How a Book From 1981 Anticipated This Political Moment
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- In this conversation, the New York Times Opinion columnists Carlos Lozada, a former book critic, and Pamela Paul, previously the editor of The Times’s Book Review, each share one book that, in their opinion, can help us understand this point in history.
American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony? Why don't you even have the name of the book in your description?
They don't want a run on it in the secondary book market.
They want to force you to listen, to find out… it would appear…
5:00 they say it right here
@@grumpyoldcat8302
in the description du*s
So that people listen to what they're saying about it?
I was convicted of a crime I didn’t commit. I can’t explain to you just how alienated you become in that situation. You are treated like you are worse than a dog. And that’s not hyperbole. Dogs are treated MUCH better than a person who raises his hand and says “hey, I don’t belong here. I didn’t do this.” Even years later I say on social media “I was convicted of a felony (burglary) that I didn’t commit” and there is literally zero interest from anyone about my claim. Not just from officials, I mean from just regular people. Even my own family members. Everyone acts like I didn’t even say or write the words.
I'm so sorry this happened to you.
Been in a similar situation. Keep ur head up bro. U gonna be ok
The punitive says some has completely failed everyone and it's around because politicians want to look hard.
God forbid we as a society provide everyone re-training so to support ourselves, counciling, and rehabilitation with a path to reintegration.
Christian Nation indeed, know them by what they do, not what they say.
Injustice is relatable to most everyone. Attitude adjustment, activism, nature walks and therapy just a few suggestions. Telling your story helps so many. Good luck💞☘️
Happened to me, too.
“It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start identifying with a group. A racial group. Or a religion. Or a language. Anything, as long as it isn't the whole population.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
“… before a revolution can take place, the population must lose faith in both the police and the courts.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
lol....American history is all about racial identity. Why have you ignored the history and run with platitudes.
@ You have to be the most dense person ever, or a troll, or maybe a bot.
@@maxrobespierre9176 only an ignorant person can be as confident as you are....fools and morons
How about identifying with one's species, then? As in the 'whole population' of the planet. Hinders the fearmongering, I suppose, and, by extension, the fund-raising.
@@bradhouse4754 Identifying with the species us great but 10-15% of the population have repeatedly been told for centuries that they aren't part of the same species.
Each participant picked a book: Lozada picked American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony by Samuel P. Huntington (@ 1:47), and Paul picked The Sing Sing Files by Dan Slepian (@ 7:44).
The best book to explain this era is Thomas Frank's "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule".
A book written a while ago that reads like it was written yesterday.
I have read 3 of Thomas Frank's books...great content...well written
@@stephenphillips6245
You can't go wrong reading Thomas Frank ... but The Wrecking Crew is the best.
@@justgivemethetruth Home Wreckers is a good book too
About equity banks foreclosing on 5 million home owners after the great Republican recession ...and claiming fed money on their losses to do so
Only listened to “listen liberal”. It does make sense since the 70s. Around the time when neoliberalism started. Why they gave up on the new deal economic theory.
@@onomatopoeia162003
I too read Listen Liberal before the 2016 election, but the real problem in our country is what has happened to the Republican Party and it is well described in "The Wrecking Crew". It was after that book, "The Wrecking Crew" that Thomas was unfairly banished from Mainstream Media as a goto political analyst - that is why I always point to that book because it was the most hard-hitting and had the most impact. It is the best book to explain what the Republican Party is all about.
These arguments are so old and stale. For example, when she is talking about the prisons and how we do not rehab people.
We do rehab some people, but if we "REHABBED" people before they went to prison we would not have to rehab people who
are probably permanent criminals. Not to mention we do not pay people enough to live on, so of course we are going to get more hate and more crime. Our society is so far behind the 8-ball it's hard to know where to start
Yes, 1970's produced a rehab movement. Only one party believes in rehabilitation🗣️
Sweden's system is humane. Of course #1 Country to live in on many levels, not just health care and transportation.
