Audio From A Collapsing State | Jared Yates Sexton

Well, I needed this talk. My friend Danielle Moodie and I got together for another episode of The Check-In to discuss our own navigation of the ongoing disaster of a war in the Middle-East, including the tragedy of watching people being murdered by this regime, the type of environmental damage being done, and, also, the need to start rooting against the empire as we must finally break out of this illusion that has held Americans captive for centuries now. It seems counterintuitive, but the absolute mess that Trump has created also lends itself to opportunities, including an opening to possibly defeat fascism and move beyond this utterly depraved capitalist exploitation.Thanks, as always, to the people who keep showing up every Wednesday to watch and for all the support. If you know someone, a friend, a family member, a coworker, who might benefit from this conversation, please forward this along.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If this work helps you or resonates with you, please become a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

As I said at the end of today’s episode of The Check-In, I’ve been looking forward to this conversation with Danielle Moodie since the war started on Saturday. We discussed the total insanity of this war, the cruelty and tragedy, as well as how it represents, we hope, the moment where the veneer of civility falls totally and people can start to see we have to change and move away from this madness. I hope it helps with you processing all of this bullshit.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your help. If this work has meant something to you, if it has helped, if it has resonated with you, please become a paid subscriber today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been awhile since the last Bourbon Talk Q&A Livestream, but I figured circumstances required it. I went live last night with a bottle of bourbon and questions from my subscribers. We talked about the origins of the Iran War, why it is quickly becoming a regional war that is completely out of control, and how it is a symptom of the larger unraveling I’ve been talking about for years. It’s good to do things like this and share some space with one another, so thank you for the questions, for the kindness, and for the support.I’ll do another one of these sometime soon and I’m looking forward to it. I believe we will come out of this crisis better, but it’s going to take so much to get there. Relying on one another and building communities is the only way to do it.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your help. If my work has resonated with you or helped you make sense of this chaotic time, please become a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Well. Here we are.I went live awhile ago to talk about the fascist war we now find ourselves in, the motivations behind it, the danger now that the elite don’t even feel a need to explain their violence anymore, and, perhaps more importantly, how a window is possibly opening in which we, the people, can take power back from the authoritarians.I’ll be going live tomorrow (Sunday March 1st) at 8pm eastern with a Bourbon Talk Q&A. If you have questions, please reply to this article and I’ll get to as many as I can. In the meantime, here is the article I published last week preparing for these strikes and this war.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If my work has helped you or resonated with you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of The Check-In, I hang out with Danielle Moodie the morning after the State of Union and discuss why she didn’t watch and I wish I hadn’t. It’s a conversation that goes from the emotional abuse that Trump and fellow fascists dish out to the larger cultural situation, which is a moment in which we’re being invited to look around with clarity, see our wealthy and powerful overlords for what they are, wipe our hands clean, and tell them, you know what, we’ve had enough of your mess.As always, thank you to the people tuning in. This project has meant so much to me and Danielle and hearing that it has meant something to you as well is everything.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If this work has helped you or resonated with you, please become a paid subscriber today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Was very happy to go on THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali and discuss a good number of things, including the on-again-off-again rift between Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, which just reveals the relationship between fascism and the wealth classes gaining control, Waj’s incredible moment where he infuriated Hakeem Jeffries by gasp asking him a legitimate question, and the need for a direct confrontation with the fascists by turning to the left.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If you this work has meant something to you and you want to see it continue, please become a paid subscriber today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Hung out with my friend Danielle Moodie and talked about light things: the failure of the American Empire, what it’s like to live in a time of possible revolutions, and what is at the core of fascism’s self-destructive impulses. It was a good hang considering there is a palpable feeling of change and potential change in the air, a feeling that we’re experiencing like so much electricity. We’re on the verge of war, fascistic completion, economic collapse, and, yet, there’s a sense that we might be approaching a desired moment of transformation.On an unrelated note, I want to ask for your help: Dispatches From A Collapsing State needs your help. I have no corporate backing and so your support makes all the difference. If you can, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to keep this project going This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

