The Martyrmade Podcast

Hi everybody. This is the audio version of a six-part essay series called Blacks and Jews. I wrote it for my Substack a while back, so if it sounds like I'm reading instead of speaking naturally, it's because in this case I am. I decided to release this to everyone on the main feed because, in light of the recent uproar and brewing Democratic Party civil war over the Israel-Palestine conflict, it's suddenly become quite timely. Black and Jewish Americans were uniquely united until the late 1960s, when the civil rights movement was subsumed by a Third Worldist outlook that caused the Black Panthers and other activists to turn on the State of Israel, and then on American Jews. It precipitated a split in the so-called Black-Jewish alliance which had been the backbone of the civil rights movement during its glory years, and led to some of the worst outbursts of public antisemitism in American history. The intra-left wing conflict over the current conflict in Gaza is not a new story, and in fact is an example of scabs being torn off old wounds that had barely begun to heal. I wrote this series as I was preparing the most recent episode of Whose America, Inner City Blues, so those of you who've heard that will be familiar with some of the material, but there's also a lot of material that wasn't in that episode.As I said, this was previously released on my Substack, so if you enjoy this kind of content maybe you'll show a little holiday cheer and help support the podcast by becoming a subscriber for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year. This is a 100% listener-funded show, I don't have sponsors or any other kind of funding except what you guys contribute, so your generosity is greatly appreciated.

I'm re-uploading all the podcasts from a new hosting service, so I thought I'd go ahead and put the full Epstein series up while I was at it. This series deals with some very dark material. It is not for listening with kids in the car or where other people can hear it at work. If you appreciate this podcast, please consider helping to support it by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack for $5 p/month or $50 p/year. The Substack includes subscribers-only essays, and a subscribers-only podcast feed w/exclusive episodes and audio versions of all Substack essays. This is a 100% listener-funded show, so your support is greatly appreciated. It's available on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. *Correction* A few people have informed me that my description of how a hedge fund manager calculates his cut is off in Part 1. I meant to correct it in the show, but I forgot. The general point remains, however: there is no way Jeffrey Epstein made the kind of money he was showing by managing one guy's account over the years.

This episode will cover the period from 1948 - the year of Israeli independence and the Palestinian Nakba - to the Lebanon War of 1982. It is not meant to be a thorough history of that period, as Fear & Loathing was of the pre-1948 period - to do that justice would require another ten episodes, not just one. This one has a narrower focus. The story we're gonna hear today is not about every figure, and event, and motivation relevant to the conflict, but is specifically about how the level of savagery escalated over the years, the steps by which those escalations occurred, to bring us up to the where we are now, with virtually unrestrained violence completely normalized on both sides. It's not a pretty story, and several sections of this podcast are not going to be for the faint of heart. Please consider subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack page. The show is 100% listener supported, and Substack subscribers is the only way I'm able to keep doing this. Thanks for everything.

SUPPORT THE SHOW! I don't use sponsors for this show. I work for you guys. If you'd like to help out, become a subscriber to the MartyrMade Substack. It's just $5 p/month or $50 p/year, and you'll have access to subscribers-only podcasts, essays (w/audio versions), interviews, and more. New subscribers will have some catching up to do. If anyone would like to be a subscriber, but can't swing it right now, just shoot me an email and we'll get you hooked up. I appreciate you guys letting me do this show. And this one is a doozy: The Great Migration of 1915-1960 saw over six million African Americans move from the rural South to the big cities of the North and West. It was one of the largest mass migrations in human history, and one whose consequences defined American domestic politics throughout the 20th century. But it wasn't the first time the industrial cities of America had experienced massive demographic transformation, and the black migrants would run smack into the immigrants of previous generations. In the 1960s, frustration and anger turned to conflict, as race riots drove what was left of the white ethnics out of the inner cities. Today we tell the story of the battle for control of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district in New York City - a topic which might sound a bit dull, but was one of the most intense periods of racial conflict in recent American history. The conflict captured the attention of the country for months, and led to a split in the alliance between American blacks and American Jews that had powered the civil rights movement until the late 1960s.

