The Bigfoot Manifesto

Dave Pederson
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

The Bigfoot Manifesto is a sharp, satirical podcast where progressive politics collides with cryptid culture and biting humor. Host Dave Pederson (Oscar-nominated producer of Super Size Me and Americonned) dives into the strange overlap of myths, media, and manipulation—from billionaire fairy tales and QAnon fever dreams to the legends we tell ourselves to survive late capitalism. Equal parts investigative journalism and campfire storytelling, each episode blends fact, folklore, and firebrand commentary to expose the absurdities of our modern world. Why do people believe in Bigfoot, trickle-down economics, or a "self-made" billionaire? Maybe it's all the same myth. So grab your flashlight, your sense of humor, and maybe a union card. Because believing in Bigfoot is still more logical than believing billionaires will save us.

  1. 2d ago

    Bigfoot vs. The Union-Busting Machine

    The real monster isn't hiding in the warehouse. It's in the scanner, the algorithm, the productivity metric, the union-busting meeting, the legal delay, and the idea that workers should be grateful just to survive. In Episode 27 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with Derrick Palmer, co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, one of the worker-organizers behind the historic JFK8 victory on Staten Island, and author of Handbook for the Revolution: Building a More Perfect Union for the Twenty-First Century. Derrick also appeared in Dave's film Americonned, and this conversation brings that story into the present: the warehouse economy, corporate power, worker dignity, organizing from inside the machine, and what happens after workers win a union election but still have to fight for a contract. Dave and Derrick dig into Amazon's metric-driven workplace, surveillance, fear, worker burnout, the pandemic breaking point, how private anger becomes collective strength, and why Derrick wrote a handbook instead of just a memoir. They also talk about what workers should do first when they think their workplace needs a union, how to build trust inside a workplace, why winning the union vote is not the finish line, and how corporations use delay as a weapon against worker power. Bigfoot may leave footprints. Amazon leaves time-off-task reports. But Derrick Palmer and the workers at JFK8 proved that even one of the most powerful corporations on Earth can be challenged when workers stop accepting the story they've been sold and start building power together. Guest: Derrick Palmer Co-founder, Amazon Labor Union Author, Handbook for the Revolution Buy Derrick Palmer's book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250455338/handbookfortherevolution/ Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1: https://www.amazonlaborunion.org/ Contact Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1: https://www.amazonlaborunion.org/contact Organize with Teamsters Amazon Division: https://teamster.org/divisions/amazon-division/ Know your rights during union organizing: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/your-rights-during-union-organizing Watch Americonned on Gathr: https://gathr.com/vod/c1a0e0ba The Bigfoot Manifesto: https://bigfootmanifesto.com/

    44 min

  2. Jun 11

    Bigfoot vs. the Right-Wing Media Machine: What MAGA Reads When We're Not Looking

    Howard Polskin of TheRighting joins Dave Pederson to track the headlines, podcasts, traffic charts, and outrage narratives shaping MAGA media. What happens when millions of Americans are living inside a completely different media weather system? In Episode 26 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with Howard Polskin, founder and chief curator of TheRighting, a media company that tracks conservative news outlets, right-wing headlines, podcast rankings, traffic data, and the broader media ecosystem shaping MAGA politics. Howard began following right-wing media after the 2016 election, asking the same question many liberals asked: How did this happen? What he found was not just a few fringe websites, but an alternate information universe powered by grievance, fear, anti-woke panic, celebrity pundits, Trump loyalty tests, and headlines designed to make every political disagreement feel like the end of civilization. This episode digs into how right-wing media works, why outrage is a business model, how fringe narratives move into mainstream politics, why podcasts build such deep loyalty, and what progressives need to understand without simply amplifying every bad-faith frame. Bigfoot may be folklore. But the outrage ecosystem is measurable. It has headlines, traffic reports, subscriber charts, podcast rankings, algorithms, donor networks, celebrity pundits, and a business model that turns fear into loyalty. Guest: Howard Polskin Founder & Chief Curator, TheRighting Website: https://therighting.com/ The Bigfoot Manifesto: https://bigfootmanifesto.com/

    43 min

  3. Jun 3

    Bigfoot vs. the Healthcare Desert: Why America Can't Heal Its Kids

    In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave talks with Victoria Casavecchia, founder of Empowered Victories Wellness, a Registered Nurse and Board-Certified Nurse Coach with nearly 30 years of experience in pediatric nursing. Victoria joins the show to talk about the youth mental health crisis, the rise in anxiety, depression, burnout, and disconnection among kids and teens, and why America's healthcare system often waits until families are in crisis before offering real help. The conversation covers how anxiety can show up physically, why parents are overwhelmed too, the role of sleep, food, movement, mindfulness, and connection, and where nurse coaching fits in the "missing middle" between toughing it out and emergency care. This isn't just about individual wellness. It's about a healthcare system that asks families to solve a public health crisis one private coping skill at a time. Because Bigfoot may be hard to find — but try finding affordable mental healthcare when your kid needs help right now. Guest: Victoria Casavecchia, RN, NC-BC Empowered Victories Wellness: https://www.empoweredvictorieswellness.com/ Helpful Links: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/ Find mental health or substance use treatment: https://findtreatment.gov/ NAMI resources for kids, teens, and families: https://www.nami.org/kids-teens-and-young-adults/ SAMHSA National Helpline: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline

    41 min

  4. May 27

    Bigfoot vs. the Monopoly Machine: Amazon, Dollar Stores, and the Fight for Local Power

    What if the real monster eating Main Street isn't hiding in the woods — it's hiding in the checkout button, the delivery truck, the dollar store, the grocery aisle, and the corporate boardroom? In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with Stacy Mitchell, co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, about monopoly power, Amazon, dollar stores, grocery consolidation, and the fight to rebuild local economies. Stacy explains how corporate concentration didn't just happen naturally. It was built through policy, protected by ideology, and sold to the public as convenience, efficiency, and low prices. But behind that story are small businesses getting squeezed, communities losing control, independent grocers disappearing, and towns being reshaped by corporate chains that extract wealth instead of building local prosperity. Dave and Stacy dig into Amazon's platform power, why small businesses are trapped by fees and logistics, what breaking up Amazon could actually look like, how grocery stores became a monopoly story, why the Robinson-Patman Act matters, and how dollar stores hollow out rural towns and urban neighborhoods. Because Bigfoot may be hard to find. But monopoly power? That thing has a storefront on every corner. Stacy Mitchell's Book: Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses Official book page: https://stacymitchell.com/front-page/ Beacon Press: https://www.beacon.org/Big-Box-Swindle-P671.aspx Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/big-box-swindle-the-true-cost-of-mega-retailers-and-the-fight-for-america-s-independent-businesses-stacy-mitchell/321e5d8e3bf1e87b Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/big-box-swindle-stacy-mitchell/1100550462 For the full Libsyn description, replace the guest block with: Guest: Stacy Mitchell Organization: Institute for Local Self-Reliance Learn more: https://ilsr.org/ Stacy Mitchell's Book: Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses Official book page: https://stacymitchell.com/front-page/ Beacon Press: https://www.beacon.org/Big-Box-Swindle-P671.aspx Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/big-box-swindle-the-true-cost-of-mega-retailers-and-the-fight-for-america-s-independent-businesses-stacy-mitchell/321e5d8e3bf1e87b Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/big-box-swindle-stacy-mitchell/1100550462

    58 min

  5. May 19

    War as a Subsidy for Capitalism: Iran, Venezuela, and the Business of Empire

    Is war a glitch in the American system — or is it how the system works? In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with historian, foreign policy analyst, and American Prestige co-host Daniel Bessner about U.S. empire, war, sanctions, oil, the national security state, and the political economy hiding underneath the language of "freedom," "stability," and "democracy." Using Iran and Venezuela as case studies, Dave and Daniel explore how American foreign policy often protects markets, energy flows, military contractors, and elite power — while ordinary people pay the cost. They also discuss sanctions as a form of warfare, the role of the Strait of Hormuz, the bipartisan consensus around empire, and what a serious working-class foreign policy might look like. Because sometimes the real conspiracy isn't hiding in the woods. It's hiding in the defense budget. Guest: Daniel Bessner Host of American Prestige https://americanprestigepod.com/ Daniel Bessner's books: Democracy in Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501785078/democracy-in-exile/ Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Imperialist-Realism/Daniel-Bessner/9781803414805 The Bigfoot Manifesto Progressive politics. Cryptid truth. Zero billionaire BS. Subscribe, rate, and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

