Being Team Human in Crazy Town

Being Team Human in Crazy Town

Author: Post Carbon Institute March 25, 2026 Duration: 54:29

Have you ever had that feeling in your gut, when you suddenly realize that the person you’re talking with might have a screw or two loose? What about when you’re the one others are trying to slowly back away from at the punch bowl? The question of who’s the real nut often arises for us collapse-aware folks living here in Crazy Town. Since Mr. Peanut is no longer returning their phone calls, Rob, Jason, and Asher invite Douglas Rushkoff, media theorist, professor, and host of the Team Human Podcast to answer the question. In this far ranging conversation, they discuss why “leveling down” might be the best strategy for navigating late stage capitalism and bringing ourselves back into right relationship with each other and the planet. Originally recorded on 2/24/26.

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Trying to make sense of a world that often feels like it's lost the plot? That's the space where Crazy Town lives. Hosted by Asher, Rob, and Jason from the Post Carbon Institute, this fortnightly conversation navigates the disorienting headlines and deeper systemic crises-from climate chaos and ecological overshoot to the relentless engine of runaway capitalism-with a necessary blend of sharp analysis and dark humor. They’re not just diagnosing the "Great Unraveling" of our social and environmental fabric; they’re actively exploring what a transition to a genuinely sustainable and equitable society could look like, all while trying to keep their own wits about them. This podcast is for anyone who looks at the status quo and senses the profound delusions holding it together, offering listeners a mix of grounded understanding and candid discussion that’s as engaging as it is urgent. Tune in for conversations that are both a reality check and a search for a viable path forward.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Crazy Town
Podcast Episodes
Sane Town: A Realistic Vision of Life 100 Years from Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:30
Picture the future 100 years from now. What do you imagine? Flying cars? Space colonies? AI talking toasters?But if we can’t sustain an endlessly growing economy - even with a transition to green energy - what does a rea…
Worried about the Future? Join the Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:54
There’s the book club, the Rotary Club, the Mickey Mouse Club, and the club sandwich. Whatever your preference, you might want to think about joining a club. Social clubs, fraternal orders, and the like have had a storie…
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Duration: 51:11
Frog and Toad Are Friends, at least according to a venerable children’s book. And so are Jason (Crazy Town’s resident biology nerd) and conservationist brothers, Kyle and Trevor Ritland, authors of The Golden Toad: An Ec…
Burned by Billionaires, with Chuck Collins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:46
Billionaires. They should be objects of scorn rather than envy. While they ride around in their super-yachts and private jets, producing the climate-damaging pollution of entire nations, they’re doing things to extract e…
Et Tu, Bhutan? Cryptocurrency and Late-Stage Capitalism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:08
Maximize profits, exploit nature, hoard money, and, like Buzz Lightyear, grow the economy to infinity and beyond! That’s the modern economic playbook. But for decades, one renegade country has taken a contrarian stance t…
Artifacts of Collapse: Touring the Crazy Town Museum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:51
In this episode we travel in time to the year 2125, to visit the Crazy Town museum, which showcases today’s world of wanton consumption and profligate waste. How will humans in 2125 – if there are any of us left – judge…