Hey everybody.  I just wanted to touch base. I'm over here working on the next episode of the labor series (Whose America?), and it's coming along nicely, but I thought I'd give you something to tide you over. Some of you may have already heard this since I released it on the MartyrMade Substack, but I figured it's approaching the holiday season, so why not give this one to the whole family. Like I said, this episode has been on the Substack for a while, along with a lot of other written and recorded content you won't find anywhere else. Those of you who are already subscribed, for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year, thank you. You are literally the reason I'm able to do this. You know, a couple years ago, after the Jonestown series, I was thinking about calling it quits. I was spending my early mornings, my lunch hours, my evenings and my weekends working on the podcast, and I thought that there was no way I'd be able to keep that up once I had a family, so I really was thinking about wrapping it up. Jocko changed my mind, and those of you who decided to subscribe to the Substack have helped me helped me take a few breaths and every once in a while forget the fact that I don't have the financial safety net I did when I was working for the DOD. So when I say that you make this possible, I really mean it. Thank you. If anyone out there is not yet subscribed to the Substack, and you can spare $5 p/month or $50 p/year, please consider subscribing so we can keep this thing going. I know it's not easy out there right now, and everything seems to be getting more expensive by the day, so if you really can't swing it, I understand, I've been there, so just shoot me an email at martyrmade @ gmail and we'll work something out. This is the third episode of the series I put together on Jeffrey Epstein. You might have heard the first two on this main feed, but I thought it was time to release this one into the wild. Bring your own torches and pitchforks, I'll bring the flamethrower.

Hey everybody. I just wanted to touch base. I'm over here working on the next episode of the labor series (Whose America?), and it's coming along nicely, but I thought I'd give you something to tide

In August 1921, 10,000-20,000 armed coal miners marched on Mingo County, West Virginia to lift the martial law imposed there, free their jailed brethren, and avenge the assassination of one of their local heroes. At least 20,000 more wives, young boys and other civilians followed the army providing medical, logistical and other services. Before it was over, they would storm a mountainside under fire from entrenched machine guns, and while being bombed from the air. It was the largest and most serious armed insurrection in US history since the Civil War. This episode is going to discuss the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars, and The Battle of Blair Mountain. These episodes are out a week or two early on the Substack feed. If you enjoy this content or want more essays and podcasts not available here, please consider becoming a subscriber over at Substack, it's how I manage to be able to do this at all. Here's the link to Jocko's company, Origin, that I mention in the intro. Go there and check out the high-end clothing, boots, jiu jitsu gis, hunting gear and more, all hand-made in the United States.

In August 1921, 10,000-20,000 armed coal miners marched on Mingo County, West Virginia to lift the martial law imposed there, free their jailed brethren, and avenge the assassination of one of their local heroes. At least 20,000 more wives, young boys and other civilians followed the army providing medical, logistical and other services. Before it was over, they would storm a mountainside under fire from entrenched machine guns, and while being bombed from the air. It was the largest and most serious armed insurrection in US history since the Civil War. This episode is going to discuss the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars, and The Battle of Blair Mountain. These episodes are out a week or two early on the Substack feed. If you enjoy this content or want more essays and podcasts not available here, please consider becoming a subscriber over at Substack, it's how I manage to be able to do this at all. Here's the link to Jocko's company, Origin, that I mention in the intro. Go there and check out the high-end clothing, boots, jiu jitsu gis, hunting gear and more, all hand-made in the United States. Here's the link to Daniele Bolelli's History on Fire podcast (also available wherever you get your podcasts).

Here are Parts 1 & 2 of a series exploring potential truth about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Part 3 is available on The Martyr Made Substack, so if you aren't tapped out on this topic by the end of two episodes, head over to martyrmade.substack.com and become a subscriber for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year to hear that, as well as other subscribers-only MartyrMade podcasts and written content. Thanks again everyone for listening.

