Navigating Spiritual and Political Bypasses in Society

This chapter delves into the phenomenon of spiritual and political bypassing, showcasing how people leverage spiritual beliefs to dodge socio-political responsibilities. It contrasts the actions of pro-Trump evangelicals and left-leaning groups, tying historical anti-fascist resistance to today’s political challenges and protests.

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Episode notes

First of Matthew's two-part examination of why the hell questions of force, non-violent resistance with and without force, unarmed violence and property damage, and armed violence are so incredibly hard to talk about in a culture thick with spiritual and political bypassing. Are we capable of understanding the difference between morality and strategy?

Part 1 focuses on philosophy and psychology while Part 2 focuses on definitions and tactics. Together, both parts will push back on conspiracism about the identities, motives, and methods of antifascists. Both will present slices of the rich discourse on violence and non-violence from antifascist history, including clarifying definitions of key terms. Both will open a space to think carefully about what intensities of self and community defense are both useful and tolerable in the fight against fascism.

Part 2 gets into the very thick weeds of how the “strategic nonviolence” research of Gene Sharp, Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan is framed as empirical, but may be way more about idealizing Gandhi than about facts on the ground. Drops Monday on Patreon.

Huge list of references for each!

Show Notes

Stopping the Press: The Threats to the Media Posed by the Second Trump Term | The New Yorker

What the FBI Has Done, and Kash Patel Could Do - Columbia Journalism Review

Hakeem Jeffries cracks down on Trump speech disruptions

Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer Got Punched—You Can Thank the Black Bloc | The Nation

Aamer Rahman: Is it really ok to punch nazis?

$16.5M settlement reached in class-action lawsuit over mass arrests during 2010 G20 summit | CBC News

Meditations at the ringed fence around G20 Toronto - rabble.ca

Remaining Human: A Buddhist Perspective on Occupy Wall Street - Michael Stone

Brief: The Outside Agitator Conspiracy Trope (w/Dr. Peniel Joseph) — Conspirituality

Anti-fascists linked to zero murders in the US in 25 years | Donald Trump | The Guardian