Podcast appearances and mentions of Wendy Brown

Hello Interactors,I was in Santa Barbara recently having dinner on a friend's deck when a rocket's contrail streaked the sky. “Another one from Vandenberg,” he said. “Wait a couple minutes — you'll hear it.” And we did. “They've gotten really annoying,” he added. He's not wrong. In early 2024, SpaceX launched seven times more tonnage into space than the rest of the world combined, much of it from Vandenberg Space Force Base (renamed from Air Force Base in 2021). They've already been approved to fly 12,000 Starlink satellites, with filings for 30,000 more.This isn't just future space junk — it's infrastructure. And it's not just in orbit. What Musk is doing in the sky is tied to what he's building on the ground. Not in Vandenberg, where regulation still exists, but in Starbase, Texas, where the law doesn't resist — it assists. There, Musk is testing how much sovereignty one man can claim under the banner of “innovation” — and how little we'll do to stop him.TOWNS TO THRUST AND THRONEMusk isn't just defying gravity — he's defying law. In South Texas, a place called Starbase has taken shape along the Gulf Coast, hugging the edge of SpaceX's rocket launch site. What looks like a town is really something else: a launchpad not just for spacecraft, but for a new form of privatized sovereignty.VIDEO: Time compresses at the edge of Starbase: a slow-built frontier where launch infrastructure rises faster than oversight. Source: Google EarthThis isn't unprecedented. The United States has a long lineage of company towns — places where corporations controlled land, housing, labor, and local government. Pullman, Illinois is the most famous. But while labor historians and economic geographers have documented their economic and social impact, few have examined them as legal structures of power.That's the gap legal scholar Brian Highsmith identifies in Governing the Company Town. That omission matters — because these places aren't just undemocratic. They often function as quasi-sovereign legal shells, designed to serve capital, not people.Incorporation is the trick. In Texas, any area with at least 201 residents can petition to become a general-law municipality. That's exactly what Musk has done. In a recent vote (212 to 6) residents approved the creation of an official town — Starbase. Most of those residents are SpaceX employees living on company-owned land…with a Tesla in the driveway. The result is a legally recognized town, politically constructed. SpaceX controls the housing, the workforce, and now, the electorate. Even the mayor is a SpaceX affiliate. With zoning powers and taxing authority, Musk now holds tools usually reserved for public governments — and he's using them to build for rockets, not residents…unless they're employees.VIDEO: Starbase expands frame by frame, not just as a company town, but as a legal experiment — where land, labor, and law are reassembled to serve orbit over ordinance. Source: Google EarthQuinn Slobodian, a historian of neoliberalism and global capitalism, shows how powerful companies and individuals increasingly use legal tools to redesign borders and jurisdictions to their advantage. In his book, Cracked Up Capitalism, he shows how jurisdiction becomes the secret weapon of the capitalist state around the world. I wrote about a techno-optimist fantasy state on the island of Roatán, part of the Bay Islands in Honduras a couple years ago. It isn't new. Disney used the same playbook in 1967 with Florida's Reedy Creek District — deeding slivers of land to employees to meet incorporation rules, then governing without real opposition. Highsmith draws a straight line to Musk: both use municipal law not to serve the public, but to avoid it. In Texas, beach access is often blocked near Starbase — even when rockets aren't launching. A proposed bill would make ignoring an evacuation order a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by jail.Even if Starbase never fully resembles a traditional town, that's beside the point. What Musk is really revealing isn't some urban design oasis but how municipal frameworks can still be weaponized for private control. Through zoning laws, incorporation statutes, and infrastructure deals, corporations can shape legal entities that resemble cities but function more like logistical regimes.And yet, this tactic draws little sustained scrutiny. As Highsmith reminds us, legal scholarship has largely ignored how municipal tools are deployed to consolidate corporate power. That silence matters — because what looks like a sleepy launch site in Texas may be something much larger: a new form of rule disguised as infrastructure.ABOVE THE LAW, BELOW THE LANDElon Musk isn't just shaping towns — he's engineering systems. His tunnels, satellites, and rockets stretch across and beyond traditional borders. These aren't just feats of engineering. They're tools of control designed to bypass civic oversight and relocate governance into private hands. He doesn't need to overthrow the state to escape regulation. He simply builds around it…and in the case of Texas, with it.Architect and theorist Keller Easterling, whose work examines how infrastructure quietly shapes political life, argues that these systems are not just supports for power — they are power. Infrastructure itself is a kind of operating system for shaping the city, states, countries…and now space.Starlink, SpaceX's satellite constellation, provides internet access to users around the world. In Ukraine, it became a vital communications network after Russian attacks on local infrastructure. Musk enabled access — then later restricted it. He made decisions with real geopolitical consequences. No president. No Congress. Just a private executive shaping war from orbit.And it's not just Ukraine. Starlink is now active in dozens of countries, often without formal agreements from national regulators. It bypasses local telecom laws, surveillance rules, and data protections. For authoritarian regimes, that makes it dangerous. But for democracies, it raises a deeper question: who governs the sky?Right now, the answer is: no one. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 assumes that nation-states, not corporations, are the primary actors in orbit. But Starlink functions in a legal grey zone, using low Earth orbit as a loophole in international law…aided and abetted by the U.S. defense department.VIDEO: Thousands of Starlink satellites, visualized in low Earth orbit, encircle the planet like a privatized exosphere—reshaping global communication while raising questions of governance, visibility, and control. Source: StarlinkThe result is a telecom empire without borders. Musk commands a growing share of orbital infrastructure but answers to no global regulator. The International Telecommunication Union can coordinate satellite spectrum, but it can't enforce ethical or geopolitical standards. Musk alone decides whether Starlink aids governments, rebels, or armies. As Quinn Slobodian might put it, this is exception-making on a planetary scale.Now let's go underground. The Boring Company digs high-speed tunnels beneath cities like Las Vegas, sidestepping standard planning processes. These projects often exclude transit agencies and ignore public engagement. They're built for select users, not the public at large. Local governments, eager for tech-driven investment, offer permits and partnerships — even if it means circumventing democratic procedures.Taken together — Starlink above, Boring Company below, Tesla charging networks on the ground — Musk's empire moves through multiple layers of infrastructure, each reshaping civic life without formal accountability. His systems carry people, data, and energy — but not through the public channels meant to regulate them. They're not overseen by voters. They're not authorized by democratic mandate. Yet they profoundly shape how people move, communicate, and live.Geographer Deborah Cowen, whose research focuses on the global logistics industry, argues that infrastructure like ports, fiber-optic cables, and pipelines have become tools of geopolitical strategy. Logistics as a form of war by other means. Brian Highsmith argues this is a form of “functional fragmentation” — breaking governance into layers and loopholes that allow corporations to sidestep collective control. These aren't mere workarounds. They signal a deeper shift in how power is organized — not just across space, but through it.This kind of sovereignty is easy to miss because it doesn't always resemble government. But when a private actor controls transit systems, communication networks, and even military connectivity — across borders, beneath cities, and in orbit — we're not just dealing with infrastructure. We're dealing with rule.And, just like with company towns, the legal scholarship is struggling to catch up. These layered, mobile, and non-territorial regimes challenge our categories of law and space alike. What these fantastical projects inspire is often awe. But what they should require is law.AMNESIA AIDS THE AMBITIOUSElon Musk may dazzle with dreams full-blown, but the roots of his power are not his own. The United States has a long tradition of private actors ruling like governments — with public blessing. These aren't outliers. They're part of a national pattern, deeply embedded in our legal geography: public authority outsourced to private ambition.The details vary, but the logic repeats. Whether it's early colonial charters, speculative land empires, company towns, or special districts carved for tech campuses, American history is full of projects where law becomes a scaffold for private sovereignty. Rather than recount every episode, let's just say from John Winthrop to George Washington to Walt Disney to Elon Musk, America has always made room for men who rule through charters, not elections.Yet despite the frequency of these arrangements, the scholarship has been oddly selective.According to Highsmith, legal academia has largely ignored the institutional architecture that makes company towns possible in the first place: incorporation laws, zoning frameworks, municipal codes, and districting rules. These aren't neutral bureaucratic instruments. They're jurisdictional design tools, capable of reshaping sovereignty at the micro-scale. And when used strategically, they can be wielded by corporations to create functional states-within-a-state — governing without elections, taxing without consent, and shaping public life through private vision.From a critical geography perspective, the problem is just as stark. Scholars have long studied the uneven production of space — how capital reshapes landscapes to serve accumulation. But here, space isn't just produced — it's governed. And it's governed through techniques of legal enclosure, where a patch of land becomes a jurisdictional exception, and a logistics hub or tech campus becomes a mini-regime.Starbase, Snailbrook, Reedy Creek, and even Google's Sidewalk Labs are not just spatial projects — they're sovereign experiments in spatial governance, where control is layered through contracts, tax breaks, and municipal proxies.But these arrangements don't arise in a vacuum. Cities often aren't choosing between public and private control — they're choosing between austerity and access to cash. In the United States, local governments are revenue-starved by design. Most lack control over income taxes or resource royalties, and depend heavily on sales taxes, property taxes, and development fees. This creates a perverse incentive: to treat corporations not as entities to regulate, but as lifelines to recruit and appease.Desperate for jobs and investment, cities offer zoning concessions, infrastructure deals, and tax abatements, even when they come with little democratic oversight or long-term guarantees. Corporate actors understand this imbalance — and exploit it. The result is a form of urban hostage-taking, where governance is bartered piecemeal in exchange for the promise of economic survival.A more democratized fiscal structure — one that empowers cities through equitable revenue-sharing, progressive taxation, or greater control over land value capture — might reduce this dependency. It would make it possible for municipalities to plan with their citizens instead of negotiating against them. It would weaken the grip of corporate actors who leverage scarcity into sovereignty. But until then, as long as cities are backed into a fiscal corner, we shouldn't be surprised when they sell off their power — one plot or parking lot at a time.Highsmith argues that these structures demand scrutiny — not just for their economic impact, but for their democratic consequences. These aren't just quirks of local law. They are the fault lines of American federalism — where localism becomes a loophole, and fragmentation becomes a formula for private rule.And yet, these systems persist with minimal legal friction and even less public awareness. Because they don't always look like sovereignty. Sometimes they look like a housing deal. A fast-tracked zoning change. A development district with deferred taxes. A campus with private shuttles and subsidized utilities. They don't announce themselves as secessions — but they function that way.We've been trained to see these projects as innovation, not governance. As entrepreneurship, not policy. But when a company owns the homes, builds the roads, controls the data, and sets the rules, it's not just offering services — it's exercising control. As political theorist Wendy Brown has argued, neoliberalism reshapes civic life around the image of the entrepreneur, replacing democratic participation with market performance.That shift plays out everywhere: universities run like corporations, cities managed like startups. Musk isn't the exception — he's the clearest expression of a culture that mistakes private ambition for public good. Musk once tweeted, “If you must know, I am a utopian anarchist of the kind best described by Iain Banks.” In a New York Times article, Jill Lepore quoted Banks as saying his science fiction books were about “'hippy commies with hyper-weapons and a deep distrust of both Marketolatry and Greedism.' He also expressed astonishment that anyone could read his books as promoting free-market libertarianism, asking, ‘Which bit of not having private property and the absence of money in the Culture novels have these people missed?'”The issue isn't just that we've allowed these takeovers — it's that we've ignored the tools enabling them: incorporation, annexation, zoning, and special districts. As Brian Highsmith notes, this quiet shift in power might not have surprised one of our constitution authors, James Madison, but it would have troubled him. In Federalist No. 10, Madison warned not of monarchs, but of factions — small, organized interests capturing government for their own ends. His solution was restraint through scaling oppositional voices. “The inference to which we are brought is, that the causes of faction cannot be removed...and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects.”— James Madison, Federalist No. 10 (1787)Today, the structure meant to restrain factions has become their playbook. These actors don't run for office — they arrive with charters, contracts, and capital. They govern not in the name of the people, but of “efficiency” and “innovation.” And they don't need to control a nation when a zoning board will do.Unchecked, we risk mistaking corporate control for civic order — and repeating a pattern we've barely begun to name.We were told, sold, and promised a universe of shared governance — political, spatial, even orbital. But Madison didn't trust promises. He trusted structure. He feared what happens when small governments fall to powerful interests — when law becomes a lever for private gain. That fear now lives in legal districts, rocket towns, and infrastructure built to rule. Thousands of satellites orbit the Earth, not launched by publics, but by one man with tools once reserved for states. What was once called infrastructure now governs. What was once geography now obeys.Our maps may still show roads and rails and pipes and ports — but not the fictions beneath them, or the factions they support.References:Brown, W. (2015). Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism's stealth revolution. Zone Books.Cowen, D. (2014). The deadly life of logistics: Mapping violence in global trade. University of Minnesota Press.Easterling, K. (2014). Extrastatecraft: The power of infrastructure space. Verso Books.Highsmith, B. (2022). Governing the company town: How employers use local government to seize political power. Yale Law Journal.Madison, J. (1787). Federalist No. 10. In A. Hamilton, J. Madison, & J. Jay, The Federalist Papers. Bantam Books (2003 edition).Slobodian, Q. (2023). Crack-Up Capitalism: Market radicals and the dream of a world without democracy. Metropolitan Books. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io