Here are Parts 1 & 2 of a series exploring potential truth about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Part 3 is available on The Martyr Made Substack, so if you aren't tapped out on this topic by the end of t

Hi everyone. Here is the first episode - well, the prologue - for a brand new Martyr Made series called Whose America?, on the American labor wars. This is a series I've been working on for a while, and a story very close to my heart. I appreciate the patience and support you guys have shown me. I have a habit of over-burdening myself until work grinds to a crawl, then I panic and work myself nearly insane to catch up. Well, the good news is that I only decided to do this prologue at the last minute to set the tone and get the ball rolling, when the *actual* first episode of this series, on the largest insurrection in American history before or since the Civil War, was already almost done. I've got another two books to read before I'm ready to release it into the wild, but it won't be too long. This episode has already been available to Substack subcribers for a week. I will be doing that from now on, so you can add that to the list of benefits available to subscribers for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year. If you enjoy this episode, or even if you don't but just want to keep my cats from starving, please consider supporting the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber to the MartyrMade Substack. Thanks for listening!

Hi everyone. Here is the first episode – well, the prologue – for a brand new Martyr Made series called Whose America?, on the American labor wars. This is a series I've been working on for a while, and a story very close to my heart. I appreciate the patience and support you guys have shown me. I have a habit of over-burdening myself until work grinds to a crawl, then I panic and work myself nearly insane to catch up. Well, the good news is that I only decided to do this prologue at the last minute to set the tone and get the ball rolling, when the *actual* first episode of this series, on the largest insurrection in American history before or since the Civil War, was already almost done. I've got another two books to read before I'm ready to release it into the wild, but it won't be too long. This episode has already been available to Substack subcribers for a week. I will be doing that from now on, so you can add that to the list of benefits available to subscribers for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year. If you enjoy this episode, or even if you don't but just want to keep my cats from starving, please consider supporting the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber to the MartyrMade Substack. Thanks for listening!

Hey everyone. After the recent Thoughts On Ukraine episode, I thought it would be a good idea to bring someone on the show who has a different perspective. Kristaps Andrejsons is a Latvian journalist, writer, and the host of The Eastern Border podcast - one of my go-to podcasts for Russian, Soviet, and Eastern European history for many years. He is a fluent Russian speaker, and provides insight that you're simply not going to get on CNN or Fox News. That said, he and I have very different interpretations of the recent history between the West & Russia, and this discussion was a great start at getting to the bottom of our disagreements. So, those of you who have been pining to see me get my ass handed to me by someone on this issue, maybe now's your chance! This is a preview of a Substack subscribers-only episode, so if you can spare $5 a month to help me buy kibble, I'm sure my cats, and certainly I, would really appreciate it. Follow him on Twitter for regular updates on the current Russian-Ukrainian war, and check out his website and podcast for longer form analysis.

Hey everyone. After the recent Thoughts On Ukraine episode, I thought it would be a good idea to bring someone on the show who has a different perspective. Kristaps Andrejsons is a Latvian journalist,

Hey everybody. Many of you have asked for my thoughts on the crisis in Ukraine, so here they are. I am away from home, and away from my normal recording setup, so please forgive the less than stellar audio (it's not as bad as when it's really bad, though). This is the kind of content I usually put on the Substack subscribers-only feed, so if you like this and want to hear more, consider supporting the podcast by subscribing at martyrmade.substack.com. Here are some links I mention in the show: The Snipers Massacre On Maidan How the West Sowed the Seeds of War in Ukraine, by Pedro Gonzalez My Twitter thread on the Rand Corporation's strategy white paper Scott Horton's recent speech on the Ukraine crisis Thanks for listening.

Hey everybody. Many of you have asked for my thoughts on the crisis in Ukraine, so here they are. I re-recorded it because the audio was trash the first time around. Sorry about that. This is the kind of content I usually put on the Substack subscribers-only feed, so if you like this and can spare $5, please consider supporting the podcast by subscribing at martyrmade.substack.com. Here are some links I mention in the show: The Snipers Massacre On Maidan How the West Sowed the Seeds of War in Ukraine, by Pedro Gonzalez My Twitter thread on the Rand Corporation's strategy white paper Scott Horton's recent speech on the Ukraine crisis Thanks for listening.

