Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael J Thompson

In Descent of the Dialectic: Phronetic Criticism in an Age of Nihilism (Routledge, 2024), Michael J. Thompson reconstructs the concept and practice of dialectics as a means of grounding a critical theory of society. At the center of this project is the thesis of phronetic criticism or a form of reason that is able to synthesize human value with objective rationality. Thompson argues that defects in modern forms of social reason are the result of the powers of social structure and the norms and purposes they embody. Increasingly, modern societies are driven not by substantive values concerning human good but by the technical imperatives of economic management, leading to a cultural condition of nihilism that has eroded dialectical consciousness. In the first half of the book, Thompson demonstrates the various ways that social power erodes and undermines critical-rational forms of consciousness. In the second part of the book, he constructs an alternative basis for critical reason by showing how it requires seeing human value as essentially ontological: that is, constituted by objective forms of sociality that either promote human freedom or pervert our capacities and drive toward pathological forms of life. The philosophical claim is that a critical theory of ethics must be rooted in these concrete forms of life and that this will serve as a critical vantage point for critical political judgment and transformational praxis. Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on the negotiation of identity and place for residents at the neighborhood level. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Descent of the Dialectic: Phronetic Criticism in an Age of Nihilism (Routledge, 2024), Michael J. Thompson reconstructs the concept and practice of dialectics as a means of grounding a critical theory of society. At the center of this project is the thesis of phronetic criticism or a form of reason that is able to synthesize human value with objective rationality. Thompson argues that defects in modern forms of social reason are the result of the powers of social structure and the norms and purposes they embody. Increasingly, modern societies are driven not by substantive values concerning human good but by the technical imperatives of economic management, leading to a cultural condition of nihilism that has eroded dialectical consciousness. In the first half of the book, Thompson demonstrates the various ways that social power erodes and undermines critical-rational forms of consciousness. In the second part of the book, he constructs an alternative basis for critical reason by showing how it requires seeing human value as essentially ontological: that is, constituted by objective forms of sociality that either promote human freedom or pervert our capacities and drive toward pathological forms of life. The philosophical claim is that a critical theory of ethics must be rooted in these concrete forms of life and that this will serve as a critical vantage point for critical political judgment and transformational praxis. Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on the negotiation of identity and place for residents at the neighborhood level. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

In Descent of the Dialectic: Phronetic Criticism in an Age of Nihilism (Routledge, 2024), Michael J. Thompson reconstructs the concept and practice of dialectics as a means of grounding a critical theory of society. At the center of this project is the thesis of phronetic criticism or a form of reason that is able to synthesize human value with objective rationality. Thompson argues that defects in modern forms of social reason are the result of the powers of social structure and the norms and purposes they embody. Increasingly, modern societies are driven not by substantive values concerning human good but by the technical imperatives of economic management, leading to a cultural condition of nihilism that has eroded dialectical consciousness. In the first half of the book, Thompson demonstrates the various ways that social power erodes and undermines critical-rational forms of consciousness. In the second part of the book, he constructs an alternative basis for critical reason by showing how it requires seeing human value as essentially ontological: that is, constituted by objective forms of sociality that either promote human freedom or pervert our capacities and drive toward pathological forms of life. The philosophical claim is that a critical theory of ethics must be rooted in these concrete forms of life and that this will serve as a critical vantage point for critical political judgment and transformational praxis. Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on the negotiation of identity and place for residents at the neighborhood level. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

