Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On the edition of Parallax Views, sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew, co-author of Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria, returns to discuss the story that won't die: Havana Syndrome. Bartholomew dives deep into his recent Skeptical Inquirer piece, "Smoke and Mirrors: The 60 Minutes ‘Breakthrough’ on Havana Syndrome Exposed," critically analyzing the recent media coverage surrounding Havana Syndrome, particularly the claims made on CBS's 60 Minutes. During the discussion, Bartholomew breaks down the historical context of mass psychogenic illness and applies it to the mysterious symptoms experienced by U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers. He challenges the popular narrative attributing the syndrome to foreign attacks and explores how misinformation, hysteria, and media sensationalism may have played a significant role in shaping public perceptions. The episode sheds light on the evidence, or lack thereof, surrounding the Havana Syndrome phenomenon and emphasizes the importance of scientific skepticism when dealing with high-profile public health scares. Listeners interested in media criticism, psychological phenomena, and the intersection of science and public discourse will find this episode to be a compelling dive into the real story behind the embassy mystery. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that questions mainstream narratives and urges listeners to think critically about sensationalist headlines.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Henry Burke of the Revolving Door Project joins the show to discuss an article he co-wrote with Max Moran for The American Prospect entitled "What We Talk About When We Talk About the Revolving Door". Burke offers a critical examination of the revolving door phenomenon, where government officials transition into lucrative positions in the private sector and vice versa, often leading to conflicts of interest and the perpetuation of corrupt corporate practices. The conversation explores the urgent need to crack down on these unethical practices that undermine democracy and public trust. Burke and J.G. Michael also discuss journalist Matthew Yglesias' recent defense of the revolving door, and the criticisms Burke and Moran have of Yglesias' perspective. Ultimately, Burke argues that we need to challenge the normalization of the revolving door and calls for greater accountability in both corporate and governmental spheres. Other subjects that get mentioned on this episode include: populism vs. faux populism, Kamala Harris and her promises to go after price-gouging in regard to groceries, the targeting of Chairperson of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler by corporate interests, the crypto industry, the Biden administration and progressive economic policies, and much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary. Rev. Dr. Theoharis delves into her recent article for TomDispatch, The Nation, and Counterpunch, where she critiques the Heritage Foundation's controversial Project 2025, likening it to an American version of Pax Romana. Key topics include the rise of right-wing Christian Nationalism, the conflict between the Christian Left and the Christian Nationalist agenda, and the implications of Project 2025 for labor rights and the working class. The conversation also covers the intersection of militarism, the war on the poor, the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and bipartisan support for the military-industrial complex, which diverts resources from critical needs like healthcare and affordable housing. Additionally, the episode examines the influence of Pax Americana and parallel rises of Christian Nationalism and neoliberalism in the United States. We'll also discuss the social justice work that the Poor People's Campaign and Kairos Center are engaged in, especially during this year's election season.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Asaf Elia-Shalev joins the show to discuss his riveting book, Israel's Black Panthers. This episode uncovers the untold story of Israel's Black Panthers, a radical Mizrahi movement from the 1970s, drawing critical parallels between the FBI's COINTELPRO and the Israeli security state's targeting of the Panthers. The discussion highlights the intense conflicts between Israel's Black Panthers and figures like Meir Kahane, Golda Meir, and the police, including the significant events of The Night of the Panthers and Operation Milk. Listeners will gain insights into the racism faced by Mizrahi Jews, the internal conflict between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews, and how the Mizrahi community's political alignment shifted towards the right-wing Likud Party under Menachem Begin. The episode also explores the complex relationship between Israel's Black Panthers and Palestinians, and shines a spotlight on Reuven Abergel, one of the movement’s key co-founders. Essential listening for anyone interested in Middle Eastern history, social justice, and the dynamics of political activism.