I was on the road today and am indisposed tomorrow, so Danielle Moodie and I decided to overturn convention and give you an episode of The Check-In a day early. Here, we discuss the absolutely crazy-making feeling of living in this world while knowing the elite are abusers and destroyers and liars and how, as Danielle puts it, that is breaking something inside of us. That’s some necessary growing pain, though, and we get into what it is to live in an environment where talking about elections is absolute insanity and the only actually sane thing is to discuss this rage we feel and the building revolutionary energy.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If this work has meant something to you or has resonated with you, please become a paid subscriber today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I wrestle with the rage that comes from living in a world dominated by murderous crooks and exposed pedophiles. We discuss what it means to recognize that politics is more than voting and election and what do you even do when you realize a sinister group of elites who see as less than human control everything. If you’ve been struggling with all these realizations lately, hopefully this episode helps.Dispatches From A Collapsing State is an independent media venture and it desperately needs your help. If my work has helped you or resonated with you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I need your support more than ever This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This one was a longtime coming, but in this episode of The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I sort through the trauma, the pain, the grief, and the anger following Alex Pretty’s murder in Minneapolis. We talk about what it feels like to realize that the Democratic Party isn’t on our side, that this battle belongs to us and is going to require us to protect one another and put our lives on the line for complete stranger. I let out a lot of my anger about this intolerable bullshit in this episode, and I hope you’re finding ways to let out yours. This isn’t okay, this isn’t right, and it needs to stop.Dispatches From A Collapsing State is a subscriber-supported operation. I desperately need your support to keep this project going, so if this has meant something to you, if it has resonated with you, if it has helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Really enjoyed chatting with Wajahat Ali of THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali as always. We got into the worsening extremism of MAGA, which is trending toward overt and full-throated Nazism, and the failure of media and the Democratic Party to meet this threat. Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If this work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

We welcome Danielle Moodie back stateside and spend some time reacting to the events of the past week, including the murder of Renee Nicole Good, the fact that we’re obviously living in the Second American Civil War, and where we’re all going from here. This is another episode that I sorely needed and I hope it helps with you as well. We’ll not be airing next week, but will be back the Wednesday after that.Dispatches From A Collapsing State desperately needs your support. If this work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This was a tough one. I’m going through it a and so Danielle Moodie and I talk about the feeling of watching the next step in fascist imperialism, carrying the weight of living in the moment, and the need for faith even when it’s hard to find.Dispatches From A Collapsing State is a reader-supported project and it desperately needs your help. If this has helped you or resonated with you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

All right. We made it to the end of 2025 somehow. I feel different. Broken in some ways, stronger in others. I hope you’re all right wherever you are. Today we have a new episode of The Check-In. Danielle Moodie and I discuss what a wretched year this has been and how it sets up to ask questions about who we actually are and what it is that we want. I’ve got an article coming out tomorrow that gives a preview of what 2026 will look like politically, and we get into that a little bit, especially the need to prepare for ourselves for what it might feel like as our grief turns to rage.Oh, and if 2025 wasn’t bad enough, there’s a technical glitch at the end. We finished up in a video that Danielle might post here soon?I hope it’s a good new year for all of you and thank you for all the kindness and support.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support and it desperately needs that support. If my work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comHey everyone, I hope the holiday season has been kind to you. I’m dipping out of the torrent of news and current events for a few days and hoping to rejuvenate, but before I left I recorded this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State in which I answered four subscriber questions. In this episode, I’m asked what I expect from 2026, whether Donald Trump…

On this episode of The Check-In, I talk with Danielle Moodie about the unbearable pressure that’s been building this year and how It feels like it could blow. We discuss the month of December, the holidays, and the immense pressure of living in a declining society where some of the most incompetent and blatantly corrupt and awful human beings are in charge, and how it’s all building to something very large. Strategies for personal regulation and change are also shared and, well, I just needed this episode.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. I seriously need your help as algorithms have turned away from actual critiques of capitalism and power. If my work has meant something to you, if it has resonated with you, if you’ve learned something, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This episode of The Check-In was a tough one. Danielle Moodie and I are all the time talking about the effects of living in this environment and the toll it takes. I’m grateful for those conversations and the perspective it brings. This week, I’m in it, and needed to lean on my friend a little as we talked about what this moment feels like and how to navigate watching some of the worst people in the world do their absolute worst while trying to maintain our own sanity and direction.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Whew. This episode of The Check-In with myself and Danielle Moodie is a raw one. Danielle and I discuss the hard moments of living in crisis, the times where fascistic abuse gets to you and activates feelings of worthlessness, fear, and trauma, bringing up old wounds and testing our will. What do we do as obviously incompetent and cruel people control the system and the financial incentives are against us? Where do we put that pain and frustration? This is the kind of conversation I didn’t know would happen when we started this project, but it’s always been leading up to this point and I am extremely grateful. I needed it, I think Danielle needed it, and maybe you need it as well.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. With the economic crisis taking shape, people haven’t been able to afford subscriptions. If you can help support this project and if it has meant something to you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comI’ve been receiving a lot of feedback from this week’s episode of The Check-In and also my article about the economy and our sprint toward oblivion. I wanted to elaborate on the ideas I got into, including the existential stress of the holidays and how we are compelled by capitalism to betray ourselves, so here we are. In this episode of Audio From A Co…

