Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Silicon Valley is often hailed as pushing the world towards a better, more prosperous future through a model creative destruction and brave technological innovation. Economics professor Rob Larson, however, offers a competing viewpoint to this rose-colored narrative of darlings of the tech world like Microsoft, Apple, and Google in his new book Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley (Haymarket Books, 2020). In many ways picking up where his previous book, Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom (Zero Books, 2018), left off, Rob launches a scathing but thoughtful critique on libertarian-style techno utopianism and reveals the often ignored aspect that the public sector has played in important technological innovations. Additionally, Rob details the less savory elements of the Silicon Valley story and how historically the Silicon Valley's current position of power and the effect it has on society bears a resemblance to the Gilded Age. Rob joins us to give an overview of this fascinating new book and fills us in on how it connects to his previous book Capitalism vs Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom in the course of this fascinating conversation. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

In this edition of Parallax Views, David Talbot, - journalist and founder of the pioneering web magazine Salon - joins us to discuss his new book: 'Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke'. Previously David has written the New York Times bestseller 'Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years', as well as, 'The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government', and 'Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love'. In 'Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke', David offers a heartfelt, honest, and often-times cheery memoir of his experiences facing mortality after suffering a stroke and how, thanks to family and a community of caregivers, he survived it and became something of a different person as a result. In this emotionally powerful conversation, we cover David's stroke and his survival, as well as the themes of gratitude and community that permeate the memoir. Additionally, David and I discuss some of his early experiences with Salon: how Salon famously took on right-wing hypocrisy during the Clinton impeachment; a fascinating personal story from David about Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos; and David's experience trying to get his books a cinematic treatment from Hollywood. We even begin the conversation with a bit of trivia about David's father, the legendary character actor Lyle Talbot, who starred in movies like Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space (David even has an anecdote to share about the notorious Ed Wood!). All that and more in this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Michael Brooks of The Majority Report, The Michael Brooks Show, and Weekends w/ Ana Kasparian and Michael Brooks joins us once again to discuss his brand new book Against the Web: A Cosmopolitan Answer to the New Right. In Against the Web, Michael critiques the "Intellectual Dark Web" that gained notoriety a few years ago through figures like Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, and Ben Shapiro. Although some would argue the IDW's influence has waned, Michael nonetheless provides good answers for how the Left can build movements that challenge the American right. After all, this won't be the IDW won't be the last iteration of right-wing thought in American social life. In addition to discussing Against the Web, Michael, J.G., and Casey also discuss Michael's takes on current matters like the woke vs economic reductionism debate, the end of the Bernie moment, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, rabble-rouser, former Anonymous associate, journalist, and press critic Barrett Brown joins us to give an update on his current wars with the press. In particular, Barrett tells us about his latest suspension from Twitter and his recent series of exchanges with David Enrich of the New York Times. Enrich, who recently wrote the book Dark Towers: Donald Trump, Deutsche Bank, and an Epic Trail of Destruction, came to Barrett's attention to do whistleblower Val Broeksmit (who we recently interviewed alongside journalist Scott Steadman on Parallax Views) and Barrett has a great deal to say about the relationship between Broeksmit and Enrich. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we revisit "The Pandemic as an Economic Crisis" w/ returning guest and veteran journalist Albert Lanier (who covered the topic with us on our March 23rd, 2020 podcast). In light of workers around the U.S. like ex-Amazon employee Chris Smalls fighting for their rights amidst unsafe working conditions and general precarity, Albert Lanier expands on his view that the health crisis of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is tethered to an economic crisis. In relation to workers fighting back, Albert mentions the many strikes going on around the country in relation to both work and rent and argues that we are potentially living in a Great Depression 2.0 scenario. Additionally, he emphasizes the general connectedness of the consumer economy and the way those connections have been severed. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic w/ Grant M Gallagher, an infectious disease journalist. We begin with Grant describing what he does as an infectious disease journalist and how it differs from commentary-based or pundit journalism. From there we delve into a number of topics related towards COVID-19 including something of primer on what exactly it is and the issues related to overwhelmed hospitals, underlying conditions, and other issues related to this crisis. Then, later in the program, we discuss the WHO, China, and the geopolitical aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ian Goodrum of China Daily offers his take on the COVID-19/coronavirus as an American living abroad in China. For some, this interview may prove particularly controversial as Ian makes no bones about coming from a pro-China perspective and working for state-owned media outlet within the country. With that in mind, I think that this proved an interesting conversation about how China handled the pandemic, conspiracy theories concerning COVID-19 as a bioweapon, accusations of countries (particularly China) fudging the number of actual deaths, China's intentions in relation to providing aid to other countries, the issue of "wet markets", and much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this very special edition of Parallax Views, former Staten Island Amazon employee Christian Smalls has taken the world by storm after speaking out about conditions at the facility he worked at and organizing fellow employees to strike for better sanitation condition and access to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in light of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Since then Chris Smalls has had his employment with Amazon terminated and his reputation smeared by the company. A leaked memo has shown top executives at Amazon referring Smalls as "not smart or articulate" and now Senators, including former 2020 Presidential candidate Cory Booker and Sherrod Brown, have comes to Smalls's defense and are demanding answers from Amazon's mega-billionaire head-honcho, Jeff Bezos. This important story is likely not going away soon as Chris prepares to appear on major media outlets in the next week. Luckily for Parallax Views, Chris was gracious enough to stop by our program for a brief but powerful conversation about his story and the fight he's taken up for worker's rights. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, futurist thinker and global resilience expert Vinay Gupta joins us to discuss a number of topics related to philosophy, politics, religion, humanitarianism, and the current coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. For the unfamiliar Vinay is not an easy guest to describe. He is perhaps best known for playing a key role in the launch Ethereum, a blockchain-based software, and is now the CEO of Mattereum. His primary areas of interest include technology, global resilience, futurism, and crypto-currencies. And he is not one to shy away from controversy, as this uncensored conversation will ilustrate. In this discussion, Vinay begins by telling us a little more about his background and his the underpinnings of his worldview, which is informed by by the Western Scientific model and Indian spirituality. We then delve into work involving refugees with Hexayurt Project before pivoting into the topics of politics. Specifically, Vinay offers his view and, ultimately critique, of the Left. In particular, believes that the Left has gone too far away from a politics of socialist class solidarity and into identity politics too much. Although some of Vinay's views on this matter do not sit well with my listeners or, truth be told, myself in many regards, I believe that this aspect of the conversation at least provokes a challenging