Last Born In The Wilderness

[Intro: 11:04 | Book: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with journalist and activist Arun Gupta. We discuss several of his recent articles published at The Raw Story, addressing the rise of far-right violence by counter-protesters and agitators at dozens of Black Lives Matter protests over the past several weeks. In particular, we discuss what he addresses in his piece ‘Trump supporters are attacking and killing Black Lives Matter protesters — and getting away with it’: “Since the police killing of George Floyd sparked unprecedented protests against systematic racism, at least four Trump supporters, including some involved in his 2016 campaign, have attacked Black Lives Matter protesters with weapons, leading to at least one death. Disturbingly, perpetrators have been released or given light charges despite severely wounding and killing protesters. The real number of attacks by Trump supporters may be substantially higher as there have been hundreds of attacks, terrorist plots, and threats of

[Intro: 9:24 | Book: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this interview, I speak with Sunil Bhatia, Professor of Human Development at Connecticut College. He is the author of dozens of articles related to transnational migration, identity and cultural psychology, and is the author of two books, ‘American Karma: Race, Culture and Identity in the Indian Diaspora’ and ‘Decolonizing Psychology: Globalization, Social Justice and Indian Youth Identities.’ At its root, Western Psychology is colonial. With that in mind, what would a decolonized psychology include and exclude in its framework? As Sunil addresses in his work and in this interview, Psychology, as a social science, has served the Western colonialist project in all its forms. Even as we have entered into a "post-colonial" period over the past century or more, the impacts of colonization on numerous populations around the world are still felt presently, profoundly so. Officially, Western nation-states have abandoned previously defined colonies to self-governance (

[Intro: 7:10 | Book: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with award-winning author and journalist Chris Hedges. We discuss the material conditions precipitating the unprecedented uprisings in the United States the past few weeks, as addressed in his recent article published at SheerPost, ‘The Treason of the Ruling Class’:   ‘“In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience,” Stokely Carmichael warned. And if your opponent is bereft of a conscience, then state violence is inevitably met with counter-violence. Tyranny takes the place of reform. The danger of widespread sectarian violence in America is now very real. There are three options: reform, which, given the decay in the American body politic, is impossible; revolution; or tyranny. The more things deteriorate, the more the elites feel threatened, the more brutal the police, the National Guard and the organs of state security will become. The longer the serfs defy their masters the more the populations in the jails an

[Intro: 11:05 | Book: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Mike Africa, Jr., second generation member of the MOVE Organization and founder of The Seeds of Wisdom, a sister chapter of the MOVE Organization. We begin this discussion with Mike providing background information on the philosophy and aims of the MOVE Organization since its formation in the 1970s, and the role he and his parents have played in the organization up to the present day. From there, he provides a background to the most dramatic confrontations between the members of MOVE and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD): the 1978 confrontation between MOVE and Philadelphia police officers (leading to the death of one officer, the brutal public police beating of Delbert Africa, and the wrongful conviction of nine members of MOVE), and the 1985 bombing of the MOVE headquarters on Osage Avenue, Philadelphia by the PPD — the fires of which killed eleven members of MOVE (including five children) and decimated 65 houses in that nei

[Intro: 13:08 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at Houston State University and the author of ‘The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century.’  In this discussion, Dr. Horne examines the material conditions that have precipitated the uprisings across the United States the past week, in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. His analysis includes how the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to the "unmasking of capitalism” stemming from the U.S. government's altogether lack of economic support for the majority of U.S. citizens in wake of this unprecedented crisis; the far-right political and economic policies of the Trump Administration and his recent decision to defund the World Health Organization, in turn instigating a new Cold War with China; and the hundreds of years o

[Intro: 11:36 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with historian and conservationist Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of ‘American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West.’  This discussion with Betsy begins with an examination of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how the theological underpinnings of this religious organization has played an important and instrumental role in the settler-colonialist expansion in the American West since the followers of this faith settled in the region over a century ago. This is especially relevant when we examine how these historical processes have led to the present day crises of land use in the region — conflicts between the federal government (e.g. the Bureau of Land Management) and the political extremism of various cattle ranchers and the militia movement, particularly the Bundy family (Cliven and his son Ammon). The Bundy's numerous high-profile confrontations with federal authorities in recent y

[Intro: 7:55 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Margaret Kimberley. She is the author of ‘Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents’ and is Editor and Senior Columnist at Black Agenda Report. We begin this discussion with Margaret examining the role every United States president has played in perpetuating and reinforcing the white supremacist structure of the nation, including the most lauded presidents in U.S. history: Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barack Obama, to name a few. From there I ask Kimberly to define the term she and others at Black Agenda Report have coined, the "black misleadership class":  “Black Agenda Report was quite intentional in coining the term black misleadership class. The misleaders include Democratic Party politicians and allies in civil rights organizations, journalism, churches, and the foundation world. This group is entirely self-interested as they work to get funding for pet projects, well paid jobs, election to office, media

