HoosLeft Podcast

Scott Aaron Rogers
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HoosLeft Podcast

Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the Hoosier left. www.hoosleft.us

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    If It Honks Like a Goose...

    You know, once upon a time, when I first started the HoosLeft project, I mostly wrote and sprinkled in podcasting. Now - and don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of my audio, and now, video content - but I devote most of this space to that sort of thing and less to good, old-fashioned essays. I go where the wind carries me, so no regrets, but I should definitely just write more. HoosLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. So, a little over a month ago, at nominal President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the real head of state - Trump’s sugar daddy Elon Musk - did this: You like the title on that video? Elon Musk “appears” to give fascist salute, it says. Indeed - just as the sky “appears” blue, the grass “appears” green, and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett routinely “appears” drunk in public. Actually, it “appears” this is a bit of a fad these days. Former Breitbart executive, podcaster, strategist, and human grease stain Steve Bannon “appeared” to throw a similar “Roman” salute at CPAC last weekend, with Mexican actor and right-wing activist Eduardo Verástegui “appearing” to perform an identical gesture at the same event. Media across the board have failed to call the painfully obvious nod to fascism what it is. Verástegui performed “what many interpreted as a Nazi” salute. Bannon “was accused of making a Nazi salute.” Musk “made a salute that many felt was fascist.” SAY THE THING! This is exactly what it looks like. I don’t know if it’s fear - of violence, of lawsuits, of losing access - cowardice, or complicity, but something prevents from these outlets from stating what is plain to see. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, IT’S A FUCKING DUCK!!! Mainstream journalism has walked into every trap set by the right - helping them spread misinformation, disinformation, and outright propaganda far and wide. In 2024, even in debunking the claim, the “lie of the year,” that legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were (in terrible Trump impression) eating the dogs, eating the cats, eating the pets of the people that live there, of butchering wild waterfowl from a local park. Of course, the claim was untrue, but it was so salacious and juicy and shiny that it made for great copy. As with most disinfo, there was a small kernel of truth. It turns out there had been someone killing birds in the Ohio town. This, from The Independent: “Brian Comer of Springfield was issued a citation last month for shooting two geese at a golf course, according to Clark County Municipal Court filings first reported by Texas-based investigative journalist Steven Monacelli. A witness told an officer ahead of Comer’s citation that he saw a “white male, in his late fifties or early sixties” riding a lawnmower before getting off and shooting two geese with a shotgun, the court filings reveal. Comer was “cooperative” and admitted to shooting the two geese, according to the court filings. Comer told an officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources he believed he was entitled to shoot them because the golf course had a “nuisance permit.” An officer then issued him a citation. A small kernel of truth. That’s all it takes to start an earth-moving rumor. Right wing propagandists like Bannon “flood the zone with shit” and legacy journalists, so many of them incompetent nepo babies, chase the recognizable kernels. Gross. I know. But I think I know what’s really going on. Reactionary right-wingers were never concerned about the dogs, the cats, or the ducks. They were defending the geese. You see, fascists and geese are a lot alike - they’re loud, they’re mean, and they shit all over everything. What’s the takeaway? If it looks like a goose, if it honks like a goose, if it steps like a goose, IT’S A F*****G GOOSE! HoosLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.hoosleft.us/subscribe

    6 min
  2. HoosLeft Live Special

    3 DAYS AGO

    HoosLeft Live Special

    Indiana Democratic Party Reorganization Day is March 1st in every county seat across the state. The most populous county in our Hoosier State, Marion County, features three women vying to become the next county party chair - incumbent Myla Eldridge, public speaker and media personality Dana Black, and my guest tonight, Pike Township Trustee and educator Annette Johnson. Join us as she discusses her vision for Indianapolis Democrats. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.hoosleft.us/subscribe

