Crazy Town

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With equal parts humor and in-depth analysis, Asher, Rob, and Jason safeguard their sanity while probing crazy-making topics like climate change, overshoot, runaway capitalism, and why we’re all deluding ourselves.

Post Carbon Institute

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    • May 21, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 50m AVG DURATION
    • 146 EPISODES

    4.7 from 179 ratings Listeners of Crazy Town that love the show mention: crazy town, asher, climate change, species, surprisingly, jason, rob, smarter, dose, society, reality, healthy, science, politics, humor, energy, thought provoking, ideas, laugh, learned.


    Ivy Insights

    The Crazy Town podcast is an absolute gem. From the moment I started listening, I knew I had stumbled upon something special. The chemistry between the hosts, Rob, Jason, and Asher, is undeniable and makes for a fun and engaging listening experience. They tackle a wide range of topics, from climate change to capitalism to the dark side of positive thinking, with intelligence and wit. In addition to their excellent analysis and research, they also bring on fantastic guests like Mary Roach and Noam Chomsky to further enrich the discussions. This podcast has quickly become a favorite of mine.

    One of the best aspects of The Crazy Town podcast is its wide-ranging and intelligent content. Each episode covers thought-provoking topics that go beyond just climate change. The hosts dive deep into issues related to our society and culture, offering insightful analysis that is well-researched and informative. Whether it's discussing the limits of growth or the Indigenous narrative of reciprocity, they provide a fresh perspective that challenges conventional thinking.

    Another great aspect of this podcast is its ability to balance humor with serious conversations. The hosts inject scatological humor and pop culture references into their discussions, making even the most existential crises entertaining. They have a unique talent for presenting depressing subject matters in an engaging way without diminishing their seriousness.

    However, one downside of The Crazy Town podcast is that it primarily features three white male hosts. While they do an excellent job at providing insightful analysis, it would be beneficial to hear from other voices as well. Including more diverse perspectives would add depth and richness to the discussions.

    In conclusion, The Crazy Town podcast offers a refreshing take on climate change and other pressing issues we face as a society. With its mix of humor and seriousness, thoughtful analysis, and wide range of topics covered, it stands out among other podcasts in its intelligence and entertainment value. Rob, Jason, and Asher are truly in top form in Season 5, and I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen.



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    Latest episodes from Crazy Town

    Bunkers, Bazookas, and Bespoke Moats: How to Be Safe in an Unsafe World

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 42:13 Transcription Available


    Send us a textThe world has gone bunking mad. The bespoke security industry is burying bunkers stocked with arsenals of automatic rifles and surrounded by flaming moats. Is there a better way to prepare for the polycrisis, the zombie apocalypse, or whatever hard times are on the horizon? Jason, Rob, and Asher have some fun at the expense of the bunker builders before examining the positive aspects of peasanthood and stressing the need to build community.Originally recorded on 5/5/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Coralie Kraft, "The 'Panic Industry' Boom," New York Times Magazine, April 10, 2025.The SAFE company offers "bespoke, fortified residences" and other silly signs of our times. Aaron Gell, "'All of his guns will do nothing for him': lefty preppers are taking a different approach to doomsday," The Guardian, April 17, 2025.Will Petersen, "Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is again living a good life back in Serbia," Denver Sports, June 20, 2023.Related Episodes of Crazy Town:Episode 73. How Longtermism Became the Most Dangerous Philosophy You've Never Heard ofEpisode 34. Fear of Death and Climate Denial, or… the Story of Wolverine and the Screaming Mole of DoomEpisode 100. A Temporary Techno Stunt: Tom Murphy on Falling out of Love with ModernitySupport the show

    It Was Never Your Democracy Anyway: Thomas Linzey on Rethinking the Constitution

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 51:18 Transcription Available


    Send us a textDemocracy and environmental protection have two things in common: (1) they're both supposed to be enshrined in the laws of the United States and (2) they're both under severe attack right now. Asher speaks with Thomas Linzey of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights to uncover how the source code of the U.S. Constitution and the body of environmental laws that follow it are actually designed to allow corporations to override the will of the people. After pinpointing the problem, Thomas explains what can be done, especially at the local level, to reach sustainable and just outcomes that provide wellbeing for people and ecosystems.Originally recorded on 4/2/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Bio for Thomas LinzeyCenter for Democratic and Environmental RightsMatt Wuerker's cartoon: "The Closed-Door Constitutional Convention"Support the show

    Going #2: The Dueling Rules of Nature That Every Good Earthling Needs to Know

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 50:31 Transcription Available


    Send us a textHappy Earth Day! There are two concepts that every person should understand to be a better Earthling: entropy and self-organization. It seems like a paradox, but systems on Earth are simultaneously breaking down into disorder and arranging themselves into complex superorganisms. Everything on Earth (well, really in the whole universe) is subject to the second law of thermodynamics, which means it all dies and decays. But with access to steady flows of energy, organisms, ecosystems, and human societies can hold back the death and decay for a spell. After dropping the kids off at the pool, Asher, Rob, and Jason cover the interplay of entropy and self-organization and contemplate how to manage the inevitability of entropy with elegance (beyond morphing into a lizard person).Originally recorded on 4/8/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Geoffrey West, Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies, Penguin Books, 2018.Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Scribner, 2024.William Rees, “End game: the economy as eco-catastrophe and what needs to change,” Real-World Economics Review, 2019.The laws of thermodynamics, as explained by the website “Physics for Idiots""Telegraph Road" - song by Dire StraitsDavid Owen, "Green Manhattan," The New Yorker, October 10, 2004.Other Crazy Town episodes you might like:Crazy Town 100 - A Temporary Techno Stunt: Tom Murphy on Falling out or Love with ModernityCrazy Town 35 - Self Domestication and Overshoot, or… the Story of Foxes and Russian MelodramaCrazy Town Bonus Riff - Vanilla Andreessen, Pygmy Marmosets, and Hi-Tech DelusionsSupport the show

    Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 69:46 Transcription Available


    Send us a textWho knew that the breakthrough moment of AI sentience would come from interacting with an annoying neo-Luddite?After failing to raise a single dollar for PCI's newest initiative — the $350 billion Transdisciplinary Institute for Phalse Prophet Studies and Education (TIPPSE) —  Jason, Rob, and Asher devise the only profitable pitch for raising capital: using AI technology to cure the loneliness that technology itself causes. The only problem is that AI chatbots won't talk to us, as evidenced by Asher's experience of being blocked by an AI “friend.” So Asher turns to the flesh-and-blood author of Blood in the Machine, Brian Merchant, to discuss the rise of the neo-Luddite movement — the only people who might be able to stand your humble Crazy Town hosts. Brian Merchant is a writer, reporter, and author. He is currently reporter in residence at the AI Now Institute and publishes his own newsletter, Blood in the Machine, which has the same title as his 2023 book. Previously, Brian was the technology columnist at the Los Angeles Times and a senior editor at Motherboard.Originally recorded on 1/3/25 (warm-up conversation) and 3/24/25 (interview with Brian).Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Press Release announcing closure of TIPPSEFunding for FriendScreenshot of Asher's conversation with Friend's bot, FaithLyrics to “Not Going to Mars” by PyrrhonBrian Merchant's Substack, Blood in the MachineBrian's book, Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech  New York Times article on the Luddite Club: “‘Luddite' Teens Don't Want Your Likes”Crazy Town Episode 72: Sucking CO2 and Electrifying Everything: The Climate Movement's Desperate Dependence on Tenuous TechnologiesBrian's essay in The Atlantic, “The New Luddites Aren't Backing Down”Support the show

