Everyday Anarchism

Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and co-author of The Parkinson's Plan, dives deep into the environmental roots of Parkinson's disease. He argues that man-made chemicals are significant, preventable culprits behind rising rates of the illness. Dorsey connects the dots between industrialization and public health, revealing links between pesticides and Parkinson's risk. He emphasizes the need for radical changes and prevention strategies, offering practical actions to mitigate risks and improve lives. A compelling call for a healthier future!

D.W. Gibson, an author and journalist known for his work on the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, shares insights from his book, One Week to Change the World. He discusses how the Seattle protests catalyzed modern anarchism and the role of diverse coalitions—from farmers to punks—in shaping grassroots movements. Gibson contrasts the effectiveness of playful tactics with the challenges of police militarization and reflects on the changing perceptions of civil disobedience. He emphasizes the importance of local organizing and building relationships for impactful activism.

Jay Dragon, a queer disabled game designer and editorial director at Possum Creek Games, dives into the fascinating intersection of games and societal structures. They explore how tabletop RPGs can serve as a lens to examine oppressive systems, discussing Wanderhome's almost ruleless design as an example. Jay highlights the playful tension created by rules, likening them to pleasurable constraints, and argues for a design ethos that encourages cooperative gameplay and challenges traditional power dynamics. Their insights connect gaming with broader conversations on justice and community.

Robin Schuldenfrei rejoins me to talk more Bauhaus! In this episode, we discuss her book Luxury and Modernism, covering the complexities of the Bauhaus, which had a leftwing ethos but produced luxury objects, and made them by hand to appear machine made. Robin talks us through how the contradiction between luxury and egalitarianism ran from Morris's arts and crafts movement to the Bauhaus, and modernism only became a truly "everyday" part of life during the colossal expansion of middle-class wealth in the midcentury, as celebrated by Life magazine and recreated in the show Mad Men

John McGowan joins me to discuss Liberty as Independence, Quentin Skinner's new book about the way that our ideals of liberty were formed in in 17th and 18th century debates. The book covers legendary figures, such as Hobbes, Milton, Locke, Swift, Paine, and Jefferson, as well as many lesser-known figures that they engaged with.For more from John McGowan, here's the link to his blog: https://jzmcgowan.com/public-intelligence-blog/ Finally, I'd like to apologize to Badger from The Wind in the Willows. In this episode, I repeatedly refer to him as "Mr. Badger." He is simply, as befits his status, Badger or The Badger. I regret the error.

Nathan Gelgud joins me to discuss Reel Politik, a comics collection about a group of Brechtian revolutionaries who take over the movie theatre they work in.Nathan and I discuss our shared love for movies, the radical nature of paying attention to a movie screen, and The Chelsea Theater, a local movie theatre in Chapel Hill that Nathan and I both love (I even worked there!). Many thanks to Bruce Stone, who ran The Chelsea for decades!You can find the book here: https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/reel-politik/

Pastor Micah joins me to share a radical reading of the Book of Genesis in which wealth isn't a blessing on God's people, but a curse!I recently appeared on Micah's podcast, The Word in Black and Red, to discuss the 10 Commandments with Micah. That link is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s-2-20-exodus-19-20-arrival-at-mt-sanai-the-ten-commandments/id1682991552?i=1000730399185I also recently appeared on The Skeptical Leftist podcast! That link is here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/skepticalleftist/episodes/The-Anti-Influencers-Case-For-Anarchism-with-Graham-Culbertson-e3a0a4jAnd the YouTube video of that conversation is here (I didn't watch): https://youtu.be/YXYH1ngF30A?si=4DMONaFxIUGRuCNc

Alfie Kohn returns to the show to discuss his new podcast, the role of teachers in social progress, and why someone's view on chatbots in the classroom tells you eveything you need to know about their view of education.You can listen to Kohn's Zone wherever you get your podcasts, or get it straight from his website: https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/

Cory Doctorow, an influential author and tech activist, dives deep into the concept of 'enshittification'—the decline of digital platforms. He describes a three-stage decay process where platforms first gain user trust, then prioritize profit from businesses over user experience, and finally extract value until little remains. Doctorow discusses the power dynamics at play, the need for restoring competition, and how tech workers can reclaim rights. He also shares insights on using digital activism and regulatory coalitions to combat these trends.

More than any other individual, Henry Fonda was a symbol for better, more leftist, more social democratic America, from The Grapes of Wrath to 12 Angry Men. He even played an English professor who faced cancellation for teaching anarchist literature!Then in the 1960s, he was the literal father figure that New Left Hollywood figures Jane and Peter Fonda were rebelling against. And Henry let himself be used as a villain in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, playing the embodiment of rapacious American capitalism.Alexander Horwath weaves together all these threads into his essay film Henry Fonda for President. As we live in a world haunted by 50 years of neoliberal decay, the America Fonda represented seems further away than ever, even as his films still crackle with righteous rage against injustice. Alex and I talk about all these issues and more - I hope you enjoy the conversation, and see the film when you have a chance!