A delectable serving of the culture war
In this episode, we discuss the question of Quebec. Participants: Yassine, Obsidienne, Restons Civilisés, Révolte Des Koulaks. Links: René Lévesque - Nationalisation de l'électricité au Québec (1962) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKmwGQ4-zKQ FLQ Manifesto 1970 http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/docs/october/documents/FLQManifesto.pdf Nègres blancs d'Amérique https://archive.org/details/white-niggers-america/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater October Crisis - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Crisis Pierre Trudeau: "Just watch me" | CBC.ca https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1241195075951 — Recorded 2022-05-22 | Uploaded 2022-06-02
In this episode, we discuss ethnic representation in casting. Participants: Yassine, Ishmael, Sultan Links: The Value of "True" Diversity in Media (Yassine Meskhout) https://ymeskhout.substack.com/p/the-value-of-true-diversity-in-media History or fiction? Fact check ‘Bridgerton's historical storylines here (Film Daily) https://filmdaily.co/obsessions/bridgerton-facts/ Now you know why they didn't remake The Dambusters (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-eYCoTJcw To Make Orchestras More Diverse, End Blind Auditions (NYT) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/arts/music/blind-auditions-orchestras-race.html The Great Ginger Erasure...who will be next? (Reddit) https://old.reddit.com/r/SocialJusticeInAction/comments/ccjjqn/the_great_ginger_erasurewho_will_be_next_22/ Whoopi Goldberg Perfectly Described The Importance Of Uhura In Star Trek (Screen Rant) https://screenrant.com/star-trek-whoopi-goldberg-uhura-tos/ Stonewall: A Butch Too Far (An Historian Goes to the Movies) https://aelarsen.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/stonewall-a-butch-too-far/ Ten Canoes Trailer (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QVOslNuFHw Atanarjuat - The Fast Runner (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUInNnWZLGU Also, during the episode Ishmael mentions Idris Elba cast in the titular role of a King Arthur adaptation. Before you get TOO excited, know that was a case of mistaken recollection. We regret the error and the needlessly soiled panties. Recorded 2022-01-08 | Uploaded 2022-01-23
In this special episode, Katie Herzog (famed testicle enthusiast and part-time podcaster) interviews Yassine on Andy Ngo Links: Robby Soave's debunking of a dumb Ngo rumor: https://reason.com/2019/09/03/andy-ngo-video-antifa-patriot-prayer-attack-media/ Ngo's statement on recent attack: https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1400266501601513475 White people accosting Asians who they think look like Andy Ngo, for antiracism: https://twitter.com/MrOlmos/status/1282899087134584832 https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/05/29/portland-protesters-chase-tackle-and-punch-someone-they-believe-to-be-andy-ngo-until-he-hides-in-the-nines-hotel/ Extended book review of Ngo's book on The Motte: https://old.reddit.com/r/TheMotte/comments/nox63f/book_review_unmasked_andy_ngo/ Profile of the PSJBGC where they interview members about Will: https://news.wfsu.org/all-npr-news/2020-07-23/i-am-antifa-one-activists-violent-death-became-a-symbol-for-the-right-and-left Recorded 2021-06-01 | Uploaded 2021-06-07
In this episode, we discuss “Two Arms and A Head” Participants: Yassine, Doglatine, KulakRevolt, XantosCell Links: Two Arms and a Head (Clayton Atreus): http://www.2arms1head.com/ Death of a Client (Yassine Meskhout): https://old.reddit.com/r/TheMotte/comments/m6ritx/death_of_a_client/ Original Clayton Thread: https://advrider.com/f/threads/seattle-to-argentina-on-a-klr650.136505/ The heartbreaking story of teacher, 24, who starved herself to death: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101334/Christina-Symanski-24-starved-death-paralysed-boyfriend-on.html Johnny Got His Gun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Got_His_Gun Recorded 2021-03-28 | Uploaded 2021-05-16
