Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with Richard Slotkin, cultural critic and historian, professor of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University, to discuss his recent book A Great Disorder: National Myth and the Battle for America.  First, they run through updates on day one of the DNC, Harris’ candidacy, Donald Trump’s ongoing meltdown, Iran-Israel conflict, anti-trust, labor action, SCOTUS’ stance on trans rights, COVID infection rates, and pro-Palestine protest, before diving into the role Palestinian and pro-Palestinian perspectives will play at the DNC. Professor Richard Slotkin then joins, diving right into the concept of the “national myth” as the use of history and narratives of the past to rationalize the present and its ongoing crises. Expanding on this, Professor Slotkin walks through the role of social and economic insecurity in spurring the need to make sense of a moment, before stepping back to touch on how malleable these mythologies can be, with the same stories often taking on multiple perspectives that can be used and presented differently to affirm various, frequently conflicting, contemporary ideologies, parsing through the various myths of the American Revolution, Civil War, and the “Good War: (WWII), and how they have been employed throughout history. After expanding on the utility of these mythologies, particularly within the context of the US economic and legal systems, Professor Slotkin brings Sam and Emma into the modern era, outlining the grounding mythologies of the MAGA movement in the Lost Cause and the Second Amendment, and how Democrats can (and might be) learning how to use these mythologies to their benefit as Conservatives do.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch JD Vance call out the problem of “Ethnic Enclaves,” unpack profits, price gouging, and inflation, and dive deep into Walz’s impressive early performances at Harris’ VP pick, and what he can tell us about the potentials for Harris’ candidacy. Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh meltdown over Tim Walz’s gastronomical preferences, plus, your IMs!

Check out Richard’s book here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674292383

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