"We've seen the platform transfer from one set of owners, where there was one set of concerns about propaganda and privacy, to a new set of owners, where now there's a new set of concerns about propaganda and privacy," said Evan Greer, director of the progressive tech group Fight for the Future...
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Friday, January 9, 2026
Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian
"The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been – Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future." He added: "I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made."…
Sunday, December 28, 2025
How far right is infiltrating everyday culture
Extremist messaging now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: 'You can be radicalised sitting on your couch'…
Sunday, December 14, 2025
“Projecting Enemies” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) It’s in the Code ep 172
Josh Hawley argues that “man’s mission” is to combat evil. Defining men in this way makes evil necessary, and it transforms every political, social, and cultural disagreement into a moral conflict of cosmic significance. In this episode, Dan shows how this leads Hawley to distort the “modern culture” and “liberals” he opposes. He also looks at the ways in which Hawley, and those who share his worldview, accuse their opponents of doing exactly the same things they do in practice, and he discusses why understanding this is so important. Take a listen to hear more!
Interview:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
The Netherlands Shattered My American Idea of "Success"
In America, work is life—your identity. This is a story of how the Dutch changed how I view success—and what it means to live a successful life.
Interview:
Sunday, May 25, 2025
The Obscure French Priest Who Explains Christian Trumpism Like No One Else (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad discusses the ideas of French Jesuit priest John Daniélou, who argued that the Church is best when it builds and sustains Christendom – a Christian civilization where religion is ingrained in culture to reach the masses.
He explores how these concepts explain the rise of what he terms ‘Christian Trumpism’—a form of Christianity more about power and public display than individual commitment.
Brad also touches on this goes against the grain of what most Protestants, especially evangelicals, are taught about a counterculture church filled with true believers – rather than a lukewarm cultural Christianity of indifferent pew-fillers.
Interview:
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Trump executive actions show how he wants to reshape U.S. history : NPR
President Trump wants to reframe how the country's stories are told. But historians are pushing back, saying the administration's actions amount to an attack on core institutions — and on history itself...
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5389638/trump-executive-actions-american-history-culture
Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Radicalization of American Boyhood (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad discusses the growing trend of young men, particularly in the 18-35 age group, trending conservative and the impact of radicalization on masculinity and gender roles. He is joined by Reverend Angela Denker, author of ‘Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood,’ to explore how young men are being influenced by online spaces, conservative churches, and retrograde masculinities.
The conversation includes insights into narratives shaping young men, experiences of radicalization, and the intersection of these issues with Christian nationalism. The episode also touches on personal stories, such as that of Dylann Roof, who committed a white supremacist massacre, and Caleb, a former white supremacist turned pastor, highlighting the complex pathways of radicalization and de-radicalization.
Interview:
The conversation includes insights into narratives shaping young men, experiences of radicalization, and the intersection of these issues with Christian nationalism. The episode also touches on personal stories, such as that of Dylann Roof, who committed a white supremacist massacre, and Caleb, a former white supremacist turned pastor, highlighting the complex pathways of radicalization and de-radicalization.
Interview:
Monday, April 21, 2025
Weekly Roundup: Good News Friday – Harvard, Abrego Garcia, and the Chinese Mirror (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad presents a ‘Good News Friday’ amidst various hard and difficult topics, focusing on positive developments from the past week. Key highlights include Andrew Seidel and Brian Kaylor’s inspiring talks at Capitol Hill about the threats of Christian nationalism and authoritarianism.
Brad also discusses Harvard University’s resistance to the Trump administration’s demands to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, amidst federal attempts to revoke its tax-exempt status. He touches on the ongoing fight for constitutional rights, particularly through the case of Abrego Garcia and the judicial pushback against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.
The episode wraps up with Brad reflecting on the global context, comparing U.S. infrastructure and societal norms with those in China, urging listeners to imagine a more vibrant, inclusive future for America.
Interview:
Brad also discusses Harvard University’s resistance to the Trump administration’s demands to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, amidst federal attempts to revoke its tax-exempt status. He touches on the ongoing fight for constitutional rights, particularly through the case of Abrego Garcia and the judicial pushback against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.