In this and the next episode, I will go over the evidence that notorious child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was a foreign intelligence agent. The next episode will be available only on the Martyr Made Substack. The follow-up episode will be a little too spicy for public release, so it will be available in about a week, for paid subscribers only. For access, subscribe to the Martyr Made Substack for just $5 p/month or $50 p/year.

This is a preview of my discussion with longtime Los Angeles radio host Bryan Suits about the 1992 LA Riots. Bryan is an Army veteran of both Iraq Wars, the Bosnian peacekeeping mission, and was on the ground as a National Guardsman during the LA Riots in 1992. The full episode is available for subscribers on the MartyrMade Substack.

This is a preview of my discussion with longtime Los Angeles radio host Bryan Suits about the 1992 LA Riots. Bryan is an Army veteran of both Iraq Wars, the Bosnian peacekeeping mission, and was on the ground as a National Guardsman during the LA Riots in 1992. The full episode is available for subscribers on the MartyrMade Substack.

This is a special announcement from The MartyrMade Podcast. I have been doing this podcast for several years now, and I think we probably have between 80-100 hours of material up. The kind of podcasts I do take a lot of work. I don't have research assistants, I don't have editors (obviously), and I don't... The post MartyrMade Special Announcement + Notes on Notes Based on Notes From the Underground appeared first on MartyrMade.

This is a special announcement from The MartyrMade Podcast. I have been doing this podcast for several years now, and I think we probably have between 80-100 hours of material up. The kind of podcasts I do take a lot of work. I don't have research assistants, I don't have editors (obviously), and I don't have anyone helping with the back-end, website, sound, or business operations (such as they are). This is a one-man show. For years, I was using pretty much every free moment I had - before work, during lunch, waiting for meetings to start, and late into the night - to work on these episodes. Well, recently I made the plunge to start doing this full-time. I left behind a very secure job with good benefits and a solid retirement plan, and I am officially out in the wild. That means I am going to be able to do a lot more things than I've been able to do in the past, but it also means that it's time to professionalize this operation. Podcasting doesn't come with health insurance or a retirement plan, and so my future and the future of this podcast is now a matter of my relationship to all of you. And so to that end, here is the announcement: I am going to be moving over to Substack, and will use that website as my one-stop shop for podcasting, writing, and listener interaction. The regular podcast feed will be available on all the normal platforms, free of charge, same as always, but I'm going to be doing a lot of subscribers-only content at Substack. There will be regular, subscribers-only podcast episodes, as well as written content from myself and some (carefully curated) guest writers. The subscriber-only episodes will come in all shapes and sizes - segments based on notes that don't make it into a regular episode, commentary on current events and social issues, answering listener questions, as well interviews (also carefully curated). Subscribers will also get a discount on all MartyrMade t-shirts and other gear. Oh, and subscribers will be able to comment on posts, and I'm going to be moving a lot of my online activity away from social media and into the Substack comments and other tools. If you'd like to help support the show, it is just $5 p/month, or $50 p/year, BUT anyone who signs up by October 31 will pay only $4 p/month or $40 p/year forever. That's not a first-month, or first-year offer, you will pay the lower rate as long as you keep your subscription. I know the world is a crazy place right now, and not everyone can contribute. I also know that there is a mountain of amazing content available for free on the internet. I even know that, probably, someone will pirate the subscriber-only episodes and post them somewhere you can find them with a little work. I understand all of these things, and yet nevertheless, if you can manage it without trouble, and if you've enjoyed this podcast up to now, I hope you'll consider subscribing. If you do, and it's before October 31, don't forget to use the special offer link in the show notes. I'll also put it on the website, and on Twitter and Facebook. If you don't care about the $1 p/month discount, you can just head over to martyrmade.substack.com and sign up there. Link to subscription discount: https://martyrmade.substack.com/ce198d71

There's a quote always attributed to Winston Churchill – falsely, I think? – that goes something like, “If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by 30, you have no brain.” I've got a different version that I like a lot better, and it goes, “If you're... The post #20 – The Underground Spirit appeared first on MartyrMade.