    A Temporary Techno Stunt: Tom Murphy on Falling out of Love with Modernity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 54:21 Transcription Available


    Send us a textRecovering technology booster Tom Murphy visits Crazy Town to discuss his journey from shooting lasers at the moon, to trying to "solve" the energy predicament, to falling out of love with modernity itself. Asher, Jason, Rob, and Tom discuss the roots and short-lived nature of modernity, which has not only shaped the world we inhabit but conquered our very imaginations. They reminisce about aspects of hi-tech society that have already fallen away in its hubristic march towards mastering (or should we say undermining?) nature. They close by contemplating what it means to detach from humanocentric delusions of grandeur and make peace with living with one foot in and one foot out of the modern world. Originally recorded on 3/4/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:"Acceptance and Agency at the End of Modernity," a live online Resilience event on April 1, 2025 featuring Vanessa Andreotti and Dougald HineTom Murphy's Do the MathSupport the show

    Eating the Future: The NY Times Goes Full Ecomodernist on Food and Farming

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 47:00 Transcription Available


    Send us a textHow will we feed people living in the megacities of the 21st century, especially while confronting climate chaos and the depletion of fossil fuels and fossil water? According to the mainstream media: ecomodernism! Massive deployment of technology on factory farms and an extreme ramp-up of industrialization will save the day – right? RIGHT?!? If you read the New York Times, you might think that supermarket shelves will forever overflow with 3D-printed fish sticks, mylar bags full of genetically modified cheesy poofs, and faux corn dogs that ooze out of laboratory vats. Jason, Rob, and Asher question the wisdom of doubling down on industrialization in food and farming. It's no surprise they recommend paying attention to nature and ecological limits. Stick around for ideas you can use in your community to support a healthy, regenerative food system (and keep on eating). Originally recorded on 1/21/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Jason Bradford, The Future Is Rural, 2/19/19.Eliza Barclay, "What to Eat on a Burning Planet," The New York Times, 7/29/24.David Wallace-Wells, "Food as You Know It Is About to Change," The New York Times, 7/28/24.Andrew Nikiforuk, "A Reality Check on Our 'Energy Transition'," Resilience, 1/6/25.Michael Grunwald, "Sorry, but This Is the Future of Food," The New York Times, 12/13/24."Changing How We Grow Our Food: Readers disagree with an essay about factory farms," The New York Times, 1/4/25.Jay Famiglietti, "Will We Have to Pump the Great Lakes to California to Feed the Nation?" The New York Times, 8/5/24.Clip of the Hydrologist in Chief "explaining" the oh-so-simple solution to water shortages.Support the show

    Bargaining With Collapse: A Superabundance of Lab Grown Meat and Dryer Balls

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 37:32 Transcription Available


    Send us a textDo you contemplate topics like climate change, biodiversity loss, and the risk of civilizational collapse? If so, then you probably understand something about bargaining – a psychological defense mechanism that's one of the five stages of grief. With just a wee bit of embarrassment, Asher, Jason, and Rob reveal damning episodes of bargaining from their personal histories (involving green consumerism and cult-like devotion to technology). Having admitted their sins, they discuss the allure of false solutions to our environmental predicaments and how even veteran environmental journalists can be susceptible to it. Stay to the end for thoughts on how to avoid getting hoodwinked by the horde of ecomodernist tech bros who continuously shove unworkable "solutions" down our throats. Originally recorded on January 16, 2025.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Julia Musto, "The end of the world as we know it? Theorist warns humanity is teetering between collapse and advancement," Independent, January 13, 2025 (about Nahfeez Ahmed's take on superabundance versus collapse).Rob Dietz, "Chris Smaje Vs. George Monbiot and the Debate on the Future of Farming," Resilience, October 27, 2023.Crazy Town episode 32 on cognitive biasMegan Phelps-Roper's six questionsCrazy Town episode 45 on feedback loops, featuring an interview with Beth SawinPost Carbon Institute's Deep Dive on building emotional resilienceSupport the show

    The House Is Quite Literally on Fire: Peter Kalmus on the Climate Emergency Hitting Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 53:48


    Send us a textPeter Kalmus, climate scientist and returning friend of Crazy Town, used to live in Altadena, California, where one of the disastrous Los Angeles wildfires struck on January 7th. Having learned that his former house had burned, Peter penned an emotional article for the New York Times about his family's decision to leave LA two years prior, out of safety concerns about frequent heat waves, drought, and just the sort of tragic conflagration that has reduced parts of LA to ashes. Get Peter's take on this historic wildfire, what nature is trying to teach us, and how to think about unnatural disasters now and in the future. Note: this interview was recorded on January 24, 2025.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Peter Kalmus's article in the New York Times from January 10, 2025: “As a Climate Scientist, I Knew It Was Time to Leave Los Angeles”Peter's book, Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate RevolutionNews story about the huge Bobcat Fire that struck Los Angeles County in 2020Article in Science about the damage from Hurricanes Helene and MiltonPeter mentioned the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, which relates vapor pressure to temperature.FeedSpot ranked Crazy Town as the #1 environmental economics podcast.Support the show

    The Frequent Flyer Tree: Losing the Last Bit of Sense in the Climate Emergency

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 30:28


    Send us a textIn the world of college sports, money talks and the volleyball team walks, er, flies 33,000 miles to play games. The NCAA, like almost everyone else, is playing games with Mother Nature. What do we expect student-athletes to gain from ignoring the climate emergency (not to mention putting their health at risk)? Who cares, as long as we can wring a few more dollars out of the TV deals -- am I right?!? Jason, Rob, and Asher propose a new plan for college sports and for taking the climate emergency seriously.On a happy note: FeedSpot ranked Crazy Town as the #1 environmental economics podcast.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Jeff Eisenberg, "Conference realignment has redefined 'travel ball'," yahoo!sports, September 11, 2024.Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment and Doerr School of SustainabilityStanford has the most winning NCAA program, counting all sports. (2nd and 3rd are UCLA and USC, by far!)Support the show

    Shotgunning Hedwig: The Dilemma of Invasives and the Bizarre Decision to Slaughter Barred Owls

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 33:36


    Send us a textThe US Fish and Wildlife Service decided to "manage" barred owls by shooting half a million of them over the next three decades. Jason, Rob, and Asher (along with the postal workers at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) are upset about this plan for addressing the predicament of invasive species. Surely there's a finer tool than a double-barreled shotgun for conserving ecosystems and protecting the species that inhabit them.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Bill Lucia, "Plan Finalized to Kill Thousands of Barred Owls around Northwest," Washington State Standard, August 28, 2024.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Final Barred Owl Management Strategy, August 2024."Killing barred owls to save northern spotted owls: Rethinking American wildlife conservation," On Point, WBUR, 9/5/2024.Avram Hiller, Jay Odenbaugh, and Yasha Rohwer, "A Dystopian Effort Is Underway in the Pacific Northwest to Pick Ecological Winners and Losers," New York Times, August 8, 2024.Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, "Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program."Robert Dietz and Brian Czech, "Conservation Deficits for the Continental United States: an Ecosystem Gap Analysis," Conservation Biology, August 16, 2005.Tom Murphy, "Metastatic Modernity #12: Human Supremacy," Metastatic Modernity Video Series, August 9, 2024.Support the show