Varför har tyckandet blivit så nedvärderat? Författaren Lyra Ekström Lindbäck går ut till försvar för åsiktens förenande funktion i samhället. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Först publicerad 2021-09-14.Fler och fler verkar tycka att tyckande och tänkande inte går ihop. I såväl politiska som estetiska diskussioner klassas tyckandet som så oseriöst att det uppfattas som en direkt motsättning till nyanserade reflektioner. Är det här en bra eller dålig diktsamling? Ska vi höja eller sänka skatterna i Sverige? Är den här låten gripande eller sentimental? Borde surrogatmödraskap tillåtas? Att komma ifrån ”det rena tyckandet”, som det ibland lite nedlåtande kallas, för att istället göra en mer sansad analys, har blivit ett ideal för både kultur- och ledarsidor. Men är det verkligen önskvärt, om ens möjligt, att göra sig av med tyckandet när det handlar om konst och politik?Kanske är tyckandet i själva verket det mest centrala. Den amerikanska filosofen Stanley Cavell kritiserar den analytiska traditionens oro för att ”estetiska (och moraliska och politiska) omdömen saknar något: argumenten som stöder dem är inte lika slutgiltiga som logiska omdömen, eller rationella på samma vis som vetenskapliga argument.” Det är de sannerligen inte, konstaterar Cavell: ”och vore de det skulle det inte finnas några sådana discipliner som konst (eller moral) och ingen sådan konst som kritiken.” Även om det går att resonera kring dem så är det rena vetandet ett omöjligt ideal när det kommer till konst och politik.I kontrast till tyckandet förespråkar man gärna tolkningen, som anses vidga, öppna och förklara. Men tolkningar kan lika gärna skymma som klargöra. Susan Sontag skriver i essän ”Mot tolkning” att ” tolkningsutsläppen idag förorenar vår sensibilitet. I en kultur vars redan klassiska dilemma är intellektets expansion på energins och sensualitetens bekostnad, så är tolkningen intellektets hämnd mot konsten.” I vägen för verkets omedelbara, sinnliga effekt på dig ställer man dess ”innebörd”, som om konsten bara vore en indirekt kunskapsförmedling. Som Sontag säger så trubbar det av och passiviserar publiken. Hur många vågar idag säga vad de tycker om en tavla innan de har läst kuratorns förklarande beskrivningar? Samtidigt drillas studenter på konstskolor i att presentera teoretiseringar av sina egna praktiker, som om det blivit otänkbart att verken kunde tala för sig själva.I Immanuel Kants Kritik av omdömeskraften, som anses ligga till grund för den moderna estetiken, utgår teorin om det sköna från det omedelbara smakomdömet. Kant beskriver smakomdömet som grundat i en subjektiv allmängiltighet. Till skillnad från mat och dryck så väntar du dig att andra borde hålla med dig när det kommer till konst och naturskönhet. Den subjektiva allmängiltigheten innebär inte någon objektiv kunskap, och det går därför aldrig att bevisa vem som har rätt i smakfrågor. Men du känner ändå att du ger uttryck för en mer allmän än privat uppfattning när du fäller estetiska omdömen. För Kant är denna förmåga en viktig indikator på att människorna lever i en gemensam värld – inte bara rationellt och materiellt, utan i själva upplevelsen av vår egen varseblivning.Som student på grundnivå hade jag svårt att förstå vad Kant menar. Hur kan omdömen om konst utgå från något annat än ett rent personligt tyckande? Det finns ju minst lika stora skillnader i musik- som i drinksmak. Kant är förstås medveten om att det sällan råder konsensus om det sköna. Smaken kommer alltid att vara stridbar. Men det är själva känslan av att alla borde hålla med oss som gör smakomdömet så centralt för honom. Här rör det sig om ett slags mellanmänskligt tyckande, ett gemensamt sinne eller en insisterande impuls till att dela samma verklighet, som utgör grunden för våra möjligheter till civiliserad samvaro.Kanske var mina svårigheter ett symptom på att vår syn på tycke och smak har ändrats dramatiskt sedan Kants tid. Hans filosofi var lika inriktad på att beskriva tänkandets begränsningar som dess möjligheter, men trehundra år efter Upplysningen kan vi inte längre acceptera en omedelbar lustkänsla som utgångspunkt för ett mer allmänt omdöme. Tyckandet har kommit att ses som något nästan uteslutande personligt och viktlöst.Paradoxalt nog beror det kanske på att vi idag uppmanas att tycka till om allt mer. Vi ska betygsätta våra taxiresor, välja vårdgivare och konstruera våra egna filterbubblor. Föreställningen om en gemensam smak är nästan död. Ibland leder det till rent bisarra tongångar i debatten: som om åsikter om vilka verk som borde inkluderas i en litterär kanon vore lika godtyckliga som om man föredrar Pepsi eller Cola. Tyckandet har sugits upp av våra konsumtionsidentiteter, en tom logik som kommit att genomsyra allt. Gillar du att spela golf? Då kanske du också skulle tycka om vinster i välfärden!Varför har tyckandet urholkats på det här viset? Enligt den politiska teoretikern Wendy Brown har en tyst nyliberal revolution ägt rum. Brown beskriver nyliberalismen som en normativ rationalitetsprincip som gradvis har tolkat om alla värden till ekonomiska. Vårt gemensamma samhälle har blivit en spelplan för investeringar och avkastningar. Jag tycker mig höra den här logiken eka i retoriken hos de svenska liberala partierna, vilket numera samtliga från Socialdemokraterna till Kristdemokraterna oblygt kallar sig. De beskriver staten som ett företag som ska förvaltas, och framställer marknadsanalys som det enda sättet att bedriva seriös politik. Du ska inte rösta utifrån dina åsikter, utan utifrån din och statens plånbok. De partier som inte opererar efter samma logik ses som ytterkantsextremister. Demokratin utmålas som ett val mellan ansvarstagande förvaltare och ideologiska fundamentalister.Tycker du att den här essän låter vänsterextrem eller kulturkonservativ? Är tonläget för svepande eller för kategoriskt? Jag har försökt tänka kring tyckandet, men inte utan att tycka något själv. Som Cavell säger skulle det knappast bli något kvar av vare sig estetiken eller politiken om man lyckades rationalisera dem fullständigt. Det betyder inte att utgångspunkten är irrationell. Snarare att den utgår från en impuls till mellanmänsklighet. Känslan av att alla borde hålla med oss är vad som ligger till grund för den passionerade kritiken och den engagerade politiken. I vårt eftertryckliga ja eller nej finns hjärtat av ideologin och smaken.Naturligtvis bör inte de nyanserade diskussionerna sluta där. Men utan det stridbara och gemenskapande tyckandet återstår bara godtyckliga personliga preferenser och analytisk logik. Vore det inte mer än så som höll oss samman kunde vi lika gärna överlåta såväl budgetläggning som recensionsuppdrag till artificiella intelligenser. Det skulle säkert vara mer informativt, lukrativt och effektivt. Men lyckligtvis är vi fortfarande för fästa vid vårt tyckande för att låta marknaden ta oss ända dit.Lyra Ekström Lindbäckförfattare och kritiker

We're talking resistance, joy, and queer communities with Brenda Shaughnessy!Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series.James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books.NOTES:Click here for Brenda's Queer Resistance Playlist 2025 (Spotify).Check out Brenda's poem "Panopticon" from Interior with Sudden Joy.Visit Brenda Shaughnessy's website . And hear her read from her newest book, Tanya here. Read more about UC Santa Cruz closing the Feminist Studies Dept here. Read more about Maria RessaFor more about Roland Barthes's contribution to literary criticism, read here.While dated, here's a list of creative writing programs that are LGBTQ+ friendly. Read more about Bettina ApthekerRead more about Donna J. HarawayRead on for more about the clubs Brenda mentions: Meow Mix, Clit Club, Henrietta Hudson (still open!), Pandora's Box, and more.Read more about Angela Davis's work here.For more about Wendy Brown, read her Guggenheim citation here.You can learn more about Allan Bérubé here. Learn more about the incredible Urvashi Vaid here.Watch/listen to Cécile McLorin Salvant's "Until" here. Read more about Kate Clinton on her website here.For more about Teresa de Lauretis, click here. 

#HerkeseSanat

Episode Description: In this episode of The Bari Chronicles, Tash and Damo sit down with Associate Professor Wendy Brown to delve into the findings and implications of The Lancet Report. This landmark study provides groundbreaking insights into metabolic surgery and obesity management, shaping the future of healthcare. Together, they explore the challenges, myths, and opportunities highlighted in the report, offering a balanced discussion about the evolving role of bariatric surgery in improving health outcomes. Whether you're considering surgery, supporting someone on their journey, or working in healthcare, this episode is packed with invaluable information and expert perspectives.

Will the Democrats Confront the Economic Conditions That Gave Rise to Right Wing Populism? | How 9/11 Made the Trump Presidency Possible and Hollowed Out the Very Idea of Citizenship in the US | Plutocrats No Longer Shape Our Government Behind the Scenes, Musk is Now Giving House Republicans Orders backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Alice and Doug welcome back special guest Wendy Brown in this New Year's extravaganza. Doug puts Alice and Wendy's stress levels to the ultimate test. But Alice might be too (prescription) drugged up to feel the stress. Plus, is Wendy too kind for roller derby? Does Doug know *any* U.S. state capitals? And has Alice been watching the Saw movies too much? All this and more as we ring in 2025 in Terrible style. Other discussion topics may include: - New Year's festivities like fireworks, parades, and neighborhood gunshots - Drew Carey's napping assistant - The best thing before sliced bread - What if Sir Anthony Hopkins really is a cannibal? - Time is Crazy!!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Wendy Brown, Head of Broker Sales at Macquarie Bank, at their new headquarters in Sydney. In this candid conversation, Wendy covers: A Look Back at 2024: Reflecting on the key trends and challenges of the broker industry over the past year. Macquarie's Commitment to Brokers: How Macquarie continues to support brokers and their stance on the importance of the broker industry. The real reason for Macquarie's change-up to credit reports: not all is as it seems! What's Coming in 2025: Exciting investment in digital innovations to make the broker and customer experience even better. Grab a cuppa and listen to the full interview.

Featuring Quinn Slobodian and Wendy Brown on Trump's triumphant return to power and the freakish, obscene, billionaire-dominated, capitalist reactionary, Christian nationalist, contradiction-ridden MAGA movement that surrounds him. A comprehensive early assessment of what is going on, where it's coming from, and where it all might be heading. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Share Thawra with a friend thedigradio.com/Thawra Use code "DIG" for 30% off a subscription to The-Syllabus.com Subscribe to a year of Jacobin for only $15— a special offer for Dig listeners! bit.ly/digjacobin

Featuring Quinn Slobodian and Wendy Brown on Trump's triumphant return to power and the freakish, obscene, billionaire-dominated, capitalist reactionary, Christian nationalist, contradiction-ridden MAGA movement that surrounds him. A comprehensive early assessment of what is going on, where it's coming from, and where it all might be heading. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Share Thawra with a friend thedigradio.com/Thawra Use code "DIG" for 30% off a subscription to The-Syllabus.com Subscribe to a year of Jacobin for only $15— a special offer for Dig listeners! bit.ly/digjacobin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Consequences of Biden Authorizing Missile Strikes From Ukraine Into Russia | Will the Democrats Confront the Economic Conditions That Gave Rise to Right Wing Populism?

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. 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

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over 150 years ago, Marx published the first volume of Capital, a systematic and voluminous account of capitalism, from the economic bedrock all the way up to the social and political consequences. The book itself would stand as one of the most influential and decisive texts of all time, proving to be a wildly fruitful foundation for further research into everything it touched, and also becoming a cornerstone text for various political movements that would try and develop the critical analysis into a workable theory of action and social transformation. Even after its 1867 publication, the text remained a fluid, dynamic object, with a 2nd edition being put out in Marx's own lifetime and a 3rd and 4th edition being published posthumously under the stewardship of Friedrich Engels. These later editions would be the foundations for the first two translations of the text into English, first by Edward Aveling and Sam Moore in 1887, and then by Ben Fowkes in 1976. Now in 2024, we can add a third version of the text in English. Translated by Paul Reitter and edited by both Paul Reitter and Paul North, Marx has been given a fresh voice with a new edition of the text that includes a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts. The introduction by Paul North helps situate the text in Marx's larger output, showing how it was the culmination of an early political radicalization that took time to develop into a more systematic critique. Paul Reitter's preface explains some of the difficulties of translating such a large and complex text, and will help readers appreciate the care Marx chose his words with. Substantial editorial endnotes will help contextualize obscure phrases and terms, helping readers keep up with the massive scope of Marx's vision as he pulls information, inspiration and ideas from economics, philosophy, literature and history into a cohesive yet dynamic vision of what the ceaseless pursuit of value was doing to our world, and what might be done about it. For this interview, there are two parts. For the first hour, Paul Reitter and Paul North sat together and discussed the main ideas of the text, the various ways it tries to develop its critical perspective and its continued importance. For the second hour, Paul Reitter stayed to discuss some passages in detail, explaining the various choices made and roads not traveled, and how he tried to bring various aspects of Marx's voice into English. Translation is at least as much an art as a science, one that demands hermeneutic sensitivity as much as a knowledge of which words correspond to which. Reitter is a humble practitioner of what is often thankless work and makes no claim to being the final word on how best to translate Marx, but his contribution will absolutely raise the bar and give readers who've never read Marx an excellent place to start, and will give those familiar with the text a chance to see it in new light. To borrow a phrase from Marx himself, this new translation is as royal a road to science as we could ask for. Paul Reitter is a professor of Germanic languages at Ohio State University. Paul North is the Maurice Natanson professor of Germanic languages and literature at Yale University. 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

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal is joined by Wendy Brown, distinguished American political theorist and Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of California Berkeley. Together they discuss Wendy's writing on the emergence of and critical responses to identity politics, physical border controls as performative expressions of sovereignty, the replacement of democratic values with neoliberal values of free market competition and individualism, and her forthcoming work on expanded notions of democracy that account for the past, future, human and non human. They also discuss the 2024 American presidential race, and as this episode was recorded in May, before President Joe Biden announced that he would not run for re-election, some comments are out of date, though still relevant to larger conversations around electoral politics. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/250-wendy-brown.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/250-wendy-brown.html Resources: Wendy Brown: https://www.ias.edu/sss/wendy-brown States of Injury: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691029894/states-of-injury Walled States, Waning Sovereignty: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9781935408031/walled-states-waning-sovereignty Undoing the Demos: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9781935408543/undoing-the-demos Bio: A political theorist who works across the history of political thought, political economy, Continental philosophy, cultural theory and critical legal theory, Wendy Brown is the UPS Foundation Chair in the School of Social Science. Prior to her appointment at the Institute, she was Class of 1936 First Chair at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a prize-winning teacher and scholar. Drawing from Nietzschean, Weberian, Marxist, Foucauldian, feminist and postcolonial angles of vision, Professor Brown writes about the subterranean powers shaping contemporary EuroAtlantic polities, with particular attention to the political identities, subjectivities and expressions they spawn. The author/co-author of a dozen books in English, she is best known for her interrogation of identity politics and state power in States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity (1995); her critical analysis of tolerance in Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire (2006); her account of the inter-regnum between nation states and globalization in Walled States, Waning Sovereignty (2010); and her study of neoliberalism's assault on democratic principles, institutions and citizenship in Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution (2015) and In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West (2019). Across her work, Brown aims to illuminate powers unique to our era and the predicaments they generate for democratic thought and practice. These predicaments range from rule by finance, to the de-democratization of political culture, to the nihilistic depletion of truth, values and conscience. Currently, Brown is exploring how political freedom can be salvaged from its historical imbrication with regimes of class, race and gender subjection and be made responsive to the climate crisis. Her driving question is whether and how political freedom can be reformulated in light of both. She is also extending and revising for publication her 2019 Yale Tanner Lectures, “Politics and Knowledge in Nihilistic Times: Thinking with Max Weber.” Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “States of Injury — with Wendy Brown.” Below the Radar, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, September 17, 2024. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/250-wendy-brown.html.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  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

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here. 