The episode wraps up with Brad reflecting on the global context, comparing U.S. infrastructure and societal norms with those in China, urging listeners to imagine a more vibrant, inclusive future for America.
Interview:
Thursday, April 3, 2025
“The Sin of Empathy” Part II (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, we explore the troubling idea—promoted in some evangelical circles—that empathy is a sin. The conversation centers around Joe Rigney’s book The Sin of Empathy, unpacking its flawed biblical and theological claims. We examine how this perspective targets women in particular, framing empathy as a weakness that leads believers astray.
The episode also connects this mindset to broader cultural issues such as feminism, emotional intelligence, and traditional gender roles within Christian communities. Finally, we discuss the implications of this view on topics like transgender rights and abortion—and point out the striking absence of New Testament support in Rigney’s arguments.
Interview:
The episode also connects this mindset to broader cultural issues such as feminism, emotional intelligence, and traditional gender roles within Christian communities. Finally, we discuss the implications of this view on topics like transgender rights and abortion—and point out the striking absence of New Testament support in Rigney’s arguments.
Interview:
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Jordan Peterson’s Shady Billionaire Backers (Conspirituality Brief podcast)
Julian covers the recent Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London. Headlined by Jordan Peterson, featuring Konstantin Kisin, Ayan Hirsi Ali, Jonathan Pageau, and Eric Weinstein, the conference positioned itself as an inspiring cultural gathering focused on reclaiming Western values.
Behind the scenes, a hedge-fund billionaire new media baron, conservative libertarian think tank, shady funding source in Dubai, and an evangelical English aristocrat use the prestige of ARC and its celebrity figureheads to popularize a very specific political, economic, and religious agenda.
Interview:
Behind the scenes, a hedge-fund billionaire new media baron, conservative libertarian think tank, shady funding source in Dubai, and an evangelical English aristocrat use the prestige of ARC and its celebrity figureheads to popularize a very specific political, economic, and religious agenda.
Interview:
Monday, December 16, 2024
Jon Batiste finds the Blues in Beethoven (Terry Gross, Fresh Air podcast)
When it comes to revisiting older works, musicians have a "golden opportunity," says Jon Batiste. "You can connect dots that were never connected before." That's what Batiste is doing in his new album Beethoven Blues, in which he re-imagines Beethoven's compositions.
Beethoven's work taps into a "universal connective, magnetic truth in music," Batiste explains, that you also hear in blues. "It's like things that make you cry every time you hear them; things that make you dance, every time you hear them. It's just something in the DNA of that sound."
Batiste was the bandleader and music director of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert until 2022. He attended The Juilliard School and is now on its board. His Grammy nominations and wins span a wide range of categories including Jazz, American Roots, Contemporary Classical, R&B, New Age, Contemporary Instrumental and more.
He's currently nominated for two Grammys for his documentary American Symphony. The film is about composing his "American Symphony," and performing the premiere in Carnegie Hall in 2022. The film also documented the period when his now wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, was diagnosed with a recurrence of leukemia, which had been in remission.
Batiste believes that classical music is "ripe for transformation" — Beethoven included. "There's a sense of this rigid exactness to the score and this sort of this over-reverence" of classical music, Batiste says. Artists should embrace the opportunity "to remix it, to update it … not that the original wasn't great and transcendent ... but there's also a lot of things since then that have happened. And for us to connect those dots is one of the great things that we're able to do."
Interview:
Beethoven's work taps into a "universal connective, magnetic truth in music," Batiste explains, that you also hear in blues. "It's like things that make you cry every time you hear them; things that make you dance, every time you hear them. It's just something in the DNA of that sound."
Batiste was the bandleader and music director of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert until 2022. He attended The Juilliard School and is now on its board. His Grammy nominations and wins span a wide range of categories including Jazz, American Roots, Contemporary Classical, R&B, New Age, Contemporary Instrumental and more.
He's currently nominated for two Grammys for his documentary American Symphony. The film is about composing his "American Symphony," and performing the premiere in Carnegie Hall in 2022. The film also documented the period when his now wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, was diagnosed with a recurrence of leukemia, which had been in remission.