This is a very special holiday episode of The Check-In with my friend Danielle Moodie. We’ve been doing this livestream for months now and working through the emotional and psychological components of living in a fascist time, and in this edition we discuss the holidays, the feelings that a lot of us carry around regarding them and our own sense of self-worth. We get into the capitalist influences, how we are taught our entire lives to feel like there’s something wrong with us that can only be “fixed” with money and purchases and performing a role that actually has nothing to do with who we are. This conversation meant a lot to me, and I hope, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, that it will to you, too.Also, on a personal note, I just want to say thank you for your support, kindness, and encouragement. It’s meant everything to me. I am decidedly grateful for you.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

I was happy to go on THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali yesterday afternoon to discuss a few things, including the current crisis within Trumpism, how Neo Nazis are quickly taking over the Republican Party, the corporate Democrat refusal to do what needs to be done, and historical parallels when it comes to the rise of Fascism and the current crop of tech industrialists who have shown a complete disdain for democracy and humanity in general.Enjoyed this conversation and hope you do as well.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

It was good to get back into conversation with my friend Danielle Moodie and a new episode of The Check-In. Today we discussed this strange moment in which the Epstein Scandal makes a lot of things clear, especially the corruption of the elites, the rottenness of our system, and how fascist victory is far from inevitable. That discussion is extremely important right now because, as we’ve talked about for months, this process, including the decline of America and collapse of what many thought was “normal,” is essential. What we’re experiencing now is clarity and, with it, a need to accept that “normal” wasn’t normal in the first place and, especially, that it isn’t coming back, which is actually a gift. We’re not chained to fantasy anymore. We’re free to imagine something better.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Oh, I was so grateful for this conversation with Danielle Moodie. We started The Check-In show to process the grief and anger and fear of rising fascism, but also for moments like these. In today’s episode we reacted to last night’s victories, including the election of Zohran Mamdani, and focused on the need to savor each and every victory while realizing the battle is only beginning. The veneer of politics has fallen to the wayside, revealing a battle between the wealthy few and the rest of us. We have to let go of the past spectacle of politics, all these manufactured controversies and “wedge issues,” and see this as the class war that it is.I hope this conversation finds you well. Savor the feeling and channel it into the battle we have ahead of us. We’ll get there.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paying subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comWe’re a little over nine months into the Second Trump Administration and it’s a good time to take stock. Before the inauguration and immediately after I talked about what this was going to feel like and what it would require from us, and though we anticipated that, it is another thing entirely to live through it. So here, we discuss the worsening cruelt…

