#1500 America, A Beginner's Guide (Throwback)

#1500 America, A Beginner's Guide (Throwback)

Author: Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics December 24, 2025 Duration: 1:29:08

Original Air Date: 7/4/2022

Today, for this milestone episode, I attempted to squeeze in as many clever and interesting ideas as I could and ended up writing a starter guide to understand the United States. Plus, there are jingles!

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Full Show Notes

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SHOW NOTES

(00:01:30) Ch. 1: Political Structures of Our Country

Tracking the political eras that proceeded our current situation and looking at what may come next.

Jingle 1: Strawman

(00:13:09) Ch. 2: Progressives and Progress

Looking at a progressive perspective of the last 20 years and the process of progress itself

Jingle 2: Defer to Authority

(00:24:25) Ch. 3: Understanding Race, Gender, Privilege and Power

Understanding why our understanding of the world is often insufficiently complicated

Jingle 3: Just Asking Questions

(00:37:06) Ch. 4: Progressives in Politics

Tracing the fissures on the political left from Bush to Biden

Jingle 4: Manipulating Data

(00:46:45) Ch. 5: Republican Transformation

Tracing conservatism from mid-century Republicans to 21st-century insurrectionists

Jingle 5: Appeal to Emotion

(00:59:32) Ch. 6: Foreign/Power

Looking at various forms of power and how they play out on the international stage

Jingle 6: Passive Voice

(01:08:52) Ch. 7: The Progress Trap

The progress traps of new technology and why we're not defending against them

Jingle 7: Clickbait

(01:19:07) Ch. 8: Structural Thinking and the Alternative

What happens when an individualist thinker is faced with problems that only structural thinking can handle?

Jingle 8: Conspiracy Theories


Jingles: Concept and Some Lyrics by Jay Tomlinson, Music and Most Lyrics by Jonathan Mann

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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For over fifteen years, Best of the Left-Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy has served as a vital, human-curated digest of voices from across the progressive spectrum. Instead of presenting a single opinion, each episode is built around a specific theme-from economic inequality to climate policy to cultural shifts-and weaves together insightful commentary from a diverse array of journalists, activists, and thinkers. This approach allows you to efficiently grasp the nuances of complex issues by hearing multiple expert angles in one sitting, all while discovering new commentators and sources you might not have encountered otherwise. The result is a richly layered analysis that algorithms simply cannot replicate, offering depth and context often missing from the daily news cycle. Since 2006, this award-winning podcast has cut through the noise, drawing from hundreds of independent and established sources to provide a coherent, thoughtful examination of the forces shaping our society and governments. Tuning in means joining a long-running conversation dedicated to understanding and advancing democratic principles, social justice, and a more equitable economy, all through the focused lens of leftist thought.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
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