In Descent of the Dialectic: Phronetic Criticism in an Age of Nihilism (Routledge, 2024), Michael J. Thompson reconstructs the concept and practice of dialectics as a means of grounding a critical theory of society. At the center of this project is the thesis of phronetic criticism or a form of reason that is able to synthesize human value with objective rationality. Thompson argues that defects in modern forms of social reason are the result of the powers of social structure and the norms and purposes they embody. Increasingly, modern societies are driven not by substantive values concerning human good but by the technical imperatives of economic management, leading to a cultural condition of nihilism that has eroded dialectical consciousness. In the first half of the book, Thompson demonstrates the various ways that social power erodes and undermines critical-rational forms of consciousness. In the second part of the book, he constructs an alternative basis for critical reason by showing how it requires seeing human value as essentially ontological: that is, constituted by objective forms of sociality that either promote human freedom or pervert our capacities and drive toward pathological forms of life. The philosophical claim is that a critical theory of ethics must be rooted in these concrete forms of life and that this will serve as a critical vantage point for critical political judgment and transformational praxis. Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on the negotiation of identity and place for residents at the neighborhood level. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In Descent of the Dialectic: Phronetic Criticism in an Age of Nihilism (Routledge, 2024), Michael J. Thompson reconstructs the concept and practice of dialectics as a means of grounding a critical theory of society. At the center of this project is the thesis of phronetic criticism or a form of reason that is able to synthesize human value with objective rationality. Thompson argues that defects in modern forms of social reason are the result of the powers of social structure and the norms and purposes they embody. Increasingly, modern societies are driven not by substantive values concerning human good but by the technical imperatives of economic management, leading to a cultural condition of nihilism that has eroded dialectical consciousness. In the first half of the book, Thompson demonstrates the various ways that social power erodes and undermines critical-rational forms of consciousness. In the second part of the book, he constructs an alternative basis for critical reason by showing how it requires seeing human value as essentially ontological: that is, constituted by objective forms of sociality that either promote human freedom or pervert our capacities and drive toward pathological forms of life. The philosophical claim is that a critical theory of ethics must be rooted in these concrete forms of life and that this will serve as a critical vantage point for critical political judgment and transformational praxis. Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on the negotiation of identity and place for residents at the neighborhood level. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

The purpose of Marxist theory is not only to diagnose the negative forces and effects of capitalist society; emphasis must also be placed on the need for social transformation that would enhance human progress at the social and individual level. But the trends of current critical and Marxist theory have turned away from a more positive vision of critique. In his later work with the Budapest School, Lukács argued that Marxism must develop a comprehensive social ontology to understand how power relations within the society also shape and organize the social totality itself. A social ontology seeks to comprehend the ways that social relations, structures, processes and purposes are shaped or possibly contested. We welcome Marxist scholar, thinker and writer Michael J. Thompson. Thompson teaches at William Patterson University and is the author of The Domestication of Critical Theory, Twilight of the Self: The Decline of the Individual in Late Capitalism and several other important works. In this interview we discuss the legacy of western Marxism, the neo-idealist turn in the Frankfurt School, how to think the return of class in out time, and the work of the later Lukács and the project on critical social being. Please join us on Patreon for as much as $1.50 per month to help us continue to bring you interviews and seminars: https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups 

Thinking Critically in Critical Times. The host for this show is Michael Sukhov. The guest is Michael J. Thompson. We continue our discussion of Critical Theory with Michael J. Thompson, Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. We revisit the main dimensions of this kind of thinking, and discuss examples of how it can be applied in the "real world." We discuss what the term "radical" means in this context, and contrast this use of the term with its common, everyday usage. We look more closely at the concept of "democracy" as it is commonly used in the media and public discourse, and contrast this usage with what the concept actually represents as it was envisioned in its "ideal" form by other philosophical traditions. We discuss the contemporary usage of the terms "extremism" and "extremist" in American political discourse. We close by revisiting the relationship of theory and practice as a key component of what it means to DO Critical Theory in today's troubled world. The ThinkTech YouTube Playlist for this show is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQpkwcNJny6mfbvbH9PaDqTKng_XaNdhs Please visit our ThinkTech website at https://thinktechhawaii.com and see our Think Tech Advisories at https://thinktechadvisories.blogspot.com.

Thinking Critically in Critical Times. The host for this show is Michael Sukhov. The guest is Michael J. Thompson. We discuss Critical theory: what it is, major characteristics, how it differs from more "traditional" ways of thinking and theorizing about the world we live in. We explore how one can use a critical theoretical approach to think through issues in the world today. The ThinkTech YouTube Playlist for this show is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQpkwcNJny6mfbvbH9PaDqTKng_XaNdhs Please visit our ThinkTech website at https://thinktechhawaii.com and see our Think Tech Advisories at https://thinktechadvisories.blogspot.com.