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was living in exile in England when he embarked on an ambitious, multivolume critique of the capitalist system of production. Though only the first volume saw publication in Marx's lifetime, it would become one of the most consequential books in history.  This magnificent new edition of Capital (Princeton UP, 2024) is a translation of Marx for the twenty-first century. It is the first translation into English to be based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself, the only version that can be called authoritative, and it features extensive commentary and annotations by Paul North and Paul Reitter that draw on the latest scholarship and provide invaluable perspective on the book and its complicated legacy. At once precise and boldly readable, this translation captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx's thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original source. For Marx, our global economic system is relentlessly driven by "value"--to produce it, capture it, trade it, and, most of all, to increase it. Lifespans are shortened under the demand for ever-greater value. Days are lengthened, work is intensified, and the division of labor deepens until it leaves two classes, owners and workers, in constant struggle for life and livelihood. In Capital, Marx reveals how value came to tyrannize our world, and how the history of capital is a chronicle of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement. With a foreword by Wendy Brown and an afterword by William Clare Roberts, this is a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx's German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. An audiobook narrated by Simon Vance is available here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the seasons change, Below the Radar is back to our regularly scheduled programming featuring a dynamic range of local and international voices. We're thrilled to bring a host of critically acclaimed writers, theorists, and artists across disciplines to share conversations on the politics of love, the crisis of neoliberalism, and artmaking through political shifts. We also have graduates and faculty of our very own SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts to discuss their practice and pedagogy. Our Fall season will begin on August 27, 2024, with new episodes on Tuesdays. This season is also a celebration of Below the Radar's milestone 250th episode, featuring political theorist Wendy Brown. As we head into our sixth year, we're so grateful for your continued listenership, and we have lots of exciting projects and partnerships coming up ahead. As always, thank you for listening and we're looking forward to sharing these conversations with you. Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-trailer-fall-2024.html

Welcome to **"The Bari Chronicles: The Bariatric Surgery Registry edition"**, where we delve into the latest insights, research, and discussions around bariatric surgery and obesity treatment in Australia and New Zealand. Hosted by Tash and Damo, this podcast features the esteemed Professor Wendy Brown, who shares her expertise on the Bariatric Surgery Registry (BSR) and its impact on understanding long-term outcomes for patients. This episode explores the critical data collected since 2013, revealing how different bariatric procedures affect weight loss, health improvements, and quality of life over time. We also discuss the importance of patient-reported outcomes and the role of consumer advocacy in shaping future treatments. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a patient, or someone interested in the science of weight loss surgery, this podcast provides valuable knowledge and perspectives on the ongoing battle against obesity. Tune in and join us on this journey to better health and informed decisions!

Wendy Brown on the possibility of a socialist governmentality.   Shownotes: Wendy Brown at Berkeley: https://polisci.berkeley.edu/150w/wendy-brown Wendy Brown at Princeton: https://www.ias.edu/sss/wendy-brown Wendy Brown CV: https://www.ias.edu/sites/default/files/Brown%20CV.2021.pdf Brown, W. (2015). Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's stealth revolution. Princeton University Press: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9781935408543/undoing-the-demos Brown, W. (2019). In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The rise of antidemocratic politics in the West. Columbia University Press: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/in-the-ruins-of-neoliberalism/9780231193856 Pottage, A. (2024). Why nature has no rights. In Non-Human Rights (pp. 39–65). Edward Elgar Publishing: http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781802208528.00008 Bakker, K. (2024). The Sounds of Life: How digital technology is bringing us closer to the worlds of animals and plants. Princeton University Press: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691206288/the-sounds-of-life "Thatcher, Hayek & Friedman" (Margaret Thatcher Foundation): https://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/Hayek For an inforamative overview over experiments with democratic planning see 'Part II - Historical Experience', in: Devine, P. (1988). Democracy and economic planning: The political economy of A self-governing society. Westview Press. Homepage Benjamin Braun: https://benjaminbraun.org/ Daniela Gabor at Bristol University: https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/DanielaGabor Related Episodes    S02E36 | Thomas Lemke zum Regieren der Dinge: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e36-thomas-lemke-zum-regieren-der-dinge/ S02E08 | Thomas Biebricher zu neoliberaler Regierungskunst: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e08-thomas-biebricher-zu-neoliberaler-regierungskunst/ S01E11 | Frieder Vogelmann zu alternativen Regierungskünsten: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s01/e11-frieder-vogelmann-zu-alternativen-regierungskuensten/ S02E04 | Vincent August zu technologischem Regieren: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e04-vincent-august-zu-technologischem-regieren/ S01E25 | Joseph Vogl zur Krise des Regierens: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s01/e25-joseph-vogl-zur-krise-des-regierens/ S02E03 | Ute Tellmann zu Ökonomie als Kultur: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e03-ute-tellmann-zu-oekonomie-als-kultur/ S02E01 | Katharina Hoppe zur Kraft der Revision: https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e01-katharina-hoppe-zur-kraft-der-revision/ S02E03 | Ute Tellmann zu Ökonomie als Kultur https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e03-ute-tellmann-zu-oekonomie-als-kultur/     Future Histories Contact & Support If you like Future Histories please consider supporting Future Histories on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/FutureHistories Contact: office@futurehistories.today Twitter: https://twitter.com/FutureHpodcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/futurehistories.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehpodcast/ Mastodon: https://mstdn.social/@FutureHistories All episodes: www.futurehistories.today English only website: https://futurehistories-international.com/    Episode Keywords #WendyBrown, #JanGroos, #Interview, #FutureHistories, #Podcast, #DemocraticPlanning, #EconomicPlanning, #Markets, #Veridiction, #Foucault, #Governmentality, #FutureHistoriesInternational, #CriticalTheory, #Democracy, #Socialism, #GovernmentalRationality, #AlternativeGovernmentality

