Listen to Best of the Left Podcast Episodes

Air Date: 9-29-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The economics of witch trials - The creation of content for capital - Layers and layers of bullshit obscure reality - Post script: visit to the Salem museum   REFERENCES: How Social Turmoil Has…

Air Date 9/26/2023 Rays of hope for the worker's struggle against unfettered, exploitative capitalism are coming from multiple angles as strikes from creatives in Hollywood and autoworkers in Detroit are striking to demand wages, benefits, and protections…

Air Date 9/24/2023 Israel's politics have been upended by the return of Netanyahu as Prime Minister, put in office with the help of extremely far-right factions who have now pushed through reforms to the Israeli Supreme Court that fundamentally undermine their…

Original Air Date: 8/8/2020 Today we take a look at the concept of defunding the police; what it means, what it doesn't and what the goals of the movement are.  Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com…

Air Date 9/18/2023 Exploring the captivating world of conspiracy theories! We are all wired to believe misinformation to some degree, but not all to the same degree. With help from Naomi Klein, and other experts, discover why people are drawn to conspiracies,…

Original Air Date: 6/15/2018 The high toll Puerto Rico is paying, in both money and lives, for the triple disasters of colonialism, Hurricane Maria and disaster capitalism Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email…

Air Date 9/13/2023 This eye-opening episode will explore the complex web of colonialism, disaster capitalism, and climate change is ravaging Native Hawaiian communities. We explore how corporations and privatization going back to annexation have exacerbated…

Air Date: 9-8-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The need for good structures of society, not scripture - Jesus is too liberal for Christians - Amateur anthropology - Technology and humanity - Drugs and alcohol   REFERENCES: Report: Record…

Air Date 9/6/2023 The first GOP presidential debate happened without the frontrunner, Donald Trump, being present for the event but rather hanging over the proceedings like a specter. Meanwhile, Trump's legal troubles continue to mount and we examine what it…

Air Date 9/3/2023 Sports gambling through smartphones has become widely available and wildly addictive but the effects are being felt beyond the individual gambler's bank account and anxiety levels. Partnerships between gambling companies and colleges,…

Original Air Date: 12/15/2017 The history and current state of rich people seeking to undermine democratic rule by the people in favor of oligarchy for the rich  Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com…

Original Air Date 8/10/2022 Origins of the European colonial land-grab, the need for the #Landback movement,  and the benefits to society and the environment in the context of the climate crisis to return stewardship of the land to native peoples. Be part of…

Original Air Date 8/2/2022 Explaining neurodiversity and why it should be seen as a strength and benefit to society when accommodated properly rather than a problem to be solved or, worse, ignored. Autism, ADHD and other examples of neurodiversity all have…

Original Air Date 9-11-2018 Strategies to, and reasons why we need to, have better political conversations. As the first GOP debate signals the beginning of a new election cycle with the country divided as ever, we could always use a refresher on better ways…

Air Date 8/23/2023 For decades, we have rightly been focused on dialing back endemic misogyny and poking holes in the patriarchy in the hopes of a new normal of gender relations emerging that would be genuinely healthier for everyone, not just women. But, with…

Air Date 8/20/2023 Big tech is currently scrambling to bring untested A.I. products to market, over-promising, under-delivering, and working hard obscure and ignore any possible downsides for society. Big tech needs A.I. regulation now before we all suffer the…

Original Air Date 12-7-2019 In the context of the devastating fire on Maui, we are replaying this throwback episode to look at the reaction to decades of the fetishization of privatization in the form of a reinvigorated movement for public ownership of…

Air Date: 8-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The Internet, it turns out, is bad - Musk and Zuckerberg cage fight - The "Dopamine Detox" movement   REFERENCES: The Ugly Honesty of Elon Musk’s Twitter Rebrand The ‘Dopamine Detox’ Is…

Air Date 8/12/2023 Today, we take a look at the most consequential case against Trump which summarizes his direct involvement in using allegedly illegal means to contest the 2020 election while making knowingly false claims about the legitimacy of election…

Original Air Date 11-1-2016 Today we dive deeply into the world of conservatives as described in the new book “Strangers in their own Land” by Arlie Russel Hochschild in an attempt to understand how some non-deplorable people in the country could be…

Original Air Date 6/25/2022 Today we take a look at some of the takeaways from the hearings investigating the January 6th insurrection. Most notably: they knew, they knew, they knew, they knew from the very beginning that their fraud claims were nonsense and…

Air Date 8/6/2023 Today, we take a look at the education curriculum reforms currently being pushed through in Florida through the lens of the long pattern of choosing to see our history in a way that comforts the comfortable and afflicts the afflicted. Be part…

Air Date: 8-4-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - Barbie, Black Mirror and corporations in on the joke - The Extended Mattel Cinematic Universe - The alternate conservative commerce universe - The alternate conservative entertainment universe…

Air Date 8/2/2023 Today, we take a look at the status of the war in Ukraine and the decision made recently for the US to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine, a munition that Biden's Press Sec. referred to as a potential war crime when it was reported that Russia…

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!) Original Air Date 6/17/2022 Today we take a look at many intertwining realizations that are beginning to permeate society which include but are not limited to the dead-end mentality of infinite…

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!) Original Air Date: 2/15/2019 Today we take a look at recent teachers union strike in the Los Angeles school district and see it as another event in an emerging pattern of progressive uprisings that…

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!) Air Date 7/25/2023 Today, we take a look at the impact of the rise of streaming video services and the potential for AI-written scripts on the future of show business and those trying to earn a living…

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!) Air Date 7/22/2023 Today, we take a look at the action needed to curb and adapt to the extreme weather that climate change is already delivering Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at…

Original Air Date: 10/16/2019 Today we take a look at the literally depressing truth about our economy, our work and the culture that surrounds it. We work too hard to be perfect, we don't get enough time off, many of us don't have enough control over the work…

Air Date 7/16/2023 Today, we take a look at the problems of overconsumption and some policy solutions for reducing waste through a circular, rather than linear, approach to the economy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email…