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. What are we talking about? At a time when the capitalist experiment has made fewer people richer than ever before and seems to be well on the way to killing the planet, a new generation is reassessing old-fashioned principles of community. Millions are looking to democratic socialist values-much as they are now championed by the Squad's Green New Deal and once were espoused by FDR's New Deal-to address economic inequalities and environmental devastation. An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism (OR Books) is a reader that includes original essays in the form of both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists (including Bernie Sanders) advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker is managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the editor of seven books, his most recent being Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy (with Michael J. Thompson) and The Political Thought of African Independence. Michael J. Thompson is Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. His most recent books include The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment as well as the forthcoming, Twilight of the Self: Cybernetic Society and the Eclipse of Autonomy. Kirk Meighoo is a TV and podcast host, former university lecturer, author and former Senator in Trinidad and Tobago. He hosts his own podcast, Independent Thought & Freedom, where he interviews some of the most interesting people from around the world who are shaking up politics, economics, society and ideas. You can find it in the iTunes Store or any of your favorite podcast providers. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel. If you are an academic who wants to get heard nationally, please check out his free training at becomeapublicintellectual.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. What are we talking about? At a time when the capitalist experiment has made fewer people richer than ever before and seems to be well on the way to killing the planet, a new generation is reassessing old-fashioned principles of community. Millions are looking to democratic socialist values-much as they are now championed by the Squad's Green New Deal and once were espoused by FDR's New Deal-to address economic inequalities and environmental devastation. An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism (OR Books) is a reader that includes original essays in the form of both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists (including Bernie Sanders) advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker is managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the editor of seven books, his most recent being Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy (with Michael J. Thompson) and The Political Thought of African Independence. Michael J. Thompson is Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. His most recent books include The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment as well as the forthcoming, Twilight of the Self: Cybernetic Society and the Eclipse of Autonomy. Kirk Meighoo is a TV and podcast host, former university lecturer, author and former Senator in Trinidad and Tobago. He hosts his own podcast, Independent Thought & Freedom, where he interviews some of the most interesting people from around the world who are shaking up politics, economics, society and ideas. You can find it in the iTunes Store or any of your favorite podcast providers. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel. If you are an academic who wants to get heard nationally, please check out his free training at becomeapublicintellectual.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. What are we talking about? At a time when the capitalist experiment has made fewer people richer than ever before and seems to be well on the way to killing the planet, a new generation is reassessing old-fashioned principles of community. Millions are looking to democratic socialist values-much as they are now championed by the Squad's Green New Deal and once were espoused by FDR's New Deal-to address economic inequalities and environmental devastation. An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism (OR Books) is a reader that includes original essays in the form of both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists (including Bernie Sanders) advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker is managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the editor of seven books, his most recent being Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy (with Michael J. Thompson) and The Political Thought of African Independence. Michael J. Thompson is Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. His most recent books include The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment as well as the forthcoming, Twilight of the Self: Cybernetic Society and the Eclipse of Autonomy. Kirk Meighoo is a TV and podcast host, former university lecturer, author and former Senator in Trinidad and Tobago. He hosts his own podcast, Independent Thought & Freedom, where he interviews some of the most interesting people from around the world who are shaking up politics, economics, society and ideas. You can find it in the iTunes Store or any of your favorite podcast providers. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel. If you are an academic who wants to get heard nationally, please check out his free training at becomeapublicintellectual.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. What are we talking about? At a time when the capitalist experiment has made fewer people richer than ever before and seems to be well on the way to killing the planet, a new generation is reassessing old-fashioned principles of community. Millions are looking to democratic socialist values-much as they are now championed by the Squad's Green New Deal and once were espoused by FDR's New Deal-to address economic inequalities and environmental devastation. An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism (OR Books) is a reader that includes original essays in the form of both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists (including Bernie Sanders) advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker is managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the editor of seven books, his most recent being Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy (with Michael J. Thompson) and The Political Thought of African Independence. Michael J. Thompson is Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. His most recent books include The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment as well as the forthcoming, Twilight of the Self: Cybernetic Society and the Eclipse of Autonomy. Kirk Meighoo is a TV and podcast host, former university lecturer, author and former Senator in Trinidad and Tobago. He hosts his own podcast, Independent Thought & Freedom, where he interviews some of the most interesting people from around the world who are shaking up politics, economics, society and ideas. You can find it in the iTunes Store or any of your favorite podcast providers. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel. If you are an academic who wants to get heard nationally, please check out his free training at becomeapublicintellectual.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. What are we talking about? At a time when the capitalist experiment has made fewer people richer than ever before and seems to be well on the way to killing the planet, a new generation is reassessing old-fashioned principles of community. Millions are looking to democratic socialist values-much as they are now championed by the Squad's Green New Deal and once were espoused by FDR's New Deal-to address economic inequalities and environmental devastation. An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism (OR Books) is a reader that includes original essays in the form of both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists (including Bernie Sanders) advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker is managing editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture. He is the editor of seven books, his most recent being Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy (with Michael J. Thompson) and The Political Thought of African Independence. Michael J. Thompson is Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University. His most recent books include The Specter of Babel: A Reconstruction of Political Judgment as well as the forthcoming, Twilight of the Self: Cybernetic Society and the Eclipse of Autonomy. Kirk Meighoo is a TV and podcast host, former university lecturer, author and former Senator in Trinidad and Tobago. He hosts his own podcast, Independent Thought & Freedom, where he interviews some of the most interesting people from around the world who are shaking up politics, economics, society and ideas. You can find it in the iTunes Store or any of your favorite podcast providers. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel. If you are an academic who wants to get heard nationally, please check out his free training at becomeapublicintellectual.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Michael J. Thompson is an author and professor of political theory at William Paterson University. He is the founding editor of "Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture". His new book, "An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism" is available now on orbooks.com.