    52 min
  3. Special Episode: People Powered Democracy Town Hall

    5 DAYS AGO

    Special Episode: People Powered Democracy Town Hall

    Special Episode: People Powered Democracy Town Hall Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/ Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington. I don’t have a traditional episode for you this week, but I do have some great content for you. This past Saturday, I attended and streamed live the People Powered Democracy Town Hall from the Unitarian Universalist Church here in Bloomington. The event was standing room only as community leaders, legislators, constituents and grassroots organizations gathered to discuss healthcare, education and voting rights. State Senator Shelli Yoder and Representative Matt Pierce talked about current legislation moving through the General Assembly, with particular emphasis on cuts to Medicaid and public education. Local Republican officials including Senate Majority Leader Rod Bray, State Reps Peggy Mayfield, Dave Hall, and Bob Heaton - as well as Congresswoman Erin Houchin - were asked to participate, but either declined or ignored the invitation. The purpose of this event, which featured speakers from the Indiana Rural Summit, Reverse Citizens United, Hoosier Action, Indiana Coalition for Public Education, and the Bloomington chapter of Medicare for All Indiana was to make meaning of how dark money has negatively influenced our legislation with an emphasis on healthcare and education policy that will directly impact Hoosiers. Real quick, before we turn to the town hall, I’d like to take a minute to thank you all for your support - for liking and sharing on social media, for forwarding our articles and podcast episodes, for commenting, leaving reviews, and providing feedback - and especially for the financial support paid subscriptions provide. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the elite few. I would like to dedicate my full time to you, this community, and Indiana’s future; but I need your financial support to do so. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft. So please, visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and again - if you can - consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Tell the others. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again. Now, here is the People Powered Democracy town hall recorded Saturday, February 22nd. Please consider a paid subscription to keep this project going. That was the People Powered Democracy town hall from Bloomington this past Saturday. I’ll have links to all of the organizations represented on the panel in the show notes. Now, if you’ve listened to this whole thing, I don’t want to keep you much longer. But I do want to revisit the words of Indiana Rural Summit organizer Michelle Higgs, channelling political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who argues that nonviolent campaigns are more likely to succeed because they can recruit many more participants from a much broader demographic. Nonviolent protest seems to be the best way to get that widespread support. She explains, “Numbers really matter for building power in ways that can really pose a serious challenge…to entrenched authorities…There weren’t any campaigns that had failed after they had achieved 3.5% participation.” If indeed movements that have mobilized 3.5% of their population in sustained, nonviolent, active participation achieve their aims, then this transformative vision gives me a renewed imagination for change. And Michelle went on to detail how few people it actually takes to build a real movement, how - if each of us mobilized just ten people, we could seriously challenge entrenched power. For entirely too long, most of us have taken our freedoms for granted, assuming they were safe forever or that someone else would take care of things. That fairytale is over. We have only ourselves. Individually, we don’t stand a chance - but together, if we organize, we can still achieve a just, equitable future. I’ve included links to a lot of great organizations. Get involved with one or, if there isn’t something in your area, start something yourself. Real democracy is invigorating and contagious. Let’s make it go viral. What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Or holler at me on social media - on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. You can also email me at scott@hoosleft.us. Thanks to everybody who participated in this town hall, with one last swipe at the cowardly Republicans who wouldn’t face their own constituents. Thank you for listening. If you can, head over to HoosLeft.US and help support this project with a paid subscription. Again, hit me up on social media with your feedback, tips, ideas, and concerns. Please forward the show to a friend and have them to forward it to another friend. Let’s keep building this project - and truly democratic state - one conversation at a time. Until the next one, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana. Leftist voices are suppressed on oligarch-owned social media. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any of our updates. Links: Indiana Rural Summit: https://indianaruralsummit.org/ Reverse Citizens United Monroe County: https://reversecitizensunited.org/ Hoosier Action: https://www.hoosieraction.org/ Indiana Coalition for Public Education: https://indianacoalitionforpubliced.org/ Medicare for All, Indiana - Bloomington: https://www.facebook.com/groups/H4CHP/ Indivisible Central Indiana: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IndivisibleIndianapolis Erica Chenoweth TED Talk: https://tedxboulder.com/speakers/erica-chenoweth HoosLeft on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/hoosleft https://hoosleft.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@hoosleft https://www.tiktok.com/@hoosleft https://www.instagram.com/scottrog78/ https://www.x.com/scottrog78/ https://www.threads.net/@scottrog78 https://hoosier.social/@scottrog78 And once again, subscribe at: https://hoosleft.us/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.hoosleft.us/subscribe

