally had a an Israeli intelligence [00:21:59] group in this country in the '90s which [00:22:03] hacked his opponent's uh stuff. Murdoch [00:22:07] is described by Benjamin Netanyahu in [00:22:09] his book, [00:22:10] >> Friends. [00:22:11] BB my story as one of his closest [00:22:13] friends as Israel has never had a better [00:22:16] friend than Robert Murdoch. So we're [00:22:18] supposed to take this person yeah who is [00:22:21] attempting to either criminalize [00:22:23] supporters of Palestine or enlist them [00:22:25] into Israeli military propaganda as [00:22:27] objective and neutral just because he [00:22:29] says he is. He wants some sort of medal [00:22:32] or award for recognizing Palestinian [00:22:34] humanity. At this point, the [00:22:36] propagandists who were involved in the [00:22:39] Nazi [00:22:41] uh war and and propagandized for them [00:22:46] were held responsible and hanged at [00:22:48] Nuremberg. [00:22:50] >> Yeah. He has been a propagandist [00:22:54] for the Zionist genocide in Gaza. [00:23:00] >> Yeah. And Medi Hassan, you know, because [00:23:03] he's part of the game. It's almost like [00:23:05] rich people all know each other. The [00:23:07] money gain, the notoriety gain gets on [00:23:09] Piers Morgan and through Medy's [00:23:11] established quote unquote progressivism [00:23:13] legitimizes and revises Piers's [00:23:17] rehabilitation as being not complicit in [00:23:20] genocide. And this is how they all work [00:23:22] together. The conservatives, the libs, [00:23:24] neols, what do you whatever you want to [00:23:27] call it, all part of the same power [00:23:28] structure and economic structure. And so [00:23:30] take AOC for instance. One second. Let [00:23:33] me let me pull this guy up. [00:23:37] Is this it? [00:23:40] Yes. Add to stage. [00:23:46] Oh my god. Again, whole weekend thing. [00:23:49] Um, [00:23:51] all right. So, anyways, [00:23:54] take AOC. AOC Alexandria Octavio Cortez, [00:23:58] congressman, part of the squad. [00:24:01] uh an someone who says she's a [00:24:03] democratic socialist. Um what happened? [00:24:06] Well, vandalism of a campaign office on [00:24:09] July 21st, 2025. Today, her Bronx [00:24:12] campaign office was vandalized with red [00:24:14] paint and a sign reading AOC funds [00:24:17] genocide in Okay, we can take this down. [00:24:20] We don't need we don't need ads. [00:24:23] Sorry. Uh yeah, AOC funds genocide sign [00:24:27] was tied to the gate. The incident is [00:24:29] currently under investigation according [00:24:32] to NBC New York. Criticism from [00:24:36] Democratic Socialist of America, DSA, uh [00:24:39] probably the most milktoast [00:24:41] centerle left of the left wing. I mean, [00:24:44] I know a lot of people will say that [00:24:47] Democratic socialists are not even part [00:24:49] of the left, but anyways, DOC uh slammed [00:24:52] Octavia Octavasio Cortez for her recent [00:24:55] vote against a Republican amendment [00:24:57] aiming to cut funding for Israel's Iron [00:25:00] Dome Missile Defense System. Fox News [00:25:03] reports that the DSA commen uh commended [00:25:05] other representatives for voting against [00:25:07] the amendment. Octasio Cortez defended [00:25:10] her vote on X, stating that the [00:25:12] amendment would only cut defensive [00:25:14] capabilities while allowing for [00:25:16] offensive aid to continue. She also [00:25:18] faced criticism from Palestinian [00:25:20] activists like Muhammad Al Kurd for her [00:25:22] stance on the matter. All right, so [00:25:24] basically, you know what? Let's uh let's [00:25:28] pull this up. she uh made a a statement [00:25:31] an hour ago [00:25:34] about this and it's actually important [00:25:37] a as a demonstration of how this works. [00:25:42] Okay. [00:25:45] One. Okay. She says that [00:25:51] Google is free. If you're saying I voted [00:25:53] for military funding, you are lying. [00:25:56] Receipts attached. Drag me from my [00:25:58] positions. all you want, but lying about [00:26:00] them doesn't make you part of the left. [00:26:02] If you believe neo-Nazis are welcome and [00:26:04] operating in good faith, you can have [00:26:06] them. All right. My response was, [00:26:09] "You're literally not part of the left. [00:26:10] You're an enemy to any progressive [00:26:11] movement. You have kissed the ring of [00:26:12] the bgeoisi, and now your only purpose [00:26:15] is to sheep dog working-class people [00:26:17] back to the Democratic party in order to [00:26:18] maintain your privilege and political [00:26:21] power." Um, but this is uh a response [00:26:24] from an actual Democratic socialist. You [00:26:26] voted against an amendment that other [00:26:28] socialist representatives voted for to [00:26:30] strip funding from the Israeli military. [00:26:34] You then came on this website and [00:26:36] defended funding the Iron Dome. This is [00:26:38] why you are being criticized. So [00:26:39] basically the amendment was kind of [00:26:41] confusing as I understand it not having [00:26:43] enough time to have read it today. It [00:26:45] was Marjgery Taylor Green did a funding [00:26:47] amendment to send more weapons but also [00:26:50] less weapons or less funding allocation [00:26:52] allocations for the Iron D. And what's [00:26:58] what's stupid about her position is the [00:27:00] United States is always going to send [00:27:02] Israel more weapons, but voting against [00:27:06] defunding the Iron Dome is one of the [00:27:08] things that lets Israel act with [00:27:10] impunity. So that's why it's an absurd [00:27:12] position. And they would actually prefer [00:27:15] more funding for the Iron Dome than they [00:27:18] would offensive weapons. That's just a [00:27:20] fact. So [00:27:24] yeah. [00:27:26] Oh, hey. Someone just came in and said, [00:27:28] "Hi y'all. What's up, Jimmy?" We're just [00:27:30] talking about AOC. All right. So, look [00:27:32] guys, um the world seems to suck right [00:27:36] now because it does. And it also feels [00:27:39] differently than it has ever in our [00:27:41] lifetime. And let me tell you why from [00:27:44] my perspective. I'm going to get back to [00:27:46] the Democratic party, but fascists, [00:27:48] autocrats, people who want to dominate [00:27:50] you for their own personal gain will [00:27:52] always exist. Liberals, people who [00:27:55] espouse certain values, but will fold on [00:27:57] their lofty ideals to maintain their [00:27:59] safety and access to privilege and [00:28:01] political power will always exist. Also, [00:28:04] like Bernie, AOC, uh hopefully mom [00:28:07] Donnie exists the trap, but I don't [00:28:10] think it's actually possible. [00:28:12] happy to be proven wrong, but I won't [00:28:14] be. Um, so look, we are entering an era, [00:28:18] and this is kind of what I want to talk [00:28:19] about now that we're in the second half [00:28:21] of the episode. And sorry, I don't [00:28:24] really have any graphics to let you guys [00:28:26] watch. I don't know, you guys can put it [00:28:28] on, turn the video off, or just listen [00:28:30] to the silky tones of my voice. But we [00:28:33] are in an era of hypernormalization [00:28:36] where we see that systems are crumbling, [00:28:38] but daily life continues. Uh the [00:28:42] dissonance is real. Everything about our [00:28:44] current society and condition is [00:28:45] dissonant. This is why you're so [00:28:47] exhausted. Uh there is so much dissonant [00:28:49] in the world in our society that people [00:28:51] don't know how to handle it. Hyperorm, [00:28:54] sorry, hypernormalization, okay, is a [00:28:57] heady $10 word, but it captures the [00:28:59] weird dire atmosphere of the US in 2025 [00:29:03] and was first articulated and came up [00:29:05] with by in 2005, I believe, by a scholar [00:29:08] Alexi Yorek to describe the civilian [00:29:12] experience in Soviet Russia. [00:29:13] Hypernormalization therefore describes [00:29:15] life and a society where two main things [00:29:18] are happening. First is people are [00:29:20] seeing that governing systems and [00:29:21] institutions are fundamentally broken. [00:29:24] And the second thing that's happening is [00:29:26] that for reasons including a lack of [00:29:28] effective leadership both on the left, [00:29:31] the Democrats and the right uh and an [00:29:34] inability to imagine how to disrupt the [00:29:37] status quo. People carry on with their [00:29:39] lives as normal despite systemic [00:29:41] dysfunction, [00:29:43] right? Give or take a heavy load of [00:29:45] fear, dread, and denial and [00:29:46] dissociation. So like kind of what [00:29:49] you're feeling is the disconnect between [00:29:51] seeing that systems are failing [00:29:54] not just domestically globally as well. [00:29:56] I mean we could talk about NATO, we [00:29:57] could talk about Germany, we could talk [00:29:59] about the UN, ICC, ICJ. Um [00:30:03] but and yet the institutions and the [00:30:05] people in power are just like ignoring [00:30:07] it and pretending everything is going on [00:30:10] the way it has. Now, there is a wrinkle [00:30:12] that I would like to address with this [00:30:14] Trumpian philosophy uh that they feel [00:30:16] like they're actually changing stuff, [00:30:18] but no, this is how uh a system and an [00:30:21] institution is degraded and collapses [00:30:23] because they're they're they know it's [00:30:25] kind of ending, but they're trying to [00:30:26] plunder as much as they can from it [00:30:28] while it still exists. [00:30:31] So basically the increasing instability [00:30:33] of the US democratic norms has prompted [00:30:35] these references from like 20 years ago [00:30:38] to this sociological concept of [00:30:41] hypernormalization. [00:30:42] So Donald Trump is kind of like [00:30:44] dismantling the government checks and [00:30:46] balances and honestly it's Steven [00:30:49] Miller. He's the brains behind the whole [00:30:51] thing. He's like the CEO of destroying [00:30:55] the American government and checks and [00:30:56] balances and stuff. But Donald Trump's [00:30:59] like the CEO of the board. So, we'll [00:31:00] just say Donald Trump, but it's really [00:31:02] like Steven Miller and the Heritage [00:31:03] Foundation that's really uh the driving [00:31:06] thrust behind this. Trump's just getting [00:31:07] on board because they're taking care of [00:31:09] him. So, anyways, they're dismantling [00:31:11] the government checks and balances and [00:31:13] an apparent advance towards a unitary [00:31:16] executive. This is what the Heritage [00:31:18] Foundation talks about, a unitary [00:31:20] executive doctrine that would grant him [00:31:22] near unlimited authority. the autocrat [00:31:26] that the that the Uber Mench freaking [00:31:29] master race guy [00:31:32] great James uh was, you know, talking [00:31:34] about at the beginning of of the episode [00:31:36] from uh the Jubilee video, uh you know, [00:31:39] and tech moguls like Elon Musk and Peter [00:31:42] Teal and Larry Ellison, those two more [00:31:44] behind the scenes, are helping the [00:31:45] government consolidate power, you know, [00:31:48] not just through Doge, which is pretty [00:31:49] much dead and didn't work, but also [00:31:51] through like Palunteer national [00:31:53] databases and stuff and are aggressively [00:31:55] to reduce the federal and working to [00:31:57] aggressively reduce the federal [00:31:59] workforce. So institutions like the [00:32:00] national the NIH [00:32:03] national institute of health national [00:32:04] weather service centers for de disease [00:32:07] control what's another one being heavily [00:32:09] assaulted the department of education [00:32:12] the food and drug administration because [00:32:13] like RFK Jr. just wants to like [00:32:17] reintroduce tapeworms back into the [00:32:19] supply chain. um you know you know are [00:32:24] they're being dismissed right and [00:32:27] globally [00:32:28] once in a-lifetime climate disasters war [00:32:31] lingering trauma from like COVID [00:32:33] continue to unfold you know while an [00:32:36] explosion of like generative AI [00:32:38] threatens to destabilize and is [00:32:40] destabilizing how people think and [00:32:42] absorb information make a living you [00:32:45] know relate to each other you know for [00:32:47] how for many in the US Trump 2.0 know is [00:32:50] having a devastating effect on daily [00:32:52] life. Ice raids [00:32:54] um the increasing the increase of the [00:32:57] surveillance state uh uncertainty due to [00:33:00] these tariff programs and for others you [00:33:03] know routines of life continue albeit [00:33:05] threaded with mindaltering [00:33:08] you know stuff like scrolling past AI [00:33:11] generated cartoon of ICE officers [00:33:12] arresting immigrants before dinner. So [00:33:15] hypernormalization actually captures [00:33:16] this juxosition of the dysfunctional and [00:33:19] the mundane pretty well. Again, system [00:33:22] is collapsing. Everyone's pretending [00:33:24] like it's not. At least the politicians [00:33:27] who know that a change needs to happen. [00:33:30] And this is why I bring up the Democrats [00:33:32] all the time. The the entire system is [00:33:34] collapsing. They say in their political [00:33:36] rhetoric that Trump is slashing the [00:33:38] government, the institutions are falling [00:33:40] apart. But they will not do anything [00:33:43] differently. Mdani is a great case of [00:33:46] what hypernormalization looks like. [00:33:49] Okay? Because he invigorated the base, [00:33:52] which the Democrats have not been able [00:33:54] to do since Obama [00:33:57] and instead of, you know, voting blue no [00:33:59] matter who, they want him to kiss the [00:34:02] ring. So, [00:34:05] um, [00:34:07] I think that's just hypernalization in [00:34:09] the nut. And they know it won't work. [00:34:12] Deep down, they know it won't work, but [00:34:14] they're going to keep benefiting off a [00:34:15] decaying system and power structure. You [00:34:18] know, it's like that cartoon like the [00:34:19] the Roadrunner that runs off a cliff and [00:34:22] the the second, you know, he keeps his [00:34:24] legs flapping and he only falls when he [00:34:27] looks down. You know, I think that's a [00:34:29] pretty good allegory for what's going [00:34:32] on. Uh, and then I see someone say, [00:34:35] "Mom, Donnia is a DNC plant." [00:34:38] [Music] [00:34:40] I think I think he will become one. Um, [00:34:45] yeah, but anyways, so where was I? Uh, [00:34:50] yeah, it's just about I think that's a [00:34:53] great demonstration of what that is. So, [00:34:56] you know, it's where the powerful are [00:34:57] abandoning any pretense of common [00:35:01] inclusive ideals and are using their [00:35:04] position to settle scores, reward [00:35:06] loyalty, hollow out institutions, make [00:35:09] more uh concessions to their donors, uh [00:35:13] squash down on public disscent, and [00:35:16] that's happening both on the left and [00:35:17] the right. Again, I'm sorry for calling [00:35:19] the Democrats the left, but yeah, that's [00:35:22] it. So Trump is kind of reminds me [00:35:25] Trump's US and it's not Trump's US. It's [00:35:28] also done in collaboration with the Dem [00:35:30] uh the DNC. Kind of reminds me of like [00:35:33] when Boris Yeltson in Russia in the [00:35:35] 1990s, you know, he's promising a new [00:35:38] kind of democracy, but in reality he [00:35:41] allowed just the oligarchs to loot and [00:35:43] distort the entire societies. Um yeah, I [00:35:47] think I think that's a pretty good uh [00:35:49] comparison. I mean, of course, it's a [00:35:51] completely different political landscape [00:35:53] now, but it's kind of what's happening [00:35:54] in in general. So, witnessing these like [00:35:57] largecale systems slowly unravel in real [00:36:01] time can be profoundly surreal and [00:36:04] frightening. The hypernormalization [00:36:06] framework, I mean, offers a way to [00:36:09] understand what we're feeling and why. [00:36:12] You know, in his 1995 book, they thought [00:36:14] they were free. Uh the the Germans uh [00:36:18] 1933 to 45, a journalist named Milton [00:36:22] Mayor described a similar state in of [00:36:25] freeze in German citizens during the [00:36:27] rise of the Nazi party. Uh I think a [00:36:30] quote from it was like, yeah, you don't [00:36:32] want to act or even talk alone. You [00:36:34] don't want to go out of your way to make [00:36:36] trouble. Why not? Well, you are not in [00:36:39] the habit of doing it. And