Democratic socialism is on the lips of activists and politicians from both the left and the right. Some call it extremism; some call it common sense. But what is it and what effect would it really have on American life as we know it? Michael J. Thompson and Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker’s new anthology “An Inheritance for Our Times: Principles and Politics of Democratic Socialism” includes both personal accounts and intellectual arguments from activists and theorists advocating a democratic socialist outlook. Join us for a look at democratic socialism from the inside out with Michael Thompson & Greg Zucker in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

In light of a recent piece by Der Spiegel, one of the largest news magazine publications, on the legacy of controversial Barrett Brown and the early 21st century "hacktivism" of Anonymous, Barrett Brown returns to Parallax Views for a jam-packed two-hour conversation addressing Barrett's criticisms of the article. Specifically, Barrett takes issue with Alexandra Rojkov, the author behind the piece, using a tweet by Claire Lehmann, founder of the equally controversial Quillette magazine (which has promoted writings related to "race realism" as well as, at one time, the work of Andy Ngo), accusing Brown of "harassing women in tech". Within said tweet Lehmann offered, as evidence, a retweet ofBrown asking for "anyone with information about [Peter] Thiel associate Riva-Melissa Tez" to "please email me". In this conversation, argues that a call to potential sources interested in offering him information on Riva-Melissa Tez stretches the credulity of the term harassment and would require a concrete definition of harassment to be laid out. Additionally, he says, Lehmann's tweet inadvertently gave Brown the information he sought from sources who saw it. From there we begin to delve into the larger failures of the press through a multitude of examples, from the Dallas press's employing a white supremacist radio host who went by the psuedonym Spectre to the recent report by Jared Holt, Angry White Men, Right Wing Watch on Michael J. Thompson, a figure within the conservative movement who moonlighted as the alt right personality "Paul Kersey". Why are these figures allowed to exist within the institutions for so long while Barrett Brown and a whistleblower like Val Broeksmit are smeared for pasts involving drug use? This leads us into a discussion Peter Thiel and his software company Palantir. Brown explains what he sees as the relationship between Thiel and the press. In addition, he argues that there are connections between Thiel and magazines like Quillette as well the infamous hacker Andrew Aurnheimer aka "weev". Moreover, Brown says the the story of Thiel's rise, the advent of the alt right, surveillance, and other issues are interrelated and not yet fully known to the public. In addition, Brown discusses the nature of Thiel's agenda and whether it is, as the mainstream media presents it, libertarian in its nature or rather, as investigative journalists like Corey Pein have alluded to, is connected to "The Dark Enlightenment" of neoreactionary philosopher Nick Land. Moreover, Brown says that Palantir is at the center of much more than normally recognized and that Thiel and his agenda is the most dangerous in the world. At this point Brown delves more deeply into the ideology of this "Dark Enlightenment", the premises it is based on, why it is capable of making an argument in a persuasive fashion, and why it must be opposed. Particularly, he notes that "The Dark Enlightenment" persuades by pointing out, often correctly, the failures of institutions within Democracy currently. Brown, however, says that we must find an alternative to counteract this ideology, which he says will manage to become a strong attractor for those with inherited wealth and spreading out from that point. We wrap up the show with Brown announcing the hiatus of the Pursuance Project and a possible Hollywood collaboration with Alex Winter in the future. Then, for what may be the first time, the life, legacy, and mysterious death of journalist Michael Hastings as well as his relationship to Hastings. Hastings was a journalist who gained much recognition for his work on the Iraq war. After the death of his fiancée, Andrea Pahramovich he wrote a book about her passing and his relationship with her in I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern Love Story. Hastings wrote for both the Rolling Stone and Buzzfeed. During the Obama years Hasting becase very critical of what he saw as a state-sponsored war on journalists. He won the George Polk award for his Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal entitled "The Runaway General" Unfortunately, Hastings passed away under controversial circumstances (many alleged conspiracy/foul play) on June 18, 2013. In this portion of the conversation Brown outlines his relationship with the late journalist, their shared concerns, and Hastings' treatment by the media.All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWSON PATREON! FORBONUS CONTENTANDARCHIVED EPISODES!

