The Dangerous History Podcast

“We are ruled by psychopaths.” CJ did not coin that phrase, but he repeats it often, and he means it both literally & emphatically. This may sound crazy to many, but that perception is often based on a very mistaken understanding of what the term ‘psychopath’ really means. Join CJ on a deep dive into the true nature of psychopaths, how to spot them, how they operate, & why it’s a very reasonable hypothesis to suspect that psychopaths are very disproportionately represented among corporate oligarchs, politicians, & government officials. Reminder: Now through the end of 2025, you can save 25% off an annual membership to CJ’s Patreon, or 25% off the first month of a monthly membership, with the offer code 1225 ! Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z Other ways to support the show (including CJ’s PO Box address) CJ’s Picks (Amazon Affiliate links to books referenced in this episode) Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert Hare Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Paul Babiak & Robert Hare The post Ep. 0283: We Are Ruled By Psychopaths first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

(This is a Christmas-season reissue of a vintage DHP episode made all the way back in 2015.) In the cold, damp, muddy ditches of the Western Front in December, 1914, the rank-and-file of the Allied and German armies spontaneously set aside their hatreds to take a break from mass-murdering each other, much to the dismay of their so-called ‘leaders.’ Join CJ as he discusses: The context of the Christmas Truce How it happened The aftermath, legacy, and lessons to be learned from it Now through the end of the year, you can sign up to support CJ on Patreon & use coupon code 1225 to save 25% off any level of annual pledge, or 25% off your first month of a monthly pledge! Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Other ways to support the show John McCutcheon’s “Christmas in the Trenches” The King’s Singers perform “Stille Nacht” A 1981 BBC Documentary about the Christmas Truce that features firsthand accounts from Great War veterans who were still alive at that time The post DHP Ep. 89 Reissue: The Christmas Truce first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

Happy Armistice Day! Discover CJ's favorite antiwar songs that unpack the costs of military service and critique the glamorization of war. From Reckless Kelly's poignant take on veterans to Eric Bogle's emotional tribute to Gallipoli, each song reveals a deeper narrative. Delve into Bruce Springsteen's ironic anthem and Ian Noe's haunting portrait of veterans. Enjoy the mix of humor and dark truths in Hayes Carll's satirical piece, alongside Trevor Moore's quirky rap about history. It's a compelling exploration of music's role in the antiwar movement.

Way back in the long-ago before-times (2016), CJ put out an episode in which he listed & talked about 25 of his favorite antiwar songs. A lot of listeners at the time really liked it. CJ has been a musician even longer than he’s been a historian, so any chance he gets to combine his love of music & history is one he’s happy to take. For this (2025) Armistice Day, he’s FINALLY going to be putting out a sequel – “25 More of CJ’s Favorite Antiwar Songs” – which will be exactly what it sounds like. But before he puts that new one out, he decided to reissue the original from 2016, since his audience was a lot smaller 9 years ago than it is now, so the majority of current DHP listeners have never heard this one. (Plus it’s been only available on the private Patreon supporters feed for the last several years.) Hopefully it’ll whet everyone’s appetite for the soon-to-be-released, long-awaited sequel! Join CJ from 2016 as he discusses 25 of his favorite antiwar songs from a variety of genres. Once you’re done listening to the episode, check out this Youtube playlist of the songs discussed made back in 2016 by a listener named Jon.) Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qy9ywk9vdlran8nc0t4urwfzfhcakwa5y5lwwf4 Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Get CJ’s Dangerous American History Bibliography FREE Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Hire CJ to speak to your group or at your event Other ways to support the show The post DHP Ep. 130 Reissue: CJ’s 25 Favorite Antiwar Songs first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

In order to avoid cluttering up history episodes with this sort of stuff, CJ decided to make a stand-alone personal update episode to let anyone who cares know about all the continued Book-of-Job-ish stuff he’s been dealing with in recent months – including a major death in the family, deep depression shading off into suicidal ideation, & a horrific mystery illness that afflicted his household over the month of October – that have hobbled his content output, but how he made it through, is still alive & still sober, & how (fingers crossed, knock on wood, sacrifice a chicken to the chupacabra, etc, etc) in just the past few days he’s FINALLY been able to get back to something resembling full capacity. Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qy9ywk9vdlran8nc0t4urwfzfhcakwa5y5lwwf4 Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Other ways to support the show (including CJ’s current PO Box address) The post Back from the (Mostly) Dead first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

