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 produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley.
Authoritarianism, wrote Erich Fromm, is not just about dominating and controlling others; it’s also about subordinating oneself to a “great” person, institution, or idea. In the eyes of John Elmore, traditional, compulsory mass schooling in the U.S. fosters the development of authoritarian personality characteristics in young people who, later in life, may enable, or actively … Continued
Lake Superior is the world’s largest lake. Containing twelve percent of the world’s fresh water, its fate is our fate. Environmental historian Nancy Langston discusses the lessons to be drawn from the ecological devastation, recovery, and renewed threats to Lake Superior. Resources: Nancy Langston, Sustaining Lake Superior: An Extraordinary Lake in a Changing World Yale … Continued
Americans don’t like to be taxed, we’re told — after all, who would willingly part with their hard earned money? But according to Vanessa Williamson that assumption is largely incorrect. She has studied attitudes toward paying taxes – and argues that our misperceptions have deleterious consequences, including discounting the contributions of low income people. She … Continued
The so-called logistics revolution has changed the way capitalists operate. As corporations have embraced a model of lean, flexible, just-in-time production, they have made their operations more profitable and have disempowered workers all along the supply chain. But, as Jasper Bernes explains, these innovations have simultaneously heightened the vulnerability of retailers and other businesses to … Continued
Each week brings another tragic account of the police injuring or killing someone, usually poor and of color. So shouldn’t we support reforms to make the police more accountable? Alex Vitale has a surprising answer. The sociologist discusses how liberal police reforms legitimize an illegitimate institution. He argues instead that the reform we should get … Continued
Racial health disparities in the U.S. cry out for attention, but, according to Catherine Bliss, the root causes of such disparities are not being adequately investigated. Bliss contends that genetic science, although it has commandeered governmental efforts to address the racial health divide, is not committed to probing the social and structural factors that generate … Continued
Is Donald Trump a fascist? A rightwing populist? What about Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front, who received the support of a third of French voters in the last presidential election? Historian Federico Finchelstein discusses what the terms fascist and populist mean, not as abstractions, but looking at history. Resources: Federico Finchelstein, … Continued
There’s growing inequality and worker insecurity in the U.S., not to mention the escalating costs of health care as well as major threats to the environment. What should we make of these multiple, overlapping crises, and why hasn’t effective action been taken to address them? Anthony DiMaggio took up these questions and many others in … Continued
It was an epoch-making event, buoyed by hopes of human emancipation, that still shapes our notion of revolutionary change today. The Russian Revolution, which took place a hundred years ago, was born out of war and poverty, and profoundly altered the course of the 20th century. The writer China Miéville recreates those days of revolution, … Continued
When you think of dictatorship, what comes to mind? Probably a repressive state controlling what we can say and do. But acclaimed political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson argues that the word describes the workplace. She discusses how we give up most of our rights when we take a job. Resources: Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government: How Employers … Continued
