Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

J.G.
  • 4.5 (131)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED DAILY
Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.

  1. 13H AGO

    A Renegade Look at Iran, the MAGA Shake-Up, Riots, & Immigration w/ Thaddeus Russell

    On this edition of Parallax Views, the not-afraid-to-speak-his-mind gadfly and renegade historian Thaddeus Russel of the Unregistered and Unreported podcasts returns to the program for a wide-ranging conversation on current events. Thaddeus is the author of The Renegade History of the United States, a fascinating book delving into the ways in which criminal, deviants, weirdos, outsiders, and other so-called social miscreants shaped America and were often at the frontiers of freedom. The conversation starts as a discussion of Donald Trump's betrayal of the America First, anti-interventionist wing of the MAGA coalition, but ends up going into a number of different directions over the course of about an hour and 20 minutes. Of course, Israel's strike against Iran and the beat of the war drums in the U.S., which could soon find itself in the conflict, informs a great portion of the conversation. Thaddeus argues that understanding Trump is less about understanding history than his psychology. We'll also discuss Thaddeus engagements with the dissident right, the history of paleoconservatism, why Thaddeus is pro-open borders and believes that MAGA has got immigration all wrong, disagreements with the dissident right over gender (Thaddeus opposes gender essentialism on both the left and right), the blind spots of MAGA, the history of riots in the United States and their impact on American freedom (yes, we talk the Stonewall riots), Gaza, Zionism, the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, how U.S. pop culture is more effective in changing foreign countries than soft power or hard power schemes initiated by the U.S. government (particularly in the Middle East; we mention Iran specifically in this regard, but also VERY, VERY briefly Saudi Arabia), and much, much more! Thaddeus is pretty heterodox, so his views will inevitably rankle both elements of the left and the right, but that's what makes this conversation perfect for Parallax Views!

    1h 25m

  2. 1D AGO

    1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times w/ Ross Benes

    In this episode of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, I’m joined by journalist and author Ross Benes to discuss his new book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. We dive into how one seemingly ridiculous year, marked by Pokémon mania, pro wrestling mayhem, aggro-fueled nu metal, and shock TV overload, actually laid the groundwork for the chaotic media and cultural landscape we live in today. 🔍 Topics Covered: The mainstreaming of “low culture”: How daytime TV, tabloid sensationalism, and deregulated media created a new normal of trashy spectacle. Pokémon, Beanie Babies, and capitalist fads: The rise of speculative consumer culture and how it foreshadowed digital-era phenomena like NFTs and meme stocks. Pro wrestling’s Attitude Era: The dominance of WWF and the rise of crash TV under Vince Russo—and how it shaped both pop culture and politics. Jerry Springer and political theater: How talk show antics became a model for cable news outrage and the performance of politics. Porn and the internet: The explosion of pornography in the late ’90s and how smartphones have made it ever-present in daily life. Napster and the digital revolution: How the free-for-all of early file-sharing reshaped media consumption forever. Insane Clown Posse and tribal fandoms: The rise of outsider cult followings as a blueprint for today’s digital subcultures. Nu-metal’s noisy rebellion: Limp Bizkit as a case study in how turn-of-the-century music captured cultural anxiety and masculine angst. And Limp Bizkit's embrace of being hated. Why 1999 still matters: How disposable entertainment from one year has left a permanent mark on politics, culture, and digital life. 💡 Why Listen: This episode is a wild ride through the trash and treasure of 1999, showing how a year often dismissed as kitsch actually set the tone for 21st-century life. If you’ve ever wondered why culture feels so chaotic, polarized, and performative today, the answers might just lie in Pokémon cards, Napster downloads, and a Kid Rock song you can’t stand. Credit for Intro Montage in this episode: • Track name: Dreamwalkers • Music provided by Bitoku/bitokubass Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    1h 19m

  3. 4D AGO

    Israeli Strike on Iran & the MAGA Divide on the U.S.-Israel Special Relationship w/ Andrew Day

    On this edition of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, Andrew Day of The American Conservative returns to the program for a discussion about the recent Israeli strike on Iran and its far-reaching implications. Specifically, we explore how this development challenges the ideological coherence of conservative supporters of Donald Trump and the broader MAGA movement—particularly those who advocate for a non-interventionist, "America First"-oriented foreign policy. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, what does this moment reveal about internal divisions within the American right? We also delve into why Andrew and others on the American right are questioning the U.S.-Israel special relationship and how some conservatives are frustrated with Trump's approach to Middle East foreign policy and specifically dealing with Iran. Moreover, Andrew explains why he believe this moment, which could evolve into an all-out war, could've been avoided with a different Iran policy.

    37 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Israeli Strike Against Iran, the MAGA Split on Iran, & Divisions in Israeli Politics w/ James Dorsey

    On this edition of Parallax Views, Middle East analyst James M. Dorsey, proprietor of The Turbulent World w/ James M. Dorsey blog/Substack, returns to the program to discuss what he considers a paradigm shift moment for the Middle East: last night's Israeli strike on Iran. What does it mean? How did we get to this point? Could this evolve into an all-out regional war? All those questions and many more are addressed in this conversation. We will also discuss the divisions in the Trump/MAGA base over Iran, particularly the conflict between the America First foreign policy elements of MAGA and the Iran hawks within MAGA. James will also address the internal divisions in Israeli politics, as exemplified by Ehud Olmert and Yair Golan's recent critical comments about Netanyahu's approach to Gaza. Trump's strongman approach to foreign policy, the perpetual cycle between Trump and Iran that keeps repeating itself, the Gulf States, Turkey, Syria, the ultra-religious Zionist vs. the Likud, and more all comes up in this conversation as well.

    51 min

  5. 6D AGO

    Critiquing Abundance + What’s Left: 3 Paths Through the Planetary Crisis w/ Malcolm Harris

    On this edition of Parallax Views, writer and political theorist Malcolm Harris joins us to unpack his sharp critique of the so-called Abundance Agenda, popularized by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Harris argues that this vision—focused on building more housing, expanding clean energy, and turbocharging innovation—fails to confront the structural contradictions of capitalism and the political realities of class struggle. It's a vision of progress that avoids asking who builds, who benefits, and who decides. We then turn to What’s Left, Harris’s ambitious new book that outlines three strategic responses to the planetary crisis: marketcraft, public power, and communism. Harris doesn’t call for ideological purity—he calls for coordination. What does democratic planning look like in an age of disaster—and how do we get there together? Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    53 min

  6. JUN 9

    The Crypto Industry's Capture of American Politics w/ Jacob Silverman

    On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Jacob Silverman returns to Parallax Views to unpack his new article, “Coin Operated: The Crypto Industry’s Takeover of American Politics,” a timely investigation into how cryptocurrency has gone from financial sideshow to political powerhouse. We explore how the crypto industry—despite a track record of scams, collapses, and regulatory defiance—has embedded itself at the heart of U.S. politics. From Donald Trump’s embrace of memecoins and bipartisan failure against the crypto lobby to the harassment of Biden-era SEC officials, Silverman traces what many see as the troubling rise of the crypto industry's political power and its potential consequences for democracy. Jacob also shares insights from a recent Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, offering a glimpse into how crypto culture is merging with MAGA politics, shedding its cypherpunk roots, and reshaping the conversation around money, power, and regulation. If you want to understand how this segment of the tech sector seized political influence—and what it means for the future of democracy and finance—this episode is essential listening. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    55 min

  7. JUN 4

    Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection w/ Corinna Barrett Lain

    On this gripping edition of Parallax Views, host J.G. Michael speaks with legal scholar Corinna Barrett Lain about her searing new book, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. Far from being a clean or clinical method of execution, Lain exposes lethal injection as the centerpiece of a scandalous history—rife with fake science, unqualified personnel, botched procedures, and layers of state secrecy designed to shield the public from the brutal reality of how America kills in the name of justice. Lain pulls back the curtain on how this supposedly "humane" method evolved not through medical rigor, but through politics, improvisation, and obfuscation. We discuss how states have covered up grotesque failures, how governments have been swindled by shady operators like Harris Pharma, and the staggering cost to U.S. taxpayers. From inept and corrupt executioners gone rogue to a jaw-dropping story involving literal drug smuggling, Lain’s investigation blows the lid off the dark underbelly of America’s execution machinery, exposing a system held together by misinformation, malpractice, and a stunning lack of oversight. This is an essential episode for anyone concerned with state power, the criminal justice system, and what happens when the machinery of death is hidden behind a veil of bureaucracy. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    1h 21m

  8. JUN 2

    The AIPAC Narrative Reexamined: Empire, the Lobby, the Left, and the Limits of Blame w/ Yasha Levine

    In this provocative and deeply analytical conversation, journalist and author Yasha Levine joins Parallax Views to challenge a dominant narrative on both the left and right: that the Israel Lobby singularly controls U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Drawing from his background covering Cold War geopolitics and U.S. information warfare, Levine argues that this viewpoint dangerously simplifies the role of American imperialism—and obscures how nationalism, including Zionism, has historically been instrumentalized by empire. We explore how the U.S. used nationalist movements as tools of psychological warfare against the Soviet Union, and how that framework led Levine to his critique of the “AIPAC as all-powerful” mindset. He explains why this narrative often becomes a convenient scapegoat that distracts from the structural and strategic interests of American power itself. Levine, a vocal anti-Zionist who has unequivocally described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, also warns of a future in which the U.S. might decide Israel is no longer geopolitically useful—potentially abandoning it, with consequences for the Jewish diaspora. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    1h 37m
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About

A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.

Information

  • Creator
    J.G.
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    925
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

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