On this edition of Parallax Views, San Francisco-based journalist Gil Duran, a former communications director for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein & Kamala Harris (during her time as Attorney General), joins the show to discuss the big tech oligarchs backing Donald Trump, JD Vance, and MAGA this election season and their strange, science fiction-sounding techno-authoritarian vision for America. Gil Duran recently wrote two pieces in The New Republic that will form the basis for this conversation. The first, "Where J.D. Vance Gets His Weird, Terrifying Techno-Authoritarian Ideas", deals with JD Vance and the figure of Mencius Moldbug aka Curtis Yarvin, both of whom have a conneciton to Peter Thiel. Moldbug/Yarvin, for the uninitiated, is a key figure in the formation of what's come to be known as "Neo-Reaction" (NRx). Yarvin has promoted many ideas over the years, including the creation of corporate-controlled sovereign "realms" such as an imagined version of San Francisco called "Friscorps". These realms would essentially serve as panopticon-esque Orwellian surveillance systems. For example, in regard to his concept of Friscorps, Yarvin writes: “All residents, even temporary visitors, carry an ID card with RFID response. All are genotyped and iris-scanned. Public places and transportation systems track everyone. Security cameras are ubiquitous. Every car knows where it is, and who is sitting in it, and tells the authorities both.” We'll delve into Yarvin's ideas about patchworks, his strange writings about using humans as biodiesel fuel, and, most importantly, how his RAGE (Retire All Government Employees) plan bears similarties to Project 2025. And yes, as previously mentioned, we'll discuss how both Vance and Yarvin are tied to Peter Thiel. The second article, also from The New Republic, that informs much of Gil and I's discussion is entitled "The Tech Baron Seeking to Purge San Francisco of 'Blues'". That piece deals with the figure of venture capitalist Balaji Srinivasan and his rather right-wing, techno-authoritarian vision for San Francisco vis-a-vis a concept called the Network State. We'll delve into Srinivasan's ideas about the Network State as well as a concept he refers to as "techno-Zionism" and the conflict between what he calls the gray tribe (tech-loyalists) and the blue tribe (liberal voters). According to Duran, Srinivasan's vision involves purging Blues from San Francisco. “Take total control of your neighborhood. Push out all Blues. Tell them they’re ... unwelcome,” Srinivasan says, "Just as Blues ethnically cleanse me out of San Francisco, like, push out all Blues.” We'll dissect exactly what Srinivasan meant by that and much more. Additionally, Gil and I will delve into why these figures are fascinated by the figure of French philosopher Rene Girard and his writings on the scapegoat mechanism of mimetic theory, how these figures are influenced by the controversial legal theorist Carl Schmitt (who worked for the Nazis under Hitler's Third Reich) and Schmitt's concept of the Sovereign and the State of Exception, and much, much more. In other words, you'll be hearing episode pulling the curtain back on the Silicon Valley/venture capitalist right-wing in California and America more broadly.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Stan Cox, a regular contributor at TomDispatch and the author of The Path to a Livable Future: A New Politics to Fight Climate Change, Racism, and the Next Pandemic and The Green New Deal and Beyond: Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can, joins the show to discuss the article he recently co-wrote with Priti Gulati Cox entitled "Starvation in Sudan". We discuss the way in which both the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) paramilitaries and the government-backed SAF (Sudanese Army Forces) in Sudan having been using starvation as a weapon of war. Now, starvation is in full effect in Sudan with the Sudanese people caught in the middle of the RSF and SAF. It is, in a word, a massive humanitarian crisis that the U.S. has done little to stop. Even much needed humanitarian aid is not getting into Sudan at this point. Many Sudanese have already been displaced and the situation is getting worse by the day.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we delve into the explosive story of a software company and corporate landlords accused of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to artificially jack-up prices in the U.S. rental housing market. Lee Hepner of the American Economic Liberties Project joins the show to discuss the scandal-plagued software company RealPage and algorithmic price-fixing in the U.S. rental housing market as well as what was recently described in The Atlantic as the emerging "AI Price Fixing Dystopia". We'll talk about how the relationship between vacancies and rental prices has changed since the introduction of software of the kind RealPage is selling, the significance of the RealPage antitrust case, and how scandals like this tie into the issue of evictions and homelessness. We'll also delve into broader issues related to cartels and the threat monopoly capital poses to U.S. consumers, the Google antitrust lawsuit and Judge Amit Mehta ruling