

This Is Hell!
This Is Hell!
Manufacturing Dissent since 1996
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 42min
AI's Environmental Footprint / Ashley Dawson
Ashley Dawson returns to discuss his new piece at the New York Review of Books, "The Costs of the Cloud: How much power does AI consume?" "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview.
Check out Ashley's article here: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/09/27/the-costs-of-the-cloud/
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Oct 6, 2025 • 1h 24min
How Western Ignorance Has Been Plundering Africa / Bronwen Everill
Bronwen Everill joins This Is Hell! to talk about her new book "Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance”, published by The New Press. https://thenewpress.org/authors/bronwen-everill/?v=eb65bcceaa5f
We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon.
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

Oct 1, 2025 • 1h 45min
The Global Economy Runs on Extraction / Laleh Khalili
Political Scientist Laleh Khalili joins us to discuss her new book, "Extractive Capitalism: How Commodities and Cronyism Drive the Global Economy" out now from Verso. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview.
Check out Laleh's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3405-extractive-capitalism
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Sep 29, 2025 • 1h 29min
The Destruction of Democracy to Christianize America / Matthew Boedy
Matthew Boedy, a scholar and author, dives into his book "The Seven Mountains Mandate," exploring the alarming rise of Christian nationalism in America. He discusses Turning Point USA's secretive goal of politicizing Christianity and their manipulative tactics. Boedy critiques their influence on democracy and reveals how their rhetoric can lead to potential political violence. He emphasizes the importance of democratic organizing to counter this movement, linking its history to current global far-right trends while calling for awareness and action.

Sep 18, 2025 • 1h 47min
US Big Tech Supports Israeli Settler Colonialism / Omar Zahzah
Omar Zahzah joins us to discuss his new book, "Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital/Settler-Colonialism in the Palestinian Liberation Struggle" (Seven Stories Press). "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview.
Check out Omar's book here: https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4729-terms-of-servitude
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Sep 4, 2025 • 1h 53min
The Political Economy of Immigration Detention / Nancy Hiemstra and Deirdre Conlon
Nancy Hiemstra and Deirdre Conlon join us to discuss their new book, "Immigration Detention, Inc.: The Big Business of Locking up Migrants" from Pluto Press. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview.
Check out Nancy and Deirdre's book here: https://www.plutobooks.com/product/immigration-detention-inc/
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Sep 2, 2025 • 1h 30min
Corporate Science Wants You to Buy the World a Coke / Susan Greenhalgh
Susan Greenhalgh joins us to discuss her new book, "Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca Cola" (University of Chicago Press). "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview.
Check out Susan's book here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo221451790.html
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Aug 27, 2025 • 1h 13min
On "Squirty Cream" and Other Items from the Mailbag / Chuck Mertz & the World's Best Audience
Due to an unexpected rescheduling of a guest, we present a rare mailbag episode that delves into our esteemed listeners' questions and insights. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. No producers were harmed in the making of this episode.
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell
Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

Aug 24, 2025 • 1h 27min
The Rich are Falling in Love with Antiracism / Jennifer C. Pan
Jennifer C. Pan joins This Is Hell! to talk about her new book “Selling Social Justice: Why The Rich Love Antiracism” published by Verso Books. (https://www.versobooks.com/products/2919-selling-social-justice)
Jennifer C. Pan is a writer in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in the Nation, the Atlantic, Dissent, Damage, and elsewhere. She was formerly a host of the Jacobin Show and a staff writer at the New Republic.
A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview.
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon.

9 snips
Aug 21, 2025 • 1h 41min
The New Racial Regime / Alana Lentin
Alana Lentin, a Professor of Cultural and Social Analysis at Western Sydney University and author of 'The New Racial Regime', dives into the complex dynamics of systemic racism. She explores the evolution of racism and its persistence within modern capitalism, likening it to a virus that adapts to challenges. Lentin critiques superficial political responses to racial injustices and discusses the intersections of race, class, and radical thought. With humor, she reflects on societal perceptions of whiteness and the importance of genuine change in addressing systemic inequalities.