Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Lance, one half of the YouTube lefty comedy duo The Serfs, joins us to discuss The Serfs getting removed from YouTube and the grassroots campaign that has brought it back, algorithms and the alt right pipeline, combating the right-wing presence on YouTube, the lefty YouTube equivalent Breadtube, and The Serfs taking on Intellectual Dark Web figures like Joe Rogan and Stefan Molyneux. We get into some doom 'n' gloom that explains how we got in our present politico-cultural predicament as well as the opening that may exist for getting out of it. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views! CHECK OUT THE SERFS ON YOUTUBE! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

Here's an Easter gift from Parallax Views! Slimy Clearing's Nathan Sacket and I discuss the April 19th "Great Debate" that saw public intellectuals Jordan B. Peterson, the Jungian psychologist of the Intellectual Dark Web, and Slavoj Zizek, the Slovenian bear and Hegelian-Lacanian philosopher, face off in the squared circle... er, the Sony Center in Toronto. The debate was titled "Happiness: Capitalism Vs. Marxism" and generated a great deal of fanfare for both Peterson and Zizek. Nathan and I tackle the debate as well as what it means and represents in a larger context, and Nathan argues pointedly that we can do better.

On this Easter weekend edition of Parallax Views, filmmaker Brian Rosenquist joins us to discuss the Christian scare films of Ron Ormond. Evangelical convert Ron Ormond, along with his wife June Ormond and the help of Baptist minister Estus W. Pirkle, created supremely bizarre, gory, and shocking movies meant to literally scare the hell out of sinners and convert them to Christianity. Ormond's notorious "Christsploitation" films The Burning Hell, The Believer's Heaven, The Grim Reaper, and the anti-communist Red Scare flick If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do? scarred a generation of Sunday school children before becoming sought after cult classics of the cinematic underground vis-à-vis the legendary experimental band Negativland's sampling of If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do? in their hit single, played at college radio stations across America, "Christianity is Stupid". Brian fills us in on the life, times, and films of the Ormonds and tells us about his upcoming documentary about the Ormonds on this edition of Parallax Views. Brian Rosenquist

Drugs. Sex. Rock 'n' Roll. Big hairdos. They're the hallmarks of 80s/90s glam metal, which is finally experiencing its nostalgia moment thanks to the new Motley Crue biopic The Dirt on Netflix. Everyone knows the stories of sleazy rock star debauchery on the Sunset Strip, but what about the female perspective on those wild days? Joining us on this edition of Parallax Views is Bobbie Jean Brown, author of Dirty Rocker Boys: Love and Lust on the Sunset Strip and a starring figure in Fuse's reality TV hit Ex-Wives of Rock, to discuss the her life on the Sunset Strip from activating a millions of teenaged libidos in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" music video to marrying Warrant's Jani Lane and dating Motley Crue's Tommy Lee. Bobbie Brown as "The Cherry Pie Girl" in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" music video The conversation begins with Bobbie and I discussing the Alice in Wonderland-esque "down the rabbit hole" nature of Bobbie going from a quite life in Louisiana to becoming the hottest girl on L.A.'s Sunset Strip. From there we get Bobbie's take on modeling and her long winning streak on Starsearch before delving into how she became the it girl of glam metal in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" music video. We discuss what life was like in Hollywood in the 90s and her experiences dating rock star's like Warrant's Jani Lani and Motley Crue, the later of whom controversially broke things off with Bobbie to marry Baywatch's Pamela Anderson. Additionally, we discuss some of Bobbie's experiences working on Married... With Children,her former interest in the occult, thoughts on the #MeToo movement, the Netflix's Motley Crue biopic The Dirt, online dating, and her recent work in the realm of stand-up comedy! Bobbie Brown and Warrant's Jani Lane Bobbie Brown and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee Bobbie Brown still rockin' today! Check out Bobbie's new book Cherry on Top! Coming out in July! And be sure to read Dirty Rocker Boys SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