    Breaking News: Crazy Town Joins the Newly Formed Department of Entropy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 45:08


    Rob, Jason, and Asher talk about joining the new Trump Administration, at least until Elon Musk eradicates it. They explore the implications of Trump 2.0 through three reality-bending lenses – shifting baselines, entropy, and the upside of down – and three ways of responding: resistance, resilience, and regeneration. They decided they couldn't stomach a fourth R – respect.We've added something new to this and future episodes: VIDEO! If you'd like to feel even more like you're in the room with the Crazy Town gang, please check out the video and let us know what you think. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Daniel Pauly's 1995 article, Anecdotes and the Shifting Baseline Syndrome of FisheriesRandy Olson's op-ed in the LA Times, Slow-Motion Disaster Below the WavesVideo of Howard Dean's speech with the infamous “Dean Scream”NASA's description of the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy law (Be sure to read it before the incoming US administration repeals the laws of thermodynamics!)Thomas Homer-Dixon's book The Upside of DownSupport the show

    Bonus: Human Nature Odyssey

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 40:11


    Sometimes you just wanna hear from someone else. In this bonus episode, Alex Leff enters Crazy Town to introduce his podcast, Human Nature Odyssey. Before playing the first episode of the podcast, Jason, Rob, and Asher find lots of laughs with Alex as they contemplate environmental destruction, gorilla suits, the fate of civilization, tandem bike rides, imaginary games, and how to make a podcast. If you need a little more encouragement to check out Human Nature Odyssey, our friend Tom Murphy (author of the Do the Math blog) gives it his highest recommendation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Human Nature Odyssey on Apple PodcastsThe work and philosophy of Daniel Quinn, author of IshmaelRobin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of PlantsAlex Leff's Patreon page for Human Nature OdysseySupport the Show.

    Escaping Escapism: What a Bizarre Rodent Ritual Can Teach Us About Navigating a World We Can't Really Escape

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 66:03 Transcription Available


    After a full season of trying to escape more than a dozen evil -isms (fun things like capitalism, industrialism, extremism, and otherism), Rob, Jason, and Asher come to one conclusion: there is no true escape -- at least not for those of us who want to help their communities collapse and re-emerge gracefully. Join the boys as they explore what the cult classic Groundhog Day has to teach us about navigating the endlessly insane world of modernity and reflect on key lessons and actionable steps we can all take to navigate the Great Unraveling of environmental and social systems.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Trailer for the cult classic Groundhog DayArticle: "Harold Ramis didn't intend 'Groundhog Day' to be Buddhist, but it's a dharma classic" by Perry Garfinkel in Lion's RoarArticle: "Was Modernity Inevitable?" by Tom Murphy in Do the MathArticle: "Hospicing Modernity: Not a new idea" by Eliza Daley in ResilienceArticle: "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System" by Donella Meadows, published by the Donella Meadows ProjectMultisolving InstituteBook: A Darwinian Survival Guide: Hope for the Twenty-First Century by Daniel R. Brooks and Salvatore J. Agosta, published by MIT PressSupport the Show.

    Escaping Otherism: Why Dr. Seuss Could Never Find a Rhyme for Genocide

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2024 78:34 Transcription Available


    The drive to belong to an in-group and the tendency to observe differences in others are core parts of the human condition. But differentiating can (and often does) turn deadly when it morphs into othering. Jason, Rob, and Asher try not to other one another as they explore the roots and consequences of othering, and the ins and outs of belonging as a key organizing principle of society.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Wes Tank rapping Fox in SocksThe Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. SeussDefinition of othering from the Canadian Museum for Human RightsStereotype Content ModelSusceptibility to otheringOthering and Belonging InstituteBook by john a. powell and Stephen Menendian - Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the WorldCrazy Town episode 51 on colonization and the mindset of extractionSeeing White podcastRacial Equity InstituteColonial roots and other drivers of genocide in RwandaTrump's reprehensible remarks about immigrants and about liberalsThe dystopian, othering politics of Balaji Srinivasan (article by Gil Duran in The New Republic)Christian Picciolini's Ted Talk about how he stopped othering and helps more people do the sameMarnita's TableNeedham Resilience NetworkSupport the Show.

    Escaping Extremism: Slap Fighting Our Way to a More Civil Society

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 66:33 Transcription Available


    The forces of media, technology, and even the wiring of our own brains seem aligned to draw people toward extremism. But never fear: Asher, Jason, and Rob unpack why we're so susceptible to wackadoodle viewpoints and offer ways to tamp down extremist thinking and behavior in ourselves, our communities, and across society. Along the way, they tour the worlds of extreme sports, extreme politics, and extreme yogurt. They even question their own decidedly non-mainstream views on the environment and the economy.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Kevin Roose's article in the New York Times “A QAnon ‘Digital Soldier' Marches On, Undeterred by Theory's Unraveling”Definition of extremism from the Anti-Defamation LeagueConcepts of “malignant bonding” and “scarcity mind” in the article “Widening the ‘We'” by Colin Greer and Eric LaursenZeynep Tufecki's 2018 article in the New York Times “YouTube, the Great Radicalizer”Kari Paul's 2021 article in the Guardian “‘It let white supremacists organize': the toxic legacy of Facebook's Groups”Peter D. Kvam et al., “Rational inference strategies and the genesis of polarization and extremism,” Nature, May 5, 2022.Statistics on rising levels of hate crime in the United StatesStatistics on domestic terrorism in the United StatesStatistics on antisemitism around the worldCrazy Town episode 78, which includes the six questions Megan Phelps-Roper developed to challenge her entrenched beliefs.Rapoport's Rules for constructive criticismPost Carbon Institute's Deep Dive on Building Emotional ResilienceDiane Benscoter's nonprofit, Antidote.ngo, which runs recovery groups for people caught up in disinformation.Thought reform consultationCrazy Town episode 89 on escaping individualism, in which we discussed mutual aid networksLawsuit to allow social media users to control their algorithmsRanked choice votingSupport the Show.

    Escaping Humanocentrism: Why a Slime Mold Will Be President in 2028

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 70:15 Transcription Available


    The myth of human dominion and exceptionalism is as old as the Bible and as unquestioned as gravity, at least in "modern" society. Rob, Asher, and Jason explore the ways that humanocentrism has come to dominate the planet and our minds, while pointing to ancient and newly emerging ways that the more-than-human world is respected and protected, even the dung beetle.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Eileen Crist defines (and critiques) anthropocentrism.Global biomass of wild mammalsGlobal human-made mass exceeds all living biomass.Decline of pollinatorsDecline of flying insect biomassDaniel Quinn's book IshmaelHuman Nature Odyssey podcast with Alex LeffTom Murphy's journey of understanding the pitfalls of human exceptionalismTwo-thirds of the world's longest rivers have been dammed.Declining wild bird populations in North AmericaEd Yong's book An Immense WorldYellowstone to Yukon conservation initiativeRestorDouglas Tallamy's book Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your YardStory of mining permit revocation in PanamaTimeline of expansion of the rights of nature that was compiled by the Community Environmental Legal Defense FundCenter for Democratic and Environmental RightsStop Ecocide InternationalCrazy Town episode with Danielle Celermajer on multispecies justiceRobin Wall-Kimmerer's book Braiding SweetgrassProminence of nature in the Tuvan languageHolding the Fire episode with Anne PoelinaQuote by Kenneth Brink of the Karuk TribeQuote by Sammy Gensaw III of the Yurok TribeSupport the Show.