I find it concerning that the elite and academic classes are so afraid of the "erosion of public trust" in institutions, as if trust in those institutions is the supreme good itself, rather than the actual performance record of those institutions. Trust is hard earned, but easily destroyed.
It's because we know what happens to society without the institutional guard rails. Changing institutions is one thing, eliminating them without replacing them is what all of us fear
@@posterestantejamesInstitutions aren't actually guardrails. They're authoritative bodies. Their authority comes from their legitimacy, which comes from their performance.
I think the most recent Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to a team that demonstrated that societal success is determined by trust in institutions. The ‘concern on the left/elite’ is not for the institutions themselves but the ongoing viability of civil society.
@@posterestantejamesInstitutions fossilize prior to death, unlike living things. New institutions will come from this time of dissolution. Decay can only be reversed early on, and the decay of our society is very old indeed
@@jmcd9828You have misunderstanding of that book. Only the good institutions is worthy trust. Russian people also trust their institutions and Putin.
How about including the books titles in the description area?
I appreciate Pamela Paul’s acknowledgment of the role of vindictiveness in America Culture, which has determined the America response from 911 to the prison industrial complex. Yet is rarely discussed.
Yep, many people choose to suck.
I just picked up Schumacher's Small is Beautiful again. its another written decades ago that is just so damn spot on that its eerie.
Samuel Huntington- the theorist of war crimes. One problem with the United States is that we don’t punish our war criminals and we don’t expose the ideologists who advocate war crimes.
Jeepers!, that is a great podcast!
The last line of that book is an eternal truth.
Wow. I've been quite critical of the Times recently, but this is a good piece. I'm definitely checking out this book.
It was 50 years ago today 🎵
Richard Nixon taught the boys to play
Ronald Reagan went right along
And the Bushes both learned the song
So may I introduce to you
The act we've seen for 50 years
The Grand Old Party's
Blind 'em rob 'em ga-ang
You guys are partially responsible for this. You normalized this monster’s behavior. STOP IT!
4:20-4:37
Yep. That was indeed the relevant 20 seconds or so.
Sure, it is a hope. _Hope_ being the conflation of a thing’s desirability for its probability. _He who is without hope is also without fear._
Read Sarah Kendzior. Hiding in plain sight.
I once trusted the NYT now I know better
6:28 Chomsky has been warning that the term un-american signals the true authoritarian nature of the system, and to introduce such a concept in a Democratic system would result in people laughing in your face.
I'm sure you could find at least a dozen such examples on this very website. This is something he elaborated on frequently.
True but at least some of the time un-American roughly denotes unconstitutional. And I think Chomsky would care as little for the latter, given his deafening silence over the decades on the constitutionality (vs. not) of his own various commitments.
Some views really are outside the ballpark.
So did a book from 1949. It's called Nineteen Eighty-Four.
I'll add a book from the 1930s: It Can't Happen Here.
Recognizing propaganda is always something of a false start; ensuring it doesn't shift societal expectations is the trick. Almost wish 1984 wasn't so well-known (and therefore easily dismissed), now.
here's another one .. 'the iron heel' by jack london (1908) ... 1ts dystopian novel based on economics politics & class ...
A great socialist author along with other favourites such as B Traven and H G Wells, all being great practitioners of popular allegory.
My friend is in his tenth year for a crime he didn't commit, and for which there were no grounds for conviction. It was a bench trial. Appeals didn't work, as in NY state, the legal industry covers its back. In the beginning, it was difficult to get books and art supplies to him, but now those activities help him pass the time. Many of the rules make no sense, and each prison has its own set of rules. Also, when he was at elmira, his cheek was cut with a knife in the courtyard, yet there were no cameras in the yard. Yes, there were no cameras in a maximum security prison yard. Why is that?
Thought you meant Bertram Gross's "Friendly Fascism", published in June, 1980.
