July 18, 2019

/80/ CaliBunga: Tech, Drugs & Capitalist Soul, Pt.5

In part five, we explore the professionalisation of friendship, by speaking to Dutch director and producer Menna Laura Meijer about her documentary on life coaching, Now Something Is Slowly Changing. The global rise of coaching seems to encapsulate many of the themes we've explored so far: an inward focus on the self, combined with marketisation, and bound together by ‘solutionism’ - quick fixes to deep social problems.

#CaliBunga is a special multipart series on the Californian Ideology: the seemingly paradoxical hybrid of New Left and New Right ideas - the synthesis of hippies with yuppies, all tied together with the promise that technology might liberate us.

Thanks to UC Irvine School of Humanities for sponsoring this series.

Links:

Now Something Is Slowly Changing, mint film office

July 11, 2019

Excerpt: /79/ CaliBunga: Tech, Drugs & Capitalist Soul, Pt. 4

In part four, we broaden the scope, to talk about the Frankfurt School, the humanities and 'romantic anti-capitalism'. If modernity features a battle between romanticism and rationalism, then the hippies represented an attempt to re-enchant a disillusioned world. But as that spirit was incorporated into market dynamics, it became rationalised and commodified. George and Alex sat down with Catherine Liu and Tyrus Miller (UCI Humanities and expert on Lukacs) to mull over these questions.

#CaliBunga is a special multipart series on the Californian Ideology: the seemingly paradoxical hybrid of New Left and New Right ideas - the synthesis of hippies with yuppies, all tied together with the promise that technology might liberate us.

Thanks to UC Irvine School of Humanities for sponsoring this series.

Subscribe for full access: patreon.com/bungacast

June 20, 2019

/76/ CaliBunga: Tech, Drugs & Capitalist Soul, Pt. 1

Special multipart series on the Californian Ideology: the seemingly paradoxical hybrid of New Left and New Right ideas - the synthesis of hippies with yuppies, all tied together with the promise that technology might liberate us.

In part one, we talk to Richard Barbrook about the Californian Ideology today before discussing health and mental illness with the 'States of Wellness' group at UC Irvine (Catherine Liu, Benjamin Kruger-Robins, Michael Mahoney, Thomas Williams).

Thanks to UC Irvine School of Humanities for sponsoring this series.

Readings:

Natural Causes, Barbara Ehrenreich
The Happiness Industry, William Davies
Coming Up Short, Jennifer Silva

Subscribe: patreon.com/BungaCast

February 21, 2019

/63/ The Oscars Have Canceled Themselves ft. Maren Thom

On the 2019 Academy Awards. Maren Thom joins us again to see what we can learn from the Oscar nominations. We debate when exactly Hollywood's 'end of history' was, and take film criticism to task for its literal-minded desire for representation. Has Hollywood - like so many other liberal institutions - tried so hard to be relevant that it has made itself irrelevant?

Like what we do? Consider giving us money: PATREON.COM/BUNGACAST

October 25, 2018

/50/ On The Market ft. Anna Khachiyan

In which we discuss (post)modern relationships: dating, narcissism and capitalism. Are we all scared of each other? Are we trying to quantify the interpersonal? What does #MeToo et al suggest about contemporary womanhood?

Plus assorted stuff on Russophobia, fascism and anti-fascism, and how great Lana del Rey is.

Readings:

Christopher Lasch on narcissism: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1976/09/30/the-narcissist-society

The Last Psychiatrist: https://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2010/11/a_generational_pathology.html

October 12, 2018

/49/ Kids & Confessions ft. Amber A’Lee Frost

In which we talk to Amber about the limitations of liberal feminism and why socialism is better (duh). Personal trauma as a form of political argumentation is critiqued. And we debate the unfashionable topic of parenting and families. Maybe, beyind so much beyond subcultural squabbling and posturing on the Left, is actually a deep-rooted individualism. So we discuss how to get beyond that.

Readings:

Confession Booth: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/confession-booth-frost

Daddy Issues: https://thebaffler.com/all-tomorrows-parties/daddy-issues-frost

It's Okay to Have Children https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/its-okay-to-have-children

September 13, 2018

/47/ Woke Consumerism

In which we ask whether political consumerism is still a thing. We chart its course from 90s Adbusters-style anti-branding, to 2000s ethical consumerism, through to today's woke outrage economy. Has commodification and cynicism overwhelmed all consumer activism?

Plus, we catch up with election results from Sweden and look forward to next month's Brazilian elections.

Readings:

Adbusted https://jacobinmag.com/2013/10/adbusted

The Philanthropy Racket https://jacobinmag.com/2018/08/the-philanthropy-racket

June 13, 2018

/39/ Geopolitics of the World Cup ft. Karl Sharro & Euan Marshall

In which we talk about the politics of hosting the World Cup + the sublots & intrigues that will animate the tournament: hot and cold wars, Salah's revenge, Brazil after the 7-1. Featuring lots of hating on Sergio Ramos.