    Escaping Individualism: Why Rickey Don't Like It When Rickey Feels Lonely

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2024 71:22 Transcription Available


    The epidemic of loneliness isn't just a product of technology or even capitalism -- it has its roots in the same fertile ground as the founding of the United States. And it may just be the most important "ism" of all to escape as we enter the Great Unraveling of social and environmental systems.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Definition of individualism from the American Psychological AssociationArticle in Opumo magazine - "Super singles: 10 coolest one seater cars"U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 report: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and IsolationBBC Loneliness ExperimentRobert Putnam's classic book - Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityCountry comparison tool for exploring Hofstede's Individualism IndexPart 1 of Post Carbon Institute's webinar on mutual aid; Part 2Donna M. Butts and Shannon E. Jarrott, "The Power of Proximity: Co-Locating Childcare and Eldercare Programs," Stanford Social Innovation Review, April 2021Pets for the ElderlyDean Spade's book - Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)History of the free breakfast movement of the Black Panther PartyTeju Ravilochan, "The Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow's Hierarchy"City of Knoxville program guide: Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness PlanSupport the Show.

    Escaping Imperialism: Where Does Darth Vader Get His Lithium?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 72:54 Transcription Available


    Perhaps no community has undergone more versions of imperialism than the tiny island nation of Nauru, which has morphed from being "Pleasant Island" to the mined-out home of offshore banks, discarded refugees, and deep sea mining interests. Jason, Rob, and Asher take a bad trip to wrap their heads around Nauru, the topic of "psychedelic imperialism," and imperialism's new frontier - the clean energy transition.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:"A Dark History of the World's Smallest Island Nation" tells the tale of Nauru.S.J. Gale, "Lies and misdemeanours: Nauru, phosphate and global geopolitics," The Extractive Industries and Society, vol 6, July 2019.FAQs of the Metals CompanyEric Lipton's New York Times article about imperialistic mining of the Pacific Ocean floor.Mining Watch Canada questions the claims of the Metals Company.Elham Shabahat's article in Hakai Magazine, "Why Nauru Is Pushing the World Toward Deep-Sea Mining" Definition of imperialism from the Cornell Law SchoolJ.A. Hobson's book Imperialism: A StudyJason Hickel et al., "Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990-2015," Global Environmental Change, vol 73, March 2022.Critique of lithium extraction in the Atacama DesertIndigenous people's response to lithium mining in NevadaHow the Sami people are protesting Sweden's "green transformation"Episode 3 of the Holding the Fire podcast, featuring Sami leader Aslak HolmbergCobus van Staden on "Green Energy's Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources"Jim Robbins in Yale Environment 360 on "How Returning Lands to Native Tribes Is Helping Protect Nature""Indigenous Land Return Announcement by Sogorea Te' Land Trust and Movement Generation!" -- article by Ines Ixierda"New Zealands's Maori fought for reparations -- and wonSupport the Show.

    Escaping Capitalism: How to Replace the "Logic" of Psychopaths, Pharma Bros, and Private Prisons

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2024 70:54 Transcription Available


    Capitalism ruins SO many things, from key sectors like college sports all the way down to novelties like people's health and the environment. Jason, Rob, and Asher rely on their keen insight and otherworldly investigative talents to somehow unearth a few flaws of capitalism. But rather than wallow in the world of profiteering and privatization, they explore the solidarity economy and other alternatives to the "greed is good" way of running things.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Wikipedia page “Nike and the University of Oregon”Joshua Hunt book: University of Nike: How Corporate Cash Bought American Higher Education.Erik Olin Wright, How to Be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First Century, Verso 2019.Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty First Century, Harvard University Press 2014.Robert Heilbroner, The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers.Jeffrey Sachs, “Twentieth-Century Political Economy: A Brief History of Global Capitalism,” Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 15, No. 4.Summary of End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes ActDavid Bollier, The Commoner's Catalog for ChangemakingLobbying to defeat bills that prohibit private prisonsMore lobbying in support of private prisonsIncredible drug price increase after hedge fund manager acquires itAnnual report of Weaver Street MarketDonnie Maclurcan's explanation of not-for-profit enterprisesRanking of the world's happiest countriesBoston Ujima ProjectAlfie Kohn,  No Contest: The Case Against Competition, Houghton Mifflin, 1992.B Corps and B LabDefinition of the solidarity economy from the New Economy CoalitionSupport the Show.

    Escaping Growthism: Wendigo Economics, Mystery Houses, and Becoming the Bear

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 63:22 Transcription Available


    Grow or die. It's the governing principle of companies, investment portfolios, national economies, and even philanthropic foundations. Oh, and cancer. Asher, Jason, and Rob lay bare the stats on everything from human population, energy consumption, global GDP, greenhouse gas emissions, and the size of cars and cruise ships, before concluding that the global economy should be named after the Wendigo from Algonquian folklore. They turn to the natural world for examples of self-regulation, along with promising new economic frameworks and on-the-ground models, for how to end Wendigo economics before it ends us.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Timeline of Sarah Winchester's storyTimeline of the largest passenger boatsParks and Rec clip on soda sizesKaitlin Smith, "More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories"Winona LaDuke discusses Wendigo economics in a Yes! Magazine online conversation.Hannah and Kevin Salwen, The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving BackCBS news story about a family giving away half their incomeSparkToro, an unusual tech company that doesn't believe bigger is betterReport: Resilient Biocultural Heritage Landscapes for Sustainable Mountain Development, which contains information about Peru's Potato ParkKrystyna Swiderska, "Here's why Indigenous economics is the key to saving nature"Al Bartlett lecturing on exponential growthSupport the Show.

    Escaping Globalism: Rebuilding the Local Economy One Pig Thyroid at a Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 68:09 Transcription Available


    From the top of a skyscraper in Dubai, Jason, Rob, and Asher chug margaritas made from the purest Greenland glacier ice as they cover the "merits" of globalism. International trade brings so many things, like murder hornets, piles of plastic tchotchkes, and deadly supply chain disruptions. The opposite of globalism is localism -- learn how to build a secure local economy that can keep Asher alive, hopefully at least through the end of the season.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Guardian article about shipping Greenland glacier ice to DubaiWired article that tells the story of the Ever Given and all the supply chain problems that ensuedThe Observatory of Economic Complexity compiles statistics on global economic activity with interesting graphics, including this profile of China's trade.Michael Carolan's book Cheaponomics: The High Cost of Low Prices, and his follow-up book The Real Cost of Cheap FoodVasilis Kostakis's article on cosmolocalismVicki Robin's book Blessing the Hands that Feed UsWebsite for FibershedMolly Scott Cato's book The Bioregional Economy: Land, Liberty, and the Pursuit of HappinessSupport the Show.