discussion. From there we delve into the topics of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Vinay has done a great deal of work on pandemics over the years and offers some clarifying points about the nature of this particular pandemic as well as illucidating the class war element of the social tensions arising from COVID-19 sweeping the world. All in all, I believe that, while I and my listeners may greatly disagree with Vinay Gupta on some matters, that this conversation will live up to the title of being "A Parallax View". SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we take a break from our coronavirus coverage to discuss legendary musician David Bowie, art, and authenticity w/ artist and author James Curcio. James has a new book out entitled Masks: Bowie & Artists of Artifice that looks at Bowie and his trickster persona from a philosophical perspective that comes to understand the late musician as a sort of shamanic character that blurred the lines between the authenticity and artificiality of an artist. Additionally, the book also looks into other figures like the gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and the controversial Japanese novelist and poet Yukio Mishima. MASKS: BOWIE & ARTISTS OF ARTIFICE also features contributions form such thinkers as John Gray and Slavoj Zizek. In this conversation Jamie and I have a wide-ranging conversation about the book and the many themes it touches upon within its pages. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, an refresher and update on the case of imprisoned whistleblower Reality Winner w/ Reality's mother Billie Winner-Davis. Reality Winner was an NSA contractor who leaked documents pertaining to allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S Presidential Election to the press because she felt it was pertinent information that the public needed to know about. When the federal government traced the documents to Reality she was put on trial and received a sentence of over 5 years in prison. Regardless what you think of Russiagate, whether it was overblown or is one of the most important stories of our time, the harsh treatment Reality Winner has received for attempting to conscientiously alert the public to an issue she believed was of importance is indicative of the dangerous nature of the United States War on Whistleblowers over the past two decades. In addition to giving a refresher on Reality's case, Billie also fills us in on how Reality is doing in federal prison during this pandemic and discusses her concerns for Reality's mental health at this time, the possibility of coronavirus/COVID-19 making it's way into prison, and even tells us a little about Reality's artwork. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Siberian-based educator Jason Van Boom joins us for a discussion of the coronavirus pandemic in his part of the world and how Mongolia's response to the coronavirus pandemic may have been useful to Siberia. Additionally, Jason takes us through a brief history of pandemic and plagues past and present including the Black Death, the diseases created by the "Columbian exchange", and now COVID-19. We also discuss the question of globalization and Jason's nuanced view of it's relationship to the pandemic. He argues that the "globalism vs. nationalism" binary is not a useful one in dealing with these matters and that globalization has been happening in some form or another long before the 20th century. And finally, Jason discusses the ideas of Carl Schmitt, specifically the "State of Exception", and how they relate to the response to the current pandemic. Jason also argues that there is a progressive version of the "State of Exception" in the form of the work of academic Robert Yelle. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our international coverage of the coronavirus pandemic this time from a Brazilian perspective. Brian Mier of the Brasilwire joins us to discuss how the crisis has been effecting Brazil, specifically on the political front. But first, we dive into a bit of recent Brazilian history with a discussion of the ouster of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the rise of the Brazilian extreme right wing under current President Jair Bolsonaro and ideologues like Olavo de Carvalho. From there we delve into the neo-Malthusian response Bolsonaro has offered to the Brazilian public in regards to the coronavirus pandemic and how some are buying into it. Additionally, we talk about how Bolsonaro has become increasingly isolated politically due to the majority of the population being against his response thus far, including governors. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Gaza strip has been under siege of Israel for over a decade and now face new struggles due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Al Jazeera photojournalist Walid Mahmoud joins us on this edition of the program to discuss the current situation facing the Palestinian people in Gaza. How are Gazans dealing with measures like social distancing despite being extremely crowded (thus making social distancing difficult) and what of the lack of medical supplies like ventilators? Also what is Gaza like now under the blockade and the threat of coronavirus combined? Walid also fills us in on why Gazans remain positive in spite of the adversity they face and why the everyday Gazan does not want violence, hatred, or racism but rather the recognition that "we all live under the same sky" and therefore peace must prevail. This interview is shorter (close to 40 min) but powerful. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFsEkQcKylE On this video edition of Parallax Views, Mike Swanson of the Wall Street Window joins us to discuss the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and the future of the economy as wlell as related topics. This conversation is an almost two hour barn-burner, and Mike's takes may surprise you and are definitely food for thought. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, military analyst John Robb, author of the Global Guerrillas Report and Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization, joins us to discuss his maverick research into open source warfare as well as his more recent work on bottom-up networks and the coronavirus pandemic. We begin by discussing his work on asymmetric warfare during the heyday War on Terror and then discuss the rise of open source warfare domestically in the U.S. vis-a-vis Occupy Wall Street, Anonymous, and the Trumpist insurgency of the 2016 election. John talks about the nature of decentralized networks and their ability to form consensus as well as cause disruption and explain why he thinks some of the left-wing insurgencies have been less successful in recent years than their right-wing counterpart. Ultimately, this discussion of decentralized networks brings us to the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic and John's contention that such bottom-up, grassroots networks have played a major role, at least within the Western world, in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, John details how the widespread adoption of social distance measures came from such networks. Additionally John explains the missteps that were made in addressing coronavirus initially while offering some reasons for optimism when comparing the current pandemic to the Spanish Flu. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, long-shot 2020 Democratic Party Presidential hopeful has officially dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden. For a certain segment of progressives Gabbard was seen as the most sufficiently antiwar candidate. Others, however, argued her campaign was riddle with America First reactionary nationalism in progressive clothing. Niko House, a surrogate for Tulsi Gabbard's 2020 Presidential Campaign, joins us to explain his support for Gabbard. Although I myself have voiced much skepticism toward Gabbard, I wanted to give Niko a chance to say his part about controversies surrounding Tulsi Gabbard without the discussion going into full debate mode. I feel that, even though I remain highly skeptical of Tulsi Gabbard, this was, at the very least, an interesting conversation and am hopeful that Niko may return for a more adversarial debate in the future. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Doug Henwood of the Left Business Observer and the Behind the News radio program joins us from ground zero of the pandemic, New York, to discuss his article "A few ambitious points on fighting the crisis". In this article Doug offers a number of proposals for policies to fight the crises created by the coronavirus now and in the future. We also discuss how Doug is doing in the beginning of the episode, some thoughts on the 2020 election, the effect neoliberalism has had on our ability to imagine another world being possible, and much, much more in the course of this conversation. What policies will we need to enact in a post-coronavirus world? I hope that this episode will provide some hints and guidance in the right direction. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Sean Ledwith of Counterfire joins us to discuss his recent article "Coronavirus: the politics of Cummings’ cull" concerning Dominic Cummings, Chief Advisor to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his "Super-Weirdos" vs the British people potentially resisting them in an age of pandemic. Why did Boris Johnson's administration initially support building "herd immunity" in response to coronavirus coming to the UK? What does "nudge theory" and a shadowy think-tank known as Behavioural Insights Team have to do with Downing Street's coronavirus response team? Find out on this edition of Parallax Views w/ guest Sean Ledwith of Counterfire. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. and Casey speak w/ returning guest and veteran journalist Albert Lanier. In this conversation Lanier discusses the coronavirus pandemic in terms of it being an economic crisis as well as a health crisis. In addition we discuss reports of class warfare breaking out in the Hamptons, the 2020 election, and more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this bonus edition of Parallax Views, John Feffer of Foreign Policy in Focus joins J.G. and his Parallax Views: The Week That Was co-host Casey to discuss his latest articles "Will the Coronavirus Kill Globalization" and "What the Coronavirus Says About Us". The vast majority of the covnersation is devoted to what COVID-19 means for the age of globalization. As we note in the beginning of the conversation, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan hopes that the virus will spell the end of globalization and a resurgence in nationalist sentiments. Feffer, although critical of aspects of the economic aspects of globalization in its current formation, is hoping for something else entirely and in fact sees COVID-19 as opening the doors for an opportunity. Namely, a new wave of globalization that would be more progressive in nature. In addition to discussing the relationship between globalization and COVID-19 as well as what it means for the future of globalization as a project, John also summarizes his latest article "What the Coronavirus Says About Us" detailing the responses of China, South Korea, Italy, and the United States to the pandemic crisis. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, much ink has been spent chronicling the history of the United States through the the political careers of its various presidents. But what of those Presidents relationship to Black America, a segment of the U.S. populace who have historically faced discrimination, prejudice, and racism from the earliest moment of arrival in the country? Margaret Kimberley, a New York-based activist and editor/columnist for Black Agenda Report, seeks to uncover that relationship in her new book Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents (Truth to Power; 2020). Margaret Kimberley joins us to discuss this fascinating new book which sheds an often more unpleasant light on Presidential history than usually recognized. We begin by discussing the Black Agenda Report and what listeners can expect from its analysis. Then we pivot into the subject of her new book by looking at how the mythology of the United States prevents many from taking a critical look at our Presidents, including the Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Magaret relates how these Founding Father were slave owners and how even the ones who had conflicted feelings about slavery, like Thomas Jefferson, weren't willing to challenge the institution. We then move on to the Presidency of "The Great Emancipator" Abrahahm Lincoln, who Margaret argues we have, to some extent, romanticized as for ending slavery while forgetting the abolitionists, slaves, and former slaves who pushed for the end of that terrible institution. We also discuss the relationship between President Theodore Roosevelt and the African American community leader Booker T. Washington and the controversies surrounding their dinner at the White House. And, of course, we discuss Franklin Delano Roosevelt relationship to black America. From there we fast-forward bit to more contemporary history. For example, we untangle the major changes the changed the relationship of the black community to Republicans and Democrats in the wake of the Civil Rights era into the Presidencies of Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. We also take a critical look at Bill Clinton, who was once referred to as "The First Black President". Then we discuss the Presidency of Barack H. Obama, Obama's controversial relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the legacy of it all. Finally, we delve into the current Presidential race and the Democratic Primaries between Joe Biden and Bernie Sandets. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pJDFh9cWvM On this video edition of Parallax Views, Alley Valkyrie of Gods and Radicals Press joins J.G. and co-host Casey for a discussion about life in France under lockdown due to the coronavirus as well as a broader conversation about the "global experience" find ourselves in due to this pandemic. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, big pharma is likely to find itself under the microscope of public attention once again as concerns arise over it placing profits over people in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Noted investigative journalist Gerald Posner, author of Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster; 2020), joins us to discuss the long, storied, and often shocking history of big pharma in the United States from its turn of the century roots to its much discussed role in the American opioid crisis. This conversation covers a wide amount of ground beginning with the coronavirus. Then we take a brief detour to discuss the current state of investigative journalism and how challenges facing the field. During this portion of the conversation Gerald reveals that Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America was a years-in-the-making project that ambitiously set out to tell the story of big pharma in a single volume and took Gerald in unexpected directions. From there, however, we move into a conversation of pharma's early history and how some of it parallels to flim-flam men and snake-oils salesmen selling "miracle cures". We then delve into how pharma changed (and made massive profits) in the WWII era with the development of antibiotics. This leads us into a brief discussion of how a conflict arose betwen pharma's old guard and its new blood in the 1950s. In particular, Gerald and I discuss the figure of Pfizer chariman John McKeen and the young, ambitious advertising man he employed: Arthur M. Sackler. For the unitiated, the Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the privately-owned pharmaceutical company behind Oxycontin, that has come under intense scrutiny due to the American opioid epidemic. Gerald and I discuss the interesting life of Arthur M. Sackler Jewish kid from Brooklyn that faced antisemitism from his WASP neighbors to a political radical that staunchly opposed racism and became an FBI informant against a German company involved in money laundering to the Nazis. Gerald also reveals that Arthur, as well as his card-carrying Communist Party brother Raymond Sackler, were monitored by the FBI during the Red Scare. And finally, at least in regards to Arthur, we discuss how he went from a political radical to becoming comfortable with wealth. We then move onto a discussion of the Sacklers and some of the controversies surrounding them, including stories involving tax havens and the potentially shady ways that the family made millions of dollars off a vitamin-based product. Additionally, Gerald and I discuss how one lawyer referred to the Sacklers as "essentially a crime family". Moreover, Gerald reveals how New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani fits into the controversies around Purdue Pharma and how Purdue Pharma adopted and modified the NRA's maxim "Gun Don't Kill, People Kill People" to their own ends in relation to OxyContin. And finally Gerald briefly tells us about the courageous mother who took on the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma in light of her daughter's passing due to an Oxycontin overdose. We wrap up the conversation by talking about the possibility for reforming big pharma and how Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America shows how a figure like "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli is only the tip of the iceberg in regards to the dark side of big pharma. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, as coronavirus grips the United States and the world Parallax Views regular guest JP Sottile aka the Newsvandal joins us to discuss all the latest in current events (and their historical connections to the past) during these fearful times. We begin the conversation by discussing COVID-19. JP is currently in self-quarantine after finding out his roomamte contracted the virus. Not only that, but JP is also in one of the epicenter of coronavirus in the USA. We then go on to discuss the possible effect this pandemic may have on globalization, and how figures ranging from Foreing Policy in Focus's John Feffer to paleoconservative Pat Buchanan are considering the potential for coronavirus to deliver a death blow to the current neoliberal world order. From there we go on to discuss the resurgence of nationalism around the world coupled with the oncoming possibility of ecological crisis. This segues into a discussion of America's generational divide, the increasing anger directed at baby boomers by millennials and Gen Z, and how Generation X fits into it all. Additionally, we discuss the Democratic Primaries, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and where progressives should put their energies in a post-Bernie scenario. Moreover, we discuss the differences between the Trumpist right that has taken over the GOP from more moderate Republican and the progressive movement, embodied by the Bernie Sanders campaign, that have sought to take over the Democratic Party. And finally we come back to the coronavirus at the end of our conversation and the scary developments around it. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGPDmD1s-Y On this video edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn of Zero Books and the Pop the Left podcast discusses coronavirus, the 2020 election, the Left, the resurgence of nationalism, neoliberalism and globalization, the EU, the possibility of a coming economic crash, and much more in a jam-packed nearly two hour conversation w/ host J.G. Michael. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, T. of Champagne Sharks, a podcast that describes itself as "distinguished but vicious" which explores issues related to race, racism, culture, and class from a left political perspective, joins us for a two hour conversation that goes in a multitude of different directions. We begin by discussing T.'s general mission with the Champagne Sharks podcast and the branch out into discussions about intersectionality vs class reductionism, internet culture war, and much, much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this special video edition of Parallax Views, Prof. Harvey J. Kaye, author of Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again, joins J.G. Michael and his co-host Casey to discuss Bernie Sanders, the need to reclaim America's radical tradition, and what comes next for progressive and left-wing activists if Biden gets the Democratic Party nomination in the 2020 Presidential Election. Sidenote: Still getting used to this vidoe thing. Harvey breaks up at one point but this convo is good. Also, Casey is obscured like he's Blofeld in the James Bond movies, but I guess that adds to the suspense for the eventual face reveal. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, underground publisher entrepreneur extraordinaire Shane Bugbee of the Speak of the Devil podcast joins us to discuss love, hope, radicalism, philosophy, grace, aging, the struggles of being an artist, and trading in misanthropy for trust and hope in his fellow man. Oh, and we talk Bernie Sanders too! In case you're unfamiliar, Shane is a a magnet from controversy. For example, he is the person who republished Ragnar Redbeard's Might Makes Right, effectively taking the screed out of obscurity (he's since taken it out of circulation after and expressed more than a bit of contempt for the racist neo-nazis who have touted the book). Additionally, he's been involved in the worlds of true crime, heavy metal, and even the subculture of Satanism from Anton LaVey's Church of Satan to Lucien Greaves' The Satanic Temple. It was these associations that led Shane to being ran out of the small-town of Ely, Minnesota. You may be thinking, "Ugh, an edgelord!" But, interestingly Shane isn't a misanthrope at this stage in his life. Specifically, after a cross-country tour of the U.S. for his documentary/book The Suffering and Celebration of Life in America, he says that he learned to trust people and that, for the most part, people aren't so bad. This is a relatively free-form conversation with Shane and we cover a smorgasboard of topics like religion (Shane takes a dimmer view on the matter than I do), his unique experiences talking to people from both the tippy top and bottom rungs of the socioeconomic latter, and why altruism paradoxically helps yourself as well as others. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, while concerns about the global pandemic known as the coronavirus continue to mount in the United States, many folks are being hit by symptoms of another entirely different condition sweeping the nation. Namely, election fever. The surprise comeback of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic Party Primaries proved to be a dark day for progressive activists, specifically supporters of Bernie Sanders.. As we race toward the General Election in November that will pit the Democratic nominee against sitting President Donald Trump, the heat has been turned up a notch on the Democratic Party Primary race. Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Michale Bloomberg, and, now, Elizabeth Warren have dropped out of the running leaving us with a match-up between the centrist moderate Joe Biden and the progressive Bernie Sanders. Joining us later on this edition of the program to discuss the aftermath of Super Tuesday and where progressive movement and the left need to go from here is Eric Draitser of Counterpunch Radio. But first... The 2000 Presidential Election, which pitted Republican George W. Bush against Democrat Al Gore, the latter fresh from a run as Vice President under Bill Clinton, was marred by controversy by the time it ended. For a brief period it appeared to many, including the news media, that Gore would win the election. However, reporting on Al Gore’s victory in Florida, where George W’s brother Jeb Bush was serving as Governor, suddenly proved incorrect at the 11th hour. Controversy arose when it was found that Votomatic machine punch card ballots appeared to have left sizable number of voters unaccounted for. Republicans claimed that this was because said voters were not sophisticated enough to use the Votomatic machien properly. Meanwhile, Democrats demanded recounts. The debacle eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court when it was decided that Bush would be declared the winner of the Presidential race. Nonetheless, public figures ranging from progressive radio host Thom Hartmann to famed attorney Vincent Bugliosi would go on to dissect the controversies and challenge Bush’s victory after the fact. In 2018, noted true crime author and investigative journalist Stephen Singular sought to tell the story of his investigation into the matter by way of his book Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election. Singular was knee-deep in the story as it was happening, but only now. thanks to fellow journalist Russ Baker’s WhoWhatWhy media outlet, has he been able to tell the tale. And I must say its a tale straight out of a crime noir thriller. Regardless your take on the 2000 Presidential Election, Stephen Singular’s Stolen Future raises troubling questions about the state of election integrity in the United States. Whether one believes the result of the 2000 Presidential Election was due to malfeasance or the potential incompetence of the companies behind the Votomatic machines that haunted said election, Singular’s reporting, in my view, should make us all consider the age old question of whether or not money belongs in politics. Should something as important as a Presidential Election be left in the hands of the private interests who create our voting machines? Stephen Singular joins us to recount his personal investigation of the Bush vs. Gore debacle and the issue of "hanging chads" as told in his book, Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election. Then... Eric Draitser of Counterpunch Radio returns to the program to share his commentary on the aftermath of of Super Tuesday, Joe Biden's big comeback, and what it means for not only the Bernie Sanders campaign but the progressive/left movement in America as a whole. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, the controversial founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, appeared in a London court late this past February for his extradition hearing. Investigative journalist Kevin Gosztola of ShadowProof and the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast w/ Rania Khalek, who was in attendance for the hearing, joins us to provide a firsthand report of the proceedings and give a primer on the case of Julian Assange. Additionaly, Kevin and I discuss what is at stake for press freedom in relation Assange's case, how the Spanish security firm Undercover Global (which has connections to billionaire Trump donor Sheldon Adelson) connects to the case, how Assange was held in a glass box during the hearing, Iraq War whistleblower Chelsea Manning's relevance to Assange's case, and much, much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, can music change the world? Joining us to tackle that question as well as outline the rich history of protest music is Brad Schreiber, author of Music is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change. As Schreiber shows in the fascinating new book, available now from Rutgers University Press, protest music, or as he prefers to call it "socially conscious music", goes far beyond the antiwar anthems and can even be traced back to the early 20th century with class conscious musicians like Joe Hill, a labor activist associated with the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). In this conversation we discuss artist ranging from Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to artist you may not have ever considered as political before like bubble pop icon Lesley Gore and the founding fathers of heavy metal Black Sabbath. We also discuss such musicians as the obscure but talented satirist Tom Lehrer, counterculture legend Frank Zappa, "The Godfather of Soul" James Brown, R&B pioneer Curtis Mayfield, and the punk rock of the Sex Pistols as well as specific songs like Janis Ian's "Society's Children" and Peter Gabriel's "Biko". We even talk a little bit about Pink Floyd and their politically outspoken co-founder Roger Waters. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this special bonus edition of Parallax Views, legendary progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann took a little bit of time out of his busy schedule for a half hour discussion of his fascinating and important new book, The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote And How to Get It Back. In this concise, and easily-digestible book, which follows from The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America and The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment, Thom lays out the Republican Party, backed by the ultra-wealthy, have waged a decades-long all out assault on voters, specifically women, people of color, and the working class through voter purges, gerrymandering, and other tactics. However, in addition to laying out this immensely under-discussed history, Thom also offers solutions that will re-empower voters and, in the process, aid in expanding our shared values of Democracy. In this conversation we discuss some of the main points of Thom's book as well as recent debate about the Electoral College Vs. the Popular vote in light of the 2016 Presidential Election and Thom's thoughts on what another 4 years of a Trump Presidency would mean for the United States of America. It is my hope that this conversation proves timely and vital during this election season. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax, New York Times reporter David Enrich's new book Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump and an Epic Trail of Destruction has received much press lately for casting a light on the subject of the Trump family's relationship to the scandal-prone Deutsche Bank and potentially shady financial transactions involving Russian money. Although opinions vary on the matter of the purported relationship Trump and the Russian government, even on the left, the investigative news website Forensic News has recently published two pieces on the subject of Trump, Deutsche Bank, and the Russian-based VTB Bank and Gazprombank. Joining us to discuss these recent articles, "Trump Deutsche Bank Loans Underwritten By Russian State-Owned Bank, Whistleblower Told FBI" and "Russian Government Bank Deposited $500 Million into Deutsche Bank Subsidiary as it Lent to Trump", and to discuss Enrich's book are investigative journalist Scott Stedman and whisteblower Val Broeksmit. Val, who is in large part the subject of Ernich's Dark Towers, is the son of William Broeksmit, a high-ranking Wall Street executive who committed suicide in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. After the suicide, Val came into possession of a treasure trove of his father's emails and documents related to Deutsche Bank. He has since taken those documents to the FBI is currently collaborating with Forensic News on the Trump/Deutsche Bank/VTB Bank/Gazprombank story. In this conversation Val gives an unfiltered background on his life, how he came into possession of his father's documents, his rocky relationship with David Enrich, and much more. Scott discusses the documents Val has shared and why he believes they are relevant as well as summarizing the Trump/Deutsche Bank/VTB Bank/Gazprombank stories and why he and Forensic News believe they are worthy of consideration. Additionally, Scott explains why he defends the credibility of Val. Regardless of your take on the issue of Trump and Russia, I hope this is fascinating conversation. I can assure you that Val is definitely never boring and Scott is a fount of knowledge. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, black metal, with it's Satanic lyrics, blasphemous imagery, and history of bands engaging in acts like church burnings and even murder, has cemented itself as the most extreme and transgressive genres in the varied world of heavy metal. And, perhaps due to it's deliberately confrontational nature and explicit anti-social aesthetic, black metal also happens to be a genre infested with out-and-out Nazis and white supremacist who openly rail against immigrants, Jews, and other common targets of far-right wing hate and bigotry. The most famous of these is, without a doubt Varg Vikernes, who, through his project Burzum, became one of the most seminal (and deadly) key players within 90s Norwegian black metal. Since then an entire genre of black metal has arisen known as NSBM, or National Socialist Black Metal. And now there is a new phenomena of NSBM arising, in a strange twist, out of Latin America that can only accurately be described as "Aztec Nazi Black Metal". Returning guest and writer Alex Gendler joins us to discuss his article "Aryan Aztlán: The Bizarre World of Aztec Nazi Black Metal" for the newly relaunched No Recess magazine. Alex takes us into the unusual new music phenomena and argues that, although its appearance may seem out of left field at first glance, is not as surprising as one may initially think. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

In light of a recent piece by Der Spiegel, one of the largest news magazine publications, on the legacy of controversial Barrett Brown and the early 21st century "hacktivism" of Anonymous, Barrett Brown returns to Parallax Views for a jam-packed two-hour conversation addressing Barrett's criticisms of the article. Specifically, Barrett takes issue with Alexandra Rojkov, the author behind the piece, using a tweet by Claire Lehmann, founder of the equally controversial Quillette magazine (which has promoted writings related to "race realism" as well as, at one time, the work of Andy Ngo), accusing Brown of "harassing women in tech". Within said tweet Lehmann offered, as evidence, a retweet ofBrown asking for "anyone with information about [Peter] Thiel associate Riva-Melissa Tez" to "please email me". In this conversation, argues that a call to potential sources interested in offering him information on Riva-Melissa Tez stretches the credulity of the term harassment and would require a concrete definition of harassment to be laid out. Additionally, he says, Lehmann's tweet inadvertently gave Brown the information he sought from sources who saw it. From there we begin to delve into the larger failures of the press through a multitude of examples, from the Dallas press's employing a white supremacist radio host who went by the psuedonym Spectre to the recent report by Jared Holt, Angry White Men, Right Wing Watch on Michael J. Thompson, a figure within the conservative movement who moonlighted as the alt right personality "Paul Kersey". Why are these figures allowed to exist within the institutions for so long while Barrett Brown and a whistleblower like Val Broeksmit are smeared for pasts involving drug use? This leads us into a discussion Peter Thiel and his software company Palantir. Brown explains what he sees as the relationship between Thiel and the press. In addition, he argues that there are connections between Thiel and magazines like Quillette as well the infamous hacker Andrew Aurnheimer aka "weev". Moreover, Brown says the the story of Thiel's rise, the advent of the alt right, surveillance, and other issues are interrelated and not yet fully known to the public. In addition, Brown discusses the nature of Thiel's agenda and whether it is, as the mainstream media presents it, libertarian in its nature or rather, as investigative journalists like Corey Pein have alluded to, is connected to "The Dark Enlightenment" of neoreactionary philosopher Nick Land. Moreover, Brown says that Palantir is at the center of much more than normally recognized and that Thiel and his agenda is the most dangerous in the world. At this point Brown delves more deeply into the ideology of this "Dark Enlightenment", the premises it is based on, why it is capable of making an argument in a persuasive fashion, and why it must be opposed. Particularly, he notes that "The Dark Enlightenment" persuades by pointing out, often correctly, the failures of institutions within Democracy currently. Brown, however, says that we must find an alternative to counteract this ideology, which he says will manage to become a strong attractor for those with inherited wealth and spreading out from that point. We wrap up the show with Brown announcing the hiatus of the Pursuance Project and a possible Hollywood collaboration with Alex Winter in the future. Then, for what may be the first time, the life, legacy, and mysterious death of journalist Michael Hastings as well as his relationship to Hastings. Hastings was a journalist who gained much recognition for his work on the Iraq war. After the death of his fiancée, Andrea Pahramovich he wrote a book about her passing and his relationship with her in I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern Love Story. Hastings wrote for both the Rolling Stone and Buzzfeed. During the Obama years Hasting becase very critical of what he saw as a state-sponsored war on journalists. He won the George Polk award for his Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal entitled "The Runaway General" Unfortunately, Hastings passed away under controversial circumstances (many alleged conspiracy/foul play) on June 18, 2013. In this portion of the conversation Brown outlines his relationship with the late journalist, their shared concerns, and Hastings' treatment by the media. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Greg Belvedere of the RebelBass Youtube channel joins us to discuss his upcoming video about the online right's "Fear of a Cucked Planet". Around 2015 the term "cuckservatives" began cropping up as an insult employed by the alt right against conservatives they believed were not right wing enough. The term cuck quickly became an insult to contemptuously refer to men seen as weak or servile. The term, however, originates from a fetish in which a man likes to watch his wife or girlfriend having sex with another man. Additionally, the kink usually has an interracial element to it. As such, the alt right's use of the term "cuck" seems to clearly come from their own racial paranoia. Greg promises expands on this angle while also attempts to tie it to the other anxieties of the alt right in his upcoming video on the subject. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, crackerjack journalist JP Sotille aka The Newsvandal returns to unpack the spectacle of American politics in 2020. From the failure of the anti-climatic ending of the Impeachment trial and the chaos the Iowa Caucus "App-Ocalypse" to Rush Limbaugh winning a Presidential Medal of Honor and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump's speech at the State of the Union, the political landscape has already proven to be wild since the start of the new year and will likely only get crazier leading up to the elections in November. JP has been on a roll lately with his three most recent pieces, "The Impeachment Blunder", "The Irony of Iowa's Caucus Crack-Up", and "SOTU: The Reagan Reboot Strikes Again". In this conversation he took on a noticably grimmer tone than in previous appearances and I suspect his takes on current matters ranging from the failure of Impeachment to the Democratic Party's split between progressives and its centrist establishment will have a little something for the left, right, and center alike to get a little angry about. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

Ever since the shockingly gruesome Tate-LaBianca murders of August 1969, The Manson Family have cast a long shadow over not only the 60s counterculture and its images of free loving, acid-dropping, Establishment challenging, hippie flower children but also American culture as a whole. Rather than ushering in the fabled Age of Aquarius where peace and love would reign supreme, it appeared that the promise of "The Psychedelic Sixties" had ended with an unimaginably wanton act of violence and bloodshed. The clarion call of Dr. Timothy Leary and the Woodstock Generation to "Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out" seemed to take on a much more sinister meaning as Charles Manson and those who lived by his side in the desert mountains of California became popular culture's de facto avatar for evil in the latter 20th century. Coupled with the January election of President Richard Nixon, who successfully campaigned under on "Law and Order" platform that promised reaffirm the Establishment status quo, the saga of the Manson Family spelled the grim end of an era and its dashed hopes for the so-called Age of Aquarius. Perhaps that is why, a half century later, the faint echoes of the Manson Family and the Tate-LaBianca murders reverberate within popular culture. Through the decades there's been endless documentaries, movies, TV shows, books, and more either inspired by, based on, or seeking to make sense of it all. There's even been alternative theories proposed to challenge prosecutor's Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter telling of the whole twisted affair. Some, such as the controversial Nikolas Schreck, have argued that the Tate-LaBianca murders were a drug burn gone awry. Others, most notably the late conspiracy-minded radio host Mae Brussell, have speculated that the murders were a plot to crush the counterculture and that the Manson Family were products of the CIA's Cold War-era mind control experiments with the now infamous MK ULTRA project. Ed Sanders, the poet and counterculture icon of the seminal hippie folk-rock band The Fugs, attempted to draw a connection between Manson and a little-know cult with the ominous name The Process Church of the Final Judgment in his 1971 chronicle of the case THE FAMILY. And, of course, there are those who believe that Bugliosi's account of the events, as detailed in his 1974 best-seller HELTER SKELTER, remains the definitive final word on the whole matter. After all these years one could be forgiven for thinking that Charles Manson's death on November 19, 2017 from a cardiac arrest would be the nail in the coffin for his and The Manson Family's hold on the popular imagination. And yet multiple major motion pictures since have been based on, inspired/influenced by, or involved the Manson saga including the Hillary Duff-starring THE HAUNTING OF SHARON TATE, heavy-metal-rocker-turned-horror-filmmaker Rob Zombie's gory 3 FROM HELL, American Psycho director Mary Harron's CHARLIE SAYS, and, of course, Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Additionally, new books continued to be published on the subject including CREEPY CRAWL: CHARLES MANSON AND THE MANY LIVES OF AMERICA'S MOST INFAMOUS FAMILY by Jeffrey Melnick, which offered a cultural study of the Manson Family and its influence on the American psyche to this very day, and CHAOS: CHARLES MANSON, THE CIA, AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SIXTIES by journalist Tom O'Neill. The latter book challenged Vincent Bugliosi's generally accepted HELTER SKELTER by delving into alternative theories related to the Family as well as the murders and became something of a sleeper hit covered by outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian upon its publication in the summer of 2019. What is it the continues to fascinate so many about The Manson Family? Why the continued popularity of alternative theories to explain the murders? What, if anything, does the Family and the Tate-LaBianca murders mean in the context of the peace and love counterculture of the 1960s? Filmmaker Lonnie Martin attempts to address these questions without finding the elusive answers in his fascinating and engrossing new movie THE LAST OF THE MANSON GIRLS. Based on the essay "My Acid Trip with Squeaky Fromme" by late counterculture legend and self-described "investigative satirist" Paul Krassner, THE LAST OF THE MANSON GIRLS follows Krassner's (played here by Elliot Kashner) attempt to investigate and unravel The Manson Family saga after being spurred on by the conspiracy-minded California radio fixture Mae Brussell (Robin Reck). Despite his admitted skepticism toward Brussell's theories, Krassner find himself drawn into chasing the phantoms of the Manson story and, in an effort to find them, decides to spend an acid-tripping day with the three remaining members of Charlie's Family that aren't confined to a cold cell: Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme (Jen Bevan), Sandra Good (Cindy Marie Martin), and Brenda McCann (Sarah Taurchini). Alternately scared an

Are we doomed by a coming climate change apocalypse? Patrick Farnsworth of the Last Born in the Wilderness podcast and Alexander Miller, who recently appeared on the You Can't Win podcast to challenge climate doomerism, join us for a debate and discussion based around that very question. Alex requested to have a debate on this matter after hearing a previous conversation between Patrick and I. Alex argues that Patrick views represent what's been called "Doomerism" about climate change and wanted to debate him what climate change and climate catastrophe will entail. Alex does not argue that climate change isn't a major issue, but rather takes the view that it will not be an extinction level event. Patrick takes more or less a bleaker view on what climate change entails. In this conversation they debate the merits of their viewpoints and let the listeners decide. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! FOR BONUS CONTENT AND ARCHIVED EPISODES!