In this episode, we discuss anarcho-primitivism. Token Normie Host: Master-Thief Guests: GreatJasoni, KulakRevolt, Marlow (We reached out to Ted Kaczynski through the staff at ADX Florence prison and he declined to be interviewed.) Links: Ted Kazcynski, Unabomber Manifesto (Washington Post) https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/unabomber/manifesto.text.htm Goury, Return to Monke: The Meme of Nostalgia and Rejection in 2020 (Know Your Meme) https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/meme-insider/return-to-monke-the-meme-of-nostalgia-and-rejection-in-2020 George Dvorsky, Why do the Anarcho-Primitivists Want to Abolish Civilization? [Interview with Anarcho-Primitivist Philosopher John Zerzan] (io9) https://io9.gizmodo.com/why-do-the-anarcho-primitivists-want-to-abolish-civiliz-1633477541 Peter Thiel, “Secrets”, from Zero to One (Genius) https://genius.com/4346529 Matthew Crawford: The World Beyond Your Head Jake Hanrahan “Inside the Unabomber's odd and furious online revival” (Wired) https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unabomber-netflix-tv-series-ted-kaczynski And response: “Who Are The Pines” (Medium) https://medium.com/@punisheddeath/who-are-the-pines-85bb743cea7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg Recorded 2021-02-22 | Uploaded 2021-04-04
I want to assure everyone that my captors are treating me well and the reports of a hunger strike were fake news. In this episode, everyone is vaccinated, thus proving the point. Makeshift host: Interversity Metacontrarian ensemble: SayingAndUnsaying, LiminalWarmth, KulakRevolt, McMuster Volume adjuster: Neophos Shownotes: Making Vaccine (LW, johnswentworth) How Much Herd Immunity Is Enough? (NYT, Donald McNeil) The Great Vaccinator (WNYC Studios) Recorded 2021-02-09 | Uploaded 2021-02-18
I want to assure everyone that my captors are treating me well and in accordance with all relevant international treaties. In this episode, we discuss natalism and anti-natalism. Participants: jeopardy host trace wise and rational men like xantos Copers in denial jason and civ and sultan Secretly smart flashyman exectutive producer neophos Links: Anti-Natalism: A Self-Extinguishing Phenomenon? (SultanofSwing/yellerto56) The Last Messiah (Peter Wessel Zapffe) You Are Being Lied to By Yourself (XantosCell) The End of Babies (Anna Louie Sussman, NYT) 1000 Days Intro (Mark Rife) Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 (NKJV) Recorded 2021-01-24 | Uploaded 2021-01-31
In this episode, we discuss drugs, primarily nootropics & psychedelics. Participants: Yassine, Sultan of Swing, Interversity, XantosCell, & Unsaying. Links: Modafinil (Gwern) Adderall Risks: Much More Than You Wanted To Know (SlateStarCodex) Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin (SpringerLink) Why Were Early Psychedelicists So Weird? (SlateStarCodex) Schelling fences on slippery slopes (LessWrong) Connor Murphy Ayahuasca Story (Vegas Vips) Lots Of People Going Around With Mild Hallucinations All The Time (SlateStarCodex) Jean-Paul Sartre's bad mescaline trip led to the philosopher being followed by imaginary crabs for years (VintageNews) How Stigma Created Japan's Hidden Drug Problem (Vice) Recorded 2020-12-10 | Uploaded 2021-01-17
In this episode, we discuss student loan forgiveness. Participants: Yassine, TracingWoodgrains, Pete C. Links: Student Debt Forgiveness: Let's Do Some Math (Current Affairs) Why Biden Should Forgive Student-Loan Debt (The Atlantic) Forgiving Student Debt Would Boost Economy (NPR) Why Is College in America So Expensive? (The Atlantic) Wall Street's answer to the student-debt crisis (Harper's) Recorded 2020-12-04 | Uploaded 2020-12-20
In this episode, we discuss self-defense. Participants: Yassine, Edmund-Nelson, KulakRevolt, XantosCell Links: Kenosha Shooting (Yassine Meskhout) How Often Do People Use Guns In Self-Defense? (NPR) Florida's Stand Your Ground Law & Michael Drejka (Yassine Meskhout) Quit Lying to Women About How to Survive Violent Attacks...Please. (YouTube) Lucia Rijker vs Man (YouTube) Jon Fitch gets in a Knife Fight (YouTube) Chuck Liddell works to calm crowds at protests in Huntington Beach | ABC7 (YouTube) The Effectiveness of Rifle Fire Across Cultures (KulakRevolt) Matt Serra subdues drunk man with BJJ (YouTube) Twitter and Empathy | Big Joel (YouTube) Man accused of shooting protester released from jail (KRQE) Our National Daddy Complex (Medium) Recorded 2020-11-28 | Uploaded 2020-12-07
In this episode, we discuss the canon! Participants: Yassine, Interversity, greatjasoni, KulakRevolt, TracingWoodgrains Links: Shakespeare: Original pronunciation (The Open University) The Tyranny of Pop Music (Roger Scruton) The Paradoxes of Christianity (Gilbert K. Chesterton) Why Is Art Expensive? (Priceonomics) Recorded 2020-11-07 | Uploaded 2020-11-22
