Articles
Lessons from the 2nd Wave with Women’s Liberation Leader Harriet Fraad
In this episode, Sasha is joined by Harriet Fraad, feminist activist, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist, for a discussion on feminism and class. They talk about how class needs to be at the basis for all social justice activism, her thoughts on the failures and successes of the 2nd wave, debates within feminism like trans activism, Gloria Steinem and the corporate and government sabotage of feminism and the racial equality movement, and the destructive mindset feminists should avoid if they want to be successful in the movement.
Surveillance has been Normalized but so has Self-Censorship
Revelations like those from Snowden and the Pegasus Project have this same unexpected and counterintuitive effect. Instead of rejecting the control, we increasingly learn to adapt and self censor. The panopticon effect lies exactly in this acceptance of the new normal. Afraid to say the wrong thing, we self censure our discourse and the allowable range of ideas becomes more and more narrow. Those who fail to ‘check their words’ are cancelled and provide an example for the rest.
The Underground Episode 7: Media Watch — the Pegasus Leak
In this episode, Sasha and Nesim are joined by Plebity writer Rozali Telbis to discuss the recent revelations about the spyware Pegasus—produced by Israeli company NSO Group—which is used by client governments to spy on journalists, activists, political leaders, and others.
Pegasus, Pandemics, and the Normalization of Surveillance
All around the world, digital tools are being used in various ways to monitor data and control access. Privacy experts have long warned that these digital tools are not easily reversible; they are often repackaged, and repurposed for other means. As always, their calls have been ignored.
Breaking up the Tech Giants is not Enough
Monopoly used to be understood in a kind of one dimensional space, how a company may have gained dominance in its industry. However, today’s tech monopolies exist in multidimensions; they monopolize and control our data, they decide when and if to censor our speech, and they purchase government officials, the same ones charged with reigning them in. But our old conception of monopolies is totally inadequate to describe or understand the significance of today’s big tech companies.
Lisa Marchiano: A Return to Embodied Wisdom
In this episode, Lisa Marchiano joins me to talk about her new book Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself. Lisa Marchiano is a Jungian analyst, author, and podcaster. She is the cohost and creator of the podcast This Jungian Life. We discuss how motherhood has been devalued in our society, how Lisa addresses the fear many women have of being "chained down" by motherhood, and how she uses fairy tales in her book to illustrate lessons that women can learn about themselves through motherhood.
The Underground Episode 6: Big Tech, Censorship, and Capitalism
In this episode, we discuss the power a few big tech companies have amassed when it comes to who can say what. To have the power to silence even a president indicates a serious issue when it comes to a private company, especially when you start to look at the connections between the government and the tech companies. We discuss the way some of these companies appear to be state actors in some regards, and the need for genuine freedom of speech for everyone, a value which is being corrupted by the tech overlords’ desire for profit and power.
Sean McCarthy on How the Left Can Find its Relevance Again
In this clip from Sasha and Nesim's interview with Sean McCarthy, Sean explains what he thinks the left needs to focus on in order to regain its relevance and make real change.
The Wi Spa Incident
In this clip, Nesim and Sasha speak to their guests Charles Love and Wilfred Reilly about the recent Wi Spa incident, where antifa protestors violently harassed several individuals who oppose policies that allow transwomen to enter women's spaces (changing rooms and other areas where women are vulnerable or undressed).
Stella O’Malley: the Plight of Parents with Gender Dysphoric Children
Sasha is joined by psychotherapist and writer Stella O'Malley to discuss her new organization for parents of gender-questioning kids, Genspect. They talk about the gender medicine industry, the nightmare situation many parents find themselves in when they bring their child to a gender therapist for help, the motives of the doctors and other professionals who push this experimental craze, and much more.
McCarthyism, Political Courage and High Noon
Witch hunts in various forms are one of those recurring themes of human history. One variation, known as McCarthyism, has returned recently, at least in the lexicon. The word McCarthyism has been thrown around a lot lately. Like ‘fascist’ or ‘marxist,’ it is a part of the word arsenal deployed in our current culture wars.
The Underground Episode 5: Is Capitalism Amoral? with Charles Love and Wilfred Reilly
In this episode, Sasha and Nesim are joined by Charles Love and Wilfred Reilly to continue a discussion on capitalism that started on the Cut the Bull Podcast co-hosted by Charles, Wilfred, and Shemeka Michelle.