Americanitis

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

There is something in the air. Can you feel it? It's like a... crackling. There's a kind of background energy that's always present. You never notice it because it's always there. Like you don't notice the air around you. I'm not talking about some supernatural sixth sense here folks, I'm talking about the things you pick up automatically as you go about your day. I see it in how people walk, how they drive. I hear it in their voices when they speak to a cashier. It's like everyone is more aggressive and on edge. It's more intense somehow, more jagged.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

You know, I got stuck on schools there for awhile. I've been thinking about what my fixation is about schools and why I seem to have such animus towards teachers. It could be because my first-grade teacher would hold kids aloft against the wall by their necks. it could be because in my middle school violence was so pervasive that I ended up switching schools it could be that our high school vice principal was such a drunk that it was an open secret that he kept a bottle of Jack Daniels in his bottom right-hand drawer. Then again, it could be that University, which was promised to be full of people who really wanted to learn, was instead a socialist hellscape from which I could not run fast enough. It could be the fact that John Dewey turned America's schools into little collectivist breeding swamps where children are taught to feel, not to think. Or maybe it's the fact that, for most people, government schools are the only place they will ever experience bold-faced violence taken as a matter-of-course.

“Never think of pain or danger or enemies a moment longer than is necessary to fight them.”I was reminded of this quote while I was thinking about why exactly I felt the need to take a break from this podcast. Constantly staring into the terrible abyss of our social landscape can be depressing. It left me wondering if I was living my best life while I was constantly looking at things that I despise. after all if my philosophy teaches anything it's that the point of ethics is how you live in this world not worrying about what others are doing.

Today is just entirely housekeeping. I'm not even giving it an episode number. The title is not a pun. I'm changing the schedule of this podcast from weekly to fortnightly. I have been doing weekly for over half a year now, but work is heating up and this type of show format was chosen specifically because it is difficult for me. I have always been terrible at documentation, so I thought that constant and regular practice would make me better. It certainly has and I do not wish to stop. I may get back to weekly at some point, but for now, a longer wait you'll have between the digitized sounds of my sonorous tones. There may be specials release off-schedule as things interest me, but I don't think I'm ready to get away from a regular timing. I still need to use the march of time to keep me honest.

British police said Sunday they arrested a 12-year-old boy after an English Premier League player shared images of racist messages he had received via social media.“Woke up to this today,” Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha wrote Sunday on Twitter, in a post that showed racial imagery, including a photo of a Ku Klux Klan rally. His post also showed taunts such as, “You better not score tomorrow you black [expletive].”Zaha, a 27-year-old forward who was born in Ivory Coast before moving to England when he was a child, shared an Instagram account in his post that suggested his abuser was a fan of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace’s opponent Sunday.Before the match, Aston Villa said in a statement: “We deplore the disgusting racist messages sent to [Zaha]. We condemn all forms of racial discrimination and stand with [Crystal Palace].“We are working with the police in investigating this extremely serious matter and when the culprit is identified AVFC will issue a lifetime ban.”Police said the 12-year-old was a resident of the West Midlands town of Solihull. “Racism won’t be tolerated,” they declared.To be clear at the outset I'm obviously against harassment of any kind. Sending racist images to people is stupid and harmful

Those that are protesting the American way of life and the institutions that structure our society don't know what they are fucking with. The world as it exists right now is unprecedented. I'm not talking about technology and transportation and global trade, I'm talking about the ideas that make those things possible.

"Black Lives Matter" is an excellent chant. It has everything you could ask for. It's easy to understand and remember, it's true, and has 3 inflection syllables, bump bump bump. You could, and many do, march to it. It's certainly better than:What do we want? "The end to inequality and injustice that permeates various Western institutions."When do we want it? "Now!"