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Joseph L. Flatley joins us to discuss his new investigative podcast series The So-Called Prophet from Pittsburgh exploring a New Age UFO religion, or, as other would argue a destructive cult, operating an eco-village in the desert heat of Arizona and led by a man calling himself Gabriel of Urantia. Following in the footsteps of hit podcasts like Serial, S-Town, and Wonderland, The So-Called Prophet from Pittsburgh will appeal to fans of true crime and cult investigations. Joseph tells us all about the pod, Gabriel of Urantia, Gabriel's follower, and the ex-members who've formed what they call "The Negative Network". All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Peru-based commentator and analyst joins us to discuss his work with The Center for a Stateless Society (C4SS), an organization that describes itself as pro-market but anti-capitalist and has been referred to as left libertarian or market anarchist in its orientation, as well as his recent piece covering the Chile protest entitled "Chile and the Limits of Neoliberalism". What is driving the protests in Chile and what do they mean within the broader context of the growing global resistance to neoliberalism worldwide? All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn joins us to discuss his new and improved Pop the Left! podcast series for Zero Books. Additionally, Derick and I also discuss the Iran Situation in the wake of the assassination of Gen. Soleimani. This was recorded a day after the assassination and tensions have continued to heat up since then, but Derick provides what I consider to be useful insights. We also discuss a number of other topics in this conversation that marks the first episode of Parallax Views for the new year of 2020! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

Gather around the Christmas tree and crack open some eggnog because it's the Parallax Views 2019 Holiday Special! On this edition of the program we bring you some holiday cheer with not one but two conversations with previous Parallax Views guests. First up, "The P.T. Barnum of the Underground" Shane Bugbee returns to tells us all about the time he organized the first ever Jean Shepherd Festival in Hammond, Indiana. For those not familiar, Shepherd was the great humorist whose writings served as the basis for the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. Hot off the heels of his controversial Expo of the Extreme in Chicago, Shane had moved to the small, downtrodden town of Hammond and was surprised to find out its residents were unaware that Jean Shepherd, who impacted such influential figures as Jerry Seinfeld, was raised in their very town. So Shane decided to put together a festival that would celebrate Shepherd as Hammond's hometown hero and brought in a number of actors from A Christmas Story for the occasion. In this conversation you'll hear how Shane organized the events, his experience getting the "Key to the City" from the Mayor for it, how Shane had to sign a paper stating that Satan would not appear at the event, how he thinks it helped uplift the spirits of many in the town, and much, much more. Additionally, we cap off this conversation with a brief discussion of Shane's encounter with the late great Rudy Ray Moore, who was recently immortalized in the Eddie Murphy-starring feature film Dolemite is My Name, and the pranksterish shenanigans Shane and Rudy got up to that raised the ire of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, stars of the TV sitcom Laverne and Shirley. Shane Bugbee rocking the infamous Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story Then, multi-time guests and friends of the show Jon and Ash of the Horror Vanguard podcast join us to discuss the wild world of Christmas horror movies! This is a light-hearted casual conversation that covers alternative holiday classics from Black Christmas and Gremlins to the 6 film Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise and, of course, the greatest holiday horror of them all... ELVES, the movie where Dan Haggerty, Grizzly Adams himself, goes head-to-head with genetically modified Nazi demons elves! Hell, we even discuss such obscurities as the mean-spirited British slasher Don't Open Till Christmas, Santa's Slay starring pro wrestling legend Bill Goldberg, the fantastic short film Black Santa's Revenge, and the French proto-Home Alone thriller Deadly Games. MERRY CHRISTMAS PARALLAX VIEWS LISTENERS AND MAY YOU ALL HAVE A

On this edition of Parallax Views, Frank Capra is generally one of the most beloved filmmaker in Hollywood history. Best known for movies like the Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life, Capra is often seen as being a forerunner to the auteur (thanks to his motto "one man, one film) and whose cinematic efforts championed the working class. Noted film historian Joseph McBride, whose storied career has included working with the legendary Orson Welles as well as writing biographies of Welles, Steven Spielberg, and John Ford, however, found that the popular image of the man was a myth in writing the biography Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. For one thing, McBride found that Capra, contrary to the myth, was not as big a fan of the masses and everyday man as his films would lead many to believe. In fact, in interviewing Capra and others, as well as engaging in extensive research, he found that Capra had a certain fear for the masses, was a lifelong Republican who disliked FDR, and, despite being an immigrant himself, a xenophobe with anti-Semitic tendencies. Most damning of all perhaps was McBride's discovery of a file in Capra's archives which revealed that Capra snitched on his fellow Hollywood colleagues during the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. McBride set about telling the true story of this legendary filmmaker, not to destroy his legacy but instead to reveal a complex man that considered himself an ardent patriot who felt betrayed by his country when he was accused of being a subversive. As a result of this betrayal, McBride argues, Capra lost his way and went against the very values espoused in his beloved filmography by feeding the McCarthyite menace. The story, however, did not end with the publication of Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success in 1992. In his new book, Frankly: Unmasking Frank Capra, McBride relates the Kafka-esque tale of his struggle to complete and see published Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. The experience found McBride, after having the project initially greenlit by his publisher, Capra's archivist, and Capra himself, being stonewalled. As such Frankly: Unmasking Frank Capra serves not only as the follow-up to Frank Capra: The Catastrophe but also as a story about the monumental struggles journalists and biographers often face in attempting to, as reporter Walter Lippman once said, "Tell the truth and shame the devil." On this edition of the program Joseph McBride himself joins us to share this fascinating story.