In this episode, we talk cars. Participants: Yassine, Interversity, LetsStayCivilized, and Master-Thief. Links: The Disillusionment of the American Planner, or How We Became Mark Brendanawicz and How Houston Regulates Land Use (Nolan Gray, Market Urbanism) Euclidean Zoning and Japanese Zoning (Urban Kchoze) Is Covid-19 the end of cities? (Spoiler: No.) (Joe Cortright, City Observatory) Cultivating the Skills that Freedom Requires in Matthew Crawford's Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road (Josh Pauling, Front Porch Republic) Europe Is the Real Home of Driving Freedom (J.R. Hildebrand, Road and Track) The Biggest Opportunity Everyone Is Missing In Self-Driving Cars (Alex Roy, The Drive) Step by step, Americans are sacrificing the right to walk (Antonia Malchik, Aeon) Brilliant designs to fit more people in every city (Kent Larson, TED) Wandering The Earth In A Rage (Virus Comix) Why don't Americans walk more? The crisis of pedestrianism (Tom Vanderbilt, Slate) Residential Parking Requirements (Seth Goodman, Graphing Parking) We Are the 25%: Looking at Street Area Percentages and Surface Parking (Charlie Gardner, Old Urbanist) Apartment Blockers (Alan Durning, Sightline.Org) Traffic Calming 101 (Project for Public Spaces) Housing+Transportation Map (Center for Neighborhood Technology) HAWK Beacon (Wikipedia) The Human Factor (William Langewiesche, Vanity Fair) Recorded 2020-10-12 | Uploaded 2020-11-08
In this episode, we discuss restrictions on the voting franchise. Participants: Yassine, Greatjasoni, Master-Thief, Neophos, and SayingAndUnsaying. Links: Solving the Problem of Political Ignorance (Cato) Thousands Lose Right to Vote Under 'Incompetence' Laws (Pew) Women Against Suffrage (Helen Andrews) A Cheap, Inoffensive Way to Make Democracy Work Better (Bryan Caplan) Recorded 2020-10-07 | Uploaded 2020-10-26
In this episode, we discuss super stimuli. Participants: Yassine, KulakRevolt, Greatjasoni, SayingAndUnsaying, TracingWoodgrains Links: Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. - "Supernormal Stimuli" - TAM 2012 (YouTube) Supernormal stimulus (Wikipedia) The Surprising Psychology Of OnlyFans Simps (YouTube) Supernormal Stimuli Reptile Brain (Stuart McMillen) Does Too Much Pornography Numb Us to Sexual Pleasure? (Aeon) America's First Addiction Epidemic (Long Reads) On information fasting fasting (SayingAndUnsaying) Parable of the Woodcarver (TracingWoodgrains) Recorded 2020-10-05 | Uploaded 2020-10-10
In this episode, we discuss Neoreaction. Participants: Yassine, KulakRevolt, Greatjasoni, Marlowe, TracingWoodgrains Links: Reactionary Philosophy In An Enormous, Planet-Sized Nutshell (SSC) The Anti-Reactionary FAQ (SSC) Neoreaction Summary (TracingWoodgrains) The Deep State vs. The Deep Right (Curtis Yarvin) Neoreaction Excerpts (greatjasoni) Why I am Not a Libertarian (Mencius Moldbug) Recorded 2020-09-03 | Uploaded 2020-09-13
In this episode, we discuss schooling. Participants: Yassine, KulakRevolt, Master-Thief, Neophos, TracingWoodgrains Links: The K-12 Implosion (YouTube) RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms (YouTube) Lazy Rivers and Student Debt (Inside Higher Ed) Mastery Learning (Wikipedia) The Problem We All Live With (This American Life) A Textbook Example of What's Wrong with Education (Edutopia) Homeschooling Pods Tweet (Twitter) How Micro-School Networks Expand Learning Options (FEE) Does The Education System Adequately Serve Advanced Students? (SlateStarCodex) Exit, Voice, and Loyalty (Wikipedia) Recorded 2020-07-20 | Uploaded 2020-07-29
In this episode, we discuss sex & violence. Participants: Yassine, Flashy Man, Edmund Nelson, Neophos, Peter Floetner Links: The Exploited - Sex and Violence (YouTube) The vast gap between how the US and Europe think about teens and sex (Quartz) Why Parents Worry More About Sex than Violence in the Movies (Time) Why is violence more acceptable than sex and nudity in TV shows and movies? (SBS) Hays Code (Wikipedia) Toothbrush Scene (YouTube) Animaniacs Fingerprints (YouTube) Why Professional Wrestling is Fascinating (Super Eyepatch Wolf) R. Budd Dwyer (Wikipedia) List of Prohibited Games (Twitch) Toni Erdmann (2016) Parents Guide (IMDB) Recorded 2020-03-19 | Uploaded 2020-04-13
