A Rambling Christmas Special *Video*
Added 2021-12-27 09:26:44 +0000 UTCHi everyone,
We decided to take some time to record our (unedited) End of Year/Christmas special just for the Patreons. It's a bit rambling and fairly self indulgent, but hey it's Christmas...
Topics covered include: reflecting on the year that was, checking in on the old Gurus, our annual airing of political grievances, discussing our very moderate and boring personal goals for the New Year, and finally some listener requested dialogue reads.
Consider the politics section our roast for the ENTIRE year and apologies if we complain about your preferred political orientation!
Hope you are all having nice holidays!
Comments
Milquetoast incrementalism really gets one’s blood up!
Guruspod 2
2022-01-08 05:46:11 +0000 UTCHigh quality zooming!
Christopher Kavanagh
2022-01-05 12:15:30 +0000 UTCholy s*it I thought that was Chris' actual background until like 5 minutes left in the video...
Alex Nelson
2022-01-05 05:44:29 +0000 UTCAppreciate the comment Paul! We tend to agree that the left should be a big tent ⛺️ .
Christopher Kavanagh
2022-01-03 18:00:38 +0000 UTCAs a card-carrying far leftist, I do enjoy your occasional centre-left political rants. And believe it or not, I tend to agree with you that a lot of the far left, are really bad at interacting with people in general, but especially online. Partly I think this is the general tendency to view everything through the lens of ideology (which most confuse & conflate with politics) and think that having shouting matches over culture war hot takes will achieve anything. Which obviously it won't. People's fundamental value systems are not easily shifted, and certainly not by partisan fights over whose "facts" trump the other. Any experience in the organising and alliance-building practices of actual politics starts with the understanding that this only reinforces differences rather than finding common grounds. Sadly with the domination of social media over discourse (aggravated by the pandemic), this issue of overly-ideological, politically-clueless leftism, seems worse than ever.
Paul Bowman
2022-01-03 17:00:30 +0000 UTCHaving grown up in Switzerland can confirm that it is a "weird little country". But one I have some affection for (despite it's right-wing conservative leanings). The gun-violence stats are pretty high, but at least they've now decided to keep the militia weapons in the barracks, rather than under the paternal bed, as used to be the case when I was there. But of course the stats don't compare to the US - but then neither do Canada's. Of course gun regulation has empirical benefits. But I think there are definitely big differences in "social capital" between countries like Switzerland, German, Scandinavia, etc, and the US. Based on people's cultural willingness to conform to social expectations by dint of civic pride or belief in the legitimacy of the general social order.
Paul Bowman
2022-01-03 16:50:36 +0000 UTCYou'll have to come on if you want to correct us!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-30 11:07:56 +0000 UTC;)
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-30 11:07:31 +0000 UTCAlso your centrist propagandising is so annoying lmao
Liam Kofi Bright
2021-12-29 16:27:42 +0000 UTCActually laughed out loud at the "But... if you were a cynical man"
Liam Kofi Bright
2021-12-29 15:19:27 +0000 UTCI like all of those things, but most particularly the mountains!
Guruspod 2
2021-12-28 23:57:51 +0000 UTCMe too (well, sometimes). And I'm definitely a fan of DTG!
Karen
2021-12-28 13:51:55 +0000 UTCAm a fan of Switzerland and the Swiss!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-28 11:42:25 +0000 UTCHeehee - "Switzerland has chocolate and clocks." Make that chocolate and watches - and banks, and pharmaceutical companies, and of course mountains (and hence, tourism). They keep their gun violence in the family, with one of the highest rates of gun-related domestic violence in Europe.
Karen
2021-12-28 07:36:59 +0000 UTCI haven't but have it in my bookshelf!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-28 04:19:05 +0000 UTCAny kind of social welfare passing is always difficult here because a lot of people here have these hero tales in their minds about themselves and their families about how they started with little and did everything on their own, even though it isn't true for almost anyone. But it lets people more easily dismiss others struggling as it being their own fault and not anyone else's problem.
sebcatemis
2021-12-28 02:58:28 +0000 UTCChris, if you haven’t read Say Nothing…… read it! Truly incredible book.
