12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays - Wednesdays
Acclaimed program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C. S. Soong.
Consumer capitalism and the focus group appear to go hand in hand. But Liza Featherstone argues that the focus group has radical origins and, in convoluted ways, points to the potential for collective input in an egalitarian society. She discusses the history of focus groups for consumer goods and electoral politics. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Liza … Continued
Half a century has elapsed since 1968, a year of globe-spanning revolt and rebellion. What ideas and principles animated the various struggles waged by students, workers, artists, and others? And in what ways can 1968 – and more generally what’s called the global 1960s – inform and inspire current struggles for social and economic justice? … Continued
The banana is a ubiquitous and comforting staple of the American kitchen, yet its history is anything but benign. And, as a documentary film illustrates, one simple fruit illuminates so much about the history of capitalism and imperialism in the Western hemisphere. We feature highlights from the film “When Banana Ruled”.
The spiritual pioneer, writer, and teacher Ram Dass on how to embrace aging, changing, and dying.
Civil rights, women’s liberation, the labor movement, battles over the environment: those struggles were fought and won by millions of people, inspired by the ideas of iconoclasts and visionaries. And KPFA was there to capture and record those struggles and the ideas that nurtured them. We’ll feature some highlights from that inspiring history, including from … Continued
The spiritual pioneer, writer, and teacher Ram Dass on how to embrace aging, changing, and dying.
There’s no question that the internet has transformed our societies in enormous ways — but sorting through how and why is much more contentious. Media expert Robert McChesney discusses the crucial element missing from our discussions of the internet: capitalism.
Beginning in the late 1980s, mass attitudes in the U.S. shifted dramatically toward greater tolerance of LGBTQ people and greater support of gay rights. What accounts for this rapid and sustained shift? Jeremiah Garretson examines a number of factors, including the AIDS crisis, grassroots activism, news coverage, fictional portrayals of gays and lesbians on TV, … Continued
Most of us have a growing sense that something’s deeply wrong with the way that digital data is used to track and monitor us. But most of us don’t realize that the poorest among us are particularly vulnerable. Virginia Eubanks argues that such data is used to criminalize and turn the poor away from public … Continued
A brutal proxy war is being waged in Yemen, with catastrophic humanitarian consequences. Arrayed against the Houthis and their allies is a Saudi-led coalition, of which the U.S. is an active participant. Yemeni activist Shireen Al-Adeimi discusses the war and its impact. Also: the final portion of the interview with Amy Sueyoshi (which went unaired … Continued