this is not [00:36:41] just fear, fear of standing alone that [00:36:44] restrains you. It's also genuine [00:36:46] uncertainty. And I want to get back to [00:36:48] this um why why don't you do anything or [00:36:51] make trouble because you're not in the [00:36:53] habit of doing it. And in the last 10 [00:36:55] minutes, I'm going to be like, how do [00:36:57] you get in the habit of doing it? Uh [00:36:58] experts say action can break the spell. [00:37:01] Yes, breaking active uh being active [00:37:04] politically in whatever way I think [00:37:06] helps reduce apocalyptic gloom, says [00:37:08] Betsy Hartman, an activist, scholar, and [00:37:11] author of the America Syndrome, which [00:37:14] explores the importance of resisting [00:37:16] apocalyptic thinking. And this is why [00:37:19] liberals drive me crazy. If we [00:37:22] understand the the premise that you know [00:37:25] exercising your civil disobedience and [00:37:27] your protest muscles, you know, maybe it [00:37:30] starts with just going to a, you know, [00:37:32] no kings protest, which was of course a [00:37:35] bit of a sigh up uh done by a [00:37:38] billionaire funded by corporate [00:37:39] interests to, you know, show up one and [00:37:42] done. But I don't think it's completely [00:37:45] um [00:37:47] useless because again disobedience even [00:37:50] showing up to controlled protests [00:37:52] uh basically starts you starts you down [00:37:55] the path and again not in the habit of [00:37:58] doing it. Being in the habit of like [00:37:59] showing up to like mutual aid or like [00:38:02] different like educational courses like [00:38:04] know your rights lectures uh even stupid [00:38:07] protests that won't accomplish anything. [00:38:09] It's all part of it. So, I encourage [00:38:11] people to do it. Again, action can break [00:38:15] the spell. And this is why liberals [00:38:16] drive me crazy. It's all performative. [00:38:20] You know, they're like voting. You know, [00:38:22] this is why Cy Booker and now Hakee Jeff [00:38:24] will grandstand in the Senate yapping [00:38:27] for hours on end accomplishing nothing [00:38:29] and be like, "Give me $5 so we can [00:38:31] really fight this." [00:38:34] I mean, that's in action. They won't use [00:38:37] any of their powers. They won't disrupt [00:38:39] anything through uh lawfare or you know [00:38:44] Senate procedures or congressional [00:38:46] procedures. They won't they won't do it [00:38:48] because they fundamentally don't [00:38:50] inherently disagree with what's going on [00:38:53] because they have the same donors. I [00:38:56] mean not completely but the the some of [00:39:00] their biggest donors are APAC the real [00:39:02] estate lobby uh the militaryindustrial [00:39:06] complex. like come on. Um, and they'll [00:39:10] basically, I think another thing that [00:39:12] they're doing, and this is why if you're [00:39:14] on the left, you're like, "What the hell [00:39:15] is going on?" Because they'll do stuff [00:39:18] like a fight the oligarchy tour, you [00:39:21] know? Will there will they'll actually [00:39:23] mention the term oligarch right after [00:39:25] Trump got in and did his Oval Office [00:39:28] speech or sorry um inaugural speech with [00:39:31] like Jeff Bezos and uh Elon Musk and [00:39:36] Mark Zuckerberg in the background and [00:39:38] Miriam add in the second row background [00:39:41] and they'll do a fight the oligarchy [00:39:42] tour for a month for a couple weeks and [00:39:46] then the the DNC will tell them okay [00:39:49] back off now it's time to put forward [00:39:51] were Gavin Newsome and Josh Shapiro for [00:39:54] the new uh Democratic 2028 presidential [00:39:57] ticket. [00:39:59] And so they're the worst perpetrators of [00:40:01] this this dissonance of [00:40:03] hypernormalization because they're [00:40:04] saying they're fighting. They're saying [00:40:05] we're the only ones who can fight them. [00:40:08] So don't vote third party because that's [00:40:09] a wasted vote. But they're actually not [00:40:12] doing anything to fight. [00:40:17] Yeah. And that's it in a nutshell. [00:40:21] I think from my perspective, I got asked [00:40:24] uh by my uh you know, my editor came up [00:40:27] with the uh the idea for this episode [00:40:29] and I was thinking about like why why [00:40:31] does the world suck so bad right now? [00:40:32] And it's because the dissonance that [00:40:33] we're existing in like the postworld war [00:40:37] II era is collapsing. We're in latestage [00:40:41] capitalism. It's not working. There's a [00:40:43] whole anti- West anti- US dollar [00:40:47] coalition forming. [00:40:49] not fast enough really for my liking [00:40:51] because you know bricks is full of its [00:40:53] own inherent contradictions but you know [00:40:55] it's definitely better than nothing. Uh [00:40:59] and [00:41:01] yeah it's it's hard to parse out what's [00:41:03] going on and the gaslighting is intense, [00:41:05] the propaganda is intense. We're [00:41:07] witnessing multiple genocides. The most [00:41:09] live streamed one is in uh is in [00:41:11] Palestine and there's nothing you feel [00:41:13] like you can do to stop it. Um [00:41:17] yeah, that's why it's it's literally the [00:41:19] dissonance and [00:41:22] it's difficult cognitively. It can lead [00:41:25] to depression, anxiety, [00:41:27] uh [00:41:29] because your levels aren't it's hard to [00:41:32] have an equilibrium in this insane news [00:41:34] cycle. And if you actually give a [ __ ] [00:41:35] about