It's Not You, It's The Media

Radical Books Collective
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It's Not You, It's The Media! unpacks the ways that the media manipulates narratives and makes you question your reality. You're being gaslighted. Hosts Bhakti Shringarpure, Suchitra Vijayan & Madhuri Sastry eviscerate the propaganda, set the record straight, and offer moral clarity.

  1. White Feminism Fail: Why We Can’t Get Behind The 'No Kings' Protests

    2D AGO

    White Feminism Fail: Why We Can’t Get Behind The 'No Kings' Protests

    Bhakti Shringarpure & Madhuri Sastry unpack the ways in which the "No Kings" protests were anchored in mainstream, white and liberal feminist ideas. They ask why there was no popular interest in protesting genocide in Palestine and analyze the rampant American patriotism on display, the obsession with aesthetics as posters about royalty, crowns and the statue of liberty proliferated. The No Kings protests were mired in a nostalgia for a pre-Trump America thus operating under the delusion that previous American president were not invested in wars, imperials foreign policies and border regimes. The protests lacked any solid agendas to bringing about change and dismantling existing structures of violence. Listen to previous podcast episodes here: https://www.radicalbookscollective.com/s/its-not-you-its-the-media Watch the previous podcast episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLstXMEF0r05bhdfv7yCt5V2KXTdK4cO5F

    44 min
  2. Iran, Lebanon and the Fog of War: From Media Gaslighting to AI and LEGO Propaganda

    MAR 28

    Iran, Lebanon and the Fog of War: From Media Gaslighting to AI and LEGO Propaganda

    Bhakti Shringarpure and Madhuri Sastry discuss the acute escalation in US-Israeli wars in Lebanon and Iran. The mainstream media barely reports on the shocking death toll and numbers of displaced in Lebanon. Not only is Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon expanding, the Gaza playbook seems to be in full effect with the targeting of civilian infrastructure, hospitals, women and children. In Iran, the war comes at immense material cost for Iranians as the death toll rises. The hosts unpack the ways in which Iran is winning the cultural war through a proliferation of AI & Lego videos that humiliate, shame and heckle US and Israel on the cyber battlefront. These videos are changing the narrative and shifting public opinion by stoking the existing unpopularity of US and Israel on the world stage. However, the abundance of videos, deepfakes, memes and satirical movie trailers creates a fog around what is real and what is not. The question remains: with legacy media being ideologically compromised and the social media flooded with fake videos, where do we turn to for news and information?

    51 min
  3. Backtracking on Palestine? Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Party Playbook

    MAR 19

    Backtracking on Palestine? Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Party Playbook

    Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani joins Bhakti Shringarpure and Madhuri Sastry to discuss the recent concerns about NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani backtracking on Palestine. In light of Mayor Mamdani’s harsh words about writer Susan Abulhawa and her powerful video response, the fear of betrayal around Palestine looms large, a core issue for the base of supporters that brought him to power. References —The Polis Project holds the NYC Mayor accountable with their dossier 100 Days of Zohran: https://100daysofzohran.thepolisproject.com/ —“Here are four ways Zohran Mamdani can end financial support in New York City for Israeli settlements, and he must act soon” by Nerdeen Kiswani: https://mondoweiss.net/2026/01/here-are-four-ways-zohran-mamdani-can-end-financial-support-in-new-york-city-for-israeli-settlements-and-he-must-act-soon/

    53 min
  4. Are The Oscar Films Too Political This Year?

    MAR 14

    Are The Oscar Films Too Political This Year?

    Bhakti Shringarpure and Madhuri Sastry host a pre-Oscars film club. They admit that there have been lots of surprises in the mainstream blockbuster film industry this year. The discussion focused on films about revolution (One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent and Bugonia), the hyper-emphasis on masculinity and paternity despite some women-centered films (Hamnet and Sentimental Value), what Marty Supreme really stands for, and the sheer power of Sinners. Palestine is at the movies with one nomination for The Voice of Hind Rajab the same year as 4000 film workers have signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions that are complicit in genocide in Palestine. Iran’s Jafar Panahi also has a nominated for his social-realist revenge drama It Was Just An Accident at a moment when US and Israel are devastating the country with strikes. How will the Oscars unfold? Who will win? What do these films and the awards say about our cultural moment at a time when the world is in flux?

    1h 14m
  5. On Media Gaslighting: Bombing Iran, Starving Gaza, Killing Children & Saving Muslim Women

    MAR 4

    On Media Gaslighting: Bombing Iran, Starving Gaza, Killing Children & Saving Muslim Women

    Suchitra, Madhuri and Bhakti unpack Western media propaganda about Iran as the war escalates and the death toll mounts in Iran and Lebanon.

    59 min
  6. On Media Gaslighting: Trump’s Hatefest, Slurs at BAFTA, Epstein’s Royal Spy Andrew & Modi in Israel

    MAR 3

    On Media Gaslighting: Trump’s Hatefest, Slurs at BAFTA, Epstein’s Royal Spy Andrew & Modi in Israel

    Madhuri, Suchitra and Bhakti unpack an apocalyptic week of events and how the media (did not) cover them in an analytical or critical way. Trumps’s State of the Union, BAFTA debacles, Andrew arrested amid more US cover up of Epstein files + Modi’s Islamophobic agenda bolstered with visit to Israel.

    54 min
  7. On Media Gaslighting: When Celebrities Become Activists, When Activists Become Celebrities

    FEB 22

    On Media Gaslighting: When Celebrities Become Activists, When Activists Become Celebrities

    Bhakti, Suchitra and Madhuri tackle celebrity activism and activist celebrities: who gets heard, who gets shut down, whether it works, what are its limits and what we need to demand from our celebrities. Can they move the needle on important causes? Or are they too deeply entrenched in the capitalist ruling class?

    52 min
  8. On Media Gaslighting: Bad Bunny, Olympics, Epstein & the Limits of American Revolt

    FEB 21

    On Media Gaslighting: Bad Bunny, Olympics, Epstein & the Limits of American Revolt

    Madhuri Sastry, Suchitra Vijayan and Bhakti Shringarpure dissect the coverage of big spectacles like Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl and the protests against Winter Olympics, both of which have been deemed resistant and political. Uprisings in Minneapolis continue. Is the US at a tipping point and if so, what are the limits of American revolt? Will the media rise to this unprecedented moment as the anger of a public begins to burst at the seams? The Epstein Files continue their assault on our psyches but the mainstream media refuses analysis. Meanwhile starvation in Cuba, Sudan, Palestine reaches distressing levels but the silence around it is deafening.

    50 min
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4.7
out of 5
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About

It's Not You, It's The Media! unpacks the ways that the media manipulates narratives and makes you question your reality. You're being gaslighted. Hosts Bhakti Shringarpure, Suchitra Vijayan & Madhuri Sastry eviscerate the propaganda, set the record straight, and offer moral clarity.

Information

  • Creator
    Radical Books Collective
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Radical Books Collective
  • Show Website
    It's Not You, It's The Media

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