    2h 2m

  4. FEB 19

    Episode 71: All the Tea on China

    Episode 71: All the Tea on China Guest: Dr. Sarah Baurle Danzman Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/ Find Sarah at https://www.sarahbauerledanzman.com/ Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington. So between my December interview with documentary filmmaker Jen Senko, and last week’s episode with data privacy and thought reform scholar Dustin Steinhagen, I’ve been thinking a lot about psychological manipulation, media influence, propaganda, and censorship. In both of those conversations, we talked about private economic interests using what are essentially mind control techniques to influence consumers, voters, and society at large. These tactics are being used on us, without our explicit consent, at all times, in what is supposed to be a “free” country. When corporations and wealthy individuals do this, it’s just “free speech,” but if the government does the same thing, it’s censorship. And this makes me think of China, where free speech is not guaranteed and media is heavily censored in the name of social harmony. There, psychological manipulation comes from the state, not private interests. Is it okay in either case? Is one better or worse than the other? I admit to being terribly ignorant about China, only knowing that concern over the Asian superpower’s continued growth is maybe the ONE thing Democrats and Republicans agree on. Both the first Trump and Biden administrations leveed tariffs and placed export controls China, with Trump threatening an even wider trade war in his second term. He unilaterally slapped a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports earlier this month, with Xi Jinping responding in kind. Hawks in both major US parties recommend active measures to counter China, like restricting Chinese access to advanced semiconductors, banning Huawei and other Chinese telecom firms from US networks, and preventing Chinese ownership of American farmland. The last one was championed by now-Indiana Governor Mike Braun, who sponsored a bill in the Senate doing just that. Now, as recently as 2019, his predecessor, Eric Holcomb, traveled to China on business, 21 Chinese firms operated in the state - employing some 2,500 Hoosiers, and 23 Indiana municipalities had sister-city relationships with Chinese communities. However, particularly in the wake of COVID, the US-China relationship has soured and, here in Indiana, last year’s Republican gubernatorial primary disproportionally focused on who was toughest on China. Braun attacked fellow far-right conservative Republican Eric Doden as a “pro-China RINO,” accusing the Christian nationalist pastor’s son and fellow multimillionaire of “supporting Communist China,” despite the fact Braun’s auto parts distribution business has been importing goods from China for years and leases land to a Chinese parts manufacturer. So, with all this, I don’t know if China is an existential geopolitical threat, an indispensable business partner, or a useful boogeyman to keep Americans fearful. Fortunately, I didn’t need to look far to find an expert to help us figure out what’s really going on. Paraphrasing from her personal website, Sarah Baurle Danzman is a political scientist and associate professor at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington. She is also the director of the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development at IU, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her first book, Merging Interests: When Domestic Firms Influence FDI Policy was released by Cambridge University Press in 2019, and examined how access and cost of financing influenced domestic firms' policy preferences over foreign investment regulation from the 1970s to 2010s. She is currently working on another book, provisionally titled Securitized Political Economy, stemming from her experience working at the State Department. It examines the policy preferences and influence strategies of globally-oriented businesses in the context of increased geopolitical tension. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the shifting US–China relationship and its impact on everyday Hoosiers, the economic interdependence between the two countries, direct investment, and manufacturing. We’ll get into globalization and supply chain vulnerabilities; trade, diplomacy, trust, and leverage; and the transition to a green economy. Finally, we’ll compare and contrast the two economic and political systems, look at the importance of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and discuss social media, data privacy, and national security. But, before we get to the interview, I’d like to take a minute to thank you all for your support - for liking and sharing on social media, for forwarding our articles and podcast episodes, for commenting, leaving reviews, and providing feedback - and especially for the financial support paid subscriptions provide. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the elite few. I would like to dedicate my full time to you, this community, and Indiana’s future; but I need your financial support to do so. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft. Improvements like our own domain, where it’s now much easier to find us. Visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and again, please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Tell the others. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again. Now, here is my interview with Dr. Sarah Baurle Danzman. Please consider a paid subscription to keep this project going. Cited in the Interview Pros/Cons of US-China Relationship: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/contentious-us-china-trade-relationship Indiana-China Economic Ties: https://www.uschina.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/uscbc_st_2024_in.pdf Indiana Has Highest Percent of Manufacturing Jobs: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/a-look-at-manufacturing-jobs-on-national-manufacturing-day.htm Indiana-China Used to Tout Economic Ties: https://www.indymidtownmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/China-IEDC.pdf Xi Reverses China’s Turn Toward Openness: https://www.chinafile.com/library/nyrb-china-archive/china-back-authoritarianism State Capitalism Challenges Market Capitalism: https://2009-2017.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/2012/181520.htm COVID Impacted Supply Chains: https://www.ey.com/en_us/insights/supply-chain/how-covid-19-impacted-supply-chains-and-what-comes-next How Fukushima Made Toyota Rethink Its Supply Chain: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/toyota-semiconductor-shortage-earthquake-inventory-ihs-gartner-forecast-2022/600193/ Great Texas Freeze a Largely Self-Inflicted Disaster: https://limos.engin.umich.edu/deitabase/2024/12/27/2021-texas-power-grid-failure/ “Golden Arches” Theory of Peace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalist_peace China’s Economic Coercion Tactics: https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/115789/documents/HHRG-118-RU00-20230510-SD118.pdf The China Threat As Viewed by GOP Congress: https://homeland.house.gov/2025/02/12/threat-snapshot-ccp-espionage-repression-on-us-soil-is-growing/ Trump Uses Tariffs to Negotiate Foreign Policy: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/2025/02/01/trump-s-tariff-gamble-trade-war-or-negotiation-tactic China Not Actually Communist: https://www.ie.edu/insights/articles/is-china-a-communist-country/ Labor Unions in China: https://clb.org.hk/en/content/workers%E2%80%99-rights-and-labour-relations-china What is State Capture? https://www.state-capture.org/ Pros and Cons of Centrally-Planned Economy: https://plutuseducation.com/blog/centrally-planned-economy Famines Don’t Happen in Democracies: https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/amartya-sen-said-no-democracy-with-free-press-has-had-major-famines/534152/ Quarterly Earnings Reports and Short-Term Thinking: https://www.fastcompany.com/91270513/the-dangers-of-quarterly-goals-is-short-term-thinking-undermining-your-business The “Exorbitant Privilege” of Dollar Centrality: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-changing-role-of-the-us-dollar Explaining the BRICS Bloc: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-brics-group-and-why-it-expanding Authoritarianism Risky to Investors: https://www.pionline.com/investing/autocracies-such-china-russia-pose-potential-portfolio-risk Importance of Auto Industry to Advanced Economies: https://medcraveonline.com/IRATJ/the-role-of-the-automobile-industry-in-the-economy-of-developed-countries.html China Dominates EV Market: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ev-electric-cars-charging-china-us-competition/ West Pushing Back on Chinese EVs: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/09/major-economies-are-taking-aim-at-china-s-ev-industry-here-s-what-to-know/ What “Win-Win” Means in the Chinese Context: http://www.cnfocus.com/winwin-and-its-historical-and-cultural-contexts/ “It’s All Neofeudalism”: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/24/yanis-varoufakis-technofeudalism-capitalism-ukraine-interview Once again, that was Dr. Sarah Baurle Danzman, professor at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington, and the director of the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development. “State capture describes the seizure of political, legal, and economic levers of a n