like what's happening politically [00:41:37] and in the world because you possess a [00:41:39] soul, that means you have to constantly [00:41:41] be exposed to this. And you know, a lot [00:41:44] of people who are gravitated towards [00:41:46] more like left-wing politics, not [00:41:48] liberal politics, um don't aren't are [00:41:51] aren't the kind of people who say like, [00:41:53] you know what, I just need to not pay [00:41:54] attention to the news. I just need to [00:41:56] work on myself. Which doesn't work. [00:41:59] Okay, that doesn't work necess I mean, [00:42:01] you should still go to therapy, but like [00:42:02] focusing on yourself and not being [00:42:04] engaged in like your community and the [00:42:06] world in general doesn't work. This is [00:42:08] why, you know, a lot of people just go [00:42:11] to the therapist and say, "Hey, put me [00:42:13] on anti-depressants." I'm not [00:42:14] discounting that, but like if that's all [00:42:16] you're doing and this insane dissonance [00:42:18] right now, yeah, you're probably going [00:42:20] to be pretty depressed and have a really [00:42:22] bleak outlook on everything. So, in [00:42:26] order to like fight against it, fight [00:42:27] against hyperormalization, be like, [00:42:29] "Hey, no, this is not [ __ ] up. I mean, [00:42:31] sorry, this is this is [ __ ] up. This [00:42:33] is not normal. And I'm not going to [00:42:35] double down on thinking like [00:42:38] that this is it's kind of like when when [00:42:42] Medi Hassan in the Jubilee interview [00:42:45] kept mentioning like the Constitution, [00:42:47] defending the Constitution. Trump's in [00:42:49] violation of like the first, 3rd, 4th, [00:42:52] 22nd, 19th amendment. It's like, yeah, [00:42:55] dude, [00:42:57] the Constitution's getting slashed, bro. [00:43:00] Like the US Constitution [00:43:03] is not long for this world. It's not [00:43:05] going to exist from what comes. So using [00:43:07] it as this sacrosen con construct to [00:43:11] like own fascists is not literally not [00:43:14] the play. This is believing in [00:43:16] institutions that aren't going to work [00:43:18] anymore, that aren't going to survive, [00:43:19] but pretending like they're going to [00:43:21] last forever and not making any plans [00:43:23] behind it. And that was my main problem [00:43:25] with the interview. And that's why I [00:43:27] thought of the sociological con uh [00:43:29] concept of hypernormalization [00:43:32] because that's exactly what it is. You [00:43:35] know, there's nothing we can do because [00:43:37] of our elected officials to defend the [00:43:41] constitution. There's not it's going to [00:43:43] get slashed. And the second like we know [00:43:46] and start preparing for it to get [00:43:47] slashed because it's already effectively [00:43:50] slashed. ICE isn't listening to the [00:43:51] Constitution. Uh the federal judges [00:43:53] aren't. They're not doing anything to [00:43:54] resist this. The Supreme Court is [00:43:56] literally captured by corporate [00:43:58] interests and bribes and ide right-wing [00:44:02] ideology. [00:44:04] It's gone. And I think that's a great [00:44:06] thing to focus on right now because [00:44:10] I think that's one of the the greatest [00:44:12] ways to fight the distance. No, except [00:44:14] that this is d like the jungle is [00:44:16] literally going to burn down for [00:44:18] something new to be rebuilt. And if you [00:44:21] want the if you want the new thing to be [00:44:22] better, well, get proactively engaged. [00:44:30] Yeah. I don't know. That's just my take [00:44:33] on why the world sucks and what you can [00:44:36] what you can do about it. U I I I don't [00:44:39] think we can afford to uh really be [00:44:41] lying to ourselves anymore. And the more [00:44:43] you lie to yourself, [00:44:45] um, [00:44:50] the more you lie to yourself, the more [00:44:51] difficult it's going to be to get [00:44:52] through the day. So, um, [00:44:55] yeah, I think I think my messaging is [00:44:57] now going to shift after watching that [00:44:58] Jubilee interview to be like, yeah, the [00:45:01] Constitution's done the second, you [00:45:04] know, there's going to be lawlessness, [00:45:07] not anarchy, lawlessness coming from [00:45:11] state thugs, and we need to find ways to [00:45:14] prepare for it and get ready for it. Um, [00:45:20] yeah. I think uh I think that's the end [00:45:23] of my rant, y'all. I think we can uh get [00:45:25] into some questions now because there's [00:45:28] a lot of questions. I think uh producer [00:45:32] Jim has starred like 27 things [00:45:37] uh starred. Okay, so we're going to [00:45:40] shift on um to random stuff now. um your [00:45:44] guys's questions and we are happy to be [00:45:47] the only live stream that really does [00:45:49] this regularly. Okay, someone says [00:45:52] Putin's a monster. [00:45:55] Okay, [00:45:57] so is it's great power politics, man. [00:46:00] Everyone's going to have their opinion. [00:46:01] You know who is a monster? Benjamin [00:46:03] Netanyahu, Donald Trump. Um [00:46:07] yeah, a lot of people. I don't know what [00:46:11] that one really accomplishes. I'm not a [00:46:13] fan of the guy, but uh Okay, cool. Uh [00:46:16] Trump sounds like a used car salesman. I [00:46:19] mean, he's better. He's kind of better [00:46:21] than a used Well, at least he he knows [00:46:23] his mark, right? Um I don't think he'd [00:46:27] be able to sell me a used car because I [00:46:29] just have a virilent