A classic, back-to-basics, oldskool episode in which Daniel tells Jack all about a very nasty (and racist trivia-obsessed) specimen, Michael J. Thompson, who chooses to (sometimes) go by the online alias 'Paul Kersey', which is the name of Charles Bronson's character in Death Wish... y'know, the movie in which a middle-class architect becomes a serial killer, and murders loads of poor petty-criminals, and he's the hero. Content Warnings within Content Warnings for this one. Links/Notes: "Hiding in Plain Sight, the White Nationalist Who Toiled Inside a Right Wing Media Powerhouse." https://angrywhitemen.org/2020/02/03/hiding-in-plain-sight-the-white-nationalist-who-toiled-inside-a-right-wing-media-powerhouse/ "Hiding in Plain Sight, the White Nationalist Who Toiled Inside a Right Wing Media Powerhouse." (Right Wing Watch) https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/hiding-in-plain-sight-the-white-nationalist-who-toiled-inside-a-right-wing-media-powerhouse/ Jason Wilson, The Guardian, "Paul Kersey/Michael J. Thompson White Nationalist Report." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/03/paul-kersey-michael-j-thompson-white-nationalist-report "A new report has revealed that a prominent white nationalist author, activist and podcaster known as “Paul Kersey” has in fact worked for more than a decade at mainstream conservative institutions and media outlets under his real name. According to an investigation by the not-for-profit media outlet Right Wing Watch (RWW), the man who has worked under the Kersey pseudonym is in fact Michael J Thompson. The Guardian has uncovered additional material that supports reporting by RWW, and further indicates Thompson’s role in moulding rightwing activists from a position near the heart of America’s most influential conservative institutions. The RWW investigation, published on Monday, reveals the work of “Paul Kersey”, whom it calls a “barely underground member of the white nationalist movement” and a fixture on the roster of racist media outlets and campaign groups. But it also shows that Thompson worked under his own name at institutions like the Leadership Institute, its media arm Campus Reform, and WND, formerly World Net Daily, a once-popular conspiracy-minded conservative outlet, as late as November 2018. It also shows how his WND position allowed him to move in professional circles that included white nationalists, writers from Breitbart and the Daily Caller and prominent Donald Trump supporters including Steve Bannon and Jack Posobiec." Campus Reform Homepage: https://www.campusreform.org/ Current "Stuff Black People Don't Like" at Unz Review. https://www.unz.com/sbpdl/ Stuff Black People Don't Like, January 18, 2010 from the Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20100118112313/http://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com/ "From a biological standpoint, Haitians who practice voodoo and the art of zombiism, have an ally in Wade Davis as he has done extensive research in Haitian voodoo and penned numerous volumes on the subject. In Passage of Darkness: the Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie and Serpent and the Rainbow, Davis discusses the uses of certain chemical compounds to create hallucinogens and neurotoxins capable of inducing the effects of death only to allow the “zombie” to awake later. The botanical secrets and the chemical compound formulas that create zombies are known only by the Haitian Voodoo priests, but the mysterious origins behind zombies haven’t dissuaded others from inventing their own. George Romero of “The Night of the Living Dead” fame is credited with inventing the modern-zombie in the United States, but he owes much to the 1930s film “White Zombie”, which was appropriately set in Haiti. We have discussed the historical nature of zombies, as the idea originated in Haiti and there, witch-doctors practiced (and still do) a form of Black magic that “can” reanimate corpses. In the United States however, zombies take on a much different connotation, for we view them as the true undead brought back to life, consuming as much live human flesh in the process, thereby spreading the zombie virus further. Zombies - in America - are a plague that must be eradicated." Romero, who has made a fine living directing zombie films, cast a Black person as the main protagonist in his first zombie film “Night of the Living Dead” and has since positively shown Black people in that films many sequels, most notably in the late 1970s “Dawn of the Dead.” It is obvious to all Black people, that Romero knows the true history of zombies, and thus, must do everything in his power to remove the mystical Black magic origins of voodoo/zombies from his films and showcase Black people operating in a highly functional manner. There is an unwritten rule in Hollywood that Romero deemed necessary when discussing zombies, for no mentioning of Haiti and Black people’s predilection and fascination with the undead can occur in film or video gam" Stuff Black People Don't Like, May 1, 2009 from the Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20110628224216/http://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html #170: Losing Gold Teeth: "Black people are fascinated by gold, more so than the Spanish Conquistadors of old. Black people love gold so much, that they have it fashioned to put onto their teeth, known throughout the Black community as "grillz". A subculture has grown around this fascinating practice and has become a lucrative business for entrepreneur's hoping to affix their wares on the Black persons bicuspids. One practitioner of the art of "grillzing" writes, "Gold teeth are a product that has been increasingly growing over the past eight years, especially since the attention given to them from celebrities such as Nelly and Flavor Flav. Since that time, they've taken on several different names, such as gold fronts, gold caps, gold slugs, grills and grillz." The problem for "grillz" advocates remains maintaining the integrity of said gold piece in their mouths, while using the restroom. Recently at a Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets, a woman lost one of her "grillz" in the latrine. While relieving herself, somehow her "grillz" become dislodged and ended up resting in the bowels of the commode." Google Search Results for "Michael Thompson" at www.campusreform.org. https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.campusreform.org+michael%20thompson Michael Thompson, "Jokes Now Considered "Bias-Motivated Incidents" at Northern Colorado" https://web.archive.org/web/20150117082235/https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=1796 "The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) has decided it’s time to prohibit "Bias Motivated Incidents." When you hear about a “bias motivated incident,” maybe you’re thinking about a cross burning, or something of that nature. But at UNCO the “bias motivated incident” could simply be an "inappropriate joke" that is motivated by some form of bias. The UNCO policy also says that “Any discriminatory act is a violation of the Housing & Residence Life Student Code of Conduct.” Well, what do they mean by “any discriminatory act”? According to the UNCO handbook this includes, but is not limited to, “racism, ageism, sexism, and/or homophobia.” And (get ready for this!) included in the definition is “intentionally, recklessly or negligently causing physical, emotional, or mental harm to any person." Paul Kersey, "Nobody Kill Anybody" Fails: During First Ceasefire Weekend in 70% Black Baltimore, 15 Shot, Four Dead. https://www.unz.com/sbpdl/nobody-kill-anybody-fails-during-first-ceasefire-weekend-in-70-black-baltimore-15-shot-four-dead/ "A surplus of blackness and a paucity of whiteness. Or, more appropriately, a city dominated by the black hegemony. Welcome to Baltimore in 2020, a 70 percent black city completely dominated by black elected/appointed officials in all aspects of the bureaucracy. Confederate memorials are all removed, streets and buildings once named in honor of dead white males have been erased, racially re-named to honor the new demographic dominating Baltimore life. If you’ve read The City that Bleeds: Race, History, and the Death of Baltimore (and if you haven’t, get it here now!), you know the truth about Baltimore our elite have spent more than half a century trying to explain away as the fault of pernicious white people and their insidious redlining, systemic racism, and racial criminal justice system." The Political Cesspool, "Paul Kersey, Author of "Stuff Black People Don't Like" Will Join Us Live This Satur March 5." https://www.thepoliticalcesspool.org/jamesedwards/paul-kersey-author-of-stuff-black-people-dont-like-will-join-us-live-this-saturday-march-5/ Michael Thompson Author Page at WND, https://www.wnd.com/author/mthompson/ WND Staff, "Black-on-black murders epidemic in this city" https://www.wnd.com/2013/08/milwaukees-racism-most-murders-black-on-black/ @MJTWND at the Internet Archive, July 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160714043056/https://twitter.com/MJTWND Angry White Men, "Daily Shoah" Hosts: Nazi Scientists and White People Should be Recognized For Space Exploration Work. https://angrywhitemen.org/2017/02/28/daily-shoah-co-hosts-nazi-scientists-and-white-people-should-be-recognized-for-space-exploration-work/ "Hidden Figures" at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Figures Eric Niiler, History.com, "Why Civil Rights Activists Protested the Moon Landing." https://www.history.com/news/apollo-11-moon-landing-launch-protests Katherine Johnson, The Human Computer Project. https://www.thehumancomputerproject.com/women/katherine-johnson "Along with engineer Ted Skopinski she coauthored the 1960 report Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position, the equations describing the trajectories for placing the manned Mercury capsule into low-Earth orbit and returning it safely to the planet's surface, making her the Flight Research Division's first credited female author." Skopinski and Johnson, "Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position" https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980227091.pdf  

Michael J. Thompson and Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker’s book “Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy: Defending Reason in a Free Society” features essays they edited on the role that science must play in democratic society—science defined not just in terms of technology but as a way of approaching problems and viewing the world. In this collection of original essays, experts in political science, the hard sciences, philosophy, history and other disciplines examine contemporary anti-science trends and make the case that respect for science is essential for a healthy democracy. Join us for a discussion of the role of science in society and why some citizens are so critical of it in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

BOATS AGAINST the CURRENT This is the second Episode in a Series about Oligarchies. Specifically, what does an Oligarchical system of governance mean for the longevity of the United States. In this Episode, economist Dr. Michael J. Thompson explains the negative effects of an Oligarchical governance on society, and offers some ways out.

BOATS AGAINST the CURRENT This is the second Episode in a Series about Oligarchies. Specifically, what does an Oligarchical system of governance mean for the longevity of the United States. In this Trailer, economist Dr. Michael J. Thompson explains the negative effects of an Oligarchical governance on society, and offers some ways out.

This week after fact-checking media coverage of contentious events in Washington, we are joined by Michael J. Thompson, co-editor of the book Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy.

We live in a complicated society. We’re technologically advanced and scientifically complex. And while a world of information is right at our fingertips to help us dissect these convoluted studies, there’s also an abundance of misinformation spreading like wildfire. Michael J. Thompson, editor of, Anti-Science and the Assault on Democracy, discusses “fake news” around climate change, and outlandish claims about the effects of vaccines. I mean, should we trust those fancy pants scientists? Or are we holding our democracy back because we view science as left or right instead of facts?