Changing Perspective by r a wallace. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 9: Wendy I was lost in my thoughts as I waited on the park bench. Despite all that had happened here I found the park offered me a glimpse of what could be- parents with children, people walking dogs, laughter, and couples holding hands. When I saw Robb approach I felt the weight of the world come off my shoulders. His off-beat question made me laugh, it was the perfect introduction. “This may be your lucky day, Sir. It just so happens I require coffee frequently, though if anything, I'm addicted to weird men. Weird mind you, not strange.” “That does seem peculiar, weird, rather than strange. I'm not sure I know the difference.”“I think it would be worth discussing over a hot cup of coffee,” I quipped. “Indeed.” We started walking toward the coffee shop two blocks away. “So, how has your day gone?” he inquired pleasantly. “It's been pretty good. I'm caught up on my files, and the new one they gave me looks interesting. So, work is good. I called my lawyer and told him I want action, no more waiting for something to happen.” “Sounds like a good day,” he offered. I smiled. “The best part was finding a man who would buy me coffee and keep me company for a while.” “Hmmm, sounds as if it has been a productive day, does the guy know you favor your coffee black?” “Yes, I wonder what else he knows about me?” I giggled, which wasn't like me. “Oh, I think he loves your smile and that little dimple that shows up when you do- it makes his day. He likes your wavy black hair that frames your beautiful brown eyes. He knows you're smart and vulnerable, but you're willing to advocate for yourself, those kinds of things. He also thinks you're stronger than you give yourself credit for.” “Does he think I'm emotionally unstable?” I asked cautiously. He stopped walking, gently took my arm, and looked at me, “He thinks you're brave, resilient, angry, in pain, and want to be treated with respect and dignity. He thinks you're capable and willing to move your life forward at your own pace. He knows it takes time to get over some things and will give you all the time needed to find your way. He knows you're honest and that he can trust you. Unstable no, in transition, yes.” We started walking again and I felt tears come to my eyes. It felt good knowing someone actually understood me and the uncertainty that surrounded me. Clara had tried to console me, but some of the things she said, though well intended, told me she really didn't appreciate my circumstances. We stopped to cross the street and I glanced at Robb, he took my arm and pulled me onto the grass. “I think you can use a hug.” His arms came around me and I fell into him and closed my eyes. It felt so wonderful simply to be held. The affection warming me, after a minute he asked if I wanted to keep going. I nodded my head and mumbled I was. When we parted he was looking at me, his eyes were so caring. He took his hand and moved a few stray hairs from my cheek. “Where's the smile I came to see? A smile makes you glow, it brings out the wonderful woman I know is hiding behind those teary eyes.” I couldn't help but laugh a little, he made me feel good about myself. “It's here for you,” I said smiling. _ Wendy Two weeks later my lawyer called to say my husband had signed the divorce papers and he was filing them at the courthouse. “So, I'm free?” “Your marriage is dissolved and you are free to lead your life as you wish,” he replied. Only the financial dealings had to be completed and I would receive half of our marital assets. It was done, I was single again. I thanked him and told him to send me the final bill. That way the ordeal was over once and for all. I hung up and felt a weight come off my shoulders. I can't say I was euphoric at the news, but it was liberating. That part of my life was history and now I could look to the future. The next thing I did was pick up my phone and send a text to Robb. I was buying us dinner tonight. We had talked several times and gone for coffee once each week, all the while I felt a little apprehensive despite my best efforts not to be. I knew what they said about rebound relationships and I was leery of making a commitment of some kind. If there was one thing I wanted, and needed it was what I had gotten the first time I was with Robb. I know women aren't expected to want to have sex for the sole purpose of enjoying it. The stereotype had always bothered me, and the church women swore it belonged only within the confines of marriage as the good Lord intended. Well, I wasn't married anymore and my body told me in no uncertain terms what it wanted. I had squirmed in my seat both times as we sat having coffee together. Both times I wanted to reach across the table and kiss him until he took me on the floor. That fantasy had played out in my mind more than once over the last month. Robb When Wendy called and told me her marriage was over, the papers signed, I felt a sense of what? I wasn't sure other than I was happy her struggle to be free of her husband was over. But, what did it mean for me? After having coffee together the past two weeks we both knew she would be free soon and though we didn't come right out and say it, we knew it would change the way we saw one another. She had been relaxed more than ever and her sense of humor and demeanor made her even more attractive. Our first, and only, night together, came to me again and again. It would never be the same, at least the motivations wouldn't be. She had shown signs of confidence and independence once she had moved out of the house with her husband. She had the maturity that comes with being married and of dealing with all the emotions that such a breakup creates. Wendy had become far more willing to touch me and she flirted more than ever. We kept our boundaries intact based upon her married status. Now, she wasn't married and she could do whatever she wanted with her life. For the first time I wondered if my utility to her was at an end. I had to admit to myself I didn't want it to be. I knew that I should be patient and not to rush into anything. She might be single now, but I was sure her husband had caused emotional damage she had yet to recognize and deal with. It was best I tread carefully for both our sakes. Wendy I got off of work and hurried home to freshen up. I had texted Clara and gave her the news my divorce was finalized. When she walked in the door as I came out of the bathroom she looked at me with a broad smile. “You look pretty chipper I must say. I'm sure it feels good to be free of that bastard.” “I do feel good. I'm taking Robb out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I'm wouldn't have made it this far without his help, or yours other. But, I don't want to even think about Cecil… err… ex husband now. He's history and I want to move on.” “Okay, no more about ‘him'. You know it will be different with Robb now that you're single again. I mean you haven't slept with him yet. I hope he doesn't expect you'll want to hop right into bed with him now that you can.” My mind froze. I had slept with him, but I… oh my god! I knew I wanted to again. Was it a good idea? It would be different. What was I thinking? “I don't think it will be a problem. He hasn't given me any indication he's looking for that.” “He does like you doesn't he? I mean you keep seeing one another and it suggests to me there's something more between the two of you.” I felt my stomach tighten as my mind raced to formulate a response that didn't reveal my infidelity while I was married. I'd never been a good liar. “I think there is a special bond between us. He helped me over the toughest part of my divorce. I guess I can honestly say I wouldn't have seen it through to the end without him.” I looked at my watch and told her I had to get going if I were to be on time. I heard her tell me she hoped I would have a good time tonight. I hoped so too now that she had pointed out the basis of our relationship would change. It hadn't occurred to me that it would, though I should have known better. I walked out to my car and drove to the park after I decided I should tell my parents the divorce was completed. They had always thought my husband was a good match for me and when I told them I wanted out they were unhappy. It was one of the reasons I had stayed in the marriage and tried to work things out as long as I had. I could tell my mother was resigned to the reality as I hung up. I had my life back and I was going to make it my own. I'd been too immature to ignore their feelings in the past and I was determined I would be my own person from here on out. I left the park and headed to the restaurant to meet Robb. I was a little late, the conversation with my mother took longer than expected. When I walked to the entrance and saw Robb's smile as I approached I felt fluttery inside. Damn he looked handsome as my eyes swept over him. I felt a little awkward once I stopped in front of him, not knowing exactly what I should say, or do. I could hug and kiss him now if I wanted and not feel guilty, or ashamed. I was trying to wrap my head around the concept when he held out his hand for mine. “You look wonderful. I like the necklace, especially where it enters your cleavage,” he said with a mischievous expression. I felt my face flush red, something I wasn't prone to do. “Sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you.” “Thank you,” I stammered, “I mean for noticing the necklace, not the other things.” “I'll try to be more considerate,” he replied quietly as he held my hand. I was flustered, feeling like my first date in high school. “You're considerate enough.” We sat down at a table and ordered our food. I avoided any mention of my ex-husband, saying only this dinner was in celebration of the start of a new life. Our conversation was light, refreshing, and he told me his parents would be visiting him in a few weeks. When I asked if he were on good terms with them he smiled. “I'm still the apple of my mother's eyes and dad is proud of the work I do, even though he doesn't understand much about computers. So, I would say I'm doing pretty well.” “Do they say anything about not being married?” “No, not really. I mean they were disappointed when I stopped seeing my last girlfriend as they hoped I would propose to her.” “Why didn't you?” I asked cautiously, not sure I should ask. But, he had brought it up, not me. “She was unfaithful,” his voice with a hint of sadness. “I'm sorry.” I said honestly. “I wanted you to know at least that much in case it comes up in the future.” Maybe I was making more out of his statement then he intended, but it seemed as if he expected we would have a future relationship of some kind. It made me feel good thinking it could happen. We finished our meal after having decided we would take a walk afterward, dropping my car at his apartment as he would drive to the river walk not far away. There wasn't any indication Robb felt out of sorts as I paid the bill before we left, though he did ask if he could leave the tip and I agreed. It was very generous and I was sure it was because the young lady that waited on us was quite attractive. It made me feel like an old married lady at 26. He saw my expression as he placed the money in the middle of the table, and gave me a shy smile. “She did a good job and deserves it. In terms of what you're thinking, you would have gotten a larger tip.” I chuckled, “You don't know exactly what I'm thinking.” “Oh, men are simple enough. We like good looking women and don't hide it very well when we do. In your case, I don't intend to hide it.” Again, I felt myself blush. My ex had seldom ever said something so bold, or truthful when it came to the way he viewed me, or any other woman. Robb's ability and willingness to be open was refreshing. “You know you surprise me with your honesty, but then I think you know I'm attracted to you.” He smiled, but didn't say anything, so I continued. “Men are just as different as any woman. I'm not blind, I see the way you look at me and know you find me attractive. What makes you different is that you're open about it. I'm not into playing games and I don't think you are either.” Chapter 10: I Have A Past After dropping my car off I got into his car and we were on our way to the park along the river. I was so satisfied with how the evening had gone. We arrived at the park and started our walk following the path along the river. It was about twenty minutes later when I saw one of the church women approaching us as we walked hand in hand. She gave me a strange look, then stopped, indicating she wanted to speak to me. “Hi Sarah. Wonderful evening isn't it?” I said pleasantly. She looked Robb up and down, then looked back to me, and snarled. “I heard you got divorced. Didn't take long to find someone else to ride you did it?” I was shocked at her words. I was about to reply when Robb spoke. “If you're insinuating we've been having sex since her divorce you would be wrong. We haven't. Not that it's really any of your business. Now, if you're interested in being ridden we can talk about it. I may be able to fit you in, though there would be a small charge.” I felt a laugh start to form in my throat and did my best to stifle it. The look on her face went so red it seemed to glow. No words escaped her mouth though her jaw was working, her face agonized. “It would only be twenty dollars and I'm sure it wouldn't take long,” Robb added, his face serious. Sarah turned and walked away at a rapid pace without uttering another word. I looked at Robb and saw a smile cross his face. “Guess she wasn't interested,” he deadpanned. “Robb! She probably thinks I'm paying for it. You know that don't you?” I said half laughing. He looked at me, his smile even broader. “You Ms. Cummins will never have to pay a cent.” I took his arm and smiled. “I'm not Cummins anymore, I'm Brown, Wendy Brown.” “Well Ms. Brown, shall we continue our walk?” “I'd be delighted.” _ Wendy It was a month later and I saw Robb once or twice a week for coffee, though we talked on the phone at least five days a week. One night Clara suggested her boyfriend, Kevin, had a friend I might like and that we double-date. I wasn't sure, but after a few minutes decided I should do it to show my appreciation for what she and Kevin had done for me in the past. Kevin was a really nice guy and I got along with him well. I thought Clara had done well for herself. The night we went out was warm and I was wearing a tank top, shorts, and sandals. Tony was damn good looking and I was thrilled with the idea I'd be seen with such a good looking man. He was pleasant enough, though as we talked I found he was… well… shallow. He had no problem undressing me with his eyes. After all these past few months I was used to it, accepting it as the price I paid to dress as I chose now that I could be myself. He was kind of like my ex in a way. When he started asking about my religious views my hackles went up. It made me uncomfortable as that was how things had gone with my ex. Religion was never far away, even on our first few dates. I steered our conversation to other topics whenever it came up. He seemed to continue to jabber away about his faith group regardless. I finally mentioned to him I was helping out at the food bank on weekends and he seemed to take some interest in that. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Really, you work at the food bank? I hear those people simply don't want to work and take handouts.” I told him about the variety of people I met and how life had put them in rough straights for a while and they needed some help. He went on about how his church served food to the needy after they attended church service. Suggesting it was a small price to pay for what the Lord provided. I shut my mouth and didn't say another word. It was turning into a long night. Robb had gotten me involved in the food bank and I found the experience enjoyable. At the time it took me away from my own problems and made me appreciate other people had problems too. It was something I continued to do after my divorce. Robb and I would spend time together with people who had become friends. I noticed how several of the single women took an interest in Robb while he was there. He flirted a little with them, but he did with me too. It made me feel good to have his attention. I knew Clara was disappointed our date hadn't resulted in something better. But as time passed I discovered my friends always seemed to want to help me out. This took the form of trying to fix me up with a friend, or a relative. I knew they were well meaning, but after almost three months I was exhausted by their interest. I related this to Robb and he told me he had gone through the same thing after his breakup. That was a topic he didn't say much about. I was sure it was because he didn't want to burden me with what had been, or was, his problem. I had met his parents briefly months ago and he called one night to say they were coming the next day. “Wendy, would you be my date for dinner?” “You mean a real date?” I asked surprised as he had never used that term with me before. “Yes, a real date. I'll pay for your dinner and you can try to be nice to me the entire evening.” I laughed. “I'm always nice to you.” “Yeah, come to think of it you are. Well, you'll get a free meal out of the deal.” It was if he were asking me for a favor, as if I wouldn't be interested in dating him without his having an excuse. “I would be delighted. Where are we going?” I hung the up phone with a smile, it was one of the best restaurants in town. I was thrilled. Did I have something nice to wear? I would need a manicure for sure, pedicure? No, it was too cold for open-toed shoes, or sandals. I looked at what I had in my closet and decided I needed a new blouse that I could match with either a dress, or a pair of dress slacks. I had lost pounds over the past two months thanks to simply walking to the park and back to Clara's apartment. I heard Clara come in and told her Robb had asked me out. “I thought the two of you had a disagreement last week.” “We did, but we worked it out, neither of us can be right all of the time and… well… he was right this time.” “If this is a real date will this change your 'platonic' relationship? I know you have the hots for him, so don't deny it. Every guy you've gone out with you compare with him. Why don't you just admit it and get it over with? Girl it might help if you got some sack time with him. You know you're allowed to have sex with any man you want now.” “I don't know, maybe it will our relationship,” I replied thinking if she could see it others could too. I had kept it to hugs and a few kisses trying to avoid the rebound thing. But, she was right about the sex, I could really use a roll in the hay. The problem was my fantasies had all involved Robb over the last few months, my hand had gotten a lot of use, and my B.O.B was on its third set of batteries. The one night I had spent with Robb came to my mind constantly. Robb I hung up the phone and sat down, my heart beating hard. I had finally asked her out thinking enough time had passed and she wasn't in a rebound situation any longer. Our time together on the phone, at the food bank, and for coffee had shown me we didn't agree on everything. The important thing was we talked it out each time and respected, and liked each other afterward. I was over my ex and it appeared she was over hers. My parents knew I was spending time with her as I found myself mentioning her often in phone calls to my mother. I knew the one time she had met my parents she had made a positive impression. Not that my parents didn't express reservations about my spending time with a divorced woman. The suggestion, of course, was that I could do better with a woman that had never been married. That had been an interesting conversation and they had finally agreed she was nice enough once I reminded them my girlfriend had always been single. Wendy had a maturity about her that affected me as we spent more time together. I had experienced some ups and down with her following the divorce. All things I had read about and understood what was going on in general when it happened. I knew I was hooked on her once I started reading articles on how to date a divorced woman. Damn if the web didn't have something useful for a change. It provided me with the insight and tools to be patient and support her. Now, I hoped there was going to be more of a payoff. I walked into my bedroom, opened the top drawer of my dresser, and pulled the diamond engagement ring out and looked at it. I hadn't used it as I had planned. Now, I was thinking it would be appreciated if given to the right woman. I could see the smile in my mind it would bring to Wendy's face when I asked her to marry me. I also knew that if we started to date it would mean things that had been off the table as friends would now change. The mere thought made me hard, it had been a long time since… Wendy I waited for Robb to pick me up, feeling butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I was keyed up so much that Clara laughed at me good naturedly. “Wendy, stop your pacing. You look wonderful, it's not like you haven't spent time with him. You're going to blow his mind when he sees you dolled up this way.” “Do you really think so? I mean I'm trying to look a little less sexy as we're going out with his parents.” “You look beautiful. You can't hide that gorgeous figure and your makeup is perfect. Your eyes alone are going to slay him.” I heard the knock on the door, picked up my purse and light coat. I looked at Clara. “Well… here I go.” I opened the door to see Robb standing in a sports coat, slacks, his hair clean, and styled. I gasped quietly as I looked at him. I gave a smile not knowing what else to do. He looked at me and smiled as his eyes took me in, his gaze meeting mine. He just stood there looking at me. I felt a bit self-conscious. It was Clara that saved me as I was staring at him, speechless. “What do you think of your date Robb?” 'She's… she's fantastic. She's beautiful. She's a knockout.“ I managed to compose myself. "Is it cold enough for me to wear my coat?” “No, I think you'll be fine. It's mild out yet. I… I… just wasn't expecting you to… "You know you look quite handsome,” I offered. He reached for my hand with a smile, “Thank you. But, no one is going to notice me. Not with you standing beside me.” Stunned by the remark I simply stood there. “Have a good time you two,” as Clara shooed us out the door. I walked with Robb out to the car and got in after he opened the door for me. I automatically put my seat belt on and tried to collect myself. This was not at all what I expected to happen between us. I mean after seven months we had been together how many times? Dozens of times was all I could come up with. Sure I had used him in my mind more often than that, his image had served me well. When I looked over at him he was putting his seat belt on and when our eyes met mine he smiled, “Are you nervous?” I nodded my head. Was it that obvious? “I am too. Come on, you're met my parents before. It's going to be fine. We're making something out of nothing. More than it needs to be, though you look really nice tonight.” “Then why are we both feeling this way?” I asked. I don't know exactly. Do you think because we called it a date it makes a difference? “I feel different, that's all I can say. It's just different,” as he pulled the car out onto the street. When we arrived at the restaurant and walked in his parents were waiting in the foyer for us. Most of my nervousness had subsided as we had talked about nothing in particular on the way; small talk that seemed to settle both of us down. But, I couldn't help but feel I was seeing him in a different way than I had before. “Nice to see you again Wendy,” his mother offered as soon as we stopped in front of them. His father offered a similar comment and I found myself reaching for Robb's hand as I replied with a smile. It felt reassuring and natural, my heart told me I needed his touch. Robb I was pleased Wendy had agreed to go to dinner with me. I didn't mind going to dinner with my parents. In fact, I enjoyed my time with them. It was different after I broke up with my ex as before there was always something to talk about that spoke to the future. Once my relationship with her ended it seemed as if there was a expectation I had moved on. The last two times we visited there had been a void that begged to be filled when my mother asked if I were seeing anyone.. It was somewhat selfish of me to ask Wendy for a date to make things easier on myself. Though I had to admit there was more to it than that. I needed an excuse to change our relationship from what it was to something different. I liked her, I liked her a lot, and over the past few months it seemed as if she were ready for something more in her life. When she said yes it took hours for me to calm down when it was clear it was a date. For some reason calling it that made a difference. When she opened the door and I saw her standing there it hit me full force. She was gorgeous and well… she was… I don't know… another woman in a way I hadn't expected her to be. During dinner I couldn't help be impressed with how she presented herself in front of my parents. She was confident, respectful, and displayed her wonderful sense of humor. I could tell my parents were impressed with her this time. It was when she reached over to place her hand on mine that I knew she was comfortable with me in a new way. If she could have felt how hard my heart was beating after that brief touch she would have laughed at me for being so sensitive. We said goodbye to my parents and walked to my car hand in hand. How often had we walked that way together in the past? Now, it seemed just a little bit different and I couldn't understand why it should be. This while my heart was beating a tattoo in my chest. Chapter 11: Just A Speedbump Robb “Are you up for relaxing at my place for a while, or are you ready to head home.” “It's early yet, Friday night, and all I have planned for tomorrow is our shift at the food bank. I think I can force myself to spend a little more time with you,” she laughed. I had my hand on the car door ready to open it and when I turned her face was less than two feet away. I looked into her eyes and knew instantly, I had no choice, there was no decision to make, only an action to take. I tugged on her hand and she stepped closer, closed her eyes and our lips met firmly. My entire body felt as if it had flushed bright red, the excitement raging within me as our lips held, our breathing heavy. The world faded away and all that remained the taste of her lips, the smell of her hair, and the pressure of her body against mine. Wendy It had been a wonderful evening. His parents were wonderful, the food sumptuous, and Robb had been every bit the gentleman. Not that he hadn't always been, but there was something special about the way he looked at me. When I touched his hand as I laughed a surge of electricity coursed through me and I quickly placed my hand in my lap. I sought to catch my breath without revealing what had happened. I was waiting for him to open the car door when I felt the first drop of rain on my hand. It was starting to sprinkle as he turned to me. I felt my heart skip a beat, then another as I looked into his eyes. I didn't think, I wanted him, I wanted his lips on mine, and there was no reason to deny myself. I pushed my lips onto his and felt my entire body shiver with delight. I was whisked away by a hint of cologne, his strong arms around me, the feel of cool drops of rain on my skin as I felt my knees go weak as his passion consumed me. A gust of wind and rain broke our kiss. I opened my eyes to see him smiling, those wonderful eyes looking into mine. They had told me time and again he cared for me and now I fully believed it. I laughed, as if I'd been freed from some invisible trap, now free to be myself and to love. He laughed with me as he moved me into the car as the rain suddenly came pelting down. Once in the car I had all I could do to keep my hands from clutching him, to draw him close to share another kiss. His hand came to take mine and we held hands as he drove. Once at his apartment we made a mad dash for the door through a downpour. Once inside we stood looking at one another. His hand came to the side of my face and I closed my eyes, once again taken away as my passion for him erupted, a low moan escaped my lips, a perfect form of communication suited to the fire burning inside me. We clutched at each other, hands seeking to find a place to pull us so close we would fuse into one being. Our breathing heavy as our lips sought to convey our desires. Slowly, he pulled away. “Am I being too brash for a first date?” “No, am I too easy for a first date?” “No. I would never think you're not entitled to express your needs and desires as you need to.” I smiled at him coyly. “I'll never tell anyone you took me on our first date. Promise.” Chapter 12: A True Union It was as if we had never been in bed together before, as if the way we first met didn't mean a thing. He took my hand and led me to the bedroom and started to undress me as I did the same to him. My hands were shaking as I pulled his zipper down, my body tingled hot all over. I was so ready, a hot ache grew steadily beneath my bush. I slipped under the sheets as he followed and I snuggled into him and I heard his voice softly in my ear. “Are you alright?” “Yes, slow and easy if we can. I'm really sensitive. Can I feel you first?” I asked in a hush as if that would somehow make it more erotic. “Yes, my god you feel so wonderful, so soft,” he whispered in my ear. I moved my hand downward, found his penis, closed my fingers around it gently, and moved my hand down to his scrotum, feeling its texture sent another hot tingle rushing to my bush. I was breathing hard as my fingers gently explored, my mind filled in what I could feel. It had been so long since I had grasped a man this way. The sensations that filled me spoke to my eager anticipation of what I would experience. His hand caressed my breast and I closed my eyes feeling his firm member as it overfilled my hand. It was minutes before my hand left him. I moved to kiss him, pressing my pussy against his hip as our lips met as my passion began to spill over. The hot ache had turned to a thrumming feeling and I couldn't wait any longer. “I need you inside slow and easy,” I whispered as I moved beside him. I watched as he pulled the sheets back and came over me as I spread my legs wide. I felt a big shiver as he moved over me. I wasted no time in placing him. His first push sent him just inside, I felt a huge rush of pleasure that made me gasp. Before he could ask I offered. “I'm fine. Keep going, it feels good.” I felt a little less pressure, then another pleasurable surge as he pushed deeper. Another gasp as it felt do damned good. I looked up smiling an invitation for more. He pulled out a little, then slowly lowered himself down, filling me. I grasped his hips and hitched my pelvis under him feeling another series of sensations as I placed myself where it felt best. I was going to move under him again when he hitched up slightly hitting my sweet spot. I couldn't help but push up against him as another surge of heat hit me. He wasn't deep, but he didn't need to be. I pulled him down on top of me, grasping his shoulders, my chin at his shoulder. I whispered into his ear, closed my eyes, and let heaven take me. Robb I undressed her and marveled at her beautiful curves as they appeared with the removal of each article of clothing. I was almost in a daze as we slipped under the sheets, the feel of her skin against mine as she snuggled in against me was indescrible. The tip of my penis was so sensitive I was glad she wasn't making but minimal contact. We kissed, each kiss sweet and firm that excited her even more as her fingers explored. She quickly moved beneath me, placing me at her opening, guiding me. I had hardly moved downward when she pushed upward driving me inside. She gasped, then grasped my hips and pulled me down onto her just a little more. Another gasp, my movement slick and smooth. It was time to settle down onto her and give myself rest, the stimulation intense as she was tight. I didn't want to go off, I fought to keep control as she moved below me. It felt absolutely incredible. Had she felt this way the first time? I couldn't remember as the situation had been so different, my concentration focused differently. It was no more than a dozen thrusts later when she grasped my shoulders and stiffened beneath me with a small moan, then lay still, breathing deeply. I felt her relax and exhale slowly. I thrust a few more times and found she was so slick I didn't get any stimulation. I smiled to myself, she really was sensitive this time, more than I was. I pulled out and lay down next to her as pleased as I had ever been. She was going to be mine. Wendy From the very first it felt incredibly good. He had barely established a rhythm when I felt myself come to the edge, then tighten around him as a huge wave of pleasure took me. I couldn't believe it, I had never in my life orgasmed so quickly. I felt him start to move in and out a little and couldn't feel a thing in my wetness. “Did you come?” I asked not knowing if he had. “No, didn't have time. Glad you did beautiful.” “I'm sorry. That has never happened before. It felt the best ever.” “Don't you dare say you're sorry he chided. Our first date, our first time in bed, and you have your first orgasm. That's a good start in my book.” It was strange. He said it was our first time in bed, only it wasn't. Unless he meant the woman that night was someone who had taken over my body for her own reasons. He viewed me as a new woman and the thought thrilled me. I was a new woman for him, the other had faded away, never to return. I felt him pull me close and I snuggled into him not knowing what to say. I remembered enough about our first time and he had gotten me there both times. He had felt large when he entered me this time and that I didn't remember from before. Still, I felt badly–a man almost always has an orgasm. Then I had a sense of insecurity–maybe I wasn't tight enough. I whispered into his hair, “I was tight enough wasn't I?” “You're perfect, don't think you're not. Are you ready to call it a night?” “No, not until I satisfy you.” “You already have.” “No, you know what I mean. I'm ready right now if you are.” “I just thought of something. Are you going to stay all night?” “Yes, I mean if you want me to.” “Then you should call Clara and tell her so she won't worry about you.” Wendy It was already after ten and I wasn't sure Clara would pick up so I expected to send a text if I didn't connect. I was surprised when she picked up after three rings. “Hey girl! How did it go?” “Good, I mean it was amazing. I'll tell about it later. I wanted you to know I won't be home tonight.” “I didn't expect you to be. But, thanks for thinking to call me,” she chuckled. “You didn't expect me to come home? I asked confused. "I saw the way both of you looked at one another. He is so in love with you and you stood there like a love-starved puppy looking at him.” I felt myself flush, happy she couldn't see me wrapped in a towel. “Have a good night and if you do it enough times you'll sleep well. You can tell me about it later. Good night.” “Good night,” I replied feeling as if I had bared my soul. Chapter 13 Contentment and a New Life I walked back into the bedroom and slipped into bed and into Robb's arms. Needless to say it was late before we fell asleep. I was so pleased with how much fun sex was–the best ever actually. The amazing thing was I didn't have to beg for what I wanted. Things my ex would never agree to. If it was something other than a penis shoved into me he wouldn't even try. If I asked, Robb gave, then I gave in return. We went forward with the expectation of mutual gratification. When we engaged in intercourse before calling it quits for the night I rode him and reveled in watching him climax. Damn if he didn't make me happy. When I woke in the morning I felt rejuvenated, my life transformed. I tried not to make more out of it then what was, but how could I not? I had memories of how much in love I had been before I was married and how blind I had been. I wasn't anxious to repeat that mistake. I was still gun shy I guess. I was lying with my eyes closed thinking when I felt a hand come to rest on my stomach. Robb rolled toward me. I moved my hand and placed it over his as I felt myself warm with the thought I might enjoy another round. I was surprised at what he asked me. “No second thoughts, regrets?” I opened my eyes, “Second thoughts? Only that I'm glad you're been so patient with me. I know I've had my ups and downs. I took you for quite a ride those first few months. Regrets? Yes, I have a few of those too. But, none of them pertain to you unless you consider I wish I'd met you years ago.” “Wendy, I'm not moving too fast for you am I? I don't know what happened yesterday for sure. The thing was, when you opened the door for me and I saw you standing there… well… I guess it changed me. I didn't feel I should be so cautious anymore. I felt I needed you to know how much I adore you and how talented you are as a woman. I've watched you grow at work, at the food coop, and when we've been together. I know I have my faults, but you seem to have accepted me despite them.” I rolled toward him, placing his hand on my hip. “Being married once taught me things that help put things into perspective. I can live with your flaws, they aren't things that really matter. You've proven you're willing to try and change when I explain what bothers me. I hope I do the same for you.” Before he could say anything I went on. “The fact that we've had disagreements and worked through them isn't lost on me. I lived with a man who didn't know how to compromise. You don't lecture me, you value my opinions, and respect me. Honey, you aren't perfect and I'm not expecting you to be, I'm not either. What you offer me is more than enough and I've come to love you for what you are. I hope my telling you I love you isn't too soon.” He looked at me with a wry smile, “Wow! I should have asked you out on a date months ago.” I swatted at him laughing. “I'm glad you didn't as sex was the frosting on the cake, and I love cake. I was still on a diet months ago and I wouldn't have been ready.” _ It was a month later when we visited my parents and I introduced Robb to them. I had talked with my parents often and told them I was dating Robb to prepare them. The two days we spent with them went well and before we left to return home my mother told me she thought Robb was very nice. Coming from my mother that was high praise, and I took comfort in it. I had watched my father and Robb interact and could tell there was good chemistry between them–something missing from my marriage. We visited with his brother Ted, his wife, Alisa, and their two children. They were a happy family and I could see the two of us in the same light. I felt like I belonged and it made me incredibly happy to be fully accepted. Two months later, I moved out of Clara's apartment and into my own. I received a promotion at work and Robb had been very proud of my achievement. It was the small things he noticed and appreciated about me that drew us closer. He knew my likes and dislikes, the small gifts he gave me showed me he did. We went out with our friends and he teased me, whispering into my ear I was the smartest and sexiest woman there. He delighted in me and I found I delighted in him. He proposed one evening as we walked in the park where we had first met. I cried with joy, not able to stop myself. He took me into his arms and held me until I stopped. We had come full circle. We never spoke of that first day and night together. There was no need, we both knew what we had now wouldn't be if he hadn't been there for me. I would have been a grim statistic, nothing more. My ex had thought I was having an affair with a man in the park. He had been wrong about that until the day I found him with that woman in our own home. It was ironic, my desire to punish my ex for his sinful acts led to my own sins. Though I never once considered it a sin in my own mind. It was his belief system that brought me to a place where I rejected religion altogether as a meaningful part of my life. No God, no sin. It was that simple for me. Robb and I were married in a small ceremony with our immediate family and close friends two months later, and moved into a home suitable for a small family. We both had saved most of our earnings and were comfortable right from the start. Two years after we married I was pregnant. I had never seen Robb smile more than when I told him we were expecting. On our third visit with the doctor he was very excited when the doctor revealed we were going to have twins. He teased me that I had found another way to cut expenses by having two at one time. My god how I loved that man. He was with me in the operating room holding my hand when Tina and Evan entered the world. I was tired after a long labor. After I delivered I gave him a weary smile as he caressed my hand. Later, when I was in my hospital room and alone he looked at me as he held my hand, caressing it ever so gently. “Thank you,” he said quietly. I looked at him puzzled. “For what?” “For being my wife and the mother of my children. I love you.” I felt tears roll down my cheeks. He was there to wipe them away, even though they were tears of joy. _ Fifteen years later Tina was helping me in the kitchen to bake a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Evan was in the backyard playing catch with his father. “Mom, how did you and dad meet? Was it romantic?” The question stunned me, I hadn't expected it. Memories flashed through my mind. Memories I had pushed far away long ago. I finally looked at her with a smile. “Your father found me in the park after almost hitting me with a baseball, your cousin Ted was there. We seemed to hit it off after that.” “So, it wasn't romantic?” I gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “Not quite, the romance came later.” I pretended to have gotten something in my eye and dabbed away a tear. Yes, the romance did come later- as an affair of the heart that started in a park. by r a wallace for Literotica