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we discuss two very distinct topics with Dr. Rob Williams, a Media/Communications professor at Champlain College and the University of Vermont as well the publisher of Vermont Independent (not to mention a musician, author, and a yak farmer/enthusiast; Dr. Williams wears many different hats!). First up, Dr. Williams tells us about the Vermont Independence Movement or Second Vermont Republic, which would like to see Vermont return to it's former status as independent republic by seceding from the United States. Regardless of one's thoughts on secession the topic has had occasionally breached mainstream discourse vis-à-vis not only the 2nd Vermont Republic's efforts but also CalExit, a California secessionist group, in recent years. It is my hope that this part of the conversation with Dr. Williams, who is a staunch supporter of 2VR, can provide an insight into what leads a small-but-vocal number of citizens to advocate for secession. Then, in the second half of our conversation we discuss Dr. Williams short book The Post (Truth) World: Fighting Fake News with a 21st Century "Propaganda Model" for our Digital Age. In this brief work Dr. Williams attempts to update Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Hermann's "Propaganda Model" for understanding systemic biases in corporate media as outlined in their 1988 book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. We begin this portion of the discussion by delving into Dr. Williams' critical take on Steven Spielberg's recent critically-acclaimed film The Post, which detailed The Washingto Post's publishing of the scandalous Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. From there we explore the issues facing news media today and the digital age's impact on said media. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, there have been many critiques made of the controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson since he first became an internet sensation in 2016. Much has been made of Peterson's fusion of self-help and Jungian psychology with a thinly-veiled conservative political agenda, but what about the criticism of Peterson from an academic and psychology-based perspective? Rising YouTube star Cass Eris is seeking to fill that void as a cognitive psychologist taking the deep-dive into Peterson's 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos in a series a videos that dissect the popular 2018 self-help book chapter by chapter. On this edition of the show Eris joins us to discuss not only the series but also her background; criticisms of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung; Peterson's lack of citations; the just world hypothesis; and, of course, lobsters. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views! KEEP UP WITH THE WORK OF CASS ERIS ON YOUTUBE! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, the decentralized, non-profit media collective Unicorn Riot has gained notoriety in the past few year for its databases and exposés of leaks pertaining to the inner world and workings of the American far-right or alt right. This, however, is only a small part of the work done by Unicorn Riot, whose motto is "Your Alternative Media". Recently, for example, Unicorn Riot has been publishing investigations related to scandalous, seedy world of offshore banking. Specifically, Unicorn Riot, alongside Distributed Denial of Secrets, has been shedding light on the data hacks of The Cayman National Bank and, shortly after the recording of this episode, the London finance firm Formations House. On this edition of the program, Dan Feidt, a co-founder of Unicorn Riot, joins us to discuss the collective's work, mission, its decentralized nature. In addition Dan fills us in on his reporting in regards to the shadowy world of offshore banking, specifically the recent Cayman National Bank data hack leaks. Dan and I also chat about conspiracy theories and offer a critique of right-wing conspiracy theories like QAnon and figures like Alex Jones of Infowars. And yes, we do discuss Unicorn Riot's work pertaining to the leaks they've published and databased pertaining to the inner world and workings of the alt right. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, we return to the world of true indie films with Henrique Couto, director of the recently released Boggy Creek: The Series. For the uninitiated, Boggy Creek: The Series takes it's name from a series of popular cult movies, starting with Charles B. Pierce's 1972 docudrama The Legend of Boggy Creek, about the Arkansas-based legend of a Bigfoot creature called the Fouke Monster. In this new series, a pair of investigators for "The American Yeti Project", Roger and Sarah, try to find the mysterious Beast of Boggy of Creek while also having various misadventures involving bandits, a serial killer, the town's alleged witch, and even a murderous supernatural scarecrow! Available now for streaming on Amazon, Boggy Creek: The Series was produced by prolific B-movie maven Fred Olen Ray and features a guest appearance from noted "Scream "Queen" Brinke Stevens and narration by Academy Award-nominated actor Eric Roberts. Sasquatch hunter Sarah and Roger (Joni Durian and Mike Hillinski) with Sheriff McCay (Joe Kidd) in Boggy Creek: The Series Sara (Joni Durian) getting menaced by the legendary Beast of Boggy Creek "Scream Queen" Brinke Stevens makes a special guest appearance on the first episode of Boggy Creek: The Series as the town's alleged witch Eric Roberts, who won an academy award-nominated actor and multi-time Golden Globe-nominee Eric Roberts provides the narration for Boggy Creek: The Series Henrique Couto, enjoying himself in between filming Boggy Creek: The Series In addition to Boggy Creek: The Series, Henrique Couto has also directed such features as the horror anthology Scarewaves, the neo-slasher movie Babysitter Massacre, the western Calamity Jane's Revenge (starring former WWE Superstar Al Snow), the family feature A Bulldog for Christmas, and comedies such as Depression: The Movie, Making Out, Awkward Thanksgiving. During this conversation Henrique discusses how he became involved in film at a very young age, being mentored by fellow indie filmmaker Andrew Copp, finding his voice as an artist, Boggy Creek: The Series, and much more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, a casual conversation with a rising star in the YouTube left media space, Cole James Cash of GNN (Ghetto News Network). Cole has been giving his take on current events through GNN since March of last year. He's also interviewed such personalities as Jamie Peck of the Antifada podcast, author Ben Burgis of Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left fame, and progressive commentator Benjamin Dixon. Additionally he has tussled with such figures as Tulsi Gabbard supporter Niko House and, most infamously, black conservative broadcaster Jesse Lee Peterson. In this free-wheeling conversation Cole and I discuss rap music (before GNN Cole was a rapper), the military, American history, and much more. And yes, we do discuss his confrontation with Jesse Lee Peterson. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM