What Rough Beast

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with the great writer and reporter John Jeremiah Sullivan. We discuss: * John’s forthcoming book "The Prime Minister of Paradise" about Christian Gottlieb Priber, a radical Enlightenment thinker who established a utopian experiment among the Cherokee in 1730s America* How Priber's vision for "Paradise" included revolutionary principles that were ahead of their time: religious tolerance, racial equality, democratic governance, and rejection of slavery* The forgotten history of radical Enlightenment ideas in early America and how they influenced (but weren't fully embraced by) the founding fathers* The parallel between today's political threats to democracy and the tension between enlightenment and anti-enlightenment forces that has existed throughout American history* The importance of identifying and defending the core enlightenment principles that make the American experiment worth fighting forWhat Rough Beast is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with the great Ben Meiselas, co-host (and -founder) of the chart-busting MeidasTouch, and USC Law Professor. Virginia also recently profiled Meiselas for The New Republic.In this episode, we talk about:* How politics has become "gamified" like sports entertainment, with people choosing political figures like they'd pick fighters in a video game rather than focusing on underlying issues and values* The contrast between Meidas Touch Network's approach (focused on empathy, compassion, and data-driven analysis) versus rage-driven media algorithms* How sports and entertainment are being used as tools for political messaging; think of UFC, WWE figures, and sports teams visiting the White House* The concerning overlap between entertainment spectacle and serious governance, with political conversations being treated like debates about reality TV* Meidas Touch Network's stunning growth metrics, now generating more views than Fox News and more podcast downloads than Joe RoganThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.Magic + Loss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Mandeep Tiwana of CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists working to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world. And CIVICUS just added the United States to its Watchlist. In this episode, we talk about:* Why CIVICUS has put the U.S. on a democracy watchlist alongside countries like Serbia and Congo* The scary erosion of basic American freedoms like protesting, speaking out, and organizing* How America's gone through rough patches before, but why this time feels way more alarming* How democracy is torn down with alarming speed, and takes decades and centuries to rebuild * What regular Americans can do to spot these freedom-crushing red flags before things get even worseThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new episodes and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Michael Tomasky, author, journalist and editor of The New Republic. In this episode, we talk about:* The media earthquake nobody's talking about - this was the FIRST election where Fox News and right-wing media actually out-muscled the mainstream press in setting the national agenda (and it explains SO much about Trump's win)* The impossible trap journalists face today: try to debunk crazy stories about "immigrants eating pets" and you end up amplifying the very nonsense you're fighting against 🤦‍♀️* All the wild stuff happening just LAST WEEK - from Trump's team spilling military secrets in Signal chats to straight-up extorting law firms (and Michael doesn't hold back on what this says about their contempt for rules)* A brilliant idea that could save Democrats: create a "shadow government" like the Brits do, with designated people to tackle each Trump disaster instead of everyone scrambling to respond to everything* Proof that good journalism still matters! The New Republic's reporting actually forced the Trump administration to restore a program tracking Ukrainian children taken by Russians (small wins in dark times) This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Nicholas Dames, a Columbia professor and editor-in-chief of Public Books. In this episode, we talk about:* The importance of political imagination in building community beyond our immediate circles of concern* How George Eliot's "Middlemarch" offers a model for empathetic action even during challenging times* The tension between stoicism and engagement as responses to political upheaval* How today's college students face unique anxieties about their futures and limited optionsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Eric Reinhart, a physician-anthropologist of law, psychiatry, and public health and a psychoanalytic clinician in Chicago. A recent piece of his, “RFK Jr.’s Mental Health Bait and Switch,” recently appeared in The New Republic. In this episode, we talk about:⭐️ How the politics of health and mental healthcare are intertwined, and how clinical approaches often focus too narrowly on individual interventions rather than addressing broader social determinants of health⭐️ The weaponization of mental health critiques by political figures like RFK Jr. and the Trump administration, who accurately identify problems in our healthcare system but propose destructive rather than constructive solutions⭐️ How mental health "destigmatization" has benefited some groups while further marginalizing others, particularly those with serious mental illness⭐️ The need for community-based care models and public infrastructure that values neighbor-to-neighbor support rather than solely relying on medical professionals⭐️ The connection between eugenicist ideologies and certain public health approaches that prioritize individual responsibility over structural solutionsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

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 politicsThis episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism. What Rough Beast is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

You’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Nika Dubrovsky, artist, author and founder of the Museum of Care with her late husband, the anthropologist David Graeber. We discuss:⭐️ The collapse of empires: Nika draws fascinating parallels between the fall of the Soviet Union and current trends in American society, suggesting we may be witnessing the collapse of the American empire similar to how the Soviet system unexpectedly disappeared "from one day to another."⭐️ The Museum of Care: An innovative project Nika conceived with her late husband David Graeber during COVID, reimagining museum spaces as networks of care rather than consumption, with a physical location now developing in St. Vincent using an abandoned ship.⭐️ Decolonizing the Enlightenment: Exploring how Enlightenment ideas weren't solely Western European inventions but developed through conversations with indigenous populations and in places like Madagascar, challenging traditional historical narratives.⭐️ Feminist economic theory: Nika shares David Graeber's perspective that "the best thing that happened in the 20th century is feminism," explaining how their work recognizes the undervalued care work primarily performed by women in cultural institutions.⭐️ Finding community amid collapse: Even as empires fall, we can create meaningful communities based on "solidarity and mutual aid" rather than utopian ideals.To hear our discussion, you’ll need to be a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. So if you’re not a subscriber, please sign up now! Subscriptions are $6 per month or $60 for the year. (Can’t afford a subscription? Send us an email and we’ll give you a freebie, no questions asked.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comYou’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Brooke Harrington, author of Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism and a professor of sociology at Dartmouth, about:⭐️ The rise of the "broligarchy": how today's tech billionaire bros are playing a whole different game than old-sch…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiaheffernan.substack.comYou’re listening to What Rough Beast!We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with Baratunde Thurston about: ⭐️ The accelerated harm in current politics: how quickly harmful policies are being implemented, affecting immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, federal workers, and international relations.⭐️ The crisis of democracy and c…