    49 min

  6. May 12

    AI Singularity & Human Extinction: Dr. Peter Solomon on the Machine God

    Is AI still just a tool — or have we started worshipping the machine? In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with Dr. Peter Solomon, author of 100 Years to Extinction and 12 Years to AI Singularity, about artificial intelligence, human extinction, Henry Adams, technology as a secular religion, and whether humanity can survive the technologies it has created. The conversation begins with Henry Adams' "The Dynamo and the Virgin" and the idea that modern society may have replaced older moral systems with a new faith in machines, speed, efficiency, and power. From there, Dave and Dr. Solomon discuss AI singularity, sentient machines, climate collapse, nuclear risk, genetic engineering, social media algorithms, corporate power, job loss, and the political failure to put guardrails around technologies that could reshape civilization. Dr. Solomon argues that AI represents a fork in the road: it could help humanity build a more harmonious future, or it could accelerate our worst instincts unless society, politics, and democratic institutions catch up. Bigfoot may be hiding in the woods. The machine is hiding in plain sight. Learn more about Dr. Peter Solomon and his work: https://100yearstoextinction.com/ Dr. Solomon's books: 100 Years to Extinction: The Tyranny of Technology https://100yearstoextinction.com/100-years-book/ 12 Years to AI Singularity: A Harmonious Future with Artificial Intelligence or War https://100yearstoextinction.com/12-years-to-ai-singularity/ Subscribe to The Bigfoot Manifesto for conversations about politics, power, propaganda, technology, capitalism, and the strange stories shaping our world.

    41 min

  7. Mar 31

    The Thin Blue Myth: Policing, Power, and Accountability in America

    In Episode 20 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson sits down with former police chief, law enforcement consultant, educator, and DOJ reform expert Dr. Edward Dwain Denmark for a deep conversation about policing in America: how its myths are built, how power is protected, and why accountability so often breaks down. This episode digs into the story Americans are told about policing — that police are the "thin blue line" between order and chaos, that more weapons mean more safety, and that abuse is the result of only a few bad actors rather than a system designed to shield itself. Drawing on decades of experience inside law enforcement, Dr. Denmark unpacks how police culture, training, militarization, and institutional loyalty shape behavior far more than most people realize. Dave and Dr. Denmark explore the origins and meaning of the thin blue line, why criticism of policing is so often treated as betrayal, how militarized training conditions officers to see threat everywhere, and why reform efforts frequently stall even when public pressure is high. They also discuss oversight, misconduct, police unions, recruitment standards, and the ways systems resist meaningful change. This isn't a conversation about demonizing individual officers. It's about examining the structure of policing itself — how it operates, who it protects, and what real public safety would require instead. Because Bigfoot myths are entertaining. Policing myths decide who gets hurt.

    44 min

  8. Mar 10

    The Sasquatch Paradox: Why AI Replaces Workers, Not Power | Paris Marx

    Episode 19: The Sasquatch Paradox 2.0 — Why AI Replaces Workers, Not CEOs If AI is supposedly smart enough to replace drivers, writers, coders, designers, warehouse workers, and maybe even teachers, then why does it never seem to come for hedge fund managers, private equity executives, or the C-suite? In Episode 19 of The Bigfoot Manifesto, Dave Pederson talks with tech critic, author, and podcaster Paris Marx about the mythology surrounding artificial intelligence, the political choices embedded in automation, and why the biggest promises of AI so often line up with the interests of power instead of workers. Paris Marx is a tech critic, hosts Tech Won't Save Us, and is the author of Road to Nowhere. (Paris Marx) Together, Dave and Paris dig into the "tech savior" myth, the opacity of AI systems, the corporate logic behind automation, and the deeper question at the heart of this episode: if efficiency really mattered, why aren't CEOs first on the chopping block? That framing is the core spine of the episode materials, which position AI as a system that automates labor while protecting power. o explore how AI systems inherit the values of the system that built them, why black-box decision-making is so dangerous in public life, and what a truly human-centered approach to technology might look like. In the episode transcript, Paris discusses the secrecy around training data, the limits of so-called "open" AI, and the harms that can follow when opaque systems are used to make life-changing decisions. a simple but brutal question: If AI can replace workers, why not CEOs? Learn more about Paris Marx: Paris Marx Tech Won't Save Us podcast Road to Nowhere Road to Nowhere paperback Follow / support / subscribe: Please follow, rate, and share The Bigfoot Manifesto wherever you listen.

    56 min
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The Bigfoot Manifesto is a sharp, satirical podcast where progressive politics collides with cryptid culture and biting humor. Host Dave Pederson (Oscar-nominated producer of Super Size Me and Americonned) dives into the strange overlap of myths, media, and manipulation—from billionaire fairy tales and QAnon fever dreams to the legends we tell ourselves to survive late capitalism. Equal parts investigative journalism and campfire storytelling, each episode blends fact, folklore, and firebrand commentary to expose the absurdities of our modern world. Why do people believe in Bigfoot, trickle-down economics, or a "self-made" billionaire? Maybe it's all the same myth. So grab your flashlight, your sense of humor, and maybe a union card. Because believing in Bigfoot is still more logical than believing billionaires will save us.

Information

  • Creator
    Dave Pederson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Bigfoot Manifesto