PODCAST: How economics left the real world behind

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:27:30 GMT

Modern economics often credits Adam Smith as its cornerstone, but another key figure, David Ricardo, has shaped our world in ways we rarely examine. Ricardo, the wealthiest stock trader of his day, developed the theory of comparative advantage, a concept that helped justify globalisation but concealed deeper ties to power, empire and slavery....

The problem with counterterrorism

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:07:44 GMT

The budget and resources that have been dedicated to combatting terrorism this century are staggering. But has it worked?In this episode, George Miller talks to Leonie B. Jackson, author of 'What is Counterterrorism for?', about the exceptional measures that states have taken in recent decades – such as detention without trial and targeted killing – in reaction to terrorist threats which they often portray as existential....

Viral masculinity and the far right: Karen Lee Ashcraft on gender in the US Election

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 11:00:50 GMT

As the US election approaches, MSNBC notes that the question of “what it means to be a man” is now a defining theme. In this episode, Jess Miles and Karen Lee Ashcraft revisit Karen's concept of 'viral masculinity' — a powerful current of aggrieved manhood fuelling far-right ideologies worldwide. They explore the manosphere, the online ecosystem where this resentment takes root, analysing how figures like JD Vance and Andrew Tate tap into youthful discontent and guide it toward political extremism. Ashcraft argues that, much like a public health crisis, the rapid spread of aggrieved masculinity affects society at every level, shaping policies, identities and even environmental stances. Offering tools for positive change, Karen discusses her concepts of 'lateral empathy' and 'critical feeling' as an alternative approach to defusing the far-right’s emotional momentum....