Charlotte Goodall
2021-12-27 16:43:05 +0000 UTCCertainly Charlotte! I have never looked into the details surrounding Gerry Adams and absolutely was impacted by the cult of personality. I also remember him coming to the door of every house in our street to ask about voting. I saw a bizarre video recently where he was using the Troubles to sell a cook book. All very odd!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-27 14:44:07 +0000 UTCI’ve just been reading Patrick Radden Keef’s Say Nothing and have been thinking a lot about the Troubles. I grew up in Ireland in the 80s and 90s but the North was another world away. But even so we had our own narrative and it was driven by a lot of assumptions and cultural heuristics. I was thinking about Gerry Adam’s through the Guru lens- an absolute snake of a human being who nevertheless was instrumental in helping to bring the peace process into existence. But the swirling cult of personality around him absolutely blinds people to the terrible things he did and the people he lied to and betrayed. Perhaps it’s unique to Ireland but it came to my mind while listening to your conversation earlier.
Charlotte Goodall
2021-12-27 14:21:02 +0000 UTCYeah, I’m the same. It wasn’t normal - catholic family, catholic friends, catholic school, catholic neighbourhood. As you said in the podcast, it’s changed a lot for the better in recent years. But even still, it’s a fragile peace and it’s by no means gone forever. It could come back, especially with all the uncertainty around Brexit.
Ciaran Mullan
2021-12-27 12:11:51 +0000 UTClol! I should have known that about Liam Neeson. I've actually been past his house; he definitely doesn't sound like a typical Ballymena man! Also completely agree about Jordan and the Orange Order! It is right up his alley! Also, great points about the education system. Mixed schools are starting to be more common in Norn Ireland and it is a good thing. I don't think I met a Protestant until my teens and that was through rock music.
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-27 12:07:06 +0000 UTCThanks for that, great episode. I enjoyed it. I liked the way Chris framed his upbringing in Northern Ireland to give the American culture war a global context. There are countless other examples of modern civil conflicts, but NI is an interesting comparison. Segregating schools in NI played a big part in prolonging the conflict and entrenching sectarian divides. Furthermore, it contributed to the division both communities experienced on a social, everyday level. The current focus on education in the culture war and the teaching of CRT could lead to a segregated education system in America divided along political lines. That could solidify the culture war issues across generations. Chris is absolutely spot on when he says that it’s foolish to believe your society is immune from incredibly destructive civil conflict. He’s seen how easily it can happen and can point to many other examples of it happening in recent, living memory and today. Granted, one small saving grace of the Irish Troubles were that we were spared the tedium of an IDW-style commentariat weighing in and making things 100 times worse. Having said that, I can easily imagine Jordan Peterson in an Orange sash! Small correction - Liam Neeson does not have a southern accent - he’s from Ballymena, hey!
Ciaran Mullan
2021-12-27 11:47:22 +0000 UTCWay to go out there and shill for all of us political moderates! Gradual political change and compromise for the win! Enjoyed the ep :)
Andy
2021-12-27 11:14:20 +0000 UTCAh, I'm not that bothered just ranting a bit. Consider this a pent up rant!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-27 10:31:21 +0000 UTCWow, the far leftist Twitter mob has really gotten to Chris I see. I'm amazed at how some of the insane radical shit gets passed around on Twitter and other internet spaces uncontroversially. Can't blame Chris at all. Really enjoyable conversation overall, good holiday chill vibes.
Nick Brouwer
2021-12-27 10:30:36 +0000 UTCWell that is there!
Christopher Kavanagh
2021-12-27 10:10:52 +0000 UTCCould definitely do with some DtG banter
widget
2021-12-27 09:56:45 +0000 UTC