In this episode, I speak with Darcia Narvaez PhD, Professor of Psychology at Notre Dame University. Professor Narvaez is the author and editor of numerous books, including Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom, and Indigenous Sustainable Wisdom: First-Nation Know-How for Global Flourishing. She also writes regularly for Psychology Today with her Moral Landscapes column, which explores her work with parenting, child development, self-development, and morality. The first time I spoke with Darcia was almost three years ago, back when I was first beginning to do interviews for this podcast. A great deal has changed and happened since then, not only with my work specifically, but in the world at large. In contemplating the roots of the fragmented, disruptive responses the novel coronavirus pandemic has generated, I felt compelled to reconnect with Prof. Narvaez to discuss her insights into this subject. This includes an examination of the contemporary, common child-rear

[Intro: 14:01 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with psychotherapist, writer, and witch Anthony Rella.  Much of this discussion with Anthony touches on some very personal topics I'm presently reflecting on and addressing in my own life. This includes personal reflections on intergenerational and collective trauma, somatic responses to conflict in intimate relationships, masculinity, privilege, and our individual and collective responses to the overlapping crises we are in the midst of contemporarily. In conducting this interview, I attempted to present my inquiries into these subjects with openness and vulnerability, while also keeping our explorations broad enough to be received by practically anyone that is receptive to these subjects. This segment of Anthony’s essay ‘It is Right to Take Time to Grieve’ expresses some of what we explore in this discussion: “Grief and disappointment are not separate from care, joy, and enthusiasm. All of these feelings are emotions of enga

[Intro: 11:53 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Jeff Gibbs, Director of the popular and controversial documentary film ‘Planet of the Humans.’ The film was Executive Produced by Michael Moore and released to the public on YouTube, generating over six million views since its release on Earth Day last month. Since its release, ’Planet of the Humans’ has generated enormous controversy, backlash, and intense discussion within the environmental and climate movement at large. Some of the harshest criticisms this film has received have come from stanch proponents of "renewable" and "green" energy technologies (like wind, solar, and biomass — the subjects of the film). The harshest of these criticisms have come from activist and ‘Gasland’ filmmaker Josh Fox, who has stated that the film "is wildly unscientific, outdated, full of falsehoods, and benefits fossil fuel industry promoters and climate deniers" and has asked Moore and Gibbs to disavow the project. (https://bit.ly/3b6ElP

[Intro: 7:13 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Indigenous elder, author, and teacher Stan Rushworth. We discuss Traditional Ecological Knowledge and his upcoming book project ’The Changing Earth: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island,’ made in collaboration with journalist and author Dahr Jamail. Stan is featured in Ian MacKenzie's recently released short film ‘Prayer for the Earth: An Indigenous Response to These Times.’ Our planet is undergoing massive ecological, climatological, and cultural shifts, with the consequences of these crises playing out in the near and distant future. In our attempt to reattain a harmonious balance with the life systems of the planet, certain traditions of knowledge and wisdom come to the forefront, namely Indigenous or Traditional Ecological Knowledge. But what is attached to these traditional forms of knowledge is something that is often overlooked, whether on purpose or not: the hundreds of years of genocide that nearly erased Indigenous

[Intro: 11:25 | Outro: 56:58 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Filipino citizen and activist Ja Reyalidad from his residence in Manila. We discuss the current situation in the Philippines in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the nation undergoes a national lockdown. As Ja explains, large segments of the Filipino population, particularly in the crowded metropolitan areas of the nation (like Manila), are facing staggering levels of "involuntary hunger" as the nation grapples with the outbreak of COVID-19. Very little is being done to aid the most affected (the working class and poor), as social distancing measures are imposed, domestic travel is severely limited, and testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) is being hoarded by the political and economic elites. To make matters even worse, President Duterte "took to the airwaves with a chilling warning for his citizens: Defy the lockdown orders again and the police will shoot you dead." "I will not hesitat

In this episode, I speak with author, journalist, and political researcher Shane Burley. We discuss mutual aid in the time of COVID-19, the "Autumn of the Alt Right," and the underlying structure of conspiracy theories in the age of information. We begin this discussion with Shane describing what mutual aid and solidarity looks like in our time of the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of workers in the United State without jobs as a result of widespread economic disruption and lack of a comprehensive government aid. As Shane describes in his recent article published at Waging Nonviolence: “In almost every city around the United States mutual aid networks have started to form — ranging from projects for resource distribution to simple options like fundraising, compiling lists of resources and contacts, and creating “chat threads” so that people in the same area can stay in contact with one another. The speed with which these groups have arrived, and the depth of care that many of them offer, have started to

[Intro: 9:53 | Outro: 1:40:30 | Video: https://youtu.be/dc0g6LoJOMQ] In this episode, I speak with Gods & Radicals Press co-founders and Empires Crumble co-hosts Alley Valkyrie and Rhyd Wildermuth. This discussion was recorded on March 22nd, 2020 from each of our respective locations, with Alley currently living in France and Rhyd in Luxembourg. We discuss the "state of exception" and “a world that has stopped” in the midst of this global pandemic and state-mandated lockdowns, as discussed in Alley’s essay ‘Dispatches From a World That Has Stopped,’ and Rhyd’s essay ’Pandemics and the State of Exception.’ “As a New Yorker living in France, living in a world that has stopped carries with it a specific cultural trauma that my friends, my neighbors, and my partner here do not share. It carries recollections and triggers that I honestly thought I left behind on the other side of the ocean. It carries the reminder of how we are defined and wired by past traumas, and the insidious manner in which such traumatic e