(Originally published Oct. 2016) In 1066, the course of English history was dramatically altered, as the realm was conquered by Normans from across the Channel. Join CJ as he discusses: Some backstory on Medieval England & Normandy The death of Edward the Confessor & coronation of Harold Godwinson William of Normandy’s preparations for invasion to seize the English crown The invasion of Northern England by Harald Hardrada of Norway, and Harold Godwinson’s defeat of this force at Stamford Bridge William’s invasion of Southern England shortly after Stamford Bridge The climactic Battle of Hastings,  a hard-fought battle that was ultimately won by the forces of William The aftermath and legacies of the Norman conquest of England This is an episode that got a lot of positive feedback back when it was originally published, but the DHP’s audience was a lot smaller then than now, & CJ figures a lot of DHP listeners haven’t checked this one out as it’s a stand-alone episode kind of overshadowed by some of his big series. Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qy9ywk9vdlran8nc0t4urwfzfhcakwa5y5lwwf4 Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Other ways to support the show (including CJ’s PO Box address) The post DHP Ep. 122 Reissue: Principal Ruffian & Chief Among Plunderers: The Norman Conquest of England first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

CJ has started to compile all episodes of his acclaimed 2016 History of American Slavery series into collected volumes, just like he’s already done with his American Revolution & Not-So-Civil War series (and as he will soon start doing with the Woodrow Wilson series), with the episodes curated together into volumes & all announcements, ads, etc, removed. These will be available in CJ’s Patreon shop (and in fact, the first 2 volumes are already up as of now, with the rest to follow shortly.) They can be purchased a la carte whether you’re a Patreon supporter of CJ’s work or not, but CJ’s Patreon supporters at the Scholar Warrior level ($20/month) & higher will get access to ALL volumes of this collection at no extra charge; in addition, CJ’s Patreon supporters at all levels get a discount code to save 15% on purchase of any & all items in CJ’s Patreon shop that are not already included free of charge as part of their membership benefits. Join CJ in 2016 as he discusses: Some basic introductions & things to keep in mind for this series A very brief overview of the prior history of slavery in history The origins of European involvement in the African slave trade, beginning with the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th Centuries The beginnings of slavery in the European colonies The question of the relationship between racism & slavery, and some possible sources of antiblack racism on the part of Europeans Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qy9ywk9vdlran8nc0t4urwfzfhcakwa5y5lwwf4 Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Other ways to support the show The post DHP Ep. 95 Reissue: A History of American Slavery, Part I: Origins of Atlantic Slavery first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

  CJ is back with a beast of a DHP episode that he’s been brewing laboriously for over a month, if not two. On June 8th, 1967, during the Six Day War, the USS Liberty, a virtually unarmed signals intelligence ship operating off the coast of Egypt, was attacked by Israeli planes & torpedo boats. 34 men were killed, 171 were wounded, & the ship was nearly sunk before the attack was finally called off. The Israelis claimed it was a tragic case of mistaken identity, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and LBJ, America’s first “Israel-First” President, let them get away with it, & even helped cover it all up. Tune in for the whole Dose of Historical MALinformation! This one’s a big red pill! Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Get CJ’s Dangerous American History Bibliography FREE Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Hire CJ to speak to your group or at your event Other ways to support the show The post Ep. 0281: “The Best-Planned Mistake”: The Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.

The podcast dives into the recent debate between Dave Smith and Douglas Murray, showcasing the ideological clash surrounding neoconservatism. It critiques the rise of neo-neocons and their push against libertarian views within the American right. Additionally, discussions touch on the dangers of credentialism and blind trust in experts, questioning the validity of traditional authority in today's discourse. The complexities of morality in foreign policy and the confusion over nutrition advice further highlight the need for critical thinking in navigating modern issues.

For this DHP episode, CJ was very happy to be joined by veteran independent researcher, journalist, & media producer James Corbett of CorbettReport.com to talk about James’ recently published book Reportage: Essays on the New World Order. Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Other ways to support the show Get CJ’s Dangerous American History Bibliography FREE Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel (the video recording of this episode will be published there soon) Hire CJ to speak to your group or at your event Like this episode? You can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79zThe post Ep. 279: Reportage on the Psychopaths Who Rule Us (w/James Corbett) first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.