There is abundant evidence that the Trump administration has grossly botched the handling of the Covid pandemic. But, unfortunately, such mismanagement is not limited to the most obvious offenders. Public health expert Michael Fine discusses the mishandling of the coronavirus, from the White House to the World Health Organization to the CDC and to the … Continued
Against the Grain
12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays to Wednesdays
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.
You might not expect weighty topics like class privilege and critical theory to be addressed in stories written by a science fiction and fantasy author. But Paul Park takes up these and many other issues in his latest book, a short story collection that features surreal developments and plot twists that play with readers’ expectations. (Encore … Continued
As Hurricane Laura bears down on Texas, and after Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Maria, we are reminded of the power of massive storms to not only inundate cities and change landscapes, but to reshape or reinforce existing class and racial divisions. In a look backward, historian Stuart Schwartz reflects on five centuries of hurricanes and … Continued
Walter Benjamin on Violence
Walter Benjamin, a German-Jewish philosopher associated with the Frankfurt School, had a unique take on the origins and manifestations of violence in the world. James Martel discusses how Benjamin thought about the various forms of violence under capitalism, and whether he thought violence and coercion could be eradicated. (Encore presentation.) Brad Evans and Terrell Carver, eds., Histories … Continued
The witch-hunts, for most of us, are a bizarre and irrational episode that took place in 16th and 17th century Europe and the so-called “New World”. They frequently leave us either scratching our heads in bewilderment or reminding ourselves of the dangers of unchecked religiosity. But for radical scholar Silvia Federici, the witch-hunts cannot be … Continued
Harriet Tubman and Andrew Jackson are seminal figures in U.S. history. But how accurate a picture have we been given of them, and what would it mean if Tubman were depicted on U.S. currency? Catherine Squires sees a controversy over a “pocket monument” as an opportunity to rethink conventional narratives and reframe U.S. history. Hughey … Continued
Are children inherently creative? What might be taken as a given is actually a relatively new notion. And, as Amy Ogata argues, it took hold in the United States under particular circumstances: driven in part by Cold War anxieties about the health of the nation, along with the desire by toy manufacturers to sell products … Continued
According to Margaret Hunter, growing numbers of white people are “shape shifting into Blackness”: they’re taking on or inhabiting aspects or characteristics of Blackness. Hunter discusses the emergence of three forms of Blackness tried on by whites in the post-civil rights era: cultural Blackness, political Blackness, and intellectual Blackness. Tamai, Dineen-Wimberly, and Spickard, eds., Shape Shifters: Journeys … Continued
Weasel Words of 21st Century Capitalism
Innovation, grit, creativity, flexibility, choice — these words are ubiquitous in US society and yet, according to John Patrick Leary, they’re not neutral. Leary weighs in on the language of 21st century capitalism and how certain keywords are a slippery way to avoid calling thing what they are. (Encore presentation.) Resources: John Patrick Leary, Keywords: … Continued
Is life worth living? Can believing in something help make it a reality? Do emotions generate actions, or is it the other way around? John Kaag describes how William James, the nineteenth-century philosopher and psychologist, approached and answered these questions. John Kaag, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life Princeton University … Continued