Gordon White (who you might remember from episode 4 of AEWCH) and I talk about all sorts of stuff, but mainly, what activism infused by real spirituality and occult knowledge looks like.
We talk
the spirituality of identity politics
why the will is bad for magic
Susan Sarandon
desire v materialism
how to include going backwards into activism and spirituality
It starts off a little slow and then builds and builds and builds. Until it becomes, in full, one of the best podcast appearances I’ve ever done.
You can watch/listen via YouTube above or go to the Rune Soup site to download or connect to audio.
In this lecture ep of Against Everyone with Conner Habib, I talk about how environmentalism is flawed at its foundation: nature. Nature is a concept that we must destroy if we ever want to see and engage with our planet.
To express the point, I pull in my pals Patricia Highsmith, Sigmund Freud, Paracelsus, and more.
IN THIS EPISODE
Why “nature” is a poorly defined but totally accepted concept.
Why our main environmental narratives – going green/sustainability, neo-primitivism, deep ecology – depend on the flawed concept of nature.
“Nature is the word we use for the feeling we have of separation with other aspects of the world.”
“The concept of nature is the external exhibition of the death drive.”
Who are we if we’re imaging mass death to “save the planet?”
Have you ever fought just to feel?
Erasing the lines between the living and the dead.
The world is consciousness states, not objects.
Putting ourselves at the center of the world is the only way to encounter it, much less “save” it.
Excited to welcome the amazing historian, activist, and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, Mark Bray to Against Everyone! You’ve probably encountered the anti-fascists “antifa” movement in some way or another since the now-iconic video of neo-Nazi organizer Richard Spencer getting punched in the face on camera. Since then, anti-fascists activists have been completely misrepresented in media and misunderstood by the non-activist public, derided by the right (like when DonaldTrumpejaculated theword“Antifa!“ on stage) as well as by liberals. Mark puts the antifa action and organization in the context of history, illuminating how it’s not just a bunch of angry college kids, but a rich and thought-out set of tactics and web of movements throughout history.
IN THIS EPISODE
Why people who are against antifascist action often believe in the Myth of Progress: 1:50
Why the impossibility of utopia can combat the fantasy of progress: 6:45
How to implement one the ground activism while retaining the vision. And why: 12:10
The people who whine “THAT’S NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING”: 13:35
Is the general engagement with a state traumatic?: 17:00
Netflix and chill? Nah, Hitler or chill, bro.: 19:40
Recognizing all violences without dismissing differences between them: 21:00
The problem with “talk it out with the enemy” is that most people who say it don’t believe it: 23:20
The racist kids Conner grew up with, the Nazi organizers who exploited them, and what to do with the various levels of racism and fascism: 26:20
The little bird and the forest fire: 31:40
“If I can’t stand by the bar and drink while I watch people dance to it, it’s not my revolution.”: 36:00
Where’s the line between fascism and other oppressive structures of power?: 37:20
Who deserves engagement and who deserves dismissal and derision: Anti-sex worker and anti-porn activists use fascist rhetoric – And why you shouldn’t engage with them: 42:25
Why “no platform” is a worthwhile tactic and why it’s so misunderstood: 49:50
Charlie Hebdo and why free speech matters, but not the “support our troops” version of free speech: 52:30
So awesome to be joined on AEWCH by Felix Biederman; writer, speaker, and founder of leftist podcast phenomenon, Chapo Traphouse.
Listen to the PODCAST version via iTunes or Stitcher or watch by clicking on our goofy faces above. (And please Subscribe to whatever option you choose!)
Chapo Traphouse, in case you don’t know, is a podcast which boasts the biggest Patreon on Patreon. It’s one of a handful of newer and successful leftist news outlets that is changing the contours of our public discussion and political landscape. And it’s really funny. The Chapo team talks about neoliberal and neoconservative punditry, stupidity, and cruelty. The talk about activism and social progress. They also do on-the-ground work, like door-to-door canvassing, meeting with international socialist groups to build bridges between movements, and donating money (most recently $10,000 to the Victim Rights Law Center) to causes.