    Escaping Technologyism: Dreams of AI Sheep and the Deadliest Word in Film History

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2024 66:47 Transcription Available


    Modern humans have a Stockholm Syndrome relationship to technology, which has kidnapped us while convincing us it has our best interests in mind. But when one looks back at the history of plastics or the current frenzy around AI, it isn't hard to see the insanity of doubling down on new technology to save us from previous technology. Find out what a person or society can actually do to develop a healthy, non-abusive relationship with technology, aside from joining an Amish community or going "full Kaczynski."Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Moriah McDonald reports on the big underestimates of Greenland ice loss in Inside Climate News.Typical article about how AI can solve climate changeAnother such article about the "magic" of AIAnd another -- sheesh (no wonder Jason was so upset)!Report on the future of petrochemicals from the International Energy AgencyKelly Oakes of the BBC asks, "What would happen if we stopped using plastic?"Website of The Ocean CleanupLow Tech MagazineLow Technology Institute's 10-Mile Building ChallengeSulan Chen writes for UNDP, "A global treaty to end plastic pollution is in sight."BBC reporting on the EU's efforts to regulate AISupport the show

    Escaping Speedism: How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Collapse

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 69:13 Transcription Available


    Consult your inner tortoise to find novel ways of slowing down and living the good life. In a world haunted by just-in-time delivery, hyperactive business, accelerating environmental calamities, and metric tons of stress, Jason, Rob, and Asher work at a fast and furious pace to savor the moments, because there aren't many left.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Top 10 most unrealistic car crashes in moviesClip from the movie The Blues BrothersClip from the movie SpeedClip from the movie Live Free or Die HardClip from the movie Furious 7Definition  of high frequency tradingGraphical representation of the Great AccelerationInterview with Hartmut RosaBart Zantvoort's article about Harmut Rosa's workArticle about social acceleration by Bettina Hollstein and Hartmut Rosa in the Journal of Business EthicsPodcast episode about shrinking attention spans (episode 225 of Speaking of Psychology)Article about technology and perception of time by Fiona MacDonald in ScienceAlertSupport the show

    Escaping Urbanism: Green Acres, Climate Migration, and the End of the Megacity

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024 78:43 Transcription Available


    Did a whimsical 1960s TV sitcom presage climate migration and a reversal of urban growth? We're not calling for a Godzilla-esque teardown of cities, but climate change is forcing a serious urban rethink. Jason, Rob, and Asher offer visions of better infrastructure, policies, and culture that you can embrace, even if your home is in the city.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Support the show

    Escaping Consumerism: Why Crocheted Codpieces Are the Perfect Antidote to Fast Fashion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 63:27 Transcription Available


    If American consumers ever come up for air under the pile of crap in their storage units, they find themselves face to face with a materialistic hellscape of megastores, McMansions, endless fleets of delivery trucks, and evil hordes of targeted ads. But help is on the way. Jason, Rob, and Asher present ideas for shaping up a world beyond consumerism.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:The original (and both catchy and annoying) Toys “R” Us theme songThe melancholy remake of the theme song for a bankrupt Toys “R” Us, performed by Chase HolfelderU.S. Material Use FactsheetUnited Nations statistics on material footprintSelf storage industry trendsThe environmental costs of fast fashionStory by Beth Porter, “What Really Happens to Unwanted Clothes?”Forbes list of billionairesGeorge Carlin's classic comedic bit about “stuff”Sandra Goldmark's book Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the PlanetSupport the show

    Escaping Industrialism: How to Avoid Pancakes on a Stick and Other "Miracles" of the Industrial Age

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2024 57:29 Transcription Available


    Jason, Rob, and Asher take a tour of New Caledonia, California's Central Valley, Bhutan, and Cuba to uncover the ins and outs of industrialism, especially as it has been applied to agriculture. Along the way they riff on how the hell we can escape from an -ism that completely engulfs us.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Tom Murphy “does the math” on declining wild mammal mass.Understanding the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors of the economy.USDA graphic and statistics on the scale of family farms.Our World in Data: “Farm Size and Productivity”.Video clip from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.Hossain, S., Jami, A.T. (2023). “Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Development and Governance in South Asia: Case Study of Bhutan.” In: Wu, HH., Liu, WY., Huang, M.C. (eds) Moving Toward Net-Zero Carbon Society. Springer Climate.Arch Ritter, “Can Cuba Recover from its De-Industrialization?”.Julia Wright, “The Little-Studied Success Story of Post-Crisis Food Security in Cuba: Does Lack of International Interest Signify Lack of Political Will?” International Journal of Cuban Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2012, pp. 130–53.Support the show

    Escape Routes: Let's Get the F**k out of Crazy Town

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 51:02 Transcription Available


    Escape Routes! That's the theme of the sixth season of Crazy Town. We're exploring how to escape industrialism, consumerism, globalism, capitalism, and all the other -isms that are causing a polycrisis of environmental and social breakdown. Most of all, Jason, Rob, and Asher are looking to maintain their sense of humor while escaping fatalism and finding meaningful ways to avoid collapse.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Wikipedia article on China's Mango CultFrance's Dancing Plague of 1518Geoffrey Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, W. W. Norton, 2022Asch line experimentBystander Intervention Tip SheetSummary of Marvin Harris's work on cultural materialismResearch that extends Asch's conformity experiments and highlights the personality trait of openness as a key to resisting the behavior of conforming.Big Five Personality AssessmentOthering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, BerkeleySupport the show

    Crazy Town Season 6 Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 1:16


    Join us on March 13, 2024 for the launch of our sixth season, in which Jason, Rob, and Asher explore escape routes from industrialism, capitalism, consumerism, and a bunch of other "-isms" that are causing the polycrisis of environmental and social breakdown.Support the show

    Bonus: Grief and Making Connections with LaUra Schmidt

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 47:49 Transcription Available


    LaUra Schmidt visits Crazy Town to discuss her work with the Good Grief Network and her book, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet. Along the way, she shares wisdom and insights on courage, taking meaningful action, terror management theory, and practices for processing the strong emotions that accompany facing climate change and other aspects of the polycrisis.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:LaUra's book, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our PlanetThe Good Grief Network's 10 Step ProgramLaUra mentioned Bayo Akomolafe and his work on "questioning our questions."Joanna Macy and The Work That ReconnectsVideo of Dr. Andrew Weil's 4-7-8 breathing techniqueDavid Graeber's book Bullshit JobsCrazy Town episode 34, "Fear of Death and Climate Denial, or... the Story of Wolverine and the Screaming Mole of Doom"Fiftieth anniversary book review in the New York Times: Ernest Becker's The Denial of DeathAyisha Siddiqa's poem "On Another Panel about Climate, They Ask Me to Sell the Future and All I've Got Is a Love Poem"Support the show

    Bonus: New Year's Dissolutions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2024 34:15


    Asher, Jason, and Rob reflect on 2023 – a year filled to the brim with Crazy Townisms like the COP climate conference being held in Dubai, an anti-aging nutbag who parasitizes his own son, and the hijinks of the world's dumbest billionaires. After a few predictions (all with money-back guarantees), they turn to some personal resolutions that might even help you cope with what's coming in 2024.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.References:183 regional and local conflicts around the worldZuckerberg's tragically misguided Hawaiian bunkerAnti-aging nutterWhen do we get to use the guns?The 10-step program of the Good Grief NetworkSupport the show

