Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Peter Grinspoon, MD joins the show to discuss his new book Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth About Marijuana. Peter is the son of Lester Grinspoon, who was one of the top researchers into cannabis and psychedelics at Harvard. Peter's approach to marijuana is a bit different and unique as he takes aims at the myths perpetuated by reefer pessimists (those who think marijuana is the devil's plant) and cannatopians (those who consider marijuana a no-downsides miracle plant). We'll discuss the effects of marijuana on youths, the question of marijuana and disorders like schizophrenia, the medical benefits of marijuana, a story about Peter hanging out with science popularizer Carl Sagan (Sagan was a friend of the Grinspoon family and a marijuana advocate), thoughts on psychedelic research (and the question of whether Timothy Leary's effect on said research was positive or negative), and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Neil Howe, coiner of the term "Millennial", joins us to discuss his new book The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End. Howe, alongside his late colleague William Struass, came up with a generational view of history that emphasized history being cyclical rather than linear. This came about when Howe began to wonder about the differences between Baby Boomers and the GI Generation. Strauss and Howe's work has influenced a diverse range of figures including former Vice President Al Gore, progressive radio host Thom Hartmann, and, most infamously, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon (who made a documentary, Generation Zero, that was heavily influenced by the Fourth Turning theory). Neil and I will discuss the ins-and-outs of the Fourth Turning, generational archetypes, community vs. atomization, the decline of academia and academic disciplines, and much, misunderstanding about the Fourth Turning, whether the Howe-Strauss generational theory of history ignores material and identity (like gender) related issues, culture, and much more in this wide-ranging conversation.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Grant M. Gallagher of the upcoming history podcast New Disorder: a History of the 21st Century returns to discuss his June 5th, 2023 Newsweek op-ed "Why AI Panic is Not About Safety". We delve into how Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI and a signatory of the Center for AI Safety's recent statement about the potential dangers of AI, has been at the forefront of calling for safety regulations in lieu of current concerns about the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies. But is all of this simply about AI safety, or ensuring regulations that are on the terms of and to the benefit of figures like Altman and their companies? Gallagher makes this argument in the op-ed and we delve into it more in this conversation about the AI Panic. This is not to say that there aren't legitimate concerns about AI, but rather that the way concerns about AI is currently being discussed conceal business interests and motivations. We also discuss ChatGPT and its potential biases, the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) strike in Hollywood (which is being driven by fears about AI), Henry Kissinger and the American political establishment, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Angel Studios movie Sound of Freedom, starring The Passion of the Christ's Jim Caviezel and Academy Award-winner Mira Sorvino, has become the sleeper indie hit of the summer. It purports to be based on the true life exploits of Tim Ballard, a former Department of Home Security official, and his fight to save children from the scourge of human trafficking in Colombia. The movie has been described as akin to the First Blood/Rambo movie or the Liam Neeson-starring Taken franchise, but based on a true story. Journalists Damion Moore and Lynn Packer of American Crime Journal, however, have been on the beat with regards to Tim Ballard the organization he co-founded Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.; Ballard has since resigned or, depending on your interpretation, been forced out of the organization) for a number of years now. Their reporting tells a very different story and paints a less flattering picture of Mr. Ballard. Damion Moore joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to unravel the true story of Sound of Freedom and Tim Ballard. We'll be covering the arrest of Earl Buchanan (the basis of the Tim Ballard/Sound of Freedom story), Mormonism, right-wing broadcaster Glenn Beck and his connection to Tim Ballard through the Nazarene Fund, the holes in Ballard's narrative and twisting of the truth, the "Rambo raid" story of Sound of Freedom vs. the reality, Sound of Freedom producer Eduardo Verástegui, how Sound of Freedom could harm/hurt efforts to fight human trafficking, the Jeffrey Epstein case, QAnon, the Wayfair child trafficking conspiracy theory, the Tim Ballard "White Board meeting" and profiteering/money-making, human/child trafficking cases (Elizabeth Frasier and Coco Berthmann), Utah attorney General Sean Reyes and his connections to Tim Ballard, Tim Ballard's during his days in the Department of Homeland Security and President Obama's record of immigrant deportation, American Crime Journal's coverage of the Eliza Bleu case, Tim Ballard's connections to Donald Trump, Tim Ballard and right-wing's "groomer" allegations against trans and LGBTQ+ activists, the problem with sensationalistic and tabloid true crime media and podcasts, and much, much more in this nearly 2 and a half hour conversation! Photo of the Tim Ballard "White Board" referenced in this episode. Thank you Damion Moore.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Richard Silverstein of the Tikun Olam blog returns to discuss the latest news in Israel/Palestine. We beging with a breakdown of the latest Israeli raid on Jenin and it's significance, the U.S. response, the resiliency of Palestinians, and related issues. From there we move onto the troubling story of an autistic Palestinian man who was killed by an Israeli police officer. Charges against said police officer were recently dropped and Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir mocked the dead man's mother calling her a "terrorist". We then wrap up the show with a discussion about Israeli-Russian national and academic Elizabeth Tsukov, who has done pro-Palestinian and human rights work, and her kidnapping by an Iraqi Shia militia. All that and more on this addition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Sam Fraser, researcher and senior communications associate at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, joins us to discuss the Biden administration's nomination of Elliott Abrams to the bipartisan United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. A few years ago Abrams, who was at that time appointed as the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela by the Trump administration, was in the news when Rep. Ilhan Omar confronted Abrams  on his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal and human rights abuses in Latin America. Why is a figure like Abrams, who was convicted for his involvement with Iran/Contra, still involved in international relations and U.S. foreign policy? And how do figures like Abrams sticking around effect U.S. relations with Latin American countries? These