In this ep:
The loneliness of thinking bigger about politics: 2:15
The way media ensnares our imaginations in incremental change: 6:15
Why we need to be suspicious of “progressives,” including Kamala Harris: 7:25
The on-the-ground marginal change is urgent, but will lead us down the wrong path if we don’t dream, bigger.: 11:15
Stop using the language of your enemies.: 12:50
Dragging the leaders down and raising the people up: 15:20
Felix loves Downfall and it shows the weaknesses of iconic maniacs:16:35
Distinctions in evil.: 18:35
The Nazis Conner grew up with and, like the NAZI Nazis that Conner grew up with.: 21:15
Why we need to be more forgiving of idiots: 23:15
When do people deserve public scorn, when should we just ignore them, and when should we forgive them?: 27:20
How fear of being “reactionary” is kind of white bro capitalist bullshit in the attention economy, bro.: 32:30
What healthy detachment is and why it’s needed for leftists: 38:40
Mindfulness as a way to exploit workers.: 40:30
“Love what you do” is a trap, but we should love what we do. So now what? 43:55
The suspicion of pleasure is capitalist exploitation, too.: 45:45
Our era is not the first dumb era. 49:35
Felix and I talk adult movies. IN A POLITICAL WAY.: 53:40
Children are teeny tiny monsters. 58:45
So Felix, why do people hate you and Chapo so much?: 1:01:20
The public discussion is crucial to what our actions can achieve.: 1:11:55
I know it’s weird to say, “wow, I’m on Episode 9 already!” instead of waiting for Episode 10 to say it.
But I dunno, for some reason, I’m just very excited that I’ve made it this far. I love my small but mighty web series, and I’m happy the subscribers are growing. Are you one?
Each time I record a show, I write the lecture, practice it, record it, make notes for my editor, post it, post the show notes, send these emails out, post a blog, and promote it. Wowzah. This is, of course a not-so-subtle-plea for you to support the show via my patreon
Episode 9, How To Break Up With A Country or We Deserve Better is all about the antagonistic and increasingly outmoded relationship with the state. I bring in writers like Rebecca Solnit and Zygmunt Bauman to talk through some of this. I also do a long bit on why stop signs kinda suck.
In this ep:
Yes We Can! Campaign slogans as evidence of dwindling nationalism: 2:15
We unveiled the rotted roots of our system, but pretended it was just bad apples: 4:45
Centrism is what happens when you walk into the realm of evil and it benefits you 7:10
Stop signs as evidence that the state doesn’t work 10:15
We handle disasters well. The state? Not so much.: 13:00
“…it takes powerful forces to keep…paradise at bay…”: 16:25
What this cute Argentine taught me about governments: 17:20
The “election” of 2016.: 21:15
Voting matters, but HOW does it matter?: 22:25
“We are at the start of a long and torturous process…”: 28:10
Thanks for hanging with me on this journey, for watching my show, and for being awesome.
Episode 7 of AGAINST EVERYONE with CONNER HABIB: SELFIE POLITICS or NATIONS OF IDENTITY is about how identity politics have emerged into a world where a changing sense of self is taking place.
So while identity politics offer us a lot, there are also dangers there if we don’t include the changing sense of self in our perspectives. I touch on the dreaded and celebrated SJW (social justice warrior), selfies, social media, varieties of racism, and more.
• Your parallel lives: 1:55
• The Grand Canyon is interesting because I’m in front of it: 4:20
• I’m the center of the universe: 5:15
• God and the worms need you: 6:10
• Intersectional warriors in the Garden of Eden: 8:55
• Losing ourselves for the sake of language: 12:05
• Racism isn’t what it used to be, and the three things to not say to an
Arab: 14:30
• Don’t offend my language!: 17:10
• The danger of new nationalisms: 17:45
• Is intersectionality just capitalist politics?: 19:20
• Identities are teachers, not foundations or obstacles to transcend:
20:30
Please support the show via Patreon! I’m really pushing to make this show my main income source, and obviously I’m not there yet. Even a dollar a month goes a long way!
(PS: Sorry to say there’s a wee bit of a sound issue on this one: a slight echo. If you keep the volume at the right level, it’s fine. If you’re playing it loud on headphones, it’s mildly annoying.)
Episode 3 of Against Everyone with Conner Habib is up!
It’s me starting a conversation about a post-work world with you. Hopefully, it will inspire an inner conversation, and maybe even a conversation between you and your friends and/or you and your everyday life. I don’t talk that much about what exactly we should imagine, because we’ll all have different visions. But I do talk about pathways to imagining post-work in the first place.Which is why I’d love to hear back from you about a post-work world, particularly any solutions or directions or visions.
Watch/listen/comment. Thanks!
In Episode 3, I Talk About
How having a job is deadening and deadly.
Why work is state-supported blackmail.
How work has fundamentally changed and changed us into computers.
Why we’re not automating work anytime soon.
Why both Marxist and capitalist models are challenged by wanting to be versus needing to gain.
Why labor isn’t the best sphere to locate political struggle in.
Seeking employment as infantilization.
For the show notes, with links to the books, stats, and thinkers, I mentioned, click here.
Conner Habib 