Thought Crimes Podcast

Copyright is truly the bane of the modern youtuber. But does it have a place in an ideal society? And how does US copyright work right now, anyways? Andrew and Rob discuss all this, plus the complex copyright of Superman and Sherlock Holmes as case studies. This week's Politics Rewind features more brexit news, the State of the Union address, the Green New Deal from Hosue Democrats, and... Trump's administration can't seem to stop hitting itself? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Venezuela: the key argument in every conservative's toolbox. But, with good ol' Venezuelan President Maduro in the news this week, what's actually the deal there? And is it possible to ethically support regime change from a US perspective? One thing we can all agree on: Maduro is kinda a douchebag. This week's Politics Rewind features the shutdown's final end this week, along with the continuing disaster that is Brexit. Plus, has Iowa Rep Steve King finally seen some consequences for his horrifyingly racist ramblings? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

The War on Christmas comes up every year. So this time, in a late holiday episode, Andrew and Rob dig into how to conduct a REAL war on Christmas. What do we do about all those churches, in a world without religion? Both of the siblings toss around some bright ideas in a short episode this week. This week's politics rewind does a deep dive into Trump's pullout from Syria, discussing what this means for regional geopolitics. What will happen to the Kurds? How about Iraq and Turkey? Also discussed is North Korea's recent actions-are we moving towards a unified Korean Peninsula? And, of course we talk about the government shutdown. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

If you're anything like Rob and Andrew, you've probably heard of the hit miniseries Over the Garden Wall. But what you probably haven't done is try to do a Marxist reading of it! This week, for your entertainment, the Thought Crimers sit down and dig in, episode by episode, to try to figure out what OtGW has to say about class conflict. This week's Politics Rewind features Ukraine and Russia's spat, Beto O'Rourke, and... Knife Crime in the UK? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

So, the US Midterm Elections happened! Andrew and Rob give our takes on a few key elections across the country, from New York to Texas to Florida. Voter supression comes up too, and Andrew and Rob dig into what it is and why it's so bad (but also pervasive). Politics Rewind features French President Macron's feud with Trump over a potential new European army project, Zimbabwe's economic woes, and more! If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Money makes they world go round, or so they tell us! So, this week, Andrew and Rob try to prognosticate regarding the next recession. In all honesty, mostly what goes on is a lot of talk about the historical context surrounding recessions and the various economic reasons why it seems likely that we'll be having another one before too long. Buy gold, amirite? (Author's Note: Please Do Not Buy Gold) Politics Rewind features Elizabeth Warren's big fuckup, pipe bombs for a lot of different Democrats, Uruguay's new regulations regarding trans folks, and two seperate references to everyone's favorite superhero, FloridaMan! If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Democracy: more like demo-crazy! haha get itWell, yeah. This week, we talk about Presidential democracy vs Parlimentary democracy vs One-Party democracy. Obviously, that's a big topic, but we try our best to give them all a level handshake. What strengths do they each have, and what modifications do we think would be useful? Politics Rewind features a disappearing Saudi Arabian journalist, some speculation on the 2020 presidential race, a bunch of expensive jets that don't even work, and a gigantic inflatable rat that will haunt your nightmares. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Democracy; you gotta love it. At least, if you live in America! Americans are Legally Required to Love Democracy. Today, though, Andrew and Rob talk about three different forms of democracy not usually discussed in American discourse. So, if you were hoping to learn about Soviet Democracy, People's Democracy, or the Popular Front, this is the one for you! Politics Rewind features Ted Cruz being heckled, Trump being late to the UN summit, a tsunami in Indonesia, and Trump being shitty, as always. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

In this week's electrifying episode, Andrew and Rob take on Energy politics in the US. Which renewables should we focus on going forwards? How should nuclear power be used in the US? And of course, there's always fracking, America's latest technology to destroy the environment while also producing greenhouse gasses. (Main topic begins at 33:55). Politics Rewind features the disappearance of one of China's most famous actresses, Nazis in Europe (because of course), an ongoing general strike in Costa Rica, and of course Donald Trump's wise words about Hurricane Florence. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

This week, Andrew and Rob tear into the higher education system in the United States from a funding perspective. What's up with the ballooning tuition prices in the US, and what can we do to fix it? Ultimately, both Rob and Andrew throw out some more drastic reforms that could help with the costs. (Main topic begins at 30:07.) Politics Rewind features spending bills in the US, Paul Manafort's decision to cooperate with the Mueller Probe, Paypal's crackdown on ASMR creators, and... a strange conspiracy theory on Reddit that finally got banned. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Andrew and Rob take a vacation to US political analysis this week, talking about resistance to the Trump administration from the inside. Anonymous op-eds, journalism, and just plain ignoring orders are all under the Jewell microscope this week. (Main topic begins at 26:46.) Politics Rewind features Amazon's anti-union actions, a relatively high-profile traffic accident in Eastern Europe, power drills (or, Elon Musk's obvious attempts at sabotage) and... a heist so ridiculous, a kid could have pulled it off? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send them over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