He who controls the books, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the present. He who controls the present, controls the future. Disinformation on social media may turn out to be the most powerful force ever in the world.
I don't disagree with anything said here, but remember this: The American Founding Fathers were primarily looking after their personal business interests, and half of them were slave owners. That is the real American Way. Regular people having some say in government is the exception, not the rule.
If we're talking about books to describe this era read Asimov's Foundation and Empire and in particular when the Mule enters the story.
Really liked the Singh Singh comment analogy of a sick society we will be living in on the streets.
Jeffrey Friedman’s 2019 “Power without Knowledge” is an interesting take on the trump era problems.
The 2006 film Idiocracy, directed by Mike Judge, is often discussed in connection to contemporary politics, including the rise and presidency of Donald Trump, indirectly predicts his reelection (or election). Moreover, the film is a satire that critiques societal trends such as anti-intellectualism, consumerism, and the decline of critical thinking-elements some viewers feel parallel aspects of Trump’s political appeal and style.
Here’s how Idiocracy is often compared to Trump-era politics:
Populism and Entertainment in Politics: The movie's President Camacho, a bombastic, showman-like leader who is more of a celebrity than a politician, mirrors how Trump leveraged his reality TV persona and populist rhetoric to appeal to the masses.
Anti-Intellectualism: In Idiocracy, society glorifies stupidity/ignorance and distrusts expertise, which some critics see as a reflection of how certain political movements have dismissed experts or "elites."
Marketing over Substance: Much like the film's over-the-top branding culture (e.g., "Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator"), Trump's campaign and presidency often relied on simple, memorable slogans like "Make America Great Again" and a focus on branding.
While Idiocracy didn't explicitly "predict" Trump or his reelection, its depiction of a society that prioritizes entertainment and sensationalism over competence struck a chord with viewers, particularly during and after Trump’s political rise. It serves as a cautionary tale about societal trends rather than a direct forecast.
May I suggest a book from 2012 by William Ophuls: ‘Immoderate Greatness - Why Civilization ls Fail’
Wow 😮😢😂❤. Pamela! How depressing! I love you, and Michelle G. Do you two go out to lunch together sometimes😅
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Americans are mad & the most powerful naton on Earth. If only there were a God to appeal to.
America is not a hope.
You really want to understand what's happening? Read The Cultured Thug Handbook by Mike Maxwell
This is NotebookLM right?
I can't countenance the smarmy tone of these people--they make the silliest points with a self-aggrandizing cadence. There's sincere analysis to be had, and the NYT isn't capable of it.
The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler also captured it quite well when it was published in 1911.
She targets the tendency to binaries (the Schmittian distinction of enemy versus friend), but without a beat, takes up her implicit position as the morally righteous side. This defanging process by the propaganda of hortatory moral theatre, instantly delegitimizes the other side
With this in mind, it follows that good politics is simply instrumental rationalism of good, trusted institutions (technically speaking, this is turning the political into politics). A politics of bean counters, determined by an enlightened elite, such as book reviewers at the NYT.
Her choice was bad obviously
Always lost these two. It's because you're always lying and fearmongering. That's why no one trusts your corporate publications.
NYT Podcast, stealing 8 year old Vox content because, hey, it's a brand not an ethos
Go back farther in time.
God these New York time reporters are so self Enchanted
Is this one of those Lama LLM podcasts?
Was your mission accomplished?
If The NY Times had any connection to reality, they also could have seen this coming.
New editor. Same with CNN shake up. NYT successful history speaks for itself over the years.
Huntington continues to be wrong all the time.
🤣🤣🤣
This is an example of mediocrity in the NYT. Becoming all too common. This chap doesn't get basic statistics and there's around the word expert, as if HE were an expert. I'll bet he has a humanities degree and didn't earn his way in or out of any important institution with serious effort.
Your lieing
How did both of you get your jobs(probably your skin color)? I believe both of you read a lot of books because it shows, both of you havent been outside in the real world and are very out of touch. 😂