In this episode, I speak with Brian Mier, journalist and co-editor at Brasil Wire and correspondent for TeleSur English. I ask Brian to discuss the current political situation in Brazil under far right president Jair Bolsonaro, as the nation begins to reel from the coronavirus pandemic and the wholly inadequate, and frankly psychopathic, response from President Bolsonaro. The editors at Brasil Wire starkly condemned the Brazilian president in their recent article ‘Bolsonaro and Coronavirus: A Tragedy Foretold’: “In the past weeks, as the scale of the pandemic was already clear to the world, we have heard from Bolsonaro, his allies and his supporters that Coronavirus is a hoax, “communist”, and a “little flu”. These messages are spread on social media and invisibly on the WhatsApp platform, which was infamously the primary channel used to deliver him votes at the 2018 election. Such as sustained flow of disinformation to discourage public safety has extremely disturbing implications. The population is being

[Intro: 9:56 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Joe Brewer — change strategist, complexity researcher, cognitive scientist, and evangelist for the field of culture design. We discuss living regeneratively in the COVID-19 pandemic and the message Gaia is sending in the midst of this crisis, community resilience in the age of planetary collapse, the Earth Regenerators study group, and the Earth Regeneration Fund and the "Regenerative Death Clause" as presented in his recent essay ‘A “Regenerative Death Clause” for Coronavirus.’ “This fund becomes a mechanism for removing land from speculative markets and establishing around it the safeguards enabled by land trusts and cooperative land banks. It de-risks other investments by creating tracking and validation systems for the regenerative actions that begin to flow around the work of people who join the Earth regeneration effort. I am thinking of a specific way that this vision might materialize in the midst of the Coronavirus

[Intro: 12:14 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Forrest Palmer, writer and editor at Wrong Kind of Green.  Forrest and I discuss the impact the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is currently having on US society, as it wreaks havoc on human health and the global capitalist economy at large. We explore what the response to this pandemic means in the grand scheme of things as we confront numerous cascading crises, whether that be ecological, climatological, economic, or cultural in nature. As Forrest illustrates so well in this discussion, this pandemic is but a precursor of things to come, as we collectively head towards the inevitable collapse of industrial civilization, and our potential extinction as a species as well. Episode Notes: - Learn more about Forrest’s work at: http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org - The song featured in this episode is “All Things to All Men (feat. Roots Manuva)” by The Cinematic Orchestra from the album Every Day. WEBSITE: https://www.lastborninthewi

[Intro: 9:04 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with Mikkel Krause Frantzen, author of ‘Going Nowhere, Slow — The Aesthetics and Politics of Depression,’ published by Zero Books. We discuss depression, capitalist realism, and revolution, as discussed in his essay ‘A Future with No Future: Depression, the Left, and the Politics of Mental Health,’ published at Los Angeles Review of Books. “An adequate diagnosis of depression — and its context — is not enough in itself. It is common wisdom, however, that the diagnosis does not necessarily entail the cure. Just because we know what’s wrong does not mean that we will be able to deal with it. On the contrary, one of the primary symptoms of depression is that what you need to do is precisely what you cannot do, at least not alone and on your own. Or in the plain words of Ann Cvetkovich: “Saying that capitalism (or colonialism or racism) is the problem does not help me get up in the morning.” Also, there is no reason to believe that ab

In this episode, I speak with John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) at the Institute for Policy Studies. We discuss the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has had on the global economic system, as laid out in his article, Will the Coronavirus Kill Globalization?, published at FPIF and CounterPunch. There are plenty of adequate resources currently available on the nature of the coronavirus, including how it spreads, the common symptoms to look out for, and the demographics most likely to suffer and potentially die from exposure to it. What needs to be explored a bit more is the impacts this global pandemic has had and will continue to have on the global economic system as numerous governments respond to this public health emergency. I ask John to provide some insight into the impact this virus has had on globalization at large, with whole sectors of the global supply chain experiencing dramatic shortages as numerous economic sectors shut down, impeding international trade into the fo

[Intro: 13:19 | Book Pre-sale: http://bit.ly/ORBITgr] In this episode, I speak with prolific writer and dissident Kollibri terre Sonnenblume. We discuss two articles he recently published, the first ‘Russiagate: The Toxic Gift That Keeps on Giving’ published at CounterPunch, and ‘Coming Atrocities’ published on his website. We begin this discussion by addressing the McCarthy-era tactics, other forms of character assassination, the corporate media and the DNC have directed against the Bernie Sanders campaign as we approach the 2020 presidential election in November. As Kollibri lays out in his article for Counterpunch: “The new McCarthyism that accompanied Russiagate has exacted a terribly corrosive effect on political and social discourse, besides the damage it has incurred on alternative media. Anyone disagreeing with the mainline neoliberal Democratic agenda runs the risk of being slandered as a “Russian bot,” “Russian asset,” “Putin puppet” or something else equally as asinine. Maligning dissent—or even