A fine detail of the latest budget proposal by President Donald Trump is that it will defund the federal agency responsible for compensating first responders to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack who were adversely effected by the dust and degrees at Ground Zero in New York. The story of 9/11's "Deadly Dust", however, goes much deeper and the lives it has damaged reaches far beyond the heroic first responders of that fateful September day. Joining us on this edition of Parallax Views to discuss the full story of 9/11's Deadly Dust is Jenna Orkin, who has tirelessly pursued the saga as a journalist, activist, and concerned parent in the vicinity of Ground Zero since its earliest stages. Jenna Orkin We begin by discussing how Jenna became involved in activism related to 9/11's deadly dust. From there we delve into a number of different areas including the EPA's assurances that "the air is safe to breathe" after 9/11 and the conflicts of interest that existed with then EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. Jenna and I dive deep into the asbestos and toxins that were inhalable throughout New York in the aftermath of 9/11 and the lives adversely affected by it, including schoolchildren. We also discuss how the media covered the story initially and how the saga of 9/11's deadly dust has changed since those days. Additionally, Jenna tells us about her work with investigative journalist Michael C. Ruppert, the 5th anniversary of whose death will occur on April 13th, and how Ruppert's work on 9/11, peak oil, Wall Street, and energy issues ties into not only Jenna's writings on the 9/11 deadly dust but also a broader picture of our world and where it is headed. Read Ground Zero Wars: The Fight to Reveal the Lies of the EPA in the Wake of 9/11 and Clean-Up Lower Manhattan by Jenna Orkin Read Scout: A Memoir of Investigative Journalist Michael C. Ruppert by Jenna Orkin SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