that Google is a monopolist in violation of antitrust laws, the significance of the Google antitrust lawsuit and what could come of it, the Federal Trade Commision's Lina Khan and Department of Justice Jonathan Kanter & the antirust project, how price fixing also ties into food and airline prices, countering anti-antitrust propaganda, the concept of "greedflation" as the cause of inflation, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, a few short months ago I had the opportunity to speak with Moshe Machover amidst the horrors we are seeing in Gaza. for the unfamiliar, Moshe Machover has become known as "The First of the Last Israeli Anti-Zionist". Born in Tel Aviv when Israel was still British Mandate Palestine, Machover was one of the founders of Matzpen, Officially known as the Socialist Organisation in Israel, Matzpen were a group of Israelis who broke away from Maki, the Israeli Communist Party. Matzpen believed in radical, left-wing, revolutionary politics and were proponents of anti-Zionism from a socialist perspective. On September 22, 1967, three months after Six-Day War that ended with the Israeli capture and occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, an ad appeared in the pages of the Israeli publication Haaretz. A Declaration of only 52 words in length, it read: Our right to defend ourselves from extermination does not give us the right to oppress others.   Occupation entails foreign rule.   Foreign rule entails resistance.   Resistance entails repression.   Repression entails terror and counter-terror.   The victims of terror are mostly innocent people   Holding on to the occupied territories will turn us into a nation of murderers and murder victims   Let us get out of the occupied territories immediately.   The ad was accompanied by a number of signatures, including Moshe Machover. In this conversation we'll discuss that declaration as well as Machover's analysis of influential Revisionist Zionist Vladimir Jabotinsky's seminal text The Iron Wall. Machover wrote a translation of the infamous Jabotinsky essay for Jewish Voice for Labour that can be read here. In addition to discussing Matzpen, the 1967 Declaration that appeared in Haaretz, and Jabotinsky's Iron Wall we will also delve into why Moshe, as a socialist, opposes Zionism and his socialist analysis of Israel in relation to the phenomena of colonialism. Moshe describes colonization as "like a gas" that seeks to occupy all available space and continually expand.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Scott Horton of the Scott Horton show and author of such books as Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan and Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism returns to discuss the ongoing fundraising campaign for his non-profit, The Libertarian Institute. We talk about a number of issues including the OKC bombing, Waco, federal entrapments plots, the co-opting of antiwar politics by right-wing hawks-posing-as-doves, Peter Thiel and the oligarchic war machine, where Scott disagrees with realist John Mearsheimer's assessment of conflict between the U.S. and China, and much, much more. This is a pretty free-flowing conversation that goes down some interesting avenues, particularly if you're interested in the OKC bombing and Waco, but also for the criticisms Scott makes of the National Conservatism movement that previous guests on Parallax Views such as Kelley Vlahos and James W. Carden have made recently.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Creamhound's Walker and Z. Behl joins the show to discuss their TrueAnon-approved, controversy-stirring, and darkly humorous board game Storm the Capitol. Described cheekily as "Insurrection in a Box!", Storm the Capitol allows you to relive the madness of the January 6th Capitol attack as either a MAGA "patriot" that needs to help Donald Trump "Stop the Steal" or a member of the Capitol police trying to stop them. Needless to say, some have been offended by the game, even assuming that it's a pro-MAGA board game. A look at the game, however, reveals that it's a satirical poke-in-the-eye to our politics-as-pro-wrestling media circus spectacle with its darkly, even gallows-esque, sense of humor rather than an endorsement of MAGA or the January 6th insurrection. We'll discuss the game, its mechanics, how it came to be during the days of the pandemic, the reactions to and controversy stirred up by the game, the lameness of moral tut-tutting about the game, the influence of punk rock on the game, and some of the game's jokes about QAnon, MAGA's alleged obsession with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's feet, indie rockers (cough... Ariel Pink... cough) who participate in the January 6th Capitol attack, the QAnon shaman, and more. Yes, a lot of horrible things happened on January 6th. But it was also a day where a guy dressed in face paint carrying a spear and animal headdress stormed the capitol building. It was like something out of a David Lynch movie. A completely surreal, absurd moment in American history. And there's something darkly comical about that absurdity. Which is what made it perfect fodder for a satirical board game. We'll discuss all that and much more on this edition of the show.