Batiste believes that classical music is "ripe for transformation" — Beethoven included. "There's a sense of this rigid exactness to the score and this sort of this over-reverence" of classical music, Batiste says. Artists should embrace the opportunity "to remix it, to update it … not that the original wasn't great and transcendent ... but there's also a lot of things since then that have happened. And for us to connect those dots is one of the great things that we're able to do."
Interview:
Sunday, September 15, 2024
The Decline of White Christian America with Robert P. Jones (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad dives into PRRI’s 2023 Census of American Religion with Dr. Robert P. Jones, author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.
Together, they break down the ongoing decline of White Christian America, the growing number of younger people who are religiously unaffiliated, and the stark differences between the religious demographics of the Democratic and Republican parties.
They dig into how these demographic shifts are shaping the culture and politics of the country, offering key insights into the religious and racial trends transforming the U.S. today.
Interview:
Thursday, May 30, 2024
U.S. created Indian boarding schools to destroy cultures and seize land - Washington Post
From 1819 to 1969, the U.S. government separated Native American children from their families to eradicate their cultures, assimilate them into White society and seize tribal land…
Sunday, September 10, 2023
Interview with historian Nicole Hemmer (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast)
Nicole Hemmer is a political historian specializing in media, conservatism, and the presidency. Her scholarship and teaching focus on the interplay of social movements, electoral politics, and political culture in order to probe the complexities of political identity and practice in the 20th century United States.
In this bonus episode, Jess and Dr. Hemmer discussed the rise of the Evangelical right, why Newt Gingrich was so effective at whipping the GOP into shape, and some fun J. Edgar Hoover counterfactuals.
In this bonus episode, Jess and Dr. Hemmer discussed the rise of the Evangelical right, why Newt Gingrich was so effective at whipping the GOP into shape, and some fun J. Edgar Hoover counterfactuals.
Interview:
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Interview with Kristin Du Mez, author of "Jesus and John Wayne" (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #412)
Hemant and his guest talked about whether white evangelicals corrupted their faith, whether the religion is a force for good, her advice to pastors looking to fix toxic masculinity, skinny jeans, and much more.
2:40 Why did you write this book?
5:00 Did white evangelicals corrupt the faith or did guys like Donald Trump expose the faith for what it’s always been?
7:02 Are you cherry picking bad actors, like Mark Driscoll, who exist in every tradition, or do guys like Driscoll fairly represent this strain of conservative Christianity?
10:20 How much blame should we place on moderate Christians who platform these toxic people?
14:38 Is there a good definition of evangelicalism that outsiders would agree with?
18:28 Are your students more receptive to your ideas than your colleagues?
20:35 Are white evangelicals uniquely bad with toxic masculinity or is this just a problem with Americans at large? Or all of humanity?
23:32 Is Jerry Falwell, Jr. making a comeback?
25:25 Is there going to be a backlash to Trumpism that affects evangelicals?
30:06 SPONSOR: HelloFresh!
31:19 Is the impending end of Roe v. Wade good or bad for evangelicals on a strategic level?
34:12 Are white evangelicals really hypocrites about Trump considering he kept his anti-abortion promises?
37:55 Is evangelical Christianity a force for good?
40:55 What is your reaction to Girl Defined and other young Christian women who promote Christian patriarchy on YouTube?
42:00 What would you say to a megachurch pastor who comes to you for advice?
46:35 How come Christian stereotypes include both manly patriarchs as well as hipster skinny jean pastors?
49:45 Are you unfairly painting lower and middle class white men in the worst possible light?
52:30 Are white evangelicals really as powerful as you suggest they are?
Interview:
Monday, September 7, 2020
China's rulers face a new type of dissent - CSMonitor.com
For democracy activists, hatred in the face of state violence hasn’t worked very well. China’s Mongolian minority – now being forced to adopt Han culture – is trying new approaches.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2020/0904/China-s-rulers-face-a-new-type-of-dissent
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Candace Owens Says Conservatives Must Take Over Culture - YouTube - RWW News
Candace Owens says that conservatives can easily take over popular culture because "it was our belief in God and Judeo-Christian values" that created the Renaissance...
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