Changing Perspective by r a wallace. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 9: Wendy I was lost in my thoughts as I waited on the park bench. Despite all that had happened here I found the park offered me a glimpse of what could be- parents with children, people walking dogs, laughter, and couples holding hands. When I saw Robb approach I felt the weight of the world come off my shoulders. His off-beat question made me laugh, it was the perfect introduction. “This may be your lucky day, Sir. It just so happens I require coffee frequently, though if anything, I'm addicted to weird men. Weird mind you, not strange.” “That does seem peculiar, weird, rather than strange. I'm not sure I know the difference.”“I think it would be worth discussing over a hot cup of coffee,” I quipped. “Indeed.” We started walking toward the coffee shop two blocks away. “So, how has your day gone?” he inquired pleasantly. “It's been pretty good. I'm caught up on my files, and the new one they gave me looks interesting. So, work is good. I called my lawyer and told him I want action, no more waiting for something to happen.” “Sounds like a good day,” he offered. I smiled. “The best part was finding a man who would buy me coffee and keep me company for a while.” “Hmmm, sounds as if it has been a productive day, does the guy know you favor your coffee black?” “Yes, I wonder what else he knows about me?” I giggled, which wasn't like me. “Oh, I think he loves your smile and that little dimple that shows up when you do- it makes his day. He likes your wavy black hair that frames your beautiful brown eyes. He knows you're smart and vulnerable, but you're willing to advocate for yourself, those kinds of things. He also thinks you're stronger than you give yourself credit for.” “Does he think I'm emotionally unstable?” I asked cautiously. He stopped walking, gently took my arm, and looked at me, “He thinks you're brave, resilient, angry, in pain, and want to be treated with respect and dignity. He thinks you're capable and willing to move your life forward at your own pace. He knows it takes time to get over some things and will give you all the time needed to find your way. He knows you're honest and that he can trust you. Unstable no, in transition, yes.” We started walking again and I felt tears come to my eyes. It felt good knowing someone actually understood me and the uncertainty that surrounded me. Clara had tried to console me, but some of the things she said, though well intended, told me she really didn't appreciate my circumstances. We stopped to cross the street and I glanced at Robb, he took my arm and pulled me onto the grass. “I think you can use a hug.” His arms came around me and I fell into him and closed my eyes. It felt so wonderful simply to be held. The affection warming me, after a minute he asked if I wanted to keep going. I nodded my head and mumbled I was. When we parted he was looking at me, his eyes were so caring. He took his hand and moved a few stray hairs from my cheek. “Where's the smile I came to see? A smile makes you glow, it brings out the wonderful woman I know is hiding behind those teary eyes.” I couldn't help but laugh a little, he made me feel good about myself. “It's here for you,” I said smiling. _ Wendy Two weeks later my lawyer called to say my husband had signed the divorce papers and he was filing them at the courthouse. “So, I'm free?” “Your marriage is dissolved and you are free to lead your life as you wish,” he replied. Only the financial dealings had to be completed and I would receive half of our marital assets. It was done, I was single again. I thanked him and told him to send me the final bill. That way the ordeal was over once and for all. I hung up and felt a weight come off my shoulders. I can't say I was euphoric at the news, but it was liberating. That part of my life was history and now I could look to the future. The next thing I did was pick up my phone and send a text to Robb. I was buying us dinner tonight. We had talked several times and gone for coffee once each week, all the while I felt a little apprehensive despite my best efforts not to be. I knew what they said about rebound relationships and I was leery of making a commitment of some kind. If there was one thing I wanted, and needed it was what I had gotten the first time I was with Robb. I know women aren't expected to want to have sex for the sole purpose of enjoying it. The stereotype had always bothered me, and the church women swore it belonged only within the confines of marriage as the good Lord intended. Well, I wasn't married anymore and my body told me in no uncertain terms what it wanted. I had squirmed in my seat both times as we sat having coffee together. Both times I wanted to reach across the table and kiss him until he took me on the floor. That fantasy had played out in my mind more than once over the last month. Robb When Wendy called and told me her marriage was over, the papers signed, I felt a sense of what? I wasn't sure other than I was happy her struggle to be free of her husband was over. But, what did it mean for me? After having coffee together the past two weeks we both knew she would be free soon and though we didn't come right out and say it, we knew it would change the way we saw one another. She had been relaxed more than ever and her sense of humor and demeanor made her even more attractive. Our first, and only, night together, came to me again and again. It would never be the same, at least the motivations wouldn't be. She had shown signs of confidence and independence once she had moved out of the house with her husband. She had the maturity that comes with being married and of dealing with all the emotions that such a breakup creates. Wendy had become far more willing to touch me and she flirted more than ever. We kept our boundaries intact based upon her married status. Now, she wasn't married and she could do whatever she wanted with her life. For the first time I wondered if my utility to her was at an end. I had to admit to myself I didn't want it to be. I knew that I should be patient and not to rush into anything. She might be single now, but I was sure her husband had caused emotional damage she had yet to recognize and deal with. It was best I tread carefully for both our sakes. Wendy I got off of work and hurried home to freshen up. I had texted Clara and gave her the news my divorce was finalized. When she walked in the door as I came out of the bathroom she looked at me with a broad smile. “You look pretty chipper I must say. I'm sure it feels good to be free of that bastard.” “I do feel good. I'm taking Robb out to dinner tonight to celebrate. I'm wouldn't have made it this far without his help, or yours other. But, I don't want to even think about Cecil… err… ex husband now. He's history and I want to move on.” “Okay, no more about ‘him'. You know it will be different with Robb now that you're single again. I mean you haven't slept with him yet. I hope he doesn't expect you'll want to hop right into bed with him now that you can.” My mind froze. I had slept with him, but I… oh my god! I knew I wanted to again. Was it a good idea? It would be different. What was I thinking? “I don't think it will be a problem. He hasn't given me any indication he's looking for that.” “He does like you doesn't he? I mean you keep seeing one another and it suggests to me there's something more between the two of you.” I felt my stomach tighten as my mind raced to formulate a response that didn't reveal my infidelity while I was married. I'd never been a good liar. “I think there is a special bond between us. He helped me over the toughest part of my divorce. I guess I can honestly say I wouldn't have seen it through to the end without him.” I looked at my watch and told her I had to get going if I were to be on time. I heard her tell me she hoped I would have a good time tonight. I hoped so too now that she had pointed out the basis of our relationship would change. It hadn't occurred to me that it would, though I should have known better. I walked out to my car and drove to the park after I decided I should tell my parents the divorce was completed. They had always thought my husband was a good match for me and when I told them I wanted out they were unhappy. It was one of the reasons I had stayed in the marriage and tried to work things out as long as I had. I could tell my mother was resigned to the reality as I hung up. I had my life back and I was going to make it my own. I'd been too immature to ignore their feelings in the past and I was determined I would be my own person from here on out. I left the park and headed to the restaurant to meet Robb. I was a little late, the conversation with my mother took longer than expected. When I walked to the entrance and saw Robb's smile as I approached I felt fluttery inside. Damn he looked handsome as my eyes swept over him. I felt a little awkward once I stopped in front of him, not knowing exactly what I should say, or do. I could hug and kiss him now if I wanted and not feel guilty, or ashamed. I was trying to wrap my head around the concept when he held out his hand for mine. “You look wonderful. I like the necklace, especially where it enters your cleavage,” he said with a mischievous expression. I felt my face flush red, something I wasn't prone to do. “Sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you.” “Thank you,” I stammered, “I mean for noticing the necklace, not the other things.” “I'll try to be more considerate,” he replied quietly as he held my hand. I was flustered, feeling like my first date in high school. “You're considerate enough.” We sat down at a table and ordered our food. I avoided any mention of my ex-husband, saying only this dinner was in celebration of the start of a new life. Our conversation was light, refreshing, and he told me his parents would be visiting him in a few weeks. When I asked if he were on good terms with them he smiled. “I'm still the apple of my mother's eyes and dad is proud of the work I do, even though he doesn't understand much about computers. So, I would say I'm doing pretty well.” “Do they say anything about not being married?” “No, not really. I mean they were disappointed when I stopped seeing my last girlfriend as they hoped I would propose to her.” “Why didn't you?” I asked cautiously, not sure I should ask. But, he had brought it up, not me. “She was unfaithful,” his voice with a hint of sadness. “I'm sorry.” I said honestly. “I wanted you to know at least that much in case it comes up in the future.” Maybe I was making more out of his statement then he intended, but it seemed as if he expected we would have a future relationship of some kind. It made me feel good thinking it could happen. We finished our meal after having decided we would take a walk afterward, dropping my car at his apartment as he would drive to the river walk not far away. There wasn't any indication Robb felt out of sorts as I paid the bill before we left, though he did ask if he could leave the tip and I agreed. It was very generous and I was sure it was because the young lady that waited on us was quite attractive. It made me feel like an old married lady at 26. He saw my expression as he placed the money in the middle of the table, and gave me a shy smile. “She did a good job and deserves it. In terms of what you're thinking, you would have gotten a larger tip.” I chuckled, “You don't know exactly what I'm thinking.” “Oh, men are simple enough. We like good looking women and don't hide it very well when we do. In your case, I don't intend to hide it.” Again, I felt myself blush. My ex had seldom ever said something so bold, or truthful when it came to the way he viewed me, or any other woman. Robb's ability and willingness to be open was refreshing. “You know you surprise me with your honesty, but then I think you know I'm attracted to you.” He smiled, but didn't say anything, so I continued. “Men are just as different as any woman. I'm not blind, I see the way you look at me and know you find me attractive. What makes you different is that you're open about it. I'm not into playing games and I don't think you are either.” Chapter 10: I Have A Past After dropping my car off I got into his car and we were on our way to the park along the river. I was so satisfied with how the evening had gone. We arrived at the park and started our walk following the path along the river. It was about twenty minutes later when I saw one of the church women approaching us as we walked hand in hand. She gave me a strange look, then stopped, indicating she wanted to speak to me. “Hi Sarah. Wonderful evening isn't it?” I said pleasantly. She looked Robb up and down, then looked back to me, and snarled. “I heard you got divorced. Didn't take long to find someone else to ride you did it?” I was shocked at her words. I was about to reply when Robb spoke. “If you're insinuating we've been having sex since her divorce you would be wrong. We haven't. Not that it's really any of your business. Now, if you're interested in being ridden we can talk about it. I may be able to fit you in, though there would be a small charge.” I felt a laugh start to form in my throat and did my best to stifle it. The look on her face went so red it seemed to glow. No words escaped her mouth though her jaw was working, her face agonized. “It would only be twenty dollars and I'm sure it wouldn't take long,” Robb added, his face serious. Sarah turned and walked away at a rapid pace without uttering another word. I looked at Robb and saw a smile cross his face. “Guess she wasn't interested,” he deadpanned. “Robb! She probably thinks I'm paying for it. You know that don't you?” I said half laughing. He looked at me, his smile even broader. “You Ms. Cummins will never have to pay a cent.” I took his arm and smiled. “I'm not Cummins anymore, I'm Brown, Wendy Brown.” “Well Ms. Brown, shall we continue our walk?” “I'd be delighted.” _ Wendy It was a month later and I saw Robb once or twice a week for coffee, though we talked on the phone at least five days a week. One night Clara suggested her boyfriend, Kevin, had a friend I might like and that we double-date. I wasn't sure, but after a few minutes decided I should do it to show my appreciation for what she and Kevin had done for me in the past. Kevin was a really nice guy and I got along with him well. I thought Clara had done well for herself. The night we went out was warm and I was wearing a tank top, shorts, and sandals. Tony was damn good looking and I was thrilled with the idea I'd be seen with such a good looking man. He was pleasant enough, though as we talked I found he was… well… shallow. He had no problem undressing me with his eyes. After all these past few months I was used to it, accepting it as the price I paid to dress as I chose now that I could be myself. He was kind of like my ex in a way. When he started asking about my religious views my hackles went up. It made me uncomfortable as that was how things had gone with my ex. Religion was never far away, even on our first few dates. I steered our conversation to other topics whenever it came up. He seemed to continue to jabber away about his faith group regardless. I finally mentioned to him I was helping out at the food bank on weekends and he seemed to take some interest in that. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Really, you work at the food bank? I hear those people simply don't want to work and take handouts.” I told him about the variety of people I met and how life had put them in rough straights for a while and they needed some help. He went on about how his church served food to the needy after they attended church service. Suggesting it was a small price to pay for what the Lord provided. I shut my mouth and didn't say another word. It was turning into a long night. Robb had gotten me involved in the food bank and I found the experience enjoyable. At the time it took me away from my own problems and made me appreciate other people had problems too. It was something I continued to do after my divorce. Robb and I would spend time together with people who had become friends. I noticed how several of the single women took an interest in Robb while he was there. He flirted a little with them, but he did with me too. It made me feel good to have his attention. I knew Clara was disappointed our date hadn't resulted in something better. But as time passed I discovered my friends always seemed to want to help me out. This took the form of trying to fix me up with a friend, or a relative. I knew they were well meaning, but after almost three months I was exhausted by their interest. I related this to Robb and he told me he had gone through the same thing after his breakup. That was a topic he didn't say much about. I was sure it was because he didn't want to burden me with what had been, or was, his problem. I had met his parents briefly months ago and he called one night to say they were coming the next day. “Wendy, would you be my date for dinner?” “You mean a real date?” I asked surprised as he had never used that term with me before. “Yes, a real date. I'll pay for your dinner and you can try to be nice to me the entire evening.” I laughed. “I'm always nice to you.” “Yeah, come to think of it you are. Well, you'll get a free meal out of the deal.” It was if he were asking me for a favor, as if I wouldn't be interested in dating him without his having an excuse. “I would be delighted. Where are we going?” I hung the up phone with a smile, it was one of the best restaurants in town. I was thrilled. Did I have something nice to wear? I would need a manicure for sure, pedicure? No, it was too cold for open-toed shoes, or sandals. I looked at what I had in my closet and decided I needed a new blouse that I could match with either a dress, or a pair of dress slacks. I had lost pounds over the past two months thanks to simply walking to the park and back to Clara's apartment. I heard Clara come in and told her Robb had asked me out. “I thought the two of you had a disagreement last week.” “We did, but we worked it out, neither of us can be right all of the time and… well… he was right this time.” “If this is a real date will this change your 'platonic' relationship? I know you have the hots for him, so don't deny it. Every guy you've gone out with you compare with him. Why don't you just admit it and get it over with? Girl it might help if you got some sack time with him. You know you're allowed to have sex with any man you want now.” “I don't know, maybe it will our relationship,” I replied thinking if she could see it others could too. I had kept it to hugs and a few kisses trying to avoid the rebound thing. But, she was right about the sex, I could really use a roll in the hay. The problem was my fantasies had all involved Robb over the last few months, my hand had gotten a lot of use, and my B.O.B was on its third set of batteries. The one night I had spent with Robb came to my mind constantly. Robb I hung up the phone and sat down, my heart beating hard. I had finally asked her out thinking enough time had passed and she wasn't in a rebound situation any longer. Our time together on the phone, at the food bank, and for coffee had shown me we didn't agree on everything. The important thing was we talked it out each time and respected, and liked each other afterward. I was over my ex and it appeared she was over hers. My parents knew I was spending time with her as I found myself mentioning her often in phone calls to my mother. I knew the one time she had met my parents she had made a positive impression. Not that my parents didn't express reservations about my spending time with a divorced woman. The suggestion, of course, was that I could do better with a woman that had never been married. That had been an interesting conversation and they had finally agreed she was nice enough once I reminded them my girlfriend had always been single. Wendy had a maturity about her that affected me as we spent more time together. I had experienced some ups and down with her following the divorce. All things I had read about and understood what was going on in general when it happened. I knew I was hooked on her once I started reading articles on how to date a divorced woman. Damn if the web didn't have something useful for a change. It provided me with the insight and tools to be patient and support her. Now, I hoped there was going to be more of a payoff. I walked into my bedroom, opened the top drawer of my dresser, and pulled the diamond engagement ring out and looked at it. I hadn't used it as I had planned. Now, I was thinking it would be appreciated if given to the right woman. I could see the smile in my mind it would bring to Wendy's face when I asked her to marry me. I also knew that if we started to date it would mean things that had been off the table as friends would now change. The mere thought made me hard, it had been a long time since… Wendy I waited for Robb to pick me up, feeling butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I was keyed up so much that Clara laughed at me good naturedly. “Wendy, stop your pacing. You look wonderful, it's not like you haven't spent time with him. You're going to blow his mind when he sees you dolled up this way.” “Do you really think so? I mean I'm trying to look a little less sexy as we're going out with his parents.” “You look beautiful. You can't hide that gorgeous figure and your makeup is perfect. Your eyes alone are going to slay him.” I heard the knock on the door, picked up my purse and light coat. I looked at Clara. “Well… here I go.” I opened the door to see Robb standing in a sports coat, slacks, his hair clean, and styled. I gasped quietly as I looked at him. I gave a smile not knowing what else to do. He looked at me and smiled as his eyes took me in, his gaze meeting mine. He just stood there looking at me. I felt a bit self-conscious. It was Clara that saved me as I was staring at him, speechless. “What do you think of your date Robb?” 