This week, my grandfather-in-law died. This will serve as my eulogy to him. Kurt was 94 and lived a good life. He escaped a Nazi death camp, fought for the US in World War II, had one lung, and could do one-armed pushups until he turned 90. He taught my wife how to do a cartwheel via demonstration when he was 80 something. He made wise decisions and made lots of money, which he rarely spent, but gave lavish gifts to his loved ones. He loved few, but fiercely and fully. He was a proud man and deservingly. Possessing a strict moral character, he abided no breach. It is with no reservations that I say he is one of the few men that I fully respected.

OK, we have a lot to cover and not a lot of time. This time, actually check out the show notes. Tons of links to original sources. Also, thanks to everyone who shared the cast last week. Let's keep it going. Almost at 100 subscribers, Then I can set my sights on 200.

A little different today and next week. This week, I'd like to take a look at a call in Chicago between the mayor and her Aldermen. The call is a little over an hour and a lot of it is unlistenable due to glitches. I've done what I can to cut around and clean up the audio. I think this is an important view into the inner workings of the government in these cities.

Whatever happened to those murder hornets? Can someone check on them, please?

I was hoping to talk about the murder that took place in Minneapolis, but three things stopped me. 1. The chips haven't landed yet. Yes, this looks like murder to me, but how it is dealt with will expose more than the video.2. I'm not really a news show. You could get more information, more readily elsewhere.3. While this is a tragic showcase of gross misuse of force, there is something even more sinister happening, if you can believe it.

I often have to remind myself that Twitter is not real life. It's even harder when isolated in our homes to forget that not only are the people on social media shielded by a kind of anonymity, but that we are looking at a self-selected group. The loudest on Twitter and Facebook are typically opinionated, or narcissists, or both. I'll leave it up to the listener to figure out which I am.

Hey, lemme quickly check... Yup, the commie cough is still a thing and we are still suffering daily indignities at the hands of tin-pot dictators with napoleon complexes. I can't possibly keep up with the injustices inflicted upon your person with a weekly podcast. It would make the show hours long if I did it daily. And, frankly, aren't you getting that everywhere else? I need to get back on track. Let's tackle some less obvious issues this week, shall we? What am I mad about today?

Today we have a special guest on the show: Mr. Skyler Dye. I first became aware of Mr. Dye via a discord server run by a mysterious Canadian named Joe.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.

I know all anyone wants to talk about is the coronavirus, but damnit, you have to be vigilant on all sides these days. They are coming for your rights, left, right and center, and you have to call them out on it. So instead of talking about the immediate effects of the virus, here is a story about the more ancillary consequences.

Last week's podcast was pretty morbid, a bit bleak. I think that it had to be. I think that it was appropriate and I stand by what I said. However, as I write this the sky is 6 different stunning shades of blue and the clouds are puffy white. I'm staring across a field just blooming into life for the promise of spring. It's enough to force my realization that there are still values in this bountiful world for which it is worth the fight.

I'm here to tell you what you already know: your neighbor does not want to live. He simply fears death. There is no flame burning inside desperate to be free. There is no light, no bold pride, no bombastic soul. There is only the cold cowardice shrinking from one dark corner to the next, hiding its face, afraid of the next moment.

Today, we'll talk about principles. Moral principles. They are often derided as too stiff or not practical. Some say they have some value, but they leave you defenseless in the "real world." That they don't allow you to deal with dynamic or specific situations in context.

I don't want to talk about this, I really don't. I considered starting this cast with a primal scream to the heavens, partly for catharsis, partly because I loathe having to delve into the labyrinthine depths of Congress where a putrid gaggle of cronies have ascribed to themselves the role of soviet central planners. I have an instinctual reaction that comes from self-preservation that just screams "run" whenever I see their sniveling faces and rat-like hands rubbing together desperate for my money.

A listener feedback episode! How exciting! A bit more swearing in this one, so if that's not your thing, you know what do do. I have had a fucken rough week folks, and I'm certain most of you have, too. This rant is a bit of catharsis. As an added benefit, you may be entertained. Juno asked me to talk about the role of panic and irrationality surrounding the virus. You see, This virus doesn't worry me, but the people do. I talk a lot about the efficacy of human reason, but panic is a hell of a drug.