instinctive hatred [00:46:33] of him. Uh but, you know, I think he's [00:46:36] better than used car salesman because he [00:46:38] he didn't sell a car. He sold a dream, a [00:46:43] vision, a reactionary vision, [00:46:47] a revision, a revisionary vision of an [00:46:50] America that never existed. [00:46:53] Um, and people thought that they were [00:46:55] going to get back what they what they [00:46:56] had, you know, what their parents had in [00:46:58] the 50s and 60s. And of course, he [00:47:00] didn't tell them that we had an insanely [00:47:01] high corporate tax rate or sorry, uh, [00:47:04] capital gains tax on the uber rich. Um, [00:47:09] so he's selling a vision that never [00:47:11] really happened, that never existed. [00:47:13] Make America great again, is [00:47:15] fundamentally like fascist propaganda [00:47:18] stuff. Like the Nazis, they had what was [00:47:20] it? Was it the Nazis or was it Mussolini [00:47:22] who had blood and soil? We need to like [00:47:24] reinvigorate [00:47:26] and get back to our like ancient [00:47:27] antidoluvian glory days. Um, [00:47:32] yeah. And also he's legitimately a con [00:47:35] man. uh his his shitcoins uh Dogecoin or [00:47:40] Trumpcoin, Melaniacoin. Yeah, someone [00:47:42] said Meta is a monster. Uh that was a [00:47:45] great con. He's made a ton of money for [00:47:48] himself and his buddies like at Goldman [00:47:51] Sachs [00:47:52] and that's the real point of it, you [00:47:55] know. Um we are at straight fascism [00:47:58] right now. you know um you know the CEOs [00:48:01] of IG Farbin uh were put into [00:48:04] governmental positions and military [00:48:06] positions. We we have just um [00:48:08] commissioned you know [00:48:12] the CEOs or CFO or COOs from like [00:48:16] Palunteer and Anderil and [00:48:21] as lieutenant colonels in the US Army. [00:48:25] So, fascism. But yeah, uh selling a [00:48:28] dream and the dream that what we really [00:48:30] understand for their dream to be is a [00:48:32] white America, which means a safe [00:48:34] America, which I guess means a [00:48:36] prosperous America, but it won't be [00:48:38] prosperous. I mean, unless it's for like [00:48:40] a one group of people, and there really [00:48:42] won't be any sort of middle class. Uh [00:48:44] so, yeah, I guess he was a great used [00:48:46] car salesman. I mean, he's probably done [00:48:49] the best used car sales of all time, or [00:48:52] at least in my living memory. [00:48:54] Um, what if other companies, countries [00:48:58] stop using US dollars? That's a [00:49:01] complicated one, but basically uh it [00:49:04] would break the power of the dollar to [00:49:06] control and sanction other countries. So [00:49:09] we sanction countries [00:49:12] uh with uh the US dollar as the US [00:49:16] dollar is the global reserve currency in [00:49:19] order to punish behavior or influence [00:49:21] behavior that we want to see and what we [00:49:24] always want to see is regional and [00:49:26] global hegemonic domination. So in [00:49:30] short, if we get if the if other [00:49:32] countries stop using the US dollar and [00:49:35] trade in local regional currencies, it [00:49:38] will further handicap our ability to [00:49:41] apply hard pressure either through [00:49:44] military or economic means. Which means [00:49:47] we will go further towards a multipolar [00:49:50] where there are different centers of [00:49:52] power across the world instead of a [00:49:55] uniolar power where there's only one [00:49:57] center one really core center of power [00:50:00] and that's the United States. Of course [00:50:02] you know we're a dying empire doomed to [00:50:04] death but uh we are still the empire. [00:50:07] Okay, what else we got? [00:50:10] West lost all legitimacy in the last [00:50:13] decade or two. Too many Hillaries [00:50:15] laughing madly. I think. Are you [00:50:18] referring to her behind the scenes [00:50:20] interview with like CNN? Was it when she [00:50:22] heard about Gaddafi dying and she said [00:50:24] it probably had something to do with me [00:50:25] and she laughed because that whole [00:50:27] regime change war destroyed an entire [00:50:31] society [00:50:32] uh reintroduced open air slave markets [00:50:36] uh back to like the modern world and you [00:50:38] know empowered ISIS. [00:50:41] Yeah. Yeah. And then we had the whole [00:50:42] global war on terror and uh of course [00:50:45] this Gaza genocide. I think for many [00:50:49] people it's like the final nail in the [00:50:51] coffin [00:50:52] for you know US legitimacy across the [00:50:55] globe. [00:51:00] Okay. Don't want to get too much into [00:51:01] theory but class war has to be global. [00:51:04] Well, I don't know how much I can talk [00:51:06] about here on Mint Press, but yep, [00:51:10] if you want more radical takes, you can [00:51:12] check out my own personal platform at [00:51:14] Codial Outcast. [00:51:16] All right, the Epstein thing is a stick [00:51:18] to attack Trump with. Any stick will do [00:51:20] for the Democrats. You know, I've been [00:51:22] talking about the Epstein thing for a [00:51:25] while. Um, [00:51:28] yeah. Oh, sorry. I've been talking about [00:51:29] the uh Epstein thing for a while, right? [00:51:32] Uh, but we have to remember that the [00:51:34] Democratic Party dismissed the Epstein [00:51:36] as like a conspiracy. We don't deal with [00:51:38] conspiracy. That's a right-wing QAnon [00:51:41] thing. And [00:51:44] um yeah, now that they can attack Trump [00:51:47] with it, now