Episode

5/28 Protests in Minnesota & The Gig Academy w/ Daniel Bessner

May 28, 2020

Michael Brooks hosts Professor Daniel Bessner (@dbessner) to discuss what’s happening in Minnesota as protestors square off with authorities in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Also: the growing gig economy in academia.

On today’s show: Side by side comparison of George Floyd protests & Michigan stay-at-home protest. Woman throws tear gas canister back at the cops.

Professor Daniel Bessner (@dbessner) joins Michael to discuss what’s happening in Minnesota as protestors square off with authorities in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Why don’t we see more of these kinds of insurrections in America? The Gilded Age and the history of political violence. Tucker Carlson says Minneapolis protests (he calls it rioting) are unacceptable, not about what happened to George Floyd. The monopoly on “legitimate” use of violence as defining characteristic of the state. The history of policing in the US and how early police forces brought colonial tactics home. Also: How the gig economy is impacting higher education.

On the fun half: Unemployment hits 40 million. Edward Luce piece in FT shows how Trump’s Covid negligence was an effort not to spook the markets. PA State Rep. Brian Sims curses out GOP PA House members who did not disclose Covid diagnoses. Trump takes steps to sell more weapons to Saudi Arabia. Judge Napolitano asks “why have [these cops] not been charged?” on Fox News. Joe Scarborough dedicates a cover of a Paul McCartney song to show support for frontline workers. Laura Ingraham says free market will lead us down the right path out of Covid, left wants to keep you contained forever.

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