In the Context of Empire Jonathan Lancaster and Matthew McKenna

Matt and Matt discuss a recent New York Times article, An American in Ukraine Finds the War He’s Been Searching For.. This article is every bit as terrible as the title indicates!



Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts on this content!

Find some of Matt M's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary, @MatthewConnors3 and @mattylongruns

We were privileged to be  joined by Bryce Greene to discuss the current U.S made crisis in Afghanistan and complicity of U.S media in prolonging the suffering of the Afghan people. Bryce is contributor to the media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. His two recent articles titled NPR Distorts History of US Invasion of Afghanistan and NPR Devotes Almost Two Hours to Afghanistan Over Two Weeks—and 30 Seconds to US Starving Afghans are discussed in this episode.

Discussed in this Episode:

- Bryce's interest in media criticism specifically with regards to foreign policy

- NPR's distortion of the beginnings of the US role in Afghanistan

- NPR's obfuscation of the fact that the US is starving Afghans

- The importance of criticizing liberal networks like NPR

- Why it is so harmful for networks like NPR to distort the nefarious role played by the US in Afghanistan and many other nations victimized by the US empire. 

Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts on this content!

Find some of Matt M's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary  

Jon, and the Matts (Connors and McKenna) discuss current events in Ukraine and lend some of their unsolicited commentary on the crisis. 



Discussed in this Episode:

Jon’s trip to Vietnam - How’s it going? Updates?

- Matt Connor's journey as an educator, left wing thinker, and anti-imperialist

- Russia - Ukraine

- US media coverage of the crisis

- Worthy vs unworthy victims

- “Russian disinformation” IE explaining relevant context

- "Conspiratorial thinking" vs very obvious geopolitical and material goals in US foreign policy



Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts on this content!

Find some of Matt's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and @Mattylongruns

Music produced by Zac McKenna- @mcktasty

Matt was joined by Bryce Greene to discuss the Russia- Ukraine crisis. Bryce Greene is a contributor to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Some of his recent articles include What You Should Really Know About Ukraine and Vox Omits US Military Role in African Instability. More of his work can be found at FAIR. 

*NOTE: This episode was recorded on 2/22/22, the day before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The historical context and media critiques nonetheless remain relevant to the current crisis.*



Discussed in this Episode:

- Bryce's background and interest in media criticism through the lens of anti-imperialism

- Patterns in US media's coverage of US foreign policy

- US media misreporting Ukraine crisis- NATO expansion, 2014 Maidan Coup, Russian annexation of Crimea, civil war in the Donbas

- Outlooks for the future

Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content!

Find some of Matt's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and  @Mattylongruns

Music produced by Zac McKenna- @mcktasty

The band is back together! Jon rejoined the podcast to talk about his trip to Vietnam, what he hopes to accomplish and its implications for anti imperialist education in US. Matt also does his best at an explainer for the situation in Ukraine. 

Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content!

Find some of Matt's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and  @Mattylongruns

Music produced by Zac McKenna- @mcktasty

Matt was joined by Justin Podur to discuss the terms "whataboutism," "tankies" and "moral equivalence" as useful tools for anti imperialists, despite imperialist attempts to dismiss them. Justin is the  founder of the Anti Empire Project and Anti Empire project Podcast. He is the author of America’s Wars on Democracy in Rwanda and the DR Congo and The Path of the Unarmed. He is the co-author of Extraordinary Threat: The U.S. Empire, the Media, and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela Justin is also an Associate Professor at York University's Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change.



Discussed in this Episode:

- The origins of "whataboutism," how it has been used, and why imperialists are so quick to dismiss it as a tactics

- The racist origins of imperialists dismissing calls for racial equality as "whataboutism" throughout the the Cold War

- A discussion about how literally EVERY BEHAVIOR the United States accuses other nations of are behaviors that US either engages in itself, or supports governments that do so. 

- The value of "whatboutism" as a tool in argument

- The charge of being a "tankie" or engaging in moral equivalence

- Is calling out hypocrisy useful? There are endless examples, but do the imperialists actually care if they are behaving in obviously hypocritical ways?

Our Work:

Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content!

Find some of Matt's writing at CovertAction Magazine

Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and  @Mattylongruns

Music produced by Zac McKenna- @mcktasty