In this episode, we discuss polyamory with special guest Aella Participants: Yassine, McMuster, Frida, Aella The Amory Spectrum (KnowingLess) Polyamory Is Growing—And We Need To Get Serious About It (Quillette) It's Time to Legalize Polygamy (Politico) No, Polygamy Isn't the Next Gay Marriage (Politico) Polyamorous Love (Life of the Law) Polygamist, Under Scrutiny in Utah, Plans Suit to Challenge Law (NYT) I suspected the asexuality was by far the biggest factor… (ymeskhout) Nearly 4 years of Tinder data as a Male (Imgur) 13 months of Tinder usage [23F] (Reddit) Mallrats - Escalator Scene (YouTube) Recorded 2020-02-09 | Uploaded 2020-02-26
In this episode, we discuss the ethics of space exploration and colonization. Participants: Yassine, Geoff Greer, Master-Thief, crc32, McMuster Space Force vs. Starfleet (Twitter) United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel (Wikipedia) Delta-V subway map (Imgur) Delta V / Δv explained in KSP (YouTube) The Tyranny of the Rocket Equation (NASA) Rising seas give island nation a stark choice (NatGeo) The FCC's Approval of SpaceX's Starlink Mega Constellation May Have Been Unlawful (Scientific American) Astrobiologist: Elon Musk's Starship is a “moral catastrophe” (Futurism) Outer Space Treaty (Wikipedia) Colonize Mars? Not until we learn some lessons here on Earth (Splinter) Polynesian navigation (Wikipedia) Women on Waves (Wikipedia) Flag of convenience (Wikipedia) Fiction Mentioned: The Powers of Earth by Travis J.I. Corcoran The Peace War by Vernor Vinge The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein The Expanse (Series) by James S.A. Corey The Terror (TV series) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Non-Fiction Books Mentioned: The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan Seeing Like A State and The Art Of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott The Machinery of Freedom by David D. Friedman Recorded 2020-01-24 | Uploaded 2020-02-03
In this episode, we dissect the Quillette article “The Neurodiversity Case for Free Speech”. Participants: Yassine, NinetyThree, Geoff Greer, Master-Thief The Neurodiversity Case for Free Speech (Quillette) Goldwater Rule's Origins Based on Long-Ago Controversy (APA) Mental Health ‘Disabilities' as Legal Superpowers (Quillette) Node.js forks again (The Register) So to Speak podcast with Geoffrey Miller (FIRE) Ignorance or Bigotry? (Inside Higher Ed) Open Code of Conduct V1.0 (Web Archive) Recorded 2019-12-17 | Uploaded 2019-12-23
In this episode, we dogpile on Jay er... discuss how guns are cool and have absolutely no negative downsides. Participants: Yassine, crc32, Jay, Geoff, KulakRevolt, MasterThief, McMuster The Rifle on the Wall: A Left Argument for Gun Rights (The Polemicist) Iceland grieves after police shoot and kill a man for the first time in its history (PRI) Ex-cop: NYPD gun license division was a bribery machine (New York Post) Knives are too sharp and filing them down is solution to soaring violent crime, judge says (Telegraph) The gun control that works: no guns (The Economist) Four countries with gun control – and what America could learn from them (The Guardian) The Machine: Marvin Heemeyer – Muffler Shop Owner (Love+Radio) Warren v. District of Columbia (Wikipedia) Firearms regulation in Norway (Wikipedia) Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review (National Academies Press) Guns And States (SlateStarCodex) Recorded 2019-11-14 Uploaded 2019-11-20
In this obligatory Halloween episode, we discuss how horror movies often reflect the anxieties of the culture they're made within. Participants: Yassine Crc32 KulakRevolt The Best Questions For A First Date (OkCupid) 1969: Montreal's ‘night of terror' (CBC) Film Theory: How To WIN The Purge (YouTube) Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse: Just Do the Math (Live Science) Recorded 2019-10-25 Uploaded 2019-10-28
In this episode, we discuss how Blizzard got itself into a hot Chinese mess. Participants: Yassine McMuster NinetyThree Cheezemansam Jay LetsStayCivilized Rock N' Roll Racing (YouTube) One of America's biggest gaming companies is acting as China's censor (Vox) Nearly all of the NBA's Chinese partners have cut ties with the league (CNBC) China TV drops NBA exhibition games; league defends free speech (Reuters) Popular Hearthstone caster quits Grandmasters in protest at Blizzard's ban (Polygon) Brian Kibler's statement (BMK Gaming) Blizzard's statement on Blitzchung's ban digs them deeper (RPS) When We Talk About Love (Rough Translation) Lushan Rebellion Death Toll (Wikipedia) Cathay Pacific staff 'walking on eggshells' (Straits) Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Indiana) (Wikipedia) Age of Ambition (Amazon) Recorded 2019-10-13 Uploaded 2019-10-16