Thank you to my friend Wajahat Ali over at THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali for having me on to talk about the escalating embrace of Far Right Neo-Nazism by the GOP and how, unless we defeat the Right and address our deteriorating material conditions, MAGA might very well usher in a new and more extreme movement. We discussed the normalization of Nick Fuentes and crypto Nazi politics, as well as the continued failure by the Democratic Party to provide an actual alternative or leadership.Dispatches From A Collapsing State is a reader-supported publication. If my work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriberCorporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of The Check-In, my friend Danielle Moodie and I talk about a different state of being: the Self in crisis. With the record-breaking hurricane hitting Jamaica and over 40 million Americans preparing for the cessation of necessary aid, we discuss the need to behave as if we’re in an emergency. Because we are. It’s a matter of recognizing immediate needs, coming together as communities, and building trust and shared goals together. The antidote to fascism is connectivity and interdependence, and this moment will test our ability to transcend differences and respond appropriately.Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you as always to Danielle Moodie for the opportunity to continue this series. In today’s episode of The Check-In, Danielle and me get into the feeling that’s been developing for years now but came into full-force this weekend with Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies reacting to protests with disturbing AI slop depicting abuse on the people. We discuss Trump as a symbol of American capitalism and its hollowness, a welcome example of what we do not want to be and what we must fight against. That leads to talk about finding true value and a direction for the future that isn’t perfect but is human and worthy.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Check-In, my friend Danielle Moodie and I get into so much. We talk about the absolute level of insanity that is radiating off of not only the Trump Administration but the people who are in complete denial regarding the danger and scope of everything. America is a deeply, deeply unwell country, and it’s time that we recognize how our culture of dissociation, addiction, and privilege has metastasized into this present crisis. We discuss how each of us needs navigate the discomfort of reality and choose to keep our humanity even as these times try to keep us from it every single day.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. Please become a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Whew.Another much needed episode of The Check-In with my friend Danielle Moodie. Here, we talk about the challenges of dealing with the day-to-day insanity of Fascists and the need to refuse them access to our feelings, our thoughts, and our reality. This is a wide-ranging conversation that gets extremely vulnerable and emotional, but I was so glad to have it and so glad to hear that these talks are of value to people.We’ll be back next Wednesday at noon eastern time. Hope you’ll join us.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I dove right into the farce of a spectacle on Tuesday in which Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth both embarrassed themselves in front of top military brass and also declared war on the American people. This was…a big, weird, disturbing event with a lot to unpack. We discussed the anger, the resentment, and the grief, what it feels like to know what this dictator wants, the insult of these incompetent fools carrying these abuses out, and the magical thinking of wishing the military will carry out a coup. From there, we get into what we can do in our lives as we try to both create collective action but, also, how we must reckon with the possibility that the better future we need to fight for might be a future we will not see ourselves.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of power or capitalism. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Another week and another conversation with my friend Danielle Moodie. In this episode of The Check-In, we discuss how the fascist regime has embraced a new and aggressive total-lie and manipulation structure in which we are never quite certain what is going on. We’ve lived through similar things, but it has ramped up considerably. We talk about the need to stay grounded but also how we can use our adaptive strategies when things get really really hard. From there, we dive into how fascism functions as a kind of soul murder (the author of the book Soul Murder: The Effects of Childhood Abuse and Deprivation is Dr. Leonard Shengold, which I blanked on during the discussion) and is meant to grind us down over time. We get into the cults of magical thinking, including the recent “rapture” craze and how it is necessary to keep track of what we are doing, what we believe, and how we are functioning.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of power or capitalism. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been a few minutes, but I sat down with my friend Wajahat Ali of THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali and had a long discussion about what is happening with the Democratic Party’s failure to oppose fascism, what each and every one of us can do to both pressure them but also prepare on our own to fight, and a whole lot more.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paying subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I discuss the emotional and psychological toll from the fall-out surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination. We are being gaslit and abused as the authoritarians take advantage of the situation. We talk about how we have experienced this past week, but also how much focus on grounding ourselves in the midst of chaos in order to weather the onslaught.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Hey everyone. For those who have been there, I’ve been doing these Bourbon Talks since 2020, answering your questions while drinking some bourbon. It’s been an incredible honor and I’ve enjoyed every one of them. Tonight I felt compelled to revive the thing and it was an incredible experience. We got into the Charlie Kirk assassination, the different groups that make up MAGA, what it is that we can do, as individuals and as a collective, to fight fascism, what the future could look like, the role of loneliness and fear in creating this present authoritarian crisis, and much more.Thank you for everyone who submitted questions and everyone that showed up. I’m going to do more of these and it felt so good getting back to it. I hope you’ll share this with friends, family, coworkers, and anyone who could use a dose of the hard truth.Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so if my work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Check-In, I talk with my friend Danielle Moodie about the worsening capitalist state, but also the point at which the social contract is broken and we need to consider other options. The fascist / capitalist program is out of control and looking outside the country, particularly at the recent uprising in Nepal, tells us something incredibly important: if we can let go of our fear, we could fight back and have a better future.Thank you, as always, to all the people tuning in and all the kindness. Also, if you haven’t already, please check out Part II of the A Crisis of Meaning and Purpose series that gets into so much of what we’ve been talking about and how our present conditions have created the perfect environment for a fascistic takeover.Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so please become a paid subscriber today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comIn this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State, I dive deep into this weird moment where “resistance” to the fascist regime takes the form of mocking social media posts that “experts” and “analysts” tell us is starting to change the minds of the MAGA faithful. This lie, peddled by people like Tom Nichols, is part of a project that’s lasted over a deca…