    1h 17m

  5. FEB 11

    Episode 70: Defending Our Minds from Psychological Manipulation

    Episode 70: Defending Our Minds from Psychological Manipulation Guest: Dr. Dustin Rozario Steinhagen Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/ Find Dustin at https://dustinsteinhagen.wordpress.com/ Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington. A while back, friend of the pod Leslie Nuss, last year’s Democratic candidate for Indiana State Senate up in District 5 - who we need to get back on the show real soon - told me she was about to have a Zoom with a fascinating researcher named Dustin Rozario Steinhagen. Dustin, who completed his doctorate last July, was coming off a recent appearance on the popular podcast, The Influence Continuum with cult expert, Dr. Steven Hassan. I listened to their discussion and thought we could all benefit to hear from Dr. Steinhagen, one of very few researchers working at the intersection of mind control and cybersecurity. His dissertation begins thusly: “Thought reform – also known as brainwashing or psychological manipulation – is a profound threat to the security of the human mind. This complex form of social engineering is associated with terrorist movements, domestic abuse, destructive cults, and many other forms of totalitarianism present in society (Stein, 2017). Thought reform can result in various harms that range in severity depending on each person’s individual experience (Lalich & Tobias, 2006; Stein, 2017). The work of security and privacy professionals inherently concerns psychological manipulation – thought reform often occurs over the internet (Hassan & Shah, 2019), most data breaches occur due to one or more people being maliciously influenced by attackers (Hadnagy, 2018), and the topics of coercion, psychological manipulation, and undue influence have garnered increased attention from privacy and cybersecurity scholars in recent years due to their central role in perpetuating online privacy harms (Citron & Solove, 2022; Susser et al., 2019). The primary tactic for defending people against all forms of psychological exploitation is education and awareness about scams, fraud, and the ways in which attackers exploit human beings (Hadnagy, 2018).” In this conversation, we talk about the research at the center of Dustin’s doctoral thesis, define the scientific concept of psychological manipulation, and look at what kind of people are susceptible to it. Dr. Steinhagen introduces us to Robert Jay Lifton’s “Eight Criteria for Thought Reform,” and details how mental predators use these techniques online and in real life to groom people into an ideology. Finally, we’ll discuss the ways we as individuals, and together as a society, can defend ourselves from these tactics. Before we turn to the interview, thank you all for your support - for liking and sharing on social media, for forwarding our articles and podcast episodes, for commenting, leaving reviews, and providing feedback - and especially for the financial support paid subscriptions provide. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the elite few. I have so much more to give you, this community, and Indiana’s future; but the reality is I need financial support to do this work. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft. Improvements like our own domain, where it’s now much easier to find us. Visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and again, please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Tell the others. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again. Now, here is my interview with Dr. Dustin Rozario Steinhagen. Please consider a paid subscription to keep this project going. Cited in the Interview Dustin’s Doctoral Dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/docview/3102571621 Dunning-Kruger Effect: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dunning-kruger-effect Anyone Can Be Brainwashed: https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-cult-member-turned-expert-explains-how-anyone-can-be-brainwashed-2/ Margaret Singer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Singer Robert Jay Lifton: https://www.robertjaylifton.com/ Steven Hassan: https://freedomofmind.com/ Philip Zimbardo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Zimbardo Lifton’s Eight Criteria for Thought Reform: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_Reform_and_the_Psychology_of_Totalism Cambridge Analytica Scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal 4th and 5th Generation Warfare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generations_of_warfare Propaganda - Not Just For the Far-Right: * For leftists: https://gnet-research.org/2023/10/02/tankies-a-data-driven-understanding-of-left-wing-extremists-on-social-media/ * For centrists: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240730-bending-of-reality-us-liberals-stoke-political-conspiracies Can Mind Control Techniques Ever Be Ethical? https://www.cpreview.org/articles/2023/4/censorship-to-what-extent-can-a-country-justify-media-regulation Seduced: Inside the NEXIVM Cult https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13269706/ Amygdala Hijack: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-happens-during-an-amygdala-hijack-4165944 Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking: https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/aug/10/uk-children-to-be-taught-how-to-spot-extremist-content-and-misinformation-online Need for Federal Data Protection: https://epic.org/campaigns/dpa/ The Algorithm Knows You Better Than Friends & Family: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/michal-kosinski-computers-are-better-judges-your-personality-friends Sleep Deprivation as a Control Technique: https://www.alternet.org/2015/10/here-are-five-infamous-religious-cults-used-sleep-deprivation-control-their-followers# Importance of Maintaining Communication: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-mind/202104/the-definitive-guide-helping-people-trapped-in-cult Once again, that was Dr. Dustin Rozario Steinhagen, a scholar working at the crossroads of thought reform and cybersecurity. He gives us an important framework with which to look at the mind control techniques being employed all around us, at all times. We didn’t get to spend enough time talking about how to defend ourselves against malign influence, but he did devote significant space to this topic in his dissertation. So, let’s dig into it. As one of Dr. Steinhagen’s mentors, the computational psychologist Dr. Shimon Edelman, explains, the human brain is a computer and the mind is computation. And as such, it can be hacked. Cult leaders, con men, and despots all understand these mind tricks and utilize them to run different versions of the same scam - deceiving people into giving up their autonomy by unethical modification of their identities (Hassan, 2018; Singer, 2003). So, just the computers on our desktops and in our pockets are susceptible to viruses, so are our brains. In times gone by, these mind viruses (and I kinda hate to use that term because, like all things, it has been co-opted and weaponized by the right) spread more slowly. Techniques of the analog era, like pamphlets and one-on-one recruiting, are the equivalent of taking a floppy disk from workstation to workstation to install a new program. We used to have to do it that way, old man yells at cloud. The internet has multiplied the problem exponentially. Social media is like plugging your head into LimeWire - you might download every song you ever wanted - and you might get brain AIDS. All of us are vulnerable, particularly in times of rapid change - war, natural disaster, economic instability, social upheaval - hey that sounds like now! The widespread uncertainty, isolation, and anomie leave individuals even riper for exploitation. And hey, that’s a 100 dollar word right there - anomie. The term, commonly understood to mean normlessness, was popularized by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who defined it as "derangement", and "an insatiable will." He used the term "the malady of the infinite" because desire without limit can never be fulfilled; it only becomes more intense. For Durkheim, anomie arises more generally from a mismatch between personal or group standards and wider social standards; or from the lack of a social ethic. And if that doesn’t describe a handful of oligarchs commandeering the power of the state because, “well, that’s best for humanity in the reallllly long term", in a single word, I don’t know how to say it better. The point is, times of uncertainty leave people searching for answers. That is why - in the wake of widespread financial collapse, a global pandemic, and increasingly omnipresent planetary climate breakdown - folks turn to conspiracy theories and authoritarian movements for easy explanations and a sense of control. So, what is the vaccine to combat the mind virus? Scholars and experts have advocated for more legal protection, and more education in the areas of critical thinking, reasoning, and detecting faulty logic. Others suggest a public health approach - think anti-tobacco and safe-sex campaigns. Also needed are protections for journalists and whistle-blowers, data privacy, and fully-informed consent. I think it’s safe to say a Trump/Musk administration with RFK Jr acting as health czar - a conglomerate of con men completely dependent on the proliferation of lies and misinformation for their power and wealth - will NOT be distributing the vaccine. Lifton warns about the c