'She's… she's fantastic. She's beautiful. She's a knockout.“ I managed to compose myself. "Is it cold enough for me to wear my coat?” “No, I think you'll be fine. It's mild out yet. I… I… just wasn't expecting you to… "You know you look quite handsome,” I offered. He reached for my hand with a smile, “Thank you. But, no one is going to notice me. Not with you standing beside me.” Stunned by the remark I simply stood there. “Have a good time you two,” as Clara shooed us out the door. I walked with Robb out to the car and got in after he opened the door for me. I automatically put my seat belt on and tried to collect myself. This was not at all what I expected to happen between us. I mean after seven months we had been together how many times? Dozens of times was all I could come up with. Sure I had used him in my mind more often than that, his image had served me well. When I looked over at him he was putting his seat belt on and when our eyes met mine he smiled, “Are you nervous?” I nodded my head. Was it that obvious? “I am too. Come on, you're met my parents before. It's going to be fine. We're making something out of nothing. More than it needs to be, though you look really nice tonight.” “Then why are we both feeling this way?” I asked. I don't know exactly. Do you think because we called it a date it makes a difference? “I feel different, that's all I can say. It's just different,” as he pulled the car out onto the street. When we arrived at the restaurant and walked in his parents were waiting in the foyer for us. Most of my nervousness had subsided as we had talked about nothing in particular on the way; small talk that seemed to settle both of us down. But, I couldn't help but feel I was seeing him in a different way than I had before. “Nice to see you again Wendy,” his mother offered as soon as we stopped in front of them. His father offered a similar comment and I found myself reaching for Robb's hand as I replied with a smile. It felt reassuring and natural, my heart told me I needed his touch. Robb I was pleased Wendy had agreed to go to dinner with me. I didn't mind going to dinner with my parents. In fact, I enjoyed my time with them. It was different after I broke up with my ex as before there was always something to talk about that spoke to the future. Once my relationship with her ended it seemed as if there was a expectation I had moved on. The last two times we visited there had been a void that begged to be filled when my mother asked if I were seeing anyone.. It was somewhat selfish of me to ask Wendy for a date to make things easier on myself. Though I had to admit there was more to it than that. I needed an excuse to change our relationship from what it was to something different. I liked her, I liked her a lot, and over the past few months it seemed as if she were ready for something more in her life. When she said yes it took hours for me to calm down when it was clear it was a date. For some reason calling it that made a difference. When she opened the door and I saw her standing there it hit me full force. She was gorgeous and well… she was… I don't know… another woman in a way I hadn't expected her to be. During dinner I couldn't help be impressed with how she presented herself in front of my parents. She was confident, respectful, and displayed her wonderful sense of humor. I could tell my parents were impressed with her this time. It was when she reached over to place her hand on mine that I knew she was comfortable with me in a new way. If she could have felt how hard my heart was beating after that brief touch she would have laughed at me for being so sensitive. We said goodbye to my parents and walked to my car hand in hand. How often had we walked that way together in the past? Now, it seemed just a little bit different and I couldn't understand why it should be. This while my heart was beating a tattoo in my chest. Chapter 11: Just A Speedbump Robb “Are you up for relaxing at my place for a while, or are you ready to head home.” “It's early yet, Friday night, and all I have planned for tomorrow is our shift at the food bank. I think I can force myself to spend a little more time with you,” she laughed. I had my hand on the car door ready to open it and when I turned her face was less than two feet away. I looked into her eyes and knew instantly, I had no choice, there was no decision to make, only an action to take. I tugged on her hand and she stepped closer, closed her eyes and our lips met firmly. My entire body felt as if it had flushed bright red, the excitement raging within me as our lips held, our breathing heavy. The world faded away and all that remained the taste of her lips, the smell of her hair, and the pressure of her body against mine. Wendy It had been a wonderful evening. His parents were wonderful, the food sumptuous, and Robb had been every bit the gentleman. Not that he hadn't always been, but there was something special about the way he looked at me. When I touched his hand as I laughed a surge of electricity coursed through me and I quickly placed my hand in my lap. I sought to catch my breath without revealing what had happened. I was waiting for him to open the car door when I felt the first drop of rain on my hand. It was starting to sprinkle as he turned to me. I felt my heart skip a beat, then another as I looked into his eyes. I didn't think, I wanted him, I wanted his lips on mine, and there was no reason to deny myself. I pushed my lips onto his and felt my entire body shiver with delight. I was whisked away by a hint of cologne, his strong arms around me, the feel of cool drops of rain on my skin as I felt my knees go weak as his passion consumed me. A gust of wind and rain broke our kiss. I opened my eyes to see him smiling, those wonderful eyes looking into mine. They had told me time and again he cared for me and now I fully believed it. I laughed, as if I'd been freed from some invisible trap, now free to be myself and to love. He laughed with me as he moved me into the car as the rain suddenly came pelting down. Once in the car I had all I could do to keep my hands from clutching him, to draw him close to share another kiss. His hand came to take mine and we held hands as he drove. Once at his apartment we made a mad dash for the door through a downpour. Once inside we stood looking at one another. His hand came to the side of my face and I closed my eyes, once again taken away as my passion for him erupted, a low moan escaped my lips, a perfect form of communication suited to the fire burning inside me. We clutched at each other, hands seeking to find a place to pull us so close we would fuse into one being. Our breathing heavy as our lips sought to convey our desires. Slowly, he pulled away. “Am I being too brash for a first date?” “No, am I too easy for a first date?” “No. I would never think you're not entitled to express your needs and desires as you need to.” I smiled at him coyly. “I'll never tell anyone you took me on our first date. Promise.” Chapter 12: A True Union It was as if we had never been in bed together before, as if the way we first met didn't mean a thing. He took my hand and led me to the bedroom and started to undress me as I did the same to him. My hands were shaking as I pulled his zipper down, my body tingled hot all over. I was so ready, a hot ache grew steadily beneath my bush. I slipped under the sheets as he followed and I snuggled into him and I heard his voice softly in my ear. “Are you alright?” “Yes, slow and easy if we can. I'm really sensitive. Can I feel you first?” I asked in a hush as if that would somehow make it more erotic. “Yes, my god you feel so wonderful, so soft,” he whispered in my ear. I moved my hand downward, found his penis, closed my fingers around it gently, and moved my hand down to his scrotum, feeling its texture sent another hot tingle rushing to my bush. I was breathing hard as my fingers gently explored, my mind filled in what I could feel. It had been so long since I had grasped a man this way. The sensations that filled me spoke to my eager anticipation of what I would experience. His hand caressed my breast and I closed my eyes feeling his firm member as it overfilled my hand. It was minutes before my hand left him. I moved to kiss him, pressing my pussy against his hip as our lips met as my passion began to spill over. The hot ache had turned to a thrumming feeling and I couldn't wait any longer. “I need you inside slow and easy,” I whispered as I moved beside him. I watched as he pulled the sheets back and came over me as I spread my legs wide. I felt a big shiver as he moved over me. I wasted no time in placing him. His first push sent him just inside, I felt a huge rush of pleasure that made me gasp. Before he could ask I offered. “I'm fine. Keep going, it feels good.” I felt a little less pressure, then another pleasurable surge as he pushed deeper. Another gasp as it felt do damned good. I looked up smiling an invitation for more. He pulled out a little, then slowly lowered himself down, filling me. I grasped his hips and hitched my pelvis under him feeling another series of sensations as I placed myself where it felt best. I was going to move under him again when he hitched up slightly hitting my sweet spot. I couldn't help but push up against him as another surge of heat hit me. He wasn't deep, but he didn't need to be. I pulled him down on top of me, grasping his shoulders, my chin at his shoulder. I whispered into his ear, closed my eyes, and let heaven take me. Robb I undressed her and marveled at her beautiful curves as they appeared with the removal of each article of clothing. I was almost in a daze as we slipped under the sheets, the feel of her skin against mine as she snuggled in against me was indescrible. The tip of my penis was so sensitive I was glad she wasn't making but minimal contact. We kissed, each kiss sweet and firm that excited her even more as her fingers explored. She quickly moved beneath me, placing me at her opening, guiding me. I had hardly moved downward when she pushed upward driving me inside. She gasped, then grasped my hips and pulled me down onto her just a little more. Another gasp, my movement slick and smooth. It was time to settle down onto her and give myself rest, the stimulation intense as she was tight. I didn't want to go off, I fought to keep control as she moved below me. It felt absolutely incredible. Had she felt this way the first time? I couldn't remember as the situation had been so different, my concentration focused differently. It was no more than a dozen thrusts later when she grasped my shoulders and stiffened beneath me with a small moan, then lay still, breathing deeply. I felt her relax and exhale slowly. I thrust a few more times and found she was so slick I didn't get any stimulation. I smiled to myself, she really was sensitive this time, more than I was. I pulled out and lay down next to her as pleased as I had ever been. She was going to be mine. Wendy From the very first it felt incredibly good. He had barely established a rhythm when I felt myself come to the edge, then tighten around him as a huge wave of pleasure took me. I couldn't believe it, I had never in my life orgasmed so quickly. I felt him start to move in and out a little and couldn't feel a thing in my wetness. “Did you come?” I asked not knowing if he had. “No, didn't have time. Glad you did beautiful.” “I'm sorry. That has never happened before. It felt the best ever.” “Don't you dare say you're sorry he chided. Our first date, our first time in bed, and you have your first orgasm. That's a good start in my book.” It was strange. He said it was our first time in bed, only it wasn't. Unless he meant the woman that night was someone who had taken over my body for her own reasons. He viewed me as a new woman and the thought thrilled me. I was a new woman for him, the other had faded away, never to return. I felt him pull me close and I snuggled into him not knowing what to say. I remembered enough about our first time and he had gotten me there both times. He had felt large when he entered me this time and that I didn't remember from before. Still, I felt badly–a man almost always has an orgasm. Then I had a sense of insecurity–maybe I wasn't tight enough. I whispered into his hair, “I was tight enough wasn't I?” “You're perfect, don't think you're not. Are you ready to call it a night?” “No, not until I satisfy you.” “You already have.” “No, you know what I mean. I'm ready right now if you are.” “I just thought of something. Are you going to stay all night?” “Yes, I mean if you want me to.” “Then you should call Clara and tell her so she won't worry about you.” Wendy It was already after ten and I wasn't sure Clara would pick up so I expected to send a text if I didn't connect. I was surprised when she picked up after three rings. “Hey girl! How did it go?” “Good, I mean it was amazing. I'll tell about it later. I wanted you to know I won't be home tonight.” “I didn't expect you to be. But, thanks for thinking to call me,” she chuckled. “You didn't expect me to come home? I asked confused. "I saw the way both of you looked at one another. He is so in love with you and you stood there like a love-starved puppy looking at him.” I felt myself flush, happy she couldn't see me wrapped in a towel. “Have a good night and if you do it enough times you'll sleep well. You can tell me about it later. Good night.” “Good night,” I replied feeling as if I had bared my soul. Chapter 13 Contentment and a New Life I walked back into the bedroom and slipped into bed and into Robb's arms. Needless to say it was late before we fell asleep. I was so pleased with how much fun sex was–the best ever actually. The amazing thing was I didn't have to beg for what I wanted. Things my ex would never agree to. If it was something other than a penis shoved into me he wouldn't even try. If I asked, Robb gave, then I gave in return. We went forward with the expectation of mutual gratification. When we engaged in intercourse before calling it quits for the night I rode him and reveled in watching him climax. Damn if he didn't make me happy. When I woke in the morning I felt rejuvenated, my life transformed. I tried not to make more out of it then what was, but how could I not? I had memories of how much in love I had been before I was married and how blind I had been. I wasn't anxious to repeat that mistake. I was still gun shy I guess. I was lying with my eyes closed thinking when I felt a hand come to rest on my stomach. Robb rolled toward me. I moved my hand and placed it over his as I felt myself warm with the thought I might enjoy another round. I was surprised at what he asked me. “No second thoughts, regrets?” I opened my eyes, “Second thoughts? Only that I'm glad you're been so patient with me. I know I've had my ups and downs. I took you for quite a ride those first few months. Regrets? Yes, I have a few of those too. But, none of them pertain to you unless you consider I wish I'd met you years ago.” “Wendy, I'm not moving too fast for you am I? I don't know what happened yesterday for sure. The thing was, when you opened the door for me and I saw you standing there… well… I guess it changed me. I didn't feel I should be so cautious anymore. I felt I needed you to know how much I adore you and how talented you are as a woman. I've watched you grow at work, at the food coop, and when we've been together. I know I have my faults, but you seem to have accepted me despite them.” I rolled toward him, placing his hand on my hip. “Being married once taught me things that help put things into perspective. I can live with your flaws, they aren't things that really matter. You've proven you're willing to try and change when I explain what bothers me. I hope I do the same for you.” Before he could say anything I went on. “The fact that we've had disagreements and worked through them isn't lost on me. I lived with a man who didn't know how to compromise. You don't lecture me, you value my opinions, and respect me. Honey, you aren't perfect and I'm not expecting you to be, I'm not either. What you offer me is more than enough and I've come to love you for what you are. I hope my telling you I love you isn't too soon.” He looked at me with a wry smile, “Wow! I should have asked you out on a date months ago.” I swatted at him laughing. “I'm glad you didn't as sex was the frosting on the cake, and I love cake. I was still on a diet months ago and I wouldn't have been ready.” _ It was a month later when we visited my parents and I introduced Robb to them. I had talked with my parents often and told them I was dating Robb to prepare them. The two days we spent with them went well and before we left to return home my mother told me she thought Robb was very nice. Coming from my mother that was high praise, and I took comfort in it. I had watched my father and Robb interact and could tell there was good chemistry between them–something missing from my marriage. We visited with his brother Ted, his wife, Alisa, and their two children. They were a happy family and I could see the two of us in the same light. I felt like I belonged and it made me incredibly happy to be fully accepted. Two months later, I moved out of Clara's apartment and into my own. I received a promotion at work and Robb had been very proud of my achievement. It was the small things he noticed and appreciated about me that drew us closer. He knew my likes and dislikes, the small gifts he gave me showed me he did. We went out with our friends and he teased me, whispering into my ear I was the smartest and sexiest woman there. He delighted in me and I found I delighted in him. He proposed one evening as we walked in the park where we had first met. I cried with joy, not able to stop myself. He took me into his arms and held me until I stopped. We had come full circle. We never spoke of that first day and night together. There was no need, we both knew what we had now wouldn't be if he hadn't been there for me. I would have been a grim statistic, nothing more. My ex had thought I was having an affair with a man in the park. He had been wrong about that until the day I found him with that woman in our own home. It was ironic, my desire to punish my ex for his sinful acts led to my own sins. Though I never once considered it a sin in my own mind. It was his belief system that brought me to a place where I rejected religion altogether as a meaningful part of my life. No God, no sin. It was that simple for me. Robb and I were married in a small ceremony with our immediate family and close friends two months later, and moved into a home suitable for a small family. We both had saved most of our earnings and were comfortable right from the start. Two years after we married I was pregnant. I had never seen Robb smile more than when I told him we were expecting. On our third visit with the doctor he was very excited when the doctor revealed we were going to have twins. He teased me that I had found another way to cut expenses by having two at one time. My god how I loved that man. He was with me in the operating room holding my hand when Tina and Evan entered the world. I was tired after a long labor. After I delivered I gave him a weary smile as he caressed my hand. Later, when I was in my hospital room and alone he looked at me as he held my hand, caressing it ever so gently. “Thank you,” he said quietly. I looked at him puzzled. “For what?” “For being my wife and the mother of my children. I love you.” I felt tears roll down my cheeks. He was there to wipe them away, even though they were tears of joy. _ Fifteen years later Tina was helping me in the kitchen to bake a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Evan was in the backyard playing catch with his father. “Mom, how did you and dad meet? Was it romantic?” The question stunned me, I hadn't expected it. Memories flashed through my mind. Memories I had pushed far away long ago. I finally looked at her with a smile. “Your father found me in the park after almost hitting me with a baseball, your cousin Ted was there. We seemed to hit it off after that.” “So, it wasn't romantic?” I gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “Not quite, the romance came later.” I pretended to have gotten something in my eye and dabbed away a tear. Yes, the romance did come later- as an affair of the heart that started in a park. by r a wallace for Literotica