Every week I log onto to record The Check-In with Danielle Moodie and it ends up better and going places more profound than I ever expected. In this episode, we discuss the need for Americans learn to live life, not only in opposition to authoritarianism but for basic joy and healthiness. This includes the necessity of self-care and grounding, but also shifting to a life where it comes automatically. This, of course, is the antithesis of fascism and capitalism, which makes it all the more important.From there, we dive into how American life before Donald Trump was obscene. All around us were signs that our society was sick and failing, and, yet, so many of us were incentivized not to recognize it. If there are accurate histories written, and it should be noted fascists have no interest in accurate history because it undermines their plans, we will look back on one abomination after another: slavery, our treatment of the indigenous population, Jim Crow, the growth of the carceral state, intentional scarcity, for-profit healthcare, you name it, as something that deserves the utmost scrutiny and shame.This was an incredible conversation and I feel so privileged to have had it. Thank you to everyone who tunes in and supports this project. I hope you find something here of value that helps you navigate your life.And, in case you missed it, I published a new article this morning detailing what I believe should be the baseline requirements of any person seeking office in the future and what I believe is necessary should the Democratic Party right itself and become an actual force in defense of democracy and creating a better world. I’ve appreciated the feedback so far and if you have thoughts please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. If this work has helped you or resonated with you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Another good week of talk with my friend Danielle Moodie in which we discussed our opportunities to step outside of the day-to-day grind of living in modern America and the effect of disengaging (hint: it makes all of this seem even crazier). Over the course of the conversation we got into how this fascistic regime isn’t just abusive and destructive but how it cheapens everything from our institutions to the idea of human dignity. That led to a back-and-forth on how we must avoid internalizing the fall of America in order to maintain our own sense of worth and hope, all while continuing to disengage from the destructive incentives of capitalism that got us here.Thank you again to the people out there tuning in and doing the work. As I said in the broadcast, I think that’s going to make the difference. Resistance begins as we heal and as we consider these things, as we become more thoughtful and aware and treat others better. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We’ll be back with another episode next Wednesday at 12pm eastern. I’ll have the first article in a series of pieces breaking down our crisis of meaning and purpose within the next few days. I’ve appreciated peoples’ thoughts as I’ve started to work on this and feel very motivated and drawn to this work.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. If my work has resonated with you or helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comHello, everyone. I’m back after a few days out in the wildness. I had a lot of time to think and write and consider and in this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State I’m discussing where I’m being called to do the work. After spending some time thinking about the problem of rising fascism and our cultural sense of isolation, I’m starting to put toget…

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Was really thrilled to talk with my friend THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali about a topic both of us have a keen interest in: the power of popular culture and its effect on reality. We trace the history of mass popular culture in the United States, how it has been used by the powerful to tamp down democratic energies, the way it has warped our understanding of the world, and the cycle between reality and culture that changes and reinforces each one. The focus, throughout, is how we’ve arrived at this point where a dictatorial fraud has gained power and has surrounded himself with aggrieved and angry failed artists and tastemakers who are taking their self-hatred out on all of us and attempting to control reality, and why we think they will ultimately fail.This is a conversation I’ve been looking to have for a long, long time, so I’m very grateful for Wajahat for asking. I’m going to take a few days to escape an undisclosed location to get some remoteness and recharge the batteries. I’ll be back with The Check-In with Danielle Moodie of The DAM Digest on Wednesday at 12pm ET and will likely have some articles to share at some point. In the meantime, take care of yourself.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. If my work has resonated with you or meant something to you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks to everybody who came out to watch Danielle Moodie and I tape another episode of The Check-In. This was a conversation I’ll remember for a long time. Danielle and I talk about the need to counterbalance shame with grace (for more on how fascism feeds off our shame check out my recent episode of Audio From A Collapsing State) and how each of us is being called on to heal from our past traumas, the coping mechanisms we learned along the way, and see the difference between right and wrong. This includes in our politics, our culture, and with infuriating tragedies like we’re seeing in Gaza, all of which reveal who we can trust and who doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near power. Along the way, we discuss the destructive elements of social media and how it keeps us jailed in our own doubt and shame, the excuses we make for white patriarchal supremacy, and much more.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of power. Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support, so please become a paid subscriber if this work has resonated with you or helped you along the way This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comIt’s been way, way too long since I recorded an episode of Audio From A Collapsing State. I’ve been out in the world, traveling, working, and organizing. I felt called to record this today because I’m seeing a continued battle that goes unaddressed: the need for each of us to heal, but the specter of shame and self-criticism hindering that work.We’re to…

