Why I Stopped Listening to the Pod Save Bros(™)

And some suggestions for feeding your radical imaginations

A few years back, I had gotten into the habit of listening to Pod Save America, a Very Popular mainstream Democrat podcast hosted by three former Obama staffers. They started a media network (Crooked Media) and went into podcasting after Obama’s second term.

I wasn’t on board with a lot that they said— I didn’t think they went far enough into the roots of issues — and felt they were pretty milquetoast, very invested in the status quo — as long as it was Dems in charge. But I thought to myself, “Self, this is a really popular pod, so they must be smart and have some insights, especially about electoral politics. Why not listen.”

One day they announced they were coming to Durham for a live show. I thought to myself, “Huh. Self, should I go?”

Well holy crapmuffins, the ticket prices. Was Taylor Swift making a surprise appearance or what?

I know ticket prices can be bonkers expensive but Durham has multiple venues — they could have come to one of our mid-price theaters. Hm. I don’t know how much say they have over ticket prices, but this was ridiculous. Who could afford these prices — to see some podcasters? Who did the pod bros WANT their audience to be, with bananas pricing? Who did they not mind excluding?

I didn’t go. But I listened to the show when they aired it.

They had had two guests: one was the governor of North Carolina. The other was the Reverend Dr. Barber, who is from NC, co-led Moral Mondays, and now co-leads the national Poor People’s Campaign. The PPC is a continuation of Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of and call for a PPC: a rainbow coalition with a broad vision of economic, health, environmental, racial, and social justice. Rev. Dr. Barber asserts, and I agree, that budgets are moral documents. What you spend money on shows what you care about.

The podcast bros seemed to have at least heard of Dr. Barber (or been read in), but clearly knew very little about his movement, his ideologies, and what he’s about. To wit: they assumed he was a Democrat, which he’s not. (He’s registered as an independent, and does not support Dems per se.)

Just as importantly, to me, the audience didn’t really seem familiar with Rev. Dr. Barber or the PPC.

How do I know this? Because at the end of his time with the bros, Dr. Barber turned to the audience and called, “Forward together!” waiting for the audience response. Crickets.

If you’ve been to even one rally, talk, protest, or action with Dr. Barber or the Poor People‘s Campaign, you know the call-and-response. I mean even ONE action, you’d know. “Forward together — not one step back.”

Crickets.

Next up was the current governor, a Democrat. North Carolina is funny because we usually vote Republican for president but often Democrats for governor. Or vice-versa. Anyway, this governor was everything the pod bros wanted in a guest: Democrats this and Democrats that.

At the end of his interview, the governor turned to the audience and shouted, “Tar!” and the entire audience shouted back “HEEL!”

(I know that UNC is the Tarheels but had never witnessed this call-and-response.)

And it’s fine to shout “heel” to “tar.” But the fact that that audience was devoid of any familiarity with “Not one step back!” … I turned off the podcast. That’s the last time I listened. This was not the podcast for me, nor really for anybody who wanted to engage in what Angela Davis would say is the definition of radical, which is taking things up by the root.

This podcast, like so many others, talks about current issues. Fine and good. But pods like this limit our imaginations. They keep us in thrall, indebted, ensconced, thinking within the systems we have now. They campaign for Kamala. But do they show up for the Poor People’s Campaign? They say to tax billionaires. But do they ask why there are billionaires in the first place? They say Black Lives Matter. But do they talk about abolition? Defunding police? Abolishing ICE? Where are the serious conversations — and actions — about UPROOTING the systems that are so oppressive to our brothers and sisters?

Hey, you’re allowed to like what you like.

It doesn’t have to be either or.

But often it is either/or.

Because we only have so much time, so much capacity to take in media. And these reform-focused, liberal voices can be very soothing. “Yes, Trump is bad, but we can turn this around by electing Democrats,” they say. “We shouldn’t alienate centrist voters by promoting an actual agenda of radical change,” they say. This is SEDUCTIVE, especially to folks who are (1) invested in or benefitting from extant systems — even if they don’t like Trump — or (2) fearful of radical change.

My point is, reform is not enough and never will be.

and we need to feed our radical imaginations with radical thinkers thinking radical thoughts.

My point is that I hope we please make sure to feed ourselves with thoughts, visions, writings, listenings, about GRASPING BY THE ROOTS - about uprooting, about revolution, about a radical imagination for mutual care (NOT philanthropy).

NPR and The New York Times are two other huge culprits, stealing our radical imaginations. I won’t tell you never to read the NYT (and full disclosure I do the NYT crossword every day) but it seems to me what they’re most interested in lately is capitulating to white supremacist thinking, making excuses for Israel’s genocide of Gazans, going after trans kids … for YEARS now, moving the Overton window rightward by publishing whackadoodle opinion pieces, and platforming a literal Nazi to attempt to besmirch Zohran Mamdani.

