Three New Videos That Will Definitely Interest You
How 1999 warped America, lessons from a brave organizer, and Trump's Manifest Lunacy.
I found these three recent interviews fascinating and important—so much so, in fact, that I couldn’t settle on the best way to organize them. I alphabetized them by last name for lack of a better option.
Now, a confession: Despite the title of this post, I shouldn’t claim that these interviews will definitely fascinate you. They may fascinate you. I’ll even go so far as to say they will probably fascinate you. But definitely? I was overselling there; sorry.
Please check them out anyway. If you don’t like them—highly improbable, but theoretically possible—you will at least have the satisfaction of letting me know in the comments.
1999: THE YEAR LOW CULTURE WARPED AMERICA (w/Ross Benes)
I interviewed author Ross Benes about his new book, "1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times." As I told Ross, I questioned whether the book could back up the claims in its subtitle. It convinced me—and I enjoyed it! We had a fun and enlightening conversation about it.
Ross argues that low culture deeply influenced modern American society and links it to deregulation—particularly the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which allowed media conglomerates to expand. It’s all there: "kayfabe," Insane Clown Posse, monopolization—and, of course, Donald Trump.
The publisher, University Press of Kansas, is offering a 30% discount if you buy the book from their website and use the code 241999. (And no, I don’t get a kickback.)
REBECCA VILKOMERSON: ON SOLIDARITY, LOVE & JEWISH ANTI-ZIONIST ORGANIZING
Rebecca Vilkomerson is the former Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). She is an organizer, fundraiser, organizational development consultant and strategist, and is the co-director of Funding Freedom. With Rabbi Alissa Wise, Rebecca is the co-author of “Solidarity Is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing.”
In this conversation—an especially meaningful one for me—we discuss the book, the inspirations and challenges of activism, and the internal and external barriers to transformation that can arise within one’s own faith or ethnic community.
TRUMP’S MANIFEST LUNACY: with Richard Wolff
"Go west, old man!" or south, to Mexico and Panama. Or north, to Canada and Greenland …
In this Special Report, Richard Wolff and I review the first few days of the Trump II era, the return of manifest destiny, and the forces that led to this absurd and dangerous display of bravado from the leader of a desiccated and diminishing empire.