In this episode, we discuss Richard Stallman's comments and his resignation. Participants: Yassine crc32 AngryParsley (Geoff) McMuster NinetyThree Remove Richard Stallman (Medium) Amid Epstein Controversy, Richard Stallman is Forced to Resign as FSF President (It's FOSS) Transphobic maintainer should be removed from project (GitHub) Code of Conduct (Contributor Covenant) Multiple CoC violations by Node.js board member Ashley Williams (Reddit) Eternal September (Wikipedia) The Reporter Fired In The “Busch Light Guy” Scandal Said He Feels “Abandoned” By The Des Moines Register (BuzzFeed News) Interim Housing (Stallman) How I do my computing (Stallman) In Defense of Richard Stallman (Geoff Greer) Recorded 2019-09-28 Uploaded 2019-10-01
In this episode, we work on discussing the politics of discussing politics at work. Participants: Yassine crc32 Geoff (/u/AngryParsley) McMuster Google Doesn't Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore (Bloomberg) I Can Tolerate Anything Except The Outgroup (SSC) Melatonin: Much More Than You Wanted To Know (SSC) Politics isn't about Policy (Overcoming Bias) Recorded 2019-09-10 Uploaded 2019-09-21
In this episode, we discuss a new THC breathalyzer, and the abolition of prisons and police along with some of their alternatives. Participants: Yassine NinetyThree crc32 ggreer (Geoff) Breathlyzers: Y Combinator bets on a startup building a weed breathalyzer for cops (Techcrunch) A partial list of things that field testing drug kits have mistakenly identified as contraband (WaPo) Is Eye Movement the Secret to Detecting Stoned Drivers? (Westword) 'The Drug Whisperer' | Drivers arrested while stone cold sober (11Alive) The Perfect Crime (Freakonomics) Why do so many cars have dashboard cameras now? (TheJournal.ie) Alternatives to Current Law Enforcement: Privately Enforced & Punished Crime (Overcoming Bias) Police, Courts, and Laws --- on the Market (Machinery of Freedom) Imperial Ban (Wikipedia) SF homeless population swells by 17% in latest tally (SF Chronicle) Repairing Justice: An Alternative to Prison (On the Media) In the Land of Vendettas That Go On Forever (VQR) Switzerland's Experiment With Addiction Treatment (The Nation) How cocaine can be used in sinus surgery (KevinMD) The Triple Jeopardy of a Chinese Math Prodigy (Bloomberg) Employment Discrimination Plaintiff Can't Get Case Sealed After Settlement (Volokh Conspiracy) Recorded 2019-08-24 Uploaded 2019-08-27
In this episode, we discuss the signaling theory of education, the case for corporal punishment, and how internet infrastructure providers should respond to objectionable speech. Participants: Yassine NinetyThree McMuster CRC32 Peter Floetner Signaling Theory of Education: The World Might Be Better Off Without College for Everyone (The Atlantic) A Review of “The Case Against Education” (Medium) Against Tulip Subsidies (SSC) The German Education System: Part 1 – Primary and Secondary Schools (Live Work Germany) Corporal Punishment: In lieu of prison, bring back the lash (WaPo) Singapore-style caning effective as crime deterrent, says NPC delegate (South China Morning Post) Internet Infrastructure Deplatforming: Terminating Service for 8Chan (Cloudflare Blog) Why We Terminated Daily Stormer (Cloudflare Blog) U.S. Tech Giant Cloudflare Provides Cybersecurity For At Least 7 Terror Groups (HuffPo) Recorded 2019-08-08 Uploaded 2019-08-14
In this episode, we discuss the political aesthetics of modern architecture, Jordan Peterson's beef with recent Disney movies, and super nerdy shit in the form of Harberger taxes. Participants: Yassine NinetyThree McMuster LetsBeCivilized Mupetblast Modern Architecture is
In the inaugural episode, we mispronounce Andy Ngo's name repeatedly, discuss Antifa, Yellow vests movement, federally mandated busing, Singaporean housing policy, and the inflexibility of the French language. Participants: Yassine NinetyThree McMuster LetsBeCivilized With special guest CRC32's toddler Recorded 2019-07-01 Uploaded 2019-07-08