    1h 16m
  6. HoosLeft Live with Jesse Brown & Ethan Evans

    FEB 8

    HoosLeft Live with Jesse Brown & Ethan Evans

    In the wake of his expulsion from the Democratic caucus of the Indianapolis City/County Council, 13th District Democratic Socialist Councilman Jesse Brown joined the HoosLeft Podcast for a special live broadcast this past Thursday, February 6, to express his frustration with party elites. Former Councilman Ethan Evans, who faced the same obstructionism during his term on the council, commiserates. The discussion begins with Jesse recounting his recent expulsion, which he attributes to his outspoken stance against corruption, particularly regarding charter school funding and city governance. He and Ethan compare their experiences, noting that both faced pushback for their activism. Ethan shares his struggles on the council, including efforts to pass affordable housing initiatives and prevent policies that criminalize homelessness. He describes being sidelined and ultimately removed from committees under vague accusations of leaking information, despite the widespread practice of sharing political strategies. Jesse highlights the broader issue of Indianapolis' Democratic leadership prioritizing political expediency over progressive governance, illustrating how party insiders block meaningful reforms and punish members who challenge the status quo. The conversation turns to broader implications, criticizing the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to stand up to Republican overreach in Indiana. Jesse and Ethan argue that the party's strategy of appeasement weakens its position and demoralizes constituents. They stress the importance of grassroots organizing, transparency, and bold leadership to counteract these entrenched power structures. The discussion underscores the urgent need for Democrats to actively fight for working-class interests rather than catering to corporate donors and political insiders. You won’t find this kind of deep coverage of Indiana politics from a leftist perspective anywhere else. Please consider supporting HoosLeft with a financial contribution. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.hoosleft.us/subscribe