    Bonus: Vanilla Andreessen, Pygmy Marmosets, and Hi-Tech Delusions

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 63:03


    The most vomit-inducing document of 2023 has to be the "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," written (oh so obviously) by a billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Join Jason, Rob, and Asher if you feel like sharing in some outrage and learning about a WAY better manifesto that just so happens to focus on the world's smallest monkeys.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.References:Marc Andreessen's horrifying "Techno-Optimist Manifesto" Peer-reviewed paper featuring Jason's far superior "Dehumanist Manifesto"Description of the pygmy marmosetThe idea of Beth Sawin's Multisolving InstituteThe dark triad -- narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathyThe original paper on the taxonomy of Phalse ProphetsArticle by Richard Heinberg about free will.Support the show

    Bonus: Bundyville and Stories that Need to Be Told with Leah Sottile

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 57:04 Transcription Available


    Investigative journalist Leah Sottile writes articles teeming with insights, and she produces and hosts podcasts filled with ah-ha moments. Rob tries not to sound like too much of a fanboy as he interviews Leah about political extremism, environmentalism, and the craft of storytelling during the Great Unraveling.Resources:Leah's websiteLeah's Substack page, titled "The Truth Does not Change According to Our Ability to Stomach It"Article in The High Country News "The 90-foot sentinel of Butte, Montana"Bundyville: The Remnant, a must-listen podcast about the patriot movement and right-wing extremismBurn Wild, another must-listen podcast about the Earth Liberation Front and left-wing extremismSupport the show

    Bonus Riff: Infinite, Unlimited, Forever - Water in the Desert

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2023 31:30


    Just how much has the extractivist growth mindset come to dominate Phoenix and other cities in the desert Southwest of the United States? Prepare to turn your indignation meter up to 11 as Jason, Rob, and Asher consider desalination, pipelines, and the folly of pursuing infinite growth in a dry climate.Support the show

    Bonus: Holding the Fire - Indigenous Voices on the Great Unraveling

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 25:10 Transcription Available


    We are pleased to share the new podcast from Post Carbon Institute, Holding the Fire. Award-winning journalist and author Dahr Jamail hosts in-depth interviews with leaders from around the world to uncover Indigenous ways of reckoning with environmental and societal breakdown.Support the show

    Bonus: Going Wild with Rae Wynn-Grant

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 50:50 Transcription Available


    Wildlife ecologist and communicator extraordinaire Rae Wynn-Grant visits Crazy Town to talk human-wildlife interactions, the social side of environmentalism, diversity and equity in the sciences, and ideas for young people (don't worry if you're older—the ideas apply to you, too). Rae is the host of the PBS Nature podcast "Going Wild" and will soon be appearing as the cohost of Wild Kingdom, a reboot of the ultra-classic tv nature show. Listen to the end of the episode to catch Rae's thoughts on the most important stories people need to hear (and tell) to make a transition to sustainable and just society. Notes and Resources:Rae's websiteThe podcast: Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-GrantRae discussed how Ayana Elizabeth Johnson influenced her.Rae also highlighted the work of Leah Thomas on intersectional environmentalism.Doris Duke Conservation Scholars ProgramNational Geographic HBCU Media ScholarshipArticle about the reboot of the Wild Kingdom television seriesSupport the show

    Bonus: Bagdhad Bob Visits Climate Town

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 40:23


    What do Saddam Hussein's information minister and the Wall Street Journal's editorial board have in common? Hint: it starts with a “d,” ends with “enial,” and isn't just a river in Egypt. A new and virulent strain of climate denial could be called “doomer shaming.” Instead of acknowledging how logical it is to be distressed about the state of the climate (and the pitiful worldwide political response), delusional boosters of the status quo would rather belittle people who worry about rising temperatures, wildfires, super-storms, and ecosystem breakdown. Jason, Rob, Asher, and Melody consider how to manage climate anxiety and use it in service of caring for planet Earth.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.References:Video of Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahhaf, aka Baghdad BobAllysia Finley wrote this Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Climate Change Obsession Is a Real Mental Disorder”Nature article dismissed by FinleyLancet article dismissed by FinleyRebuttal written by PCI Advisor Leslie Davenport and published in the Wall Street JournalRebecca Solnit's article in The Guardian, “We Can't Afford to Be Climate Doomers.”Survey on climate distress by the Yale Program on Climate CommunicationGen Dread newsletter on climate distressClimate Psychology AllianceGood Grief NetworkSupport the show

    Bonus: Choose Your Own Adventure in the Great Unraveling

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 51:37 Transcription Available


    After hearing a story of woe on the streets of Portland, Oregon, Jason, Rob, and Asher cover the four critical ways of cultivating personal resilience to navigate the Great Unraveling. The report we reference several times is Welcome to the Great Unraveling: Navigating the Polycrisis of Environmental and Social Breakdown.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Support the show

    The Surest Paths to a Hard Collapse: The Delusional Doctrines of the Phalse Prophethood (Season Wrap-up)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 84:54 Transcription Available


    Asher, Rob, and Jason explore the lessons and dangers of the brotherhood of Phalse Prophets and consider better ways to achieve a sustainable and equitable society. Along the way, they examine how to start a cult, turn the insufferability index on themselves, respond to listener feedback, and repeatedly mispronounce amygdala. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Support the show

    The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 69:44 Transcription Available


    Meet Elon Musk, the Muskian mogul who Elon Musks his way to the pinnacle of Muskitude. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Prepare to be wowed by the Musk Foundation website.Luc Olinga, "Errol Musk, Elon's Dad, Prompts a New Controversy," TheStreet (2022).Musk's attack on Jane GoodallCade Metz and Neal E. Boudette, "Inside Tesla as Elon Musk Pushed an Unflinching Vision for Self-Driving Cars," The New York Times (2021).Andrew J. Hawkins and Umar Shakir, "Elon Musk unveils a new Master Plan, a path to sustainable energy future, but no new cars," The Verge (2023).Adam Kovacs and Adam Westbrook, "Elon Musk Has Some bad Ideas for Mass Transit. We Have Solutions," The New York Times (2022).Adam Something, "Elon Musk's Loop is a Bizarrely Stupid Idea," YouTube (2021).Ted Mann and Julie Bykowicz, "Elon Musk's Boring Company Ghosts Cities Across America," The Wall Street Journal (2022).Nikki McCann Ramirez, "Paul Pelosi Conspiracy Theory Trends on Twitter After Elon Musk Pushes It," Rolling Stone (2022).Ted McCormick, "The billionaire space race reflects a colonial mindset that fails to imagine a different world," The Conversation (2021).Marina Koren, "The War in Ukraine is Testing the Myth of Elon Musk," The Atlantic (2022).Radhika Viswanathan, "Elon Musk's plan to bring a mini-submarine to rescue the Thai boys," Vox (2018).A podcast episode from Backpacker that describes the amazing Thai cave rescueZoe Schiffer and Casey Newton, "Yes, Elon Musk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first," Platformer (2023)Emile P. Torres, "How Elon Musk sees the future: His bizarre sci-fi vision should concern us all," Salon, July 17, 2022.Support the show

    How to Fast-Track Collapse: Manipulating the Masses While Massaging Megalomaniacs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 55:20 Transcription Available