There's a meme, perpetuated by figures like "Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings" Ben Shapiro and "Not An Argument" Stefan Molyneux, that the left runs only on emotion while the right are the bastions logic, reason, and Rationality(TM). Ben Burgis, author of the upcoming book Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left, disagrees and joins us on this supersized edition of Parallax Views to DESTROY the right-wing noise machine. Ben Burgis is a regular contributor at The Michael Brooks Show, The Serfs, and Zero Books (publisher of Ben's upcoming book) as well as a Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. Ben Burgis DESTROYING someone like Ben Shapiro on The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder  The conversation begins with Ben describing his background as a professor who teaches critical reasoning before explaining what drove him to write the upcoming book Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left. We then delve into online obsession, particularly on YouTube, for debates with "[X] DESTROYS [Y]" in the titles and how Ben feels about the way rhetoric, logic, and debate have been twisted by the right. In addition, Ben and I discuss some of the fallacies that occur during debates such as the ad hominem and the appeal to authority. From there the discussion takes many twists and turns too numerous to get into in this synopsis. We discuss issues such as transgender acceptance, "Social Justice Warriors", deplatforming, cultural appropriation, the notion of "The West", Hume's Law as it relates to Ben Shapiro, social constructivism vs. standpoint epistemology, how Ben DESTROYS the right's "I AM AN APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTER" argument, equality of opportunity vs equality of outcome, and the ideas of Karl Marx amongst much, much more. We even get into the idea of panpsychism unexpectedly but naturally! Hear Ben Burgis on The Michael Brooks Show Patreon's Exclusive Segment "The Debunk" Every Week!  SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we probe the possible intersection between the ideology of Silicon Valley tech culture's obsession with strong AI, or General Artificial Intelligence, and the issues of racism and white supremacy with David Golumbia, author of The Cultural Logic of Computation, The Politics of Bitcoin: Software as Right-Wing Extremism, and the recent essay (and subject of this episode) "The Great White Robot God: Artificial General Intelligence and White Supremacy". We begin the conversation by discussing how David became interested in the topic of philosophy and ideology as it relates to tech culture. David explains how he was interested in the analytic philosophy of figures like Hilary Putnam, specifically the philosophy of language as it relates to mind, and its relation to the left intellectual tradition. In particular, David discusses the computational model of understanding the mind and why he has been critical of it. Additionally, David notes how he saw the early tech culture, or computer liberation, as engaging with right-wing ideology as opposed to left-wing intellectual traditions. During this portion of the conversation we delve into the philosophical differences between the left and right's intellectual traditions, and especially how they view freedom in extremely different ways. From there delve into what's been called the Silicon Ideology or the California Ideology, and in particular it's obsession with logic and rationality. During this portion of the conversation we delve into the elevation of rationality to a place of almost quasi-religious veneration by both elements of the tech community and the alt right as well as the denigration of emotion by both these elements. This leads us into the main topic of this episode, namely David's essay "The Great White Robot God: Artificial General Intelligence and White Supremacy". Sam Harris, the New Atheist leader that has become embroiled in the race/IQ discourse David explains how New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and, in particular, Sam Harris served to spur his interest in writing the Great White Robot God essay. David notes that figures like Harris and Dawkins have become entangled in Islamophobic rhetoric and the race/IQ discourse. We delve into how the ideology of New Atheists seem to coincide not only with a number of right-wing talking points but also the Silicon Valley tech culture. David navigates us through the ways in which Artificial General Intelligence, or strong AI (see The Terminator or The Matrix movies for pop culture imaginings of the topic), seems to coalesce with the race/IQ discourse. During this portion of the conversation we discuss how the popular conception of AI is, in David's words, philosophically incoherent, why David views ideas like Ray Kurzweil's Singularity as crankery, and delve into the ideas of Eliezer Yudkowsky and his Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI). Although Yudkowsky steadfastly distances himself from the alt right, David argues that Yudkowsky's thinking, along with much of the Silicon Valley tech community as a whole, dovetails with the alt right. David Golumbia SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we uncover a world of mass hysteria and medical malpractice known colloquially as the Satanic Panic with journalist Joseph L. Flatley, author of Satan Goes to the Mind Control convention, and Lucien Greaves, founder of The Satanic Temple. In Reagan's America, the 1980s, the suburbs became gripped with a paranoia. Through and amalgamation of the Christian Right, television hucksters, and "repressed memory therapists" a narrative arose that cadres of secret-devil-worshippers-next-door were conspiring to bring impressionable youths under the thrall of Satan through everything from Dungeons and Dragons to heavy metal. Out of this came a number of people claiming to have been victims of "Satanic Ritual Abuse" and mind control alongside a number of dubious mental health professionals who bolstered them. Joseph and Lucien describe how this strange moment in American pop culture came to be and it's serious ramifications for both those accused and for the patients taken advantage of by the mental health figures that helped promote the panic. Dr. Colin Ross At the center of Joseph's telling of this sordid affair is the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and it's founder Dr. Colin Ross. Joseph and Flatley fill listeners in with what this seemingly credible-sounding organization really believes and what they promote including conspiracy theories about Satanic ritual abuse, mind control, and other conspiracy theories. In addition we delve into the character of ISSTD's founder Dr. Colin Ross and the case of one of his patients, Roma Hart, who suffered greatly under Ross's "care". Ross claims to be an expert on mind control, often citing the legitimate and disturbing CIA project MK-ULTRA, but, Joseph and Lucien argue, seem to engage in some of the very same practices of MK-ULTRA and various cults. Roma's story, in particular, is a chilling one that we cover in-depth. Additionally, we discuss "The Satanic Panic" in light of the "conspiracy presidency" of Donald J. Trump and conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate. Also, Lucien discusses some matters related to the Satanic Temple including his appearance on Tucker Carlson's FOX News program and the Satanic Temple bid to erect a Baphomet statue at the Oklahoma Capitol in response to the Christian Right's attempt to install a Ten Commandments Statue there. Joseph L. Flatley Lucien Greaves Grey Faction, a Campaign by the Satanic Temple to Expose the Past and Current Impacts of the Satanic Panic and ISSTD

On the eve of WrestleMania 35, which will be presented by WWE this Sunday April 7th, 2019, journalist David Bixenspan joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to discuss his reporting on the world of pro wrestling. Hot off the heels of John Oliver's recent segment on treatment of pro wrestlers within the industry, David and I discuss all of wrestling's various controversies from pay to steroids to the depiction of race and gender in the sports entertainment spectacle. Additionally, we discuss how media has covered the topic over the years and how the product has changed through the decades. Links and Resources for This Episode: Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce David Bixenspan Article Archive The Concussion Legacy Foundation (founded by former WWE superstar Chris Nowinski)

On this edition of Parallax Views it's another double feature! Two guests, one episode! First up a return conversation with "The Newsvandal" JP Sottile recorded only hours ago on the hot off the presses developments in the fallout from Russiagate and the end of the Mueller Probe. Then journalist Jaya Sundaresh joins us to discuss a number of topics related to media and activism as well as her recent piece on a new play by the legendary playwright Ishamel Reed that criticizes the musical phenomenon of Hamilton on historical and political grounds. JP Sottile Jaya Sundaresh