You’re listening to What Rough Beast!
We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Ben Tarnoff, whose latest book is Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future. We discuss:
⭐️ How the dynamics between Trump and Musk reveal surprising power shifts, with Musk emerging as the dominant figure in what many describe as an unexpected alliance
⭐️ The deep connections between toxic masculinity and tech culture, including how Silicon Valley's ethos of "conquest" and "elimination of opponents" aligns with MAGA politics
⭐️ How wealth in tech capitalism is socially created but privately owned, and how this contradiction is filtered through gendered thinking about individualism versus interdependency
⭐️ The performance of hyper-masculinity across socioeconomic spectrums, from struggling men to billionaires like Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk
⭐️ The potential fractures within Trump's coalition and what they might mean for the future of his administration and American politics
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