    Meet Steve Bannon, the Molotov mixologist who wants to light the world on fire. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Video: Mutual Aid in the Great Unraveling, Part 1 with Daniel P Aldrich, Amira Odeh, and Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute, November 2022.Video: Mutual Aid in the Great Unraveling, Part 2 with Dean Spade, Joanna Swan, and Aliza Tuttle, Post Carbon Institute, November 2022.Dean Spade, "Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next),"  Verso Books, October 2020."Democracy Rising" essay series on deliberative democracyGlobal Tapestry of AlternativesEliana Johnson and Eli Stokols, "What Steve Bannon Wants You to Read," Politico, February 7, 2017.Lisa Marshall, "Inside Steve Bannon's 'War for Eternity'," CU Boulder Today, April 22, 2020.Joshua Green, "Inside the Secret, Strange Origins of Steve Bannon's Nationalist Fantasia," Vanity Fair, July 17, 2017.David Breitenbeck, "A Brief Summary of Traditionalism," The Imaginative Conservative, March 21, 2019.Generation Zero, Bannon's poorly reviewed documentaryGuo Wengui's video for his song, "Take Down the CCP," -- the third best comedy yacht video of all time.Douglas Rushkoff, "How to Avoid Becoming a Fascist: Why I turned down an appearance on Steve Bannon's podcast," Medium, October 21, 2021.Olivia Goldhill, "The neo-fascist philosophy that underpins both the alt-right and Silicon Valley technophiles," Quartz, June 18, 2017.Philip Rucker and Robert Costa, "Bannon vows a daily fight for ‘deconstruction of the administrative state'," The Washington Post, February 23, 2017.Support the show

    How to Lose Friends and Demoralize People: The Science (sic!) of Near-Term Extinction

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 54:21 Transcription Available


    Meet Guy McPherson, the extinction enthusiast who undermines legitimate climate concerns by predicting we're all going to die yesterday. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Guy McPherson, "Near-Term Extinction blog post," Nature Bats Last (last updated 2016).Scott Johnson, "How Guy McPherson gets it wrong," Fractal Planet, 2014.Michael Tobis, "McPherson's Evidence That Doom Doom Doom," Planet 3.0, 2014.Nathan Curry, "Humanity Is Getting Verrrrrrry Close to Extinction," Vice, 2013.BizNewsTV, "'Humans will be extinct by 2026' - 'doom and gloom prophet' Prof McPherson on abrupt climate change," January 19, 2023.Shannon Osaka, "Why climate 'doomers' are replacing climate 'deniers',” Washington Post, March 24, 2023.Jerome Roos, "We Don't Know What Will Happen Next," New York Times, April 18, 2023.List of McPherson predictionsSupport the show

    Prepping for the Apocalypse: Elites' Foolish Fantasies for Surviving a Collapse of Their Own Creation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 60:52 Transcription Available


    Meet Barrett Moore, the bunker-building bullshit artist who helps capitalists survive the apocalypse with beans, bullets, and bravado. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:History of the Kelly Butte Civil Defense CenterArticle on Kelly Butte in the Atlas ObscuraA Day Called X -- video of a dramatized atomic evacuation of Portland, OregonDonald Fagen's "New Frontier"Sam Biddle, "The Rise and Fall of the Ultimate Doomsday Prepper," The Intercept, July 5, 2021."Three Robots: Exit Strategies" -- episode 1 of season 3 of the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots.National Geographic produced the popular video series Doomsday Preppers.Molly Redden, "The American Elite Are Planning Their Escape — And It Starts With Paying For Passports," Huffington Post, March 19, 2023.John Ramey, "New statistics on modern prepper demographics from FEMA and Cornell," theprepared.com August 4, 2021.Bradley Garrett, "Living with bunker builders: doomsday prepping in the age of coronavirus,"The Conversation, May 14, 2020.Interview about Bradley Garrett's study of preppingJ. Oliver Conroy, "We mocked preppers and survivalists – until the pandemic hit," The Guardian, April 30, 2020.Walter Karp, "When Bunkers Last in the Backyard Bloom-d," American Heritage, February/March 1980.Red Cross's Preparedness ChecklistFEMA's 12 Ways to PrepareTom Prugh, "Democracy Rising 1 Introduction: Idiots R Us," Resilience, October 27, 2021.Jana Reiss, "For today's Latter-day Saints, it's food storage light," The Salt Lake Tribune, January 27, 2023.Support the show

    Announcement: 2023 Crazy Town Hall

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2023 1:50


    How would you like to hang out with Asher, Rob, and Jason (well, virtually anyway)? Your chance is coming up at the fourth annual Crazy Town Hall. The town hall is our most fun event of the year, where you can ask questions, play games, get insider information on the podcast, and share plenty of laughs. It's a special online event for the most dedicated Crazy Townies out there, and it's coming up on June 6, 2023, from 10 to 11:15 AM U.S. Pacific time.To get an invitation, make a donation of any size. Go to https://www.postcarbon.org/supportcrazytown/. When you make a donation, we'll email you an exclusive link to join the Crazy Town Hall. If you're already a donor, we'll be sure to send you the invitation as well. If we get enough donations, maybe we can hire some decent hosts! Join us at the town hall on June 6th, 2023. Again to get your invitation, go to https://www.postcarbon.org/supportcrazytown/.Support the show

    How Longtermism Became the Most Dangerous Philosophy You've Never Heard of

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2023 63:25 Transcription Available


    Meet William MacAskill, the puerile professor who helps crypto capitalists justify sociopathy today for a universe of transhuman colonization tomorrow. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Andrew Anthony, "William MacAskill: 'There are 80 trillion people yet to come. They need us to start protecting them'," The Guardian, August 21, 2022.Guiding Principles of the Centre for Effective AltruismPeter Singer, "Famine, Affluence and Morality," givingwhatwecan.org.Sarah Pessin, "Political Spiral Logics," sarahpessin.com.Eliezer Yudkowsky, "Pausing AI Developments Isn't Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down," Time, March 29, 2023.Emile Torres explains the acronym TESCREAL in a Twitter thread.Benjamin Todd and William MacAskill, "Is it ever OK to take a harmful job in order to do more good? An in-depth analysis," 80,000 Hours, March 26, 2023.William MacAskill, "The Case for Longtermism," The New York Times, August 5, 2022.Emile P. Torres, "Understanding “longertermism”: Why this suddenly influential philosophy is so toxic," Salon, August 20, 2022.Nick Bostrom, "Existential Risks," Journal of Evolution and Technology (2002).Nick Bostrom, "Astronomical Waste: The Opportunity Cost of Delayed Technological Development," Utilitas (2003).Emile P. Torres, "How Elon Musk sees the future: His bizarre sci-fi visions should concern us all," Salon,  July 17, 2022.Support the show

    Sucking CO2 and Electrifying Everything: The Climate Movement's Desperate Dependence on Tenuous Technologies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 82:33 Transcription Available


    Meet Mark Jacobson and David Keith, the leading techno-fixologists who overpromise overhyped “solutions” to the climate conundrum. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:The Solutions ProjectCarbon EngineeringDavid W. Keith et al., "A Process for Capturing CO2 from the Atmosphere," Joule, August 15, 2018.Christopher T. M. Clack et al., "Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar," PNAS, June 19, 2017.Natanael Bolson, P. Prieto, and T. Patzek, "Capacity factors for electrical power generation from renewable and nonrenewable sources," PNAS, December 20, 2022.Simon Michaux's websiteRichard Heinberg, "Can Civilization Survive? These Studies Might Tell Us," Resilience, December 19, 2022.Average household electricity consumptionDavid Fridley and Richard Heinberg, "Can Climate Change Be Stopped by Turning Air Into Gasoline?," Renewable Energy World, June 19, 2018.Mark Jacobson on Late Night with David LettermanJames R. Martin, "Energy Transition & the Luxury Economy," Resilience, October 31, 2022.Yamina Saheb, Kai Kuhnhenn, and Juliane Schumacher, "It's a Very Western Vision of the World," Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung.Mark Z. Jacobson et al., "Low-cost solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity for 145 countries," Energy & Environmental Science (2022).Nicole Jewell, "Leading Stanford climate scientist builds incredible net zero home, complete with Tesla Powerwall," In Habitat (2017).Raymond Pierrehumbert, "The trouble with geoengineers 'hacking the planet'," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2017).Support the show

    How Ecomodernists Hijacked the Environmental Movement: Technotopian Bullshit and a Raging Case of God Complex.