Wait, wait! Before you shut off this podcast, I know that you are hyper-saturated with COVID-19 news and commentary. So am I. That's not what's happening here. It's boring, frankly. What would I even say? I could bombard you with facts and figures released by some government I don't trust and for what? You can go get that yourself.

When I say I'll die at my desk, this value is what I'm really talking about. I don't mean that I'll stay at my job until they need to wheel me away out of some sense of duty. I mean I will never stop working on something. I mean if I retire, I'll take up swimming or writing or chess, but whatever it is, I will be applying my full faculties to it. I mean that I will always have a purpose in everything that I do. One cannot live as a human being without purpose.

This one's going to be a little different, boys and girls. The first half is a bit of listener feedback. Someone asked how I come up with topics. I'd like to explore one of the ways I decide what to discuss. The second part is a breakdown and explanation of the cardinal value of Reason. This part is a bit more technical than usual, so bear with me. I hope you enjoy both.

It is said that a fish rots from the head down. I know little of piscean biology, but I do know that universities follow this rule. When the motive power of our higher learning is stunted or deliberately backwards, it acts to retard or destroy everything underneath. What moves intellectual pursuits, and therefore societies and therefore history, is philosophy.

Do you enjoy seeing animals being tortured? Do you revel in the life of a beast being snuffed out before your eyes? Does it give you a thrill to kill or maim a living creature? If you answered yes, then you can stop this podcast now. This is not for you. What I am about to say is not a justification of cruelty or sadism. I'm not advocating for the mistreatment of living beings. I find it abhorrent and would disassociate from anyone who performed such an act.

Today we have a special guest: none other than FrogMachine. I became aware of this gentleman through some Objectivist channels and I have only grown more fascinated. Mr. Machine lives in Japan where he teaches English as a second language. He is studying to become a therapist. He makes YouTube videos discussing psychological topics, and he sings! The last time I saw a singing frog was on the WB. Mr. Machine is a student of Objectivism, like myself, and brings that perspective to psychology in a unique and refreshing way. Every time I speak with him, I wind up learning something, which prompted me to ask him here. FrogMachine, welcome to the show!

Have you ever felt like you were attempting an impossible task? Not difficult, impossible. Not like transferring a mound of sand using a thimble, but like felling a redwood armed with only a well-loved loofah. That is how I feel every single time I find it necessary to talk about the government's role in healthcare. When I tell people that the government has no role in healthcare, I may as well be howling into the void.

Boy, do our government schools suck. Not a single person I have seen talking about gun rights has been speaking from principles. They don't seem to know what they are fighting for except that they like their pew-pew sticks. I'm sure that there are some people who understand what I'm about to present, but they are far from the loudest voices. If you cannot defend your assertion that you have a right to own a firearm all the way down to ethical roots, and preferably all the way down to the facts of reality itself, you won't have a leg to stand on.

Racism. There's a word that has lost a lot of it's impact due to overuse. I don't often appeal to emotion, and I don't know how old you are, but I want you to take a moment to remember what it used to feel like to hear someone called a racist about 15 years ago. It was a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency insult, and rightly so. The impact of this word was then used to work as a club and a muzzle. You could discredit your opponent and shut them up with a single accusation. That is, until the magic wore off and the word lost it's meaning.

War. What is it good for? One thing, as it turns out. The protection of your individual rights.

Americanitis was coined by American psychologist and Philosopher William James. He used it to describe a state of the nerves caused by “the hurry, bustle and incessant drive of the American temperament. Just as Capitalism got it's name from one of its greatest detractors, Marx, so I will repurpose the term Americanitis.

Americanitis is a show about ethics, politics, and philosophy. Philosophy as it is intended to be used: here and now, in the real world, in your life, every day. We are in search of truth and the best life possible.