A how-to guide for the left on how to overcome Nietzsche's divisive and damaging influence.  How to Read Like a Parasite: Why the Left Got High on Nietzsche (Repeater Books, 2024) overturns the whitewashed and defanged version of Nietzsche that has been made popular by generations of translators and academic philosophers who have presented his work as apolitical and without a core reactionary agenda. The central argument of the book is that Nietzsche's philosophy does have a center, and that the left learns a great deal from Nietzsche when we read him as driven by a highly sophisticated reactionary political vision that informs all his major concepts and ideas. The most important Nietzschean concepts — from perspectivism, ressentiment, eternal return to the pathos of distance — are analyzed in the historical context in which Nietzsche lived and wrote, and several case-studies of prominent left-Nietzscheans from Jack London, Gilles Deleuze, Wendy Brown to Huey Newton are discussed. How to Read Like a Parasite makes a persuasive case for how we can overcome Nietzsche's damaging influence on the left, showing us how to read and understand his work without becoming victims of it. 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

A how-to guide for the left on how to overcome Nietzsche's divisive and damaging influence.  How to Read Like a Parasite: Why the Left Got High on Nietzsche (Repeater Books, 2024) overturns the whitewashed and defanged version of Nietzsche that has been made popular by generations of translators and academic philosophers who have presented his work as apolitical and without a core reactionary agenda. The central argument of the book is that Nietzsche's philosophy does have a center, and that the left learns a great deal from Nietzsche when we read him as driven by a highly sophisticated reactionary political vision that informs all his major concepts and ideas. The most important Nietzschean concepts — from perspectivism, ressentiment, eternal return to the pathos of distance — are analyzed in the historical context in which Nietzsche lived and wrote, and several case-studies of prominent left-Nietzscheans from Jack London, Gilles Deleuze, Wendy Brown to Huey Newton are discussed. How to Read Like a Parasite makes a persuasive case for how we can overcome Nietzsche's damaging influence on the left, showing us how to read and understand his work without becoming victims of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

A how-to guide for the left on how to overcome Nietzsche's divisive and damaging influence.  How to Read Like a Parasite: Why the Left Got High on Nietzsche (Repeater Books, 2024) overturns the whitewashed and defanged version of Nietzsche that has been made popular by generations of translators and academic philosophers who have presented his work as apolitical and without a core reactionary agenda. The central argument of the book is that Nietzsche's philosophy does have a center, and that the left learns a great deal from Nietzsche when we read him as driven by a highly sophisticated reactionary political vision that informs all his major concepts and ideas. The most important Nietzschean concepts — from perspectivism, ressentiment, eternal return to the pathos of distance — are analyzed in the historical context in which Nietzsche lived and wrote, and several case-studies of prominent left-Nietzscheans from Jack London, Gilles Deleuze, Wendy Brown to Huey Newton are discussed. How to Read Like a Parasite makes a persuasive case for how we can overcome Nietzsche's damaging influence on the left, showing us how to read and understand his work without becoming victims of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

A how-to guide for the left on how to overcome Nietzsche's divisive and damaging influence.  How to Read Like a Parasite: Why the Left Got High on Nietzsche (Repeater Books, 2024) overturns the whitewashed and defanged version of Nietzsche that has been made popular by generations of translators and academic philosophers who have presented his work as apolitical and without a core reactionary agenda. The central argument of the book is that Nietzsche's philosophy does have a center, and that the left learns a great deal from Nietzsche when we read him as driven by a highly sophisticated reactionary political vision that informs all his major concepts and ideas. The most important Nietzschean concepts — from perspectivism, ressentiment, eternal return to the pathos of distance — are analyzed in the historical context in which Nietzsche lived and wrote, and several case-studies of prominent left-Nietzscheans from Jack London, Gilles Deleuze, Wendy Brown to Huey Newton are discussed. How to Read Like a Parasite makes a persuasive case for how we can overcome Nietzsche's damaging influence on the left, showing us how to read and understand his work without becoming victims of it. 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