    1h 4m

  7. FEB 4

    Episode 69: I'm Gonna Need a 2nd Form of Identity... Politics

    Episode 69: I'm Gonna Need a 2nd Form of Identity... Politics Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/ https://www.instonewall.com/team Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington. We’re only two weeks into a second Trump administration, and it appears all of our worst fears are coming to pass. Sworn into office surrounded by the oligarchs who own our major means of communication, the insurrection-fomenting felon has issued executive orders at a furious rate - pardoning the seditious goons who attacked the US Capitol on his behalf, attempting to revoke Constitutionally-enshrined birthright citizenship, shredding decades-old federal anti-discrimination policy, redefining sex and gender along religious fundamentalist lines, and starting a trade war with our closest neighbors and allies. Meanwhile, Trump’s Gestapo chief - Tom Homan - raids vulnerable immigrant communities and the richest man in the world - apartheid South African illegal alien Elon Musk, the diseased brain and bloated wallet behind the whole operation - employs a vanguard of incel flunkies to dismantle the federal government, and the progress of the last century. National Democrats have been flat-footed and inept at best, complicit at worst. Though they apparently don’t know how to use it, at least federally-elected Democrats still have a fair amount of institutional power they can exercise. Here in Indiana, Republican supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly leave Hoosier Democrats few levers to pull as the GOP extremists look to gut public education, further erode voting rights, and demonize our LGBTQ friends and neighbors - just a fraction of the f*****y oozing from under the Statehouse dome. Defeated and demoralized, Democrats seem lost. They… we, do not seem to know who we are or what we stand for. I’ve talked about this before here in this space, and it comes up repeatedly as I speak with other activists and organizers. Lots of people on the populist left, the Bernie Sanders/AOC wing of the party, argue that Democrats need to center a working-class economic message. Some centrist, corporate Dems blame the party for going too “woke,” especially in supporting transgender rights. In both cases, “identity politics” takes the brunt of the criticism. And listen, I largely agree that the Democratic Party has centered identitarian - rather than economic - concerns for many years now, to their detriment. But, there are different paths available to rectify this situation. Some would abandon support for marginalized groups entirely to focus on kitchen table issues. Others would suggest populist economics be placed at the center of said table with a side of identity politics. Others still might say the economy is just fine, thank you very much, and double down on the politics of race, sex, and gender. As I’ve listened to, and participated in, these debates - sometimes in rooms full of nothing but cisgender white people - I can’t help but wonder how folks in some of these marginalized groups feel about their very existence being tossed around like a political football. My guest today is return visitor to HoosLeft. Veronica Pejril is a music professor at DePauw University in Greencastle. She served on that city’s council from 2020-2024, making her the first openly transgender elected official in Indiana. Last year, she ran for State Senate in District 24, losing to former Hendricks County Sheriff Brett Clark. This January, she was chosen as president of the Indiana Stonewall Democrats - the official LGBTQ constituency caucus in the party, with a seat on the State Central Committee. In this conversation, which we recorded on January 23, we talk about maintaining one’s sanity amidst the onslaught, keeping a focus on state and local politics, and spotlighting things that might otherwise go unnoticed. We’ll do our own little autopsy of November’s loss before getting into identity politics, what that means to her, and the identities that really matter. Now, before we turn to the interview, I want to thank all of you for your support for this project, especially those who have made the leap with a paid subscription. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the wealthy and connected few. I have so much more to give you, this community, and Indiana’s future, but the reality is I need financial support to do this work. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft. Improvements like our own domain, where it’s now much easier to find us. Visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Share on whatever social media platforms you use. Invite others. Leave reviews and feedback. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again. Now, here is my interview with Veronica Pejril. Please consider a paid subscription to keep this project going. Cited in the Interview What Trump’s Executive Orders Mean to Refugees, Immigrants: https://www.globalrefuge.org/news/immigration-executive-orders-refugees-and-immigrants/ Implications of Trump’s Executive Orders on Trans Rights: https://time.com/7210389/donald-trump-executive-order-sex-gender-id/ Coping Strategies for Trump 2.0: https://www.vox.com/even-better/383873/coping-strategies-trump-presidency-processing Resources for Trans People Dealing with Trump Grief: https://translifeline.org/post-election-grief/ Veronica Pejril at DePauw: https://www.depauw.edu/academics/music/faculty-staff/veronica-pejril/ Veronica Pejril at Princeton LGBTQ Alumni Association: https://everyvoice.princeton.edu/speaker/veronica-pejril-88/ Universities Give Special Instructions for International Students: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/colleges-advise-some-international-students-to-return-to-u-s-before-trump-takes-office Passports with ‘X’ Gender Marker in Jeopardy: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5276261/the-future-of-passports-with-the-x-gender-marker Economic Isolation is Bad, Actually: https://thehill.com/opinion/4477848-matthews-isolationism-isnt-a-us-option/ Egg Prices Soaring Amid Bird Flu: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-a-deadly-strain-of-bird-flu-is-making-egg-prices-soar-nationwide RFK Jr Could Effect Pandemic Preparedness: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/01/28/nx-s1-5276171/rfk-jr-hearings-hhs-health-human-services-secretary Indiana Bills Threaten Free Speech on Campus: https://pen.org/press-release/indiana-bills-would-enact-extreme-restrictions-on-campus-speech-and-ideas/ Michelle Davis Anti-Trans Bill: https://katv.com/news/nation-world/indiana-state-lawmaker-proposes-banning-transgender-girls-from-womens-college-sports-state-rep-michelle-davis-hoostier-state-lgbt-gender-identity Indiana Bill Would Require State Departments to Retroactively Cancel Gender-Affirming Documents: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/441/details Trump distracts from Project 2025’s Implementation at State Level: https://democracyforward.org/the-peoples-guide-to-project-2025/underway-in-the-states/ Americans Increasingly Get Local News in Facebook Groups: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/05/07/sources-of-local-news/ Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde Calls Out Trump’s Hatred: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/24/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-sermon-that-enraged-donald-trump Some Democrats Blame Loss on Support for Trans Rights: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/democrats-blame-partys-position-transgender-rights-part-harris-loss-rcna179370 Americans Question Whether Democracy Works: https://news.gallup.com/poll/548120/record-low-satisfied-democracy-working.aspx Representation Matters: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-the-people/202112/why-representation-matters-and-why-it-s-still-not-enough Some Argue ‘Identity Politics’ at Fault for Dems’ Loss: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/20/nx-s1-5188372/identity-politics-lie-at-the-heart-of-harris-loss-academic-eddie-glaude-jr-argues Indiana ‘Pink’ Tax: https://www.aclu-in.org/en/news/indianas-elimination-period-product-tax-overdue Yoder’s Bill to Exempt Period Products from Tax: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/173/details Indiana Doesn’t Tax Groceries. Some States Do: https://taxhero.net/blog/sales-tax-on-food/ States with Flat vs. Graduated Income Tax: https://smartasset.com/taxes/states-with-flat-income-tax Taxes on the Rich Were High When America Was ‘Great’: https://inequality.org/article/tax-the-rich-we-did-that-once/ Trump Surrounded by Oligarchs at Inauguration: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/trump-critics-say-inauguration-optics-show-oligarchy-in-action Trump’s False Populism: https://thetricontinental.org/the-false-concept-of-populism-and-the-challenges-facing-the-left-north-atlantic/ Once again, that was Veronica Pejril, the first openly-transgender elected official in the Hoosier State, former Greencastle city councilperson and candidate for State Senate, and recently-elected President of Indiana Stonewall Democrats. As Veronica noted, the concept of “identity politics” in not a new phenomenon. The civil rights movement was identity politics. The suffrage movement was identity politics. War in the Middle East is largely identity politics. Splitting into factions divided by identity is probably