are just a few of the questions posed in this conversation and Sam's recent article "Biden’s disgraceful nomination of Elliott Abrams". This conversation will also delve into the history of the Ronald Reagan Presidency and U.S. foreign policy in that era. We'll discuss Iran-Contra for those who need a refresher, atrocities in El Salvador and Guatemala, dirty wars, death squads in Latin America in the 1980s, the Cold War, Abrams' praise for a dictator that's been convicted of genocide, how left-wing movements gain traction in Latin America and how they are suppressed by the right-wing, the military dictatorship of Gen. Fulgencio Batista and the rise of Fidel Castro, Juan Guaido and the failed coup against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, Brazilian President Lula Da Silva and Operation Car Wash, Hugo Chavez and failed coup attempts against him in the George W. Bush years, Israel/Palestine, the 2007 Gaza War between Fatah and Hamas, the history of the neocons (neoconservatives) and their role in U.S. foreign policy (also: are they still relevant?), lack of accountability in the U.S. foreign policy blob/establishment, Elliot Abrams and the Council on Foreign Relations, the democracy vs. autocracy debate and its contradictions, American exceptionalism and U.S. hegemony, and more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, geneticist Adam Rutherford joins us to discuss his new, timely book Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics. British philosopher John Gray, author of Stray Dogs, praised Control saying, "[Rutherford's] scientific demolition of the eugenic project is brilliantly illuminating and compelling. His book will be indispensable for anyone who wants to assess the wild claims and counter-claims surrounding new genetic technologies." Believe it or not, the idea, or pseudoscientific mindset as Rutherford refers to it, of eugenics did not die with WWII and the atrocities of the Nazi Third Reich. In fact, elements of it still linger in the culture today. This is why Rutherford wrote Control, a book that attempts to explore the history of eugenics, the opposition to it, and the scientific problems with it from the perspective of an accomplished geneticist. In this conversation we discuss not only the history of eugenics, but also the opposition to it from Christian like G.K. Chesterton, eugenics and H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, tackling modern eugenicist thinkers like Richard Lynn who offer an intellectual, pseudo-academic sheen to eugenics and the ways in which Rutherford believes we should pushback on their claims, and a even a brief discursion into Adam's work with filmmaker Alex Garland on the Natalie Portman-starring sci-fi movie Annihilation. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax Views, 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of V: The Original Miniseries. A two-part sci-fi television event that brought in around 33 million homes, V was ostensibly the story of reptilian alien invading earth to steal it's resources and turn the human population into a food source. However, beneath the surface it acted as a parable about how fascism and authoritarianism can take hold in a country. In fact, it was inspired by Sinclair Lewis' classic novel It Can't Happen Here and was initially not about malevolent extraterrestrial invaders at all. In this conversation we discuss how V came to be, the conspiracy theorists who take the miniseries and it's reptilian invasion literally and Kenny's response to them, V as a parable about fascism, Kenny's work with Vincent Price on An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe, what Kenny thinks of being compared to The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling due to his interest in sci-fi that deals with social issues, the TV how Alien Nation, the cast of V (which included such names as Marc Singer of The Beastmaster franchise, Robert Englund of Freddy Krueger fame, Jane Badler, Andrew Prine, and many others), the Holocaust and how it tied into the story of V, racism and diversity and the way those topics figured into V, Kenny's sequel novel to V entitled V: The Second Generation, the possibility of a big screen movie remake of the miniseries, looking back on V in the era of Trump (and anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theories), V's dealing with the topic of anti-science sentiments and how they can be damaging to society, the way in which V is about two powerful women (the heroine Juliet and the villainous reptilian alien Diana), the cinematic quality of V and its European theatrical release, the studio's lack of faith in V and belief that it's dealing with social issues of the time would be too intellectual for American audiences, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we dive into the wild world of pro wrestling, the parallels it has with politics, and even a diversion into Freemasonry with former pro wrestling manager turned political podcast extraordinaire Kenny "Starmaker" Bolin. Kenny Bolin worked as a heel (bad guy) manager in Ohio Valley Wrestling, the one-time developmental promotion for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that produced such stars as John Cena, Dave Bautista, Rico Constantino, and Rene Dupree among others. In fact, Bolin was OVW top heel that irked the fans into buying tickets because they hoped to see him get his comeuppance after insulting the audience. Kenny's lived a fascinating life growing up on pro wrestling, becoming a talent in OVW, and making friends like billionaire investor Mark Cuban and former Trump appointed White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci along the way. We begin the conversation by diving into the world of pro wrestling, how tickets are sold, the Memphis territory ran by the late Jerry Jarrett, the infamous feud that took place between comedian Andy Kaufman and wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler in the squared circle, and much, much more. From there we delve into the world of politics, what politics has learned from pro wrestling, and Kenny explains his immense dislike of Donald Trump. Near the end we delve into Kenny background, his experience with Freemasons and racist family members (including a biological father that was a key member of the KKK), thoughts on evangelical Christianity and televangelists, and much, much more! 

On this edition of Parallax Views, Charles Henry, President of the Council on Library and Information Resources, joins us to discuss the importance of preserving cultural memory and history in the digital age. Massive amount of information, if not properly maintained in this new digital era, could be lost to the sands of time. This incredible loss of knowledge, like the burning of the Library of Alexandria, would be catastrophic.. Simply put, it would amount to a digital dark age. In this conversation we discuss this issue in-depth as well as how climate change and it's consequences pose an immense threat, even arguably the number one threat, to retaining human knowledge and cultural memory. We also touch upon issues such as film/cinema preservation, the disinformation/misinformation problem, the pros and cons of massive information proliferation in the digital age, the digital age's amplification of marginalized voices, the digital memory hole and the problem with the "once it's on the internet it'll be around forever" mentality, and much, much more!