Productivismo más allá de toda producción. Ayuno intermitente. Ayuno de dopamina. Ayuno de redes. Snacks de movimiento. Píldoras de conductismo testadas en las mejores celdas para opositores. Nostalgia de autoridad. Si hace unos cuantos programas vinimos al mundo bro por las risas (https://www.elsaltodiario.com/pol-pop-podcast/filosofia-criptobros-marco-aurelio-te-echa-bronca-no-ir-al-gimnasio) hoy nos quedamos por su alocado catálogo de prácticas sobre el sujeto. Y, para ello, nos sumergimos de lleno en uno de sus sectores más pujante: los coachers de productividad. Al mismo tiempo boyante subsector de la autoayuda para chicos y laboratorio puntero de las nuevas maculinidades reaccionarias. Cómo da miedo ir sólito y con amigos es mejor hemos convocado a Mozo Yefimovich, una de las personas que mejor ha profundizado en sus vericuetos en su canal de youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@MozoYefimovich) Hablemos claro. Ser yo es complicado. No ser este yo concreto podcaster. Que también. Sino ser cualquier yo sometido a las presiones y miserias de la vida contemporánea. Es tan complicado que hay siglos de saberes y prácticas humanas dedicados al asunto. Lo más significativo de este fenómeno del mundobro que nos fascina es, precisamente, que son señores muy señores -mucho muchísimo- los más enganchados a estas cosas de ocuparse de uno mismo. Porque aceptémoslo: los chicos no hemos querido ocuparnos demasiado de esto. La masculinidad oldschooler implica un activo rechazo a estas cositas de las que se sospecha pueden producir que tu pito se desprenda de tu cuerpo. Pero el mundo bro si participa de esa preocupación por uno mismo y nos ofrece sus propuestas. Lo que pasa es que el mundo bro también está enredado en el revival nostálgico de la masculinidad oldschooler, así que la cosa se pone complicada y barroca como película de Nolan. Porque todo esto -toda esta ansiedad, toda esta complejidad de llegar a ser uno mismo en la sociedad despersonalizante y competitiva hasta la extenuación del capitalismo tardío- podría ser pensado desde la interdependencia, por ejemplo. O los cuidados. Cosas sobre las que parece cernirse el conocido pánico atávico al desprendimiento de pito. Así que, vedadas todas esas otras opciones que abrirían mundos distintos, bajo pena de emasculación, lo que queda es pensarlo desde el individualismo, la competición darwinista y el asco por la feminización del mundo contemporáneo. Lo cual aderezado con unas citas bien instrumentalizadas de estoicismo romano aquí y allá, unas notas de conductismo para dummies, productivismo golden age y little big magufismos, componen este aroma inconfundible: the new brummel. La propuesta para una nueva masculinidad reaccionaria que nos ofrecen estos señores como respuesta a la ansiedad que a todos nos ocupa. La cuestión es que crear y esculpir un yo supone también proponer un mundo. En este caso el mundo bro, que es un mundo que traduce a un lenguaje popular y a un set de prácticas accesibles el vínculo contemporáneo entre una racionalidad neoliberal y una jerarquía social neocon. Esto, que fue motivo de hasta dos programas, sobre Wendy Brown (https://www.ivoox.com/pol-amp-pop-4x01-en-ruinas-del-neoliberalismo-audios-mp3_rf_92222423_1.html) y Melinda Cooper (https://www.elsaltodiario.com/pol-pop-podcast/valores-familia), y de una larga cantinela la temporada pasada, vuelve ahora en formato 5 consejos para tener el cuerpo que siempre has querido, invertir desde 0 o concentrarte para estudiar de una puta vez. Hay que trabajarse como un yo disciplinado, productivo y alfa porque ese yo se instala en una naturalización de la jerarquía social, el darwinismo y la guerra de todos contra todos. De hecho, es el mundo resultante de su sujeto (invisibilizado en esta creación de contenido) el que da prueba del delirio del conjunto. Pero eso es materia de otros programas. En todo caso, a este cuadro le queda por explicar la creciente afición juvenil por adentrarse en esta cueva. Podría ser que nuestras composiciones de mundo carecieran de propuestas para ese sujeto que se agobia y lo que tiene más a mano es el tubo de individualismo de internet. Es decir, no tenemos una propuesta de sujeto que acompañe a nuestra propuesta de transformación política, cuando es obvio que se la necesita si quiere activar cualquier impugnación realista del mundo.

Buy the book: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/how-to-read-like-a-parasite-why-the-left-got-high-on-nietzsche/"Beautifully written and bursting with spirit, How to Read Like a Parasite is destined to be vital reading." - Matthew McManus, author of Nietzsche and the Politics of ReactionHow to Read Like a Parasite overturns the whitewashed and defanged version of Nietzsche that has been made popular by generations of translators and academic philosophers who have presented his work as apolitical and without a core reactionary agenda.The central argument of the book is that Nietzsche's philosophy does have a center, and that the left learns a great deal from Nietzsche when we read him as driven by a highly sophisticated reactionary political vision that informs all his major concepts and ideas.The most important Nietzschean concepts — from perspectivism, ressentiment, eternal return to the pathos of distance — are analyzed in the historical context in which Nietzsche lived and wrote, and several case-studies of prominent left-Nietzscheans from Jack London, Gilles Deleuze, Wendy Brown to Huey Newton are discussed.How to Read Like a Parasite makes a persuasive case for how we can overcome Nietzsche's damaging influence on the left, showing us how to read and understand his work without becoming victims of it.Support Zer0 Books and Repeater Media on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/zer0repeaterSubscribe: https://www.patreon.com/zer0repeaterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZeroBooks/Twitter: https://twitter.com/zer0books, https://twitter.com/RepeaterBooks-----Other links:Check out the projects of some of the new contributors to Zer0 Books:Acid HorizonPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidhorizonpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/acidhorizonMerch: crit-drip.comThe Philosopher's Tarot from Repeater Books: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/the-philosophers-tarot/The Horror VanguardApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/horror-vanguard/id1445594437Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/horrorvanguardBuddies Without OrgansApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/buddies-without-organs/id1543289939Website: https://buddieswithout.org/Xenogothic: https://xenogothic.com/

We continue to explore the concept of power by asking how neoliberalism might be both informing our understanding of power and changing how it manifests. Combining a number of insights from previous guests, we wade into the myriad ways power manifests in our neoliberal world and why we need to consider the many different kinds of power both distinctly and collectively. We were honored to be led in this conversation by Dr. Wendy Brown, UPS Foundation Professor, School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study. --- Dr. Wendy Brown is a political theorist who works across the history of political thought, political economy, Continental philosophy, cultural theory, and critical legal theory. Brown investigates the subterranean powers shaping contemporary Euroatlantic polities, with particular attention to the political identities, subjectivities, and expressions they spawn. She is the author or co-author of a dozen books, including States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity; Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire; Walled States, Waning Sovereignty; Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution; and In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West. Across her work, Brown aims to illuminate powers unique to our era and the predicaments they generate for democratic thought and practice. --- While it would be impossible to cite all of her influential work on power here, the publications below provide a useful starting point for her scholarship: Brown, W. (2020). States of injury: Power and freedom in late modernity. Princeton University Press. Brown, W. (2015). Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism's stealth revolution. Mit Press. Brown, W. (2006). American nightmare: Neoliberalism, neoconservatism, and de-democratization. Political theory, 34(6), 690-714. Brown, W. (2003). Neo-liberalism and the end of liberal democracy. Theory & event, 7(1). --- The Social Science for Public Good Podcast is a project of the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and VT Publishing intended to make social science theories accessible and available to individuals and organizations seeking to promote social change. Music: purple-planet.com

In this episode Delaware Valley Central School: Discover the transformation of this historic school after a merger and subsequent closures. Devastating Loss for a Farmer: Learn about Brett Budde, a farmer who faced a complete apple crop loss due to unseasonably cold weather. Revised Budget Proposal: Explore the Roscoe Central School District's revised budget after the initial proposal failed to pass. Preserving Medical History: Delve into the donation of the Sullivan County Medical Society's records to the Sullivan County Historical Society. Smoke-Filled Skies: Find out how wildfires in Quebec, Canada, affected Sullivan County, causing hazy conditions and poor air quality. Resignation of Wendy Brown: Learn about Wendy Brown's decision to step down from the Sullivan County Drug Task Force after combating the opioid epidemic. Staff Changes at the Upper Delaware Council: Discover the recent staff changes and efforts to fill a vacant position at the council. Denial of Camp FIMFO Project: Explore the National Park Service's denial of a campsite refurbishing project in Barryville. The Club at Smallwood: Uncover the cherished community institution that has been providing a welcoming space for individuals in Smallwood since 1954.

Links from the show:* Nihilistic Times: Thinking with Max Weber* Connect with Wendy* Never miss an episodeAbout my guest:Wendy Brown is a political theorist who works across the history of political thought, political economy, Continental philosophy, cultural theory, and critical legal theory. Brown investigates the subterranean powers shaping contemporary Euroatlantic polities, with particular attention to the political identities, subjectivities, and expressions they spawn. She is the author or co-author of a dozen books, including States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity; Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire; Walled States, Waning Sovereignty; Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution; and In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West. Across her work, Brown aims to illuminate powers unique to our era and the predicaments they generate for democratic thought and practice. Get full access to Dispatches from the War Room at dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com/subscribe

This episode is on a 1993 article called "Wounded Attachments" by Wendy Brown. To hear the B-side, subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thelackpodcast

Professor Wendy Brown (University of California, Berkeley - @UCBerkeley) speaks with the Thinking Global team about Nihilism as political condition, Walling, Resisting Left Melancholy and Neoliberalism. Professor Brown's new book 'Nihilistic Times' can be purchased HERE. Thinking Global is affiliated with ⁠⁠E-International Relations⁠⁠ - the world's leading open access website for students and scholars of international politics.

What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University of London, collects almost a decade of interviews with key thinkers in contemporary feminism. United by a shared left feminist perspective, interviewees including Nancy Fraser, Akwugo Emejulu, Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright, Wendy Brown and Angela McRobbie, reflect on their work and thought in conversations that cover politics and praxis as much as theoretical interventions and academic work. The book also engages with earlier career feminists, such as Finn Mackay and Sophia Siddiqui, alongside those focused on feminism in the global south, such as Veronica Gago. Showing the breadth of left feminism, as well as the themes and ideas that unite a genuinely diverse range of interviewees, the book is essential reading across arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the key issue of gender in contemporary society. Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield. 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

What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University of London, collects almost a decade of interviews with key thinkers in contemporary feminism. United by a shared left feminist perspective, interviewees including Nancy Fraser, Akwugo Emejulu, Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright, Wendy Brown and Angela McRobbie, reflect on their work and thought in conversations that cover politics and praxis as much as theoretical interventions and academic work. The book also engages with earlier career feminists, such as Finn Mackay and Sophia Siddiqui, alongside those focused on feminism in the global south, such as Veronica Gago. Showing the breadth of left feminism, as well as the themes and ideas that unite a genuinely diverse range of interviewees, the book is essential reading across arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the key issue of gender in contemporary society. Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University of London, collects almost a decade of interviews with key thinkers in contemporary feminism. United by a shared left feminist perspective, interviewees including Nancy Fraser, Akwugo Emejulu, Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright, Wendy Brown and Angela McRobbie, reflect on their work and thought in conversations that cover politics and praxis as much as theoretical interventions and academic work. The book also engages with earlier career feminists, such as Finn Mackay and Sophia Siddiqui, alongside those focused on feminism in the global south, such as Veronica Gago. Showing the breadth of left feminism, as well as the themes and ideas that unite a genuinely diverse range of interviewees, the book is essential reading across arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the key issue of gender in contemporary society. Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University of London, collects almost a decade of interviews with key thinkers in contemporary feminism. United by a shared left feminist perspective, interviewees including Nancy Fraser, Akwugo Emejulu, Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright, Wendy Brown and Angela McRobbie, reflect on their work and thought in conversations that cover politics and praxis as much as theoretical interventions and academic work. The book also engages with earlier career feminists, such as Finn Mackay and Sophia Siddiqui, alongside those focused on feminism in the global south, such as Veronica Gago. Showing the breadth of left feminism, as well as the themes and ideas that unite a genuinely diverse range of interviewees, the book is essential reading across arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the key issue of gender in contemporary society. Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

What is the history and future of feminism? In Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and Political (Lawrence Wishart, 2023), Jo Littler, Professor of Social Analysis and Cultural Politics at City, University of London, collects almost a decade of interviews with key thinkers in contemporary feminism. United by a shared left feminist perspective, interviewees including Nancy Fraser, Akwugo Emejulu, Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright, Wendy Brown and Angela McRobbie, reflect on their work and thought in conversations that cover politics and praxis as much as theoretical interventions and academic work. The book also engages with earlier career feminists, such as Finn Mackay and Sophia Siddiqui, alongside those focused on feminism in the global south, such as Veronica Gago. Showing the breadth of left feminism, as well as the themes and ideas that unite a genuinely diverse range of interviewees, the book is essential reading across arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the key issue of gender in contemporary society. Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gillian Branstetter (of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project and LGBTQ & HIV Project) returns to Know Your Enemy for an episode on the strange case of Ron DeSantis: what is his ideology and vision for America? And why do his political aspirations involve inflicting wanton cruelty upon LGBTQ children and adults in his home state? For our sins, we read DeSantis's new book — a campaign book, though he has not yet formally announce his presidential run —  The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival. (You heard it here: it sucks.) Along the way, Gillian provides an update on the conservative war on so-called "gender ideology" and "wokeness," how organizations like hers are fighting back, and why superficial expressions of sympathy for trans people by major corporations and banks — which so outrage the right — are themselves a trap and a means of evading real justice.  We also discuss Sam's New York Times piece on DeSantis as an anti-woke technocrat, an embodiment of the twin cults of expertise and meritocracy, even as he disavows and demonizes the "ruling class" and it's irksome cultural mores. Finally, we identify the violent underpinnings of DeSantis's political impulses, discussing his alleged involvement in detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay. As Gillian summarizes DeSantis's worldview, “It's just cold efficiency and shared enemies. That's what he's selling. It's like getting a moral lecture from a gun."  Sources:Gillian Branstetter, "The Gender War Is A Forever War," The Autonomy, Mar 5, 2023.— "When Biology Needs Some Help," The Autonomy, Feb 9, 2023.Ron DeSantis, The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival, Feb 2023Sam Adler-Bell, "The One Thing Trump Has That DeSantis Never Will," NY Times, Apr 10, 2023.Adrian Daub, What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley, Oct 2020.Zack Beauchamp, "Ron DeSantis is following a trail blazed by a Hungarian authoritarian," Vox, Apr 28, 2022. Angelo Codevilla, "America's Ruling Class," The American Spectator, Jul 16, 2010. Jasper Craven, "The Sunshine Imperium: The militarism of Ron DeSantis," The Baffler, Mar 2023.Daniel Luban, "The Belligerent: Angelo Codevilla and the ideological origins of the New Right," The Baffler, Oct 2022. Wendy Brown, In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West, Jul 2019.Joseph Darda, The Strange Career of Racial Liberalism, Mar 2022. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, "Identity Politics and Elite Capture," Boston Review, May 7, 2020.Michael Kranish, "DeSantis's pivotal service at Guantánamo during a violent year," Washington Post, March 19, 2023....and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!   

Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/wendy-brown-neoliberalisms-anti-democratic-stealth-revolutionHalf a century of neoliberalism has transformed the politics of the globe. The supremacy of free market ideology has stripped away the commons and reduced most states to their purely military and repressive functions. In this urgent discussion on the relationship between neoliberalism and the corrosion of democracy, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Professor Wendy Brown.Wendy L. Brown is an American political theorist. She is the UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. Her latest book is Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution.Production/Post-Production: Nicholas GrievesHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-podSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-podLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

Happy 2nd Podcast-aversary to us! To celebrate, we invited thespian, power lifter, and Stephen King fan, Wendy Brown, to the pod! She's not a psychotic, deranged, ax-wielding fan. She just plays one on stage... Other discussion topics may include: - Kevin Costner's forgotten weightlifting movie - Fart Thrower, The Occasional Blow, and other ineffective superheroes - The best chicken and dog impressions you're likely to hear all hour - What is your favorite animated kids' Stephen King movie? - The unexpected difficulty of pretending you have things in your mouth --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/goingterribly/message