they're only speaking out [00:51:49] of against like uh child sex trafficking [00:51:52] and potential involvement of a foreign [00:51:55] intelligence agency influencing and [00:51:57] blackmailing our politicians and [00:52:00] businessmen and political lobbyists and [00:52:03] elite. So it's super hypocritical. Uh [00:52:06] it's kind of reminds me of when uh Trump [00:52:09] bombed Iran, but their their response [00:52:12] wasn't [00:52:14] uh it it wasn't to condemn like the act [00:52:17] of war necessarily. It was that he [00:52:19] should have gone through the Senate and [00:52:21] consulted Congress first. And again, I [00:52:23] always like the comparison to uh Star [00:52:26] Wars because I'm a nerd. It's like, you [00:52:27] know, the Democrats are [00:52:30] the politicians in the Senate, the [00:52:32] Galactic Senate, who would be like, [00:52:33] "Listen, Emperor Palpatine, you can [00:52:36] totally build a genocidal death machine [00:52:38] called the Death Star. Just make sure [00:52:40] you go through the Senate first." So, [00:52:45] um, yeah. So, I got some questions about [00:52:48] regional stuff now. Um, I think they're [00:52:52] going to go for Lebanon next. [00:52:56] Yes, they're already going for and [00:52:58] they've they've never stopped going for [00:53:00] Lebanon. They've been striking Lebanon [00:53:02] this entire time. They're trying to [00:53:05] politically isolate uh Hezbollah so it [00:53:07] can be disarmed. Once Hezbollah is [00:53:10] disarmed, they hope for a complete [00:53:12] governmental and military normalization [00:53:15] with Israel. They want to secure the [00:53:17] region. So [00:53:20] yeah, and and if they can't get rid of [00:53:23] Hezbollah through political means and [00:53:25] they can't stop the weapon shipments, by [00:53:28] the way, they're not able to because [00:53:29] there's so much u chaos in Syria right [00:53:32] now that there's actually things getting [00:53:34] over the border uh according to who I've [00:53:37] been people I've been talking to. And [00:53:39] they've also created other trade routes [00:53:41] and ways to get uh material and [00:53:44] intelligence in there. But uh if they [00:53:46] can't do it politically or [00:53:48] diplomatically, they can't do it [00:53:49] militarily. So they might try to start a [00:53:52] civil war uh far-right Marinite [00:53:54] Christians and other factions who hate [00:53:56] Hezbollah against Hezbollah. So hang on, [00:53:58] I got a message here. Uh yeah. Uh and [00:54:03] then of course we don't have enough time [00:54:05] to get into Syria, but the is what [00:54:07] Israel is doing in Syria, starting this [00:54:10] war with a government that the US is [00:54:13] trying to bring in the line [00:54:16] uh the the Galani government by offering [00:54:19] sanctions relief and financial [00:54:20] incentives and political incentives as [00:54:22] well is messing with US foreign policy. [00:54:25] And I want to talk about this Thursday [00:54:28] uh because the US diplomatic corps is [00:54:30] not happy with Israel at all. Um and we [00:54:33] I I definitely want to focus on like [00:54:35] what kind of consequences that can have [00:54:37] because they're going against the US [00:54:38] imperial plan right now. And while that [00:54:41] might be fine in Israel proper to be [00:54:44] like, yeah, we're not we're going to [00:54:45] sabotage a ceasefire. We're going to [00:54:46] keep, you know, uh endorsing settler [00:54:49] violence and keep annexing the West [00:54:51] Bank. But when you get into broader [00:54:53] regional plans, it'll be interesting to [00:54:55] watch what the blowback from the United [00:54:58] States position will be against Israel. [00:55:01] Um [00:55:05] Sanders is a fascist. He's a liberal [00:55:07] Zionist. You know, I was I was speaking [00:55:09] to an organizer at the uh at the No [00:55:12] Kings protest in DC [00:55:16] and [00:55:18] she asserted that you yes, the [00:55:20] Republican, the GOP, the MAGA world was [00:55:24] fascist. [00:55:25] And I was like, you know, you can make [00:55:29] the argument for the Democratic National [00:55:32] the Democratic Party as well. and she [00:55:35] said, "No, they're they're um neoliberal [00:55:40] warlords and imperialists, but they're [00:55:43] not fascists." And I was kind of like, [00:55:45] "Okay, well, when capitalism is [00:55:47] collapsed, it all goes into fascism [00:55:50] because uh fascism is imperialism turned [00:55:53] in on itself from a very basic reductive [00:55:56] perspective, right?" [00:55:58] And then I was like in the conversation [00:56:00] like okay look if you vote with the [00:56:04] fascists you don't oppose their [00:56:06] political appointments you agree with [00:56:10] them to arm a foreign country in proxy [00:56:13] wars both Ukraine and Israel uh because [00:56:17] the Democrats will always vote to fund [00:56:19] Ukraine even if some Republicans don't [00:56:20] want to. Uh I if you do not fight [00:56:23] fascists at all, but you still occupy [00:56:26] government positions and you sheep dog [00:56:29] voters away from actual progressive [00:56:31] movements to your party which will not [00:56:34] fight the fascists. What's the point of [00:56:36] a distinction? Like I don't know what do [00:56:39] you guys think? Like what's the point of [00:56:40] a distinction between neoliberal [00:56:42] imperialist capitalists and fascists [00:56:44] when you both work together to achieve [00:56:46] the same foreign and domestic