Huge thank you to THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali for having me on. Always appreciate these conversations and in this one we get into the implications of Donald Trump’s continued struggles with the Epstein scandal, the signals that Rupert Murdoch and other Right Wing powerbrokers are turning on him or maybe looking elsewhere, what it means that we’re starting to see public acts of defiance in popular culture and politics, and discuss the American fantasy-industrial complex (expect an article on Hulk Hogan’s death and this topic here shortly).Thank you, as always, for the support. If my work or analysis has helped you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It makes a world of difference and it keeps this project going.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of power or capitalism. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

I was so grateful for this week’s episode of The Check-In with Danielle Moodie. Here, we get into the culture of mindless consumption and sociopathic behavior that capitalism requires and that leads to living unexamined lives that trend toward destruction and hurt. This is something that has happened to all of us and affects us in ways we are often not aware. We are supposed to sleepwalk through life, relying on products and distractions to steal our attention away from our deep wounds and pain and, ultimately, keep us from considering who we are and what we want. MAGA is both a political project and a rolling distraction machine that tells us not to question, not to search, not to grow or evolve or become healthier. With that in mind, choosing to lead a fuller, happier, more present life is a fundamental act of resistance and revolutionary in nature. It is isn’t easy. It can be very hard and even painful, but we have no choice but to recognize this pattern of self-destruction and change it before it consumes us all.Thank you, as always, for supporting The Check-In. Your messages are incredible and keep me going in hard times. If you haven’t already, please become a paying subscriber. It keeps this project rolling forward and supports my work.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of power or capitalism. Dispatches From a Collapsing State continues because of your support. Please become a paying subscriber to support this work and to gain access to exclusive material and content This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

Danielle Moodie and I weren’t planning on doing an episode of The Check-In this week because I’m traveling and working, but I think the prospect of it made both of us sad. So, this was an impromptu episode and discussion about what I’m seeing out and about, namely a culture of addiction that is fueling the fascist movement. Seeing scores of “Trump Stores” and people moving from one cheap and empty thrill to another, I was disturbed. Here, we talk about the United States of America as an addicted nation consuming and indulging in order to keep one step ahead of feelings of loneliness, desperation, and pain. One of the things I mention here is that America’s main export now, outside of weapons, are the drugs of distraction, ranging from products to substance to entertainment and, now, authoritarianism.Thanks as always for the kindness and the support. If you haven’t already, please become a paid subscriber. Your financial support is what keeps this project rolling.Unfortunately corporate media does not support actual critiques of power or capitalism. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

It was, as always a joy getting to hang out and talk with my friend Danielle Moodie. On this episode of The Check-In, we discussed the paradoxical state of living under a fascist regime that is attempting to dominate our minds, our spirit, and our time. It requires finding and holding onto joy while also understanding the threats we face, all while not allowing the fascists to steal our joy and ourselves. If we’re not careful, they will twist us into a mirror of them: joyless and angry and inescapably miserable. This is advanced-level stuff that many of us haven’t had to learn how to do, but now it’s required of us.Thank you for everyone for tuning in and for the kind words. This project is one of my favorite things going right now and I always leave our Wednesday chats feeling better and more focused. I hope it’s helped you feel the same way. We’re taking next week off but will be back July 23rd with the next episode.Dispatches From A Collapsing State depends on your support. Become a paid subscriber today to support this project as corporate media does not support or reward actual critiques of power or capitalism This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s episode of The Check-In, Danielle Moodie and I talked about the unnerving experience of watching concentration camps being built around the country and world and wrestle with the assault on our morals, ethics, and, ultimately, our spirits. We discussed the need to hold within us a clear vision of right and wrong that will fortify us even when things get harder and harder. This isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Fascism makes us feel like we will break and can leave us worried that we are alone and powerless, but we have to find truth and solace within ourselves that will help us weather the storm.Danielle and I stream every Wednesday at 12pm Eastern. Subscribe to get updates and watch The Check-In live.Corporate media does not support actual critiques of capitalism or power. Become a paid subscriber to support Dispatches From A Collapsing State This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.comLike a lot of you, I have been disgusted by the Democratic Party’s response to Zohran Mamdani’s miraculous victory in the New York City Mayoral Primary. Members of his own party have engaged in relentless fearmongering and race-baiting in an attempt to undermine his campaign. This effort, which has been helped by corporate media, has done everything pos…