We've all heard plenty about US imperialism, but Andrew and Rob spend this episode talking about NATO and how it relates to the topic. Can its structure be salvaged? Is Donald Trump right to suggest we leave? (Main topic begins at 30:05 this week.) Politics Rewind features urbanization studies, Japan's new female fighter pilot, and Donald Trump's Big Week back at home. Listen in if you want to hear a little bit about who's cooperating with Mueller and who's not! Oh, and the undisputed song of the summer 2018. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Are Democrats calling for open borders? Probably not. But in this episode of Thought Crimes, Andrew calls for freer immigration, while Rob remains hesitant about the specifics. Ultimately, though, maybe there are flaws with the idea of open borders... So, Andrew and Rob spitball some ideas and wind up talking about Federalism in a global context. (Main topic begins at 37:49 this week.) Politics Rewind features more international weekly news with anti-Semitism in Europe and the diplomatic meeting of the German and Russian heads of state. Back in the states, we talk about a lack of goals, drive, and resolve in the Democratic party, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's new bill to fix capitalism, and Trump's weekly faux pas. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Everyone's always asking about how the middle class is doing, but Andrew and Rob take the time to discuss what the role of the middle class is in a less capitalist society. Can the middle class lead to fascism? And if so, why do the nordic countries have such large middle classes but so much less fascism? (Main topic begins at 34:37 this week.) Politics Rewind features a drone attack on Nicolás Maduro, the current leader of Venezuela, a bit of talk about Climate Change, the White House taking over California's water management, U.S. Primaries, and... apparently the world decided that "cancel white people" jokes are mean for some reason now? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

This week, Andrew and Rob want to talk to you about fascism: what it is, where we can see it in today's politics, and what its real ideological foundations are. Sadly, this isn't a super hopeful episode--fascism is growing more and more prevalent, especially here in the USA. How do we spot it, and, more importantly, what can progressives do to combat it? (Main topic begins at 30:11 this week.) Politics Rewind features a jewel heist, the NRA's money troubles, the elections in Zimbabwe, and... apparently Trump doesn't want the press to report on the government at all? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

It turns out, Rob and Andrew both agree that death is both an ineffective and immoral punishment to dole out. This episode examines the current status of capital punishment, both here in America and abroad. Why do the courts here in the USA keep upholding lethal injections, easily the most accident-prone form of execution, as neither a cruel nor unusual form of punishment? (Main topic begins at 22:09 this week.) Politics Rewind features Trump's tweets at Iran, bad Brexit deals that face Theresa May, the recent Pakistani elections and how they differ from most others lately, and... apparently Trump would like the USA to join the European Union? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

This week, Andrew and Rob discuss psychological studies with Brianne Bury, a friend of the show and psychologist! What are the flaws of studying primarily young college students, and how does this affect our ability to generalize our results outside of America? Can we correct this bias? And how do we convince the establishment scientists that results found outside of affluent, powerful nations can be as or even more useful than results found at home? (Main topic begins at 25:41 this week) Politics Rewind features the Trump-Putin summit, Russian secret agents, Google's E.U. fine, social media bots influencing elections throughout Africa, and... Jeff Bezos' magical lemonade stand? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

In a (slight) break from their typical topics, Andrew and Rob discuss the movie The Little Prince in contrast with the original 1943 novel of the same name. They focus around what the themes discussed in each are, how they differ, and whether the adaptation is faithful and satisfactory as a response to the original. Would Antoine de Saint-Exupéry have enjoyed the film? And, of course, what's Rob's take on The Little Prince's class analysis? Politics Rewind features the FCC's refusal to reconsider its plan to strip phone an internet subsidies from Native Americans, Trump's NATO freakout, and... throwing sushi in the trash as a political protest? If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Andrew and Rob talk about what media sources they follow. As per usual, this quickly spirals into a broader debate, this time about how to fix the free speech-related issues that plague the U.S.A. and how to strike the right balance between upholding facts and supporting unpopular speech. How do we teach people to be critical when it's so much easier to just listen to those who have similar ideas to us? Politics Rewind features the suggestion that we might invade Iran, the fact the U.S. is approaching full employment, and Trump's trade war. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Andrew and Rob take a break from their usual programming to discuss the exit of Justice Anthony Kennedy from the Supreme Court, talking about his legacy, the future of the court, and what a tough week this has been for the liberals among us. What action should we expect to see from Senators in the coming weeks and what action can we realistically take as voters? Politics Rewind features Afganistan's Eid ceasefire with the Taliban, an update from Syria, and the last few opinions handed down from the Supreme Court this week. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Andrew and Rob talk about how far dictators can go before it's necessary to intervene, and how to prevent that situation from happening, with a discussion of Syria and all the groups influencing that situation. How can larger, influencial countries use their power for good instead of simply making things worse? Check out the map of Syria Andrew and Rob use at syria.liveuamap.com (live with updates from reporters on the ground!).  Politics Rewind features Trump's immigration policies, the border separations, and the Supreme Court's reluctance to set precedent this term. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners! And don't forget to share this podcast with a friend.

Andrew and Rob have a discussion of masculinity and its influence on children in this episode of Thought Crimes. How does marketing affect children, and does the media enforce gender roles as well? And of course... how does capitalism relate to all this? Politics Rewind features the G7 summit, North Korea, and Trump's propagandist aspirations. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners!

Andrew and Rob sit down to talk about UBI in the first episode of Thought Crimes. Where and when should we use Market vs State solutions for poverty? And how do we fund an income for so many people? Politics Rewind features the upcoming North Korea summit and the broken Califoria open primary system. If you've got questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, you can send it over to thoughtcrimespodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from listeners!