
Grifty
A late-stage capitalism audio newsletter by and about false idols. With Azadeh Ghafari, Amanda Motell, Dr. Thomas Oden, Sari Beth Rosenberg, and Baktaash Sorkhabi.
Take off them fabricated streams and them microwave memes, it's a real world outside.
Welcome to Grifty: A little snarky, a little intellectual, a bit historical, a lot political, and ultimately about how to survive late-stage capitalism, take care of one's mental health and engage in community building.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube at @griftypod
Azadeh Ghafari @the.wellness.therapist
Amanda Montell @amanda_montell
Dr. Thomas Oden @dr.thomasoden
Sari Beth Rosenberg @saribethrose
Baktaash Sorkhabi @baktaash
To learn more & for show notes visit Grifty.org
Latest episodes

Apr 26, 2023 • 42min
Episode 3: Wacky Backy Quacky
On this episode, Friends of the Pod discuss the pseudoscience that can be chiropracty wacky backy quacky, which is the perfect place to trap gullible people looking for some relief. Of course, like many wellness practices chiropractice care lives in the in-between of therapeutic health modalities that can be effective and can also become iffy when mixed with pseudoscience. At times the field has been about ignoring evidence-based medicine. Various systematic reviews of controlled clinical studies of treatments used by some chiropractors has also found no evidence that all of the work that they do is effective, with the possible exception of treatment for specific kinds of back pain. Very little reproducible evidence exists to indicate that maintenance chiropractic care adequately prevents anything. While some chiropractors limit their practice to short-term treatment of muscle conditions, many falsely claim that they ARE able to treat a myriad of other conditions, including mental and spiritual health. Final nugget: D. D. Palmer founded chiropractic in the 1890s, after saying he received knowledge about it from "the other world" and connected with the father of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

Mar 29, 2023 • 1h 49min
Episode 2: Bias
In this Episode, We are joined by our first guest, Sari Beth Rosenberg. Sari teaches U.S. History and A.P. U.S. history at a New York City Public high school, named The High School of Environmental Studies, with over 20 years of experience. In this episode, we talk about the historical aspect of how history and ideas are presented to us and where being biased plays a role in how it's told. We discuss Howard Zinn, an American historian, playwright, and social activist. Zinn is best known for his book "A People's History of the United States", which offers a different perspective on American history, focusing on the struggles of ordinary people such as enslaved peoples, workers, women, and Native Americans. We share how this book contributes to the school system of teaching history. Listen, Share, and Subscribe Useful Resources: Howard Zinn's book - A People's History of the United States Sari Beth Rosenberg’s website - https://saribeth.com Listen to our previous episodes at www.grifty.org Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @griftypod

Feb 22, 2023 • 1h 5min
Episode 1: Take Off
Take off them fabricated streams and them microwave memes, it's a real world outside. Welcome to the first episode of Grifty: a late-stage capitalism audio newsletter by and about false idols. Our conversations will be a little snarky, a little intellectual, a bit historical, a lot political, and ultimately about how to survive late stage capitalism, take care of one’s mental health, and engage in community building. With Azadeh Ghafari, Baktaash Sorkhabi, Amanda Motell, and Dr. Thomas Oden. www.grifty.org