There's a quote always attributed to Winston Churchill – falsely, I think? – that goes something like, “If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by 30, you have no brain.” I've got a different version that I like a lot better, and it goes, “If you're not reading Nietzsche at 20, you have no heart. But if you haven't transitioned to Dostoevsky by 30…” In this episode, I look through the lives and work of the two 19th century existentialist authors, who have a great deal in common, but who, in the end, couldn't be more different. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack.

History is replete with examples of leaders, nations, and empires who left a trail of blood behind them. But with the Bolshevik takeover of Russia after the First World War, something new crawled from the depths of the earth onto the surface of the world. Never before had a government shown such uninhibited savagery toward [...]

History is replete with examples of leaders, nations, and empires who left a trail of blood behind them. But with the Bolshevik takeover of Russia after the First World War, something new crawled from the depths of the earth onto the surface of the world. Never before had a government shown such uninhibited savagery toward its own people, during peacetime, as a matter of policy and in the name of scientific management. After Nazi Germany was defeated in the Second World War, Stalin's Soviet Union unleashed hell on the devastated nations of Eastern Europe, leaving behind an unmatched record of sadism and brutality. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack.

This is a short piece I did for Daniele’s History on Fire podcast. Many of you may have already heard it, but I thought I’d put it on the main feed just in case. It was a fun break from Jim Jones, and nice to be a little less serious for once. Hope you enjoy.

This is a short piece I did for Daniele's History on Fire podcast. Many of you may have already heard it, but I thought I'd put it on the main feed just in case. It was a fun break from Jim Jones, and nice to be a little less serious for once. Hope you enjoy. More short episodes like this will be available to subscribers only at the MartyrMade Substack.

Jim Jones and Peoples Temple follow the remnants of the 1970s radical left into the fire. WARNING: Extreme language and disturbing content. Thank you to www.campuspress.com for sponsoring this series. If you’d like to support The MartyrMade Podcast, you can do so using PayPal (martyrmade @ gmail), or Patreon. Huge thanks to the folks behind [...]

Jim Jones and Peoples Temple follow the remnants of the 1970s radical left into the fire. WARNING: Extreme language and disturbing content. Thank you to www.campuspress.com for sponsoring this series. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack. Huge thanks to the folks behind the Alternative Considerations of Jonestown Project. This podcast wouldn't have been possible without their indispensable hard work recording, organizing, and transcribing the Peoples Temple tapes and other source materials. For further information about Jonestown, you can't do better than their website. I did my best to tell the story here as I understand it, but if you ask me the work they're doing will lead to a fundamental future reassessment of what happened.

This was originally intended to be part of the previous episode, but I decided to break them up. Warning: EXTREME LANGUAGE AND GRAPHIC CONTENT The student movement is dead. The Black Panther Party is torn apart by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. Activism devolves into struggle sessions and terrorism, as the movement for civil rights and [...]

This was originally intended to be part of the previous episode, but I decided to break them up. Warning: EXTREME LANGUAGE AND GRAPHIC CONTENT The student movement is dead. The Black Panther Party is torn apart by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Activism devolves into struggle sessions and terrorism, as the movement for civil rights and social justice is left to "drunks, hypes, freaks, and madmen." Treason drives Jim Jones off a cliff. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack. This series brought to you by the kind folks at CampusPress.

This episode begins where the ’60s end, when the radicalism of that decade crash headlong into the diminishing expectations of 1970s America. The Weather Underground veers off toward its explosive climax. As the idealism of the student movement is shunted into self-help fads and therapy sessions, what remaining energy of the radical left is drained [...]