(Side salad: Mamdani is an inspiring and badly needed breath of fresh air! What a generational voice! He scares the crap out of the Democratic Party and powers that be because he is NOT interested in maintaining a system that is not working. Watch how terrified the Democrats are of actual change and vision. They will do whatever they can to stop him getting elected. They won’t lift a finger in defense of Mamdani if Trump tries to denaturalize him.)

Anyway. I know y’all are critical readers. BUT. My point, again: it’s difficult enough to have a revolutionary imagination, period. It cuts against what many, if not most of us, were taught was possible or within the realm of imagination. Like hope, revolutionary imagination is a discipline. It takes a lot of practice, and a lot of learning, and a community to hold it in.

If we continuously surround ourselves with media that focus on reform, that whisper reasons why things are not really THAT bad, or that tell us the answers lie in electing Democrats and receiving funding or philanthropy from “good” billionaires, you’re not feeding your radical imagination. You’re starving it.

Angela Davis says, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

In order to do that, we need to feed our inner revolutionaries. Nourish our radical imaginations. We need to listen to thinkers and voices that tell us that revolutionary change is not only necessary, but it’s also possible. And beautiful.

So. Here are some suggestions for revolutionary media. With a few “Just for funsies” thrown in. There are SO MANY MORE GREAT VOICES, but this is off the top of my head. Let me know in the comments the books, pods, movies, or practices that feed your revolutionary / radical imagination.

STREAMING SERIES:

ANDOR (Hulu/Disney). This Star Wars series is sooooo good. It’s “what radicalized you?” and “unsung heroes of a revolution” and “what decisions and sacrifices do we need to make for justice?” in a STAR WAR. OMG so good. Finished season 2 and immediately watched Rogue One.

This might be the most controversial statement in lo these past two — wait, 3?!? are we starting year 3? — years of Unruly Quaker, but I think ROGUE ONE might be my favorite Star Wars movie.

I know, I know. I’ll never forget being four years old in the movie theater - literally standing up in my chair, in awe and terror, as Darth Vader boarded Princess Leia’s ship. So yes, A New Hope has a place in my heart. As does Empire, informed my spirituality like whoa. But Rogue One? Dang. It’s excellent.

MOVIES:

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO - a must-watch James Baldwin primer. Sit back and prepare to be awed. (Hulu, Amazon Prime)

MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY - another must-watch primer - this one about Durham’s own Pauli Murray. What an incredible human. Watch this, please. (Amazon Prime, Freevee)

STOP AND GO - just for funsies. Even if this isn’t on Hulu anymore this is another great roadtrip movie - sisters drop everything to rescue their grandma and her dog from a locked-down-due-to-Covid nursing home. One of the best (and only) Covid comedies I’ve seen. Another gem. (Hulu? Maybe?)

ROGUE ONE - of course. (Hulu, Disney)

THE HUNGER GAMES. Rewatch or reread The Hunger Games series. Look at the parallels of what is happening in real life, right here and now. What are our spectacles? What would a resistance coalition look like? How do you build new? What are you prepared to do?

ONE OF THEM DAYS - another just for funsies. A charmer of a girlfriends movie, a fun and funny breath of fresh air. (Netflix)

SINNERS - some gore and jump scares - but this movie is brilliant. Dang. It’s an incredible allegory / commentary on so much: sharecropping, capitalism, religion, resistance, music, love, justice, solidarity, sex, and white supremacy. (HBO Max)

BOOKS:

FICTION:

James by Percival Everett

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (reread)

NONFICTION:

James Baldwin - anything by James Baldwin. You can start with The Fire Next Time or Nothing Personal, but anything, really.

Imagination: A Manifesto by Ruha Benjamin

Black Panther Woman: The political and spiritual life of Ericka Huggins by Mary Francis Phillips

Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot

Black Power: The Politics of Liberation - yep, the 1967 book co-authored by Kwame Ture and political scientist Charles V. Hamilton

Calling In: How to Start Making Change With Those You’d Rather Cancel by Loretta J. Ross

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. Incredible beautiful, honest, insightful. About the failures of the west, especially when it comes to the genocide in Gaza. I knew this book would be good but I didn’t know it would be THIS good.

Creative Disobedience by Dorothee Sölle

Black Trans Feminism by Marquis Bey

Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching by Jarvis R. Givens

Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis

Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis by Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis

PODCASTS / NEWS SOURCES:

Revolutionary Baddies (nepotism alert: one of the hosts is a comrade)

The Dig: Discussing the Politics of Class Warfare

5-4: A Podcast about how much the Supreme Court Sucks

Citations Needed (the one with yellow brackets)

Democracy Now - daily - podcast, radio, or Youtube

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Next week I’ll be on silent retreat, and then the week after I’ll be visiting with family. So I will see y’all in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I want to say a huge huge THANK YOU to you paid subscribers. I appreciate each and every one of you. Your support is tremendously helpful and means the world to me. Most blessed are you by the Great Cosmic Echidna.

XOXO