    1h 6m

  8. JAN 28

    Episode 68: Herding Cats

    Episode 68: Indiana Democratic Party Chair Candidate Profile: Jennifer McCormick Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/ https://www.facebook.com/mccormickforgov/ Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington. Every year four years, in the March after a presidential election, Indiana Democrats reorganize, electing new leadership at the county, district, and state levels. Both major parties undertake this process, at roughly the same time, all over the country. Here, on the first Saturday of the month, precinct chairs and vice chairs - the neighborhood captains that make up the volunteer base of the party - caucus in their respective county seats and elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer for the county. The following weekend, the newly-elected County Chair and Vice Chair from each of the counties caucus with their peers at the Congressional District level - there are nine in Indiana - to elect a District Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Finally, on the third Saturday in March, the State Central Committee - consisting of those freshly-elected District Chairs and Vice Chairs, as well as Indiana’s handful of DNC members and representatives from the various constituency groups (College Democrats, African-American Caucus, Latino Caucus, Stonewall Dems, Young Democrats, Labor Caucus, Women’s Caucus - gathers in Indianapolis to choose the State Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer and for the next four years. Now, it would make sense to me if the new state leaders then gathered to choose national leadership at the DNC, but that election will be held on February 1. Regardless, just keeping it inside the state lines, this is very much a bottom-up process - the base chooses their leadership, who choose the next level up, and so on. But, once elected, the State Chair has a great deal of latitude to affect the direction of the party. So, as rank-and-file Hoosier Democrats go about selecting their county-level leadership, they need to think about the people those leaders will turn around and vote for over the following two weekends. One of the people looking to set a new course for the Indiana Democratic Party should be familiar to HoosLeft listeners. Dr. Jennifer McCormick began her career as a special education teacher, later teaching middle school language arts, before becoming principal of Yorktown Elementary School. Three years later, she became the assistant superintendent of Yorktown Community schools and was selected as superintendent three years after that, earning her PhD from Indiana State while serving in that role. In 2016, McCormick, then a Republican, was elected Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. After one term spent clashing with her own party in the statehouse, GOP lawmakers eliminated the position and McCormick began campaigning for Democrats, finally switching party affiliation in 2021. This past year, she was Indiana’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, losing to a bag of shit wrapped in a blue shirt by a little more than 13 points. The first time Dr. McCormick stopped by HoosLeft, the aforementioned shitbag - Mike Braun used an out-of-context clip from the interview to paint the moderate McCormick as “hopelessly liberal,” and misspelled the name of our show wrong to boot. Sorry you had to see my face every time you turned on the TV last October. Let’s see what kind of fodder they can mine from this conversation. Last year, we had a wide ranging discussion about reproductive freedom, “woke” culture, legal weed, the US-Mexico border, China, policing, and climate change. This time, I’ve only got a few questions: why do Hoosier Democrats keep losing? What do they need to do differently to start winning? And why are you the person to best lead the party there? Before we turn to the interview, I want to thank all of you for your support for this project, especially those who have made the leap with a paid subscription. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the wealthy and connected few. I have so much more to give you, this community, and Indiana’s future, but the reality is I need financial support to do this work. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft. Improvements like our own domain, where it’s now much easier to find us. Visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Share on whatever social media platforms you use. Invite others. Leave reviews and feedback. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again. Now, here is my interview with Dr. Jennifer McCormick. Please consider a paid subscription to keep this project going. Cited in the Interview Abortion Rights Support Didn’t Translate to Democratic Votes: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/abortion-rights-exit-poll-kamala-harris-2024/ Democratic Favorability Only 33%: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/19/politics/democrats-party-change-cnn-poll/index.html Unions Drifting Republican: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/politics/trump-blue-collar-workers-analysis/index.html Police Union Reacts to January 6 Pardons: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/22/trump-january-6-pardons-police-union Republicans Better at Messaging: https://www.messageboxnews.com/p/why-democrats-are-losing-the-messaging UNFTR Non-Negotiables: https://www.unftr.com/blog/housing-first Some Democrats Support Charter Schools: https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/six-indianapolis-politicians-urge-ips-to-share-resources-with-charter-schools Indiana Republicans Have More Resources: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2024/10/16/statewide-republicans-outraise-outspend-opponents-in-latest-campaign-finance-filings/ Democratic Donors Wanted Antitrust Enforcer Fired: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-billionaire-harris-donors-hope-she-will-fire-ftc-chair-lina-khan-2024-07-26/ How Democrats Got Branded as the Party of Elites: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-dealignment-left-adrift-hollow-parties/ McCormick a Solid Fundraiser: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/15/spending-gap-thins-between-mike-braun-and-jennifer-mccormick-for-governor/75688024007/ An Example of a State with a Democratic Toolkit: https://ildems.com/toolkit Wikler, Martin DNC Chair Frontrunners: https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/dnc-chair-candidates-on-2024-election-what-theyd-do-differently-moving-forward/ Once again, that was Jennifer McCormick, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, last year’s Democratic candidate for governor, and current candidate to chair the Indiana Democratic Party. Living in a captured, gerrymandered, rigged, so-called red state like ours can be frustrating, maddening, and heartbreaking. And even though our state’s overwhelmingly-Republican elected leaders continue to pursue policies unpopular with the majority of Indiana, Hoosiers keep re-electing them. It is a testament to how badly the Democratic brand is tarnished that this GOP clown car can roll down the Circle City’s pot-hole ravaged streets, pull into the VIP spot at the capitol, and drop off a supermajority of cronies, fundies, and grifters like clockwork every two years. Democrats are about as popular in Indiana as the New England Patriots, without all the winning. But here’s the deal, for all of the right-wing whackadoodles sitting in the Indiana General Assembly, and there are many, it is some powerful machinery driving that clown car - just think of the horsepower (and by horsepower, I mean vast amounts of cash) needed to drag such unwieldy assortment of lunatics to consistent, resounding victory. What I think Dr. McCormick’s argument comes down to is this: Republicans will ALWAYS have a financial advantage. Democrats don’t need to out-raise them, but need enough to build a well-run, cohesive, professional organization. Democrats start from the position of being right on the issues, so that’s a whole bunch of the legwork right there. One thing she brings to the table that none of the other candidates in this race can offer is the experience of having seen what’s going on under the hood of the Republican clown car. Issues aside, she knows how a competent, well-run, state political party in Indiana is supposed to function operationally. Ken Martin in Minnesota and Ben Wikler in Wisconsin show that Democrats can win, can come back from the deepest depths with the right leadership. I don’t know if Jennifer McCormick is the right person to lead the Indiana Democratic Party at this time. I don’t know if I’ll endorse anybody in this contest - I am in conversation with the other candidates, still trying to nail down times. I will say this: it is often said that getting liberals on the same page is like herding cats. Outside of, say, Democratic Party chair, I can’t imagine a more “herding cats” job than school superintendent. That’s a lot of constituencies, a lot of moving parts, all trying to keep thousands of kids on the right track educationally, emotionally, and socially. Last thing: Since the Democratic coalition is so diverse, the tent so large, the cats so…catty, Dr. McCormick and I talked about non-negotiable positions - a set of core principles on which we can all align. Now, she gave some general areas on which to focus and not a hard, set positio

    1h 2m
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About

Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the Hoosier left. www.hoosleft.us

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Aaron Rogers
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Scott Aaron Rogers
  • Show Website
    HoosLeft Podcast

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