This episode begins where the '60s end, when the radicalism of that decade crash headlong into the diminishing expectations of 1970s America. The Weather Underground veers off toward its explosive climax. As the idealism of the student movement is shunted into self-help fads and therapy sessions, what remaining energy of the radical left is drained into increasingly bizarre and violent channels. I broke this episode up into two parts, so it ends a bit abruptly. The second segment will be available a few hours after this is released. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack. This series brought to you by the good folks at CampusPress.

This episode discusses the beginning of Peoples’ Temple’s slide into radicalism after Jim Jones leads his people to California. We also talk about the development of 1960s radical political movements, and Jonestown conspiracy theories. I had to record this episode in a hotel bathroom while on travel for work. The audio quality has some issues [...]

This episode discusses the beginning of Peoples' Temple's slide into radicalism after Jim Jones leads his people to California. We also talk about the development of 1960s radical political movements, and Jonestown conspiracy theories. I had to record this episode in a hotel bathroom while on travel for work. The audio quality has some issues at various points. Hopefully, it's not too bad. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack.

In this episode I trace the trajectory of the civil rights movement through the 1960s, and the gradual shift in emphasis and leadership from the stoic southern marchers following Martin Luther King, Jr to the militant Black Power soldiers of the northern ghettos.

In this episode I trace the trajectory of the civil rights movement through the 1960s, and the gradual shift in emphasis and leadership from the stoic southern marchers following Martin Luther King, Jr to the militant Black Power soldiers of the northern ghettos. Support the show by subscribing to the MartyrMade Substack.

This is part 2 of a podcast series on Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple movement. An eccentric loner as a child, Jim Jones finds purpose in the fight for racial and economic justice.

This is part 2 of a podcast series on Jim Jones and his Peoples Temple movement. An eccentric loner as a child, Jim Jones finds purpose in the fight for racial and economic justice.

This is the first episode of a series exploring Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. This episode is only a prologue, a few stories and ideas to serve as a backdrop for everything to come. The next episode will be along in the next few weeks, and every few weeks after that until we figure [...]

This is the first episode of a series exploring Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. This episode is only a prologue, a few stories and ideas to serve as a backdrop for everything to come. The next episode will be along in the next few weeks,

This is part 2 of a series I’ve been working on with Daniele Bolelli. In part 1, he covered the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre carried out by the US Army. I was working on my next major series when Daniele asked me to do a companion episode on My Lai, and I couldn’t pass up [...]

This is part 2 of a series I’ve been working on with Daniele Bolelli. In part 1, he covered the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre carried out by the US Army. I was working on my next major series when Daniele asked me to do a companion episode on My Lai, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. From his description: “Because I felt like I was ordered to do it, and it seemed like that, at the time I felt like I was doing the right thing.” —Private First Class Paul Meadlo explaining his role in the My Lai Massacre. “How do you shoot babies?” Meadlo was then asked. His reply… “I don’t know. It’s just one of them things.” “I felt then and I still do that I acted as I was directed, and I carried out the order that I was given and I do not feel wrong in doing so.” — Lieutenant William Calley Jr. addressing his own leadership during the action. “Every Day/ On our fellow man we prey/ Dog eat Dog/ To Get by/ Hope you like my genocide” — The Offspring “Hello darkness, my old friend…” — Simon and Garfunkel “I believe now it is but the commencement of war with this tribe, which must result in their extermination.” — Major Jacob Downing “Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians! … I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heaven to kill Indians. … Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.” — Quote attributed to Colonel John Chivington “They were so honorable and so strong, but I felt like they were alone and sometimes when you want to do the right thing, the people that want to do the right thing suffer… even today.” —Lorraine Waters about Silas Soule and Joseph Cramer “It was hard to see little children on their knees… having their brains beat out by men professing to be civilized.” — Silas Soule I'm not going to lie. This is one of the darkest episodes of History on Fire. But there are reasons for this journey into the heart of darkness. The stories of Sand Creek and My Lai offer an opportunity to explore human agency, the choices separating good and evil, and how some individuals can choose to become sources of light even in the most horrible circumstances. In part B, I hand the microphone to my friend and master podcaster Darryl Cooper (from The Martyrmade Podcast.) Darryl explores the context of the Cold War in order to come to terms with what happened at My Lai, in Vietnam, in 1968. Horror abounds, but if you are looking for heroes in the midst of the horror, you can do a lot worse than hear about the story of Hugh Thompson. Listen on iTunes!