policies? [00:56:52] I don't know. So, look, I guess I don't [00:56:55] want to get bogged down in minutia being [00:56:56] like Sanders is a f Yeah. Okay. I guess [00:57:00] I agree with you. Um, [00:57:06] this is a great point. This actually [00:57:07] goes back to the original point of the [00:57:08] episode. I think a ton of people, this [00:57:11] is Zenoat, [00:57:12] who are less politically activated need [00:57:15] to witness and reckon with the reality [00:57:17] we are dealing with. The only way [00:57:19] they're going to do that is if they get [00:57:21] less like more and more uncomfortable. [00:57:25] Like I know a bunch of white people. I [00:57:27] live around them. You know, they're [00:57:29] like, "Oh, ICE is terrible." But they're [00:57:31] never going to do any sort of like [00:57:33] border abolition work or prison [00:57:35] abolition stuff [00:57:37] because they're not directly affected. [00:57:39] So, they're going to have to like lose [00:57:41] their jobs. They're gonna like literally [00:57:42] these people are going to have to get [00:57:44] replaced by AI before they do anything [00:57:46] and then lose their healthcare. Like I [00:57:49] think for a lot of people that's the [00:57:50] only way they're going to actually do [00:57:55] anything because it's scary. They've [00:57:56] never done this before. They've never [00:57:58] been politically involved. They've never [00:57:59] taken any political action and that's [00:58:02] why they're scared and they need to get [00:58:04] a lot more desperate. And the only way, [00:58:06] you know, they're going to get more [00:58:07] desperate is not if they deport more [00:58:09] bipac people. It's going to be if they [00:58:11] lose their jobs to oligarchs and [00:58:14] billionaires. And that and this is what [00:58:15] sucks about it. That is going to take [00:58:17] time [00:58:20] because witnessing is not enough for [00:58:22] these people. They need to actually be [00:58:24] affected and they're not affected yet. [00:58:27] I mean, they're scared, but beyond that, [00:58:29] they're not like materially affected. [00:58:32] Um, [00:58:36] yeah, you guys, um, [00:58:40] it's almost bullet the bunny. It's [00:58:42] almost like the richest and most [00:58:43] powerful people on the planet know each [00:58:45] other. [00:58:47] Did you guys know that uh Kimberly [00:58:49] Gilfoil [00:58:51] Let me pull her up. This is fun. [00:58:57] Hey, let me let me share the screen. [00:59:00] This is This is my favorite [00:59:01] demonstration right now. Hang on. Sorry. [00:59:05] Stand by, guys. We're almost at the end. [00:59:07] Share screen. Screen. [00:59:11] Google. All right. [00:59:14] So, [00:59:16] adding this to the stage. [00:59:21] Kimberly Gilfoil. Look, [00:59:25] she has straight on full send Mara Lago [00:59:29] face, which means she is fully in the [00:59:33] Trump party. She has gone through the [00:59:35] ritualistic scarification process and is [00:59:39] now in the party because like Mara logo [00:59:43] face from an anthropological perspective [00:59:46] is a right of passage. [00:59:49] It is a ritual. It is ceremonial in [00:59:51] nature. Uh so she's now full Mara [00:59:54] logoace. Uh, but she was married [00:59:59] to Gavin Newsome [01:00:01] before she got Mara Lago face. [01:00:05] And look, Gavin Newsome has been [01:00:09] consulting MAGA ex-wife Kim Gilfoil for [01:00:12] help with his political rebrand. [01:00:15] [Music] [01:00:17] And now she has just appointed uh the [01:00:19] Trump ambassador [01:00:21] to Greece. [01:00:25] Yeah. Yeah. Guys, [01:00:28] this is why this is why we can't have [01:00:30] nice things like democracy right now. [01:00:35] I don't even know what to say. This is [01:00:37] I'm glad you brought that up, Bullet, [01:00:39] because I think this is a perfect way to [01:00:42] round out this episode. [01:00:47] Yeah. [01:00:49] Well, guys, again, [01:00:52] uh, one thing is I'll just leave you [01:00:54] with this. [01:00:56] There's never enough cops. [01:00:59] There's never enough soldiers [01:01:02] when [ __ ] really goes down with the [01:01:04] people. So, uh, keep doing what you're [01:01:06] doing. Keep working those political [01:01:08] activism mus uh, muscles. Show up to [01:01:11] different events. Uh, I'm gonna on my [01:01:14] personal podcast talk about what mutual [01:01:16] aid actually looks like in a way that's [01:01:18] sustainable and won't exhaust you that [01:01:20] you can actually do while working a job, [01:01:22] having hobbies, having friends and [01:01:24] stuff. Um, [01:01:26] and then yeah, we'll just go from there. [01:01:30] I mean, the everything's collapsing. [01:01:33] These ideolog ideologies will collapse [01:01:35] in on himself. And in the meantime, uh [01:01:37] yeah, we're just going to keep on [01:01:38] keeping on and call out the dissonance [01:01:42] when you see it. It's the only way [01:01:43] you're going to stay sane and not [01:01:45] depressed in an anxious re uh wreck in [01:01:48] this era of hyperormalization. So [01:01:50] anyways, that's from my perspective why [01:01:52] the world sucks uh right now. And it's [01:01:56] as the good captain John Brown once [01:01:58] said, there is no night dark enough to [01:02:01] hinder the coming day. So yeah, one foot [01:02:04] in front of the other y'all and we will [01:02:06] see you Thursday. Cheers. Yeah, someone [01:02:09] said capitalism the problem. Mhm. Yep. [01:02:12] All right. Bye. You guys have a great [01:02:14] night. Happy Monday.