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 62:03 Transcription Available


    Meet Stewart Brand and his band of merry dematerialists, the Silicon Valley salesmen who undermined environmentalism with planet-saving fantasies that reek of technofetishism. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:John Markoff, Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand, 2022.Anna Wiener, "The Complicated Legacy of Stewart Brand's 'Whole Earth Catalog'," The New Yorker, November 16, 2018.Wolf Tivy and Matt Ellison, "'Life Goes On' With Stewart Brand," Palladium, September 14, 2022."Ecomodernist Manifesto"Timothee Parrique, "A response to Paul Krugman: Growth is not as green as you might think," Resilience, February 28, 2023.Low-Tech MagazineThe Long Now FoundationRevive & RestoreSupport the show

    Kinder, Gentler Colonialism: Bungling Billionaires and Their Arrogant Adventures in "Saving the World"

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 66:15 Transcription Available


    Meet Bill Gates, the philandering philanthropist who attempts to remake the world's operating system in his own image. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Bill Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, 2021.Alan Guebert, "Given What We Don't Know, Why Do We Act Like We Do Know?," Food and Farm File, September 25, 2022.Gates Foundation, "Bill and Melinda Gates Pledge $10 Billion in Call for Decade of Vaccines," January 2010.Bill Gates TED Talk, "The next outbreak? We're not ready," 2015.Erin Banco, Ashleigh Furlong, and Lennart Pfahler, "How Bill Gates and partners used their clout to control the global Covid response — with little oversight," Politico, September 14, 2022.Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, October 1, 2019.Timothy A. Wise "Failing Africa's Farmers: An Impact Assessment of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa," Tufts University, July 2020.Anmar Frangoul, "Bill Gates on why he'll carry on using private jets and campaigning on climate change," CNBC, February 7, 2023.Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy, Post Capitalist Philanthropy: Healing Wealth In The Time Of Collapse, October 17, 2022.Support the show

    Hot, Flat, and Totally Phucking Wrong: The Perilous Platitudes of a Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Propagandist

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2023 75:05 Transcription Available


    Meet Tom Friedman, the mustachioed metaphor maven who thinks we can have our cake and listen to it too. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Thomas Friedman, "Foreign Affairs Big Mac I," The New York Times, December 8, 1996.Matt Taibbi's critique of Hot, Flat, and Crowded -- "Flathead" Strauss Media, November 21, 2014.Jason Hickel et al., "Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990–2015," Global Environmental Change, March 2022.Thomas Friedman, "The Earth Is Full," The New York Times, June 7, 2011.Thomas Friedman, "Something's Happening Here," The New York Times, October 11, 2011.Thomas Friedman, "Want to Save the Earth? We Need a Lot More Elon Musks.," The New York Times, November 16, 2021.Thomas Friedman, "How We Broke the World," The New York Times, May 30, 2020.Belen Fernandez, The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work, November 1, 2011.Here's the archive of Global Citizen columns by Donella Meadows.Ian Parker, "The Bright Side: The relentless optimism of Thomas Friedman," The New Yorker, November 2, 2008.Thomas Friedman, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, 1999.Thomas Friedman The World Is Flat, YouTube video of Yale University Lecture, 2009.Garrett Graff, "Thomas Friedman is On Top of the World," Washingtonian Magazine, July 1, 2006.  Support the show

    How Boomer Politicians Found a Third Way to Phuck Over the Working Class

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2023 70:25 Transcription Available


    Meet Bill Clinton, who converted the Democratic Party into slightly less loathsome neoliberals. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Lily Geismer wrote an outstanding and comprehensive book, published in 2022, on Clinton and the legacy of neoliberal policies called Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality.Lily Geismer, "How the Third Way Made Neoliberal Politics Seem Inevitable," The Nation, December 13, 2022.Alex Parnee, “The Disastrous Legacy of the New Democrats,” The New Republic, May 16, 2022.Michael Pierce, “How Bill Clinton Remade the Democratic Party by Abandoning Unions” The Labor and Working-Class History Association, November 23, 2016.Support the show

    How to Become the Winningest Winner Who Wins: The Twisted Logic of the World's Greatest CEO

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2023 62:58 Transcription Available


    Meet Jack Welch, celebrated wrecker of real jobs and leading light of Wall Street wankers. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:David Gelles, The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of America—and How to Undo His Legacy (2022).David Gelles, "How Jack Welch's Reign at G.E. Gave Us Elon Musk's Twitter Feed," New York Times (2022).Malcolm Gladwell, "Was Jack Welch the Greatest C.E.O. of His Day--Or the Worst?," The New Yorker (2022).Geoff Colvin, "The Ultimate Manager," Fortune (1999).Matthew J. Belvedere, "Jack Welch says Obama's ‘wacky' climate-change agenda hurts the US economy," CNBC (2016)."Jack Welch Fast Facts," CNN (2020).Scott Tong, "This is how shareholders got to be first in line for profits," Business Insider (2016).James B. Stewart, "Did the Jack Welch Model Sow Seeds of G.E.'s Decline?," New York Times (2017). Jack & Suzy Welch Winning (2005).Geoff Gloeckler, "Jack Welch Launches Online MBA," Bloomberg Businessweek (2009).Della Bradshaw, "Jack Welch on the executive MBA he created in his own image," Financial Times (2014).Jack Welch Management Institute .Oxfam "Top 1% grab twice as much new wealth as everyone else combined".Economic Policy Institute “CEO pay has skyrocketed".  Support the show

    How to Have Sex with Yourself: The Bizarre Cult of the Singularity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 66:51 Transcription Available


    Meet Ray Kurzweil, who combines Moore's Law with nanobots in a faux recipe to cheat death. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD. Sources/Links/Notes:Ray Kurzweil's 2005 book checks in at 672 pages -- it's called The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.Kurzweil's sequel from 2022 is called The Singularity Is Nearer.Brian O'Keefe, "The smartest (or the nuttiest) futurist on Earth," Fortune, May 2, 2007.David Hochman, "Reinvent Yourself," Playboy, April 19, 2016.Episode of Doug Henning's World of Magic, 1980.Society for CryobiologySingularity UniversitySarah Begley, "The Future of Food: Experts Predict How Our Plates Will Change," Time, October 9, 2014.Alan Thompson, "Dr Ray Kurzweil: 2022-2023 Updates," LifeArchitect.aiEric Brende wrote a book that counteracts some of Kurzweil's absurdities. It's called Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology.The Simplicity Collective is a good organization for exploring voluntary simplicity.Support the show

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