“Mexica ‘beliefs’ have been discussed confidently enough, but academics being natural theologians, usually at an unnaturally abstract pitch. My interest is not in belief at this formal level, but in sensibility: the emotional, moral, and aesthetic nexus through which thought comes to be expressed in action, and so made public, visible, and accessible to our [...]

“Mexica ‘beliefs’ have been discussed confidently enough, but academics being natural theologians, usually at an unnaturally abstract pitch. My interest is not in belief at this formal level, but in sensibility: the emotional, moral, and aesthetic nexus through which thought comes to be expressed in action, and so made public, visible, and accessible to our observation.” -Inga Clenninden | Aztecs: An Interpretation Human sacrifice is not a human universal. The institution emerges at a specific stage of human sociopolitical development, and recedes when the transition is complete. Rarely found among nomadic hunter-gatherers, ritual homicide is also nearly absent in archaic civilizations (except for a few residual instances such as royal burials). But human beings didn’t make the leap from nomadic foragers to pyramid builders overnight. Nestled between was a transitional stage, when newly-settled people faced the monumental task of ditching the ancient kinship system, sacrificing their freedom to kings, and reorganizing themselves into the first states. This fraught transition was imposed by violence, as primitive egalitarianism was replaced by class oppression, and human sacrifice was employed to define social boundaries and to stave off panic with brutal acts of self-assertion. Kings gloried in their total freedom, the less fortunate were terrorized into submission, and the gods looked on with dripping fangs and growling stomachs. If you would like to donate to help put some kibble in my bowl, you can do it at Patreon, or PayPal (email: martyrmade at gmail.com). Thank you to those of you who have donated, I really don’t know what to say other than that. Thank you. Check out History on Fire! Listen to this episode on iTunes! Listen to this episode on Stitcher!

Who’s hungry? Listen on iTunes! Listen on Stitcher! (seems to be some issue here… will try to fix) Visit MartyrMade Facebook page!

Who’s hungry? Listen on iTunes! Listen on Stitcher! (seems to be some issue here… will try to fix) Visit MartyrMade Facebook page!

In which I take a break from banging out my human sacrifice episode to check in with my patient listeners. I’m working on a series of companion episodes to go along with Daniele Bolelli’s History on Fire series on the Spanish conquest of Mexico. If you haven’t heard the first episode of his series (available on [...]

In which I take a break from banging out my human sacrifice episode to check in with my patient listeners. I’m working on a series of companion episodes to go along with Daniele Bolelli’s History on Fire series on the Spanish conquest of Mexico. If you haven’t heard the first episode of his series (available on iTunes and everything else) and the bonus episode he put out (available on his website), you really need to listen to them before you get into what I’m doing here. Cheers, everyone.

Modern Zionism began in the late 19th century with idealistic calls for spiritual renewal; by 1939, it had transformed into a desperate play for bare survival. Young revolutionaries do combat with Zionist elder statesmen for the soul of the movement. Hitler’s German Reich and Stalin’s Soviet Union do battle for Europe while everything between them [...]

Modern Zionism began in the late 19th century with idealistic calls for spiritual renewal; by 1939, it had transformed into a desperate play for bare survival. Young revolutionaries do combat with Zionist elder statesmen for the soul of the movement. Hitler’s German Reich and Stalin’s Soviet Union do battle for Europe while everything between them is ground into the mud. Victims become victimizers, and the wider world gets an introduction to the dispute that has been confounding the British Empire for 20 years. Our episode begins with desperate Jews in Nazi Europe, it ends with the realization of the Zionist dream, for the first time in 2,000 years, a sovereign state of Israel. Listen on iTunes! Listen on Stitchr!