Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, film writer and critic Nathan Wardinski, author of Dissecting Cannibal Holocaust, joins me for a spooky season deep dive into one of the most infamous, controversial, and, perhaps, critically misunderstood films in horror history. We explore how Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust defies easy categorization within either progressive or conservative politics — a film that seeks to explode racist hierarchies even as it offers a bleak, reactionary view of human nature. For Deodato’s jungle nightmare, civilization itself is just a thin facade: whether “modern” or “primitive,” we are all savages beneath the surface. Wardinski and I also unpack the film’s unique structure, the enduring myth that Deodato and his crew were tried for murder due to the film’s realism, and the strange, lifelong relationship the director had with his most notorious work. In the final portion of the conversation, we tackle one of the film’s most controversial aspects — the onscreen animal slaughter — clarifying the difference between slaughter and cruelty, and placing Cannibal Holocaust within a larger cinematic and cultural context where animals have been killed on camera, from ethnographic films to even mainstream television. Some of the portion of the discussion is in the earlier part of the conversation, but most of it is back-ended to the final 10 or so minutes for the benefit of listeners who may not want to hear about that aspect of the film due to the subject matter. It’s a challenging conversation — one that asks uncomfortable questions about art, exploitation, and our own complicity as viewers. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of the Parallax Views spooky season series, we dive into the world of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the infamous paranormal investigators whose cases inspired the Conjuring films. The Warrens became household names for claiming to confront ghostly hauntings, demonic possession, and other supernatural phenomena—including their involvement in the notorious Amityville haunting—but their legacy is controversial, blending storytelling, spectacle, and a heavy dose of sensationalism. They have also faced accusations of exploiting vulnerable people for fame and profit. Nonetheless, The Conjuring series has become a Hollywood juggernaut, captivating audiences and shaping pop culture’s view of the paranormal. With the release of The Conjuring: Last Rites, the final film in the franchise, interest in the Warrens is hotter than ever. In this episode, skeptical paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford of the Skeptical Inquirer offers a dissenting take, unpacking the problems with the Warrens’ cases and explaining how their work intersects with Satanic Panic-era hysteria. We also explore how these patterns of belief and fear echo in modern conspiracy cultures like QAnon. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ This spooky season on Parallax Views, we venture behind the Iron Curtain with historian Alexander Herbert, author of Fear Before the Fall: Horror Films in the Late Soviet Union. Herbert uncovers a hidden world of Soviet horror cinema — films that reflected the fears, contradictions, and collapsing certainties of late socialism. We talk about Viy (1967), the first officially Soviet horror movie and a chilling adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s tale about a terrified seminarian forced to pray over a witch’s corpse. From there, Herbert explores how later Soviet filmmakers created movies that were either horror or horror-adjacent. It's an exploration of a rather unexplored topic. It’s a conversation about horror, history, and ideology — and how the Soviet Union’s final decades produced some of the most fascinating and overlooked genre films ever made. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our annual Spooky Season series with a chilling deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most infamous real-life tragedies — the Twilight Zone: The Movie helicopter crash. Journalist Steve Chain, author of Fly By Night: The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros., and the Twilight Zone Deaths, joins the show to uncover the haunting true story that forever changed the film industry. Chain’s explosive investigation revisits the 1982 disaster that claimed the lives of actor Vic Morrow and two children on set — and the five-year legal battle that followed. Was it a tragic accident, or was there a cover-up to protect some of Hollywood’s most powerful names, including John Landis and Steven Spielberg? Chain pulls back the curtain on the shocking evidence, courtroom drama, and corporate maneuvering behind one of Tinseltown’s darkest chapters. As part of Parallax Views’ spooky season lineup, this episode isn’t about ghosts or monsters — it’s about real-life horror: power, negligence, and the human cost of spectacle. If you’re fascinated by true crime, Hollywood scandals, media history, or the eerie intersection of fame and tragedy, you won’t want to miss this one. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our Halloween “spooky season” series with an episode exploring how true crime stories—particularly those involving serial killers—are brought to life on screen. Screenwriter Stephen Johnston joins the show to discuss the process of writing films about notorious figures like Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and The Hillside Stranglers (Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi). Johnston’s screenwriting credits include Chuck Parello’s Ed Gein (2000; aka In the Light of the Moon), starring Steve Railsback (known for his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 TV film Helter Skelter) and Carrie Snodgress (Diary of a Mad Housewife); Matthew Bright’s darkly comic and controversial Ted Bundy (2002); and Parello’s The Hillside Strangler (2004), featuring C. Thomas Howell (Red Dawn) and Nicolas Turturro (NYPD Blue). Most recently, Johnston wrote the screenplay for Chad Ferrin’s Ed Kemper, a biopic about “The Co-Ed Killer” that received its video-on-demand (VOD) release earlier this year. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ The Parallax Views spooky season series continues with a brand-new Halloween treat! Host J.G. Michael unearths a never-before-released conversation with Jason Nunes — a behind-the-scenes veteran of ’90s horror and B-movie filmmaking whose art department credits include NECRONOMICON: BOOK OF THE DEAD, LEPRECHAUN 2, PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III, and GHOULIES IV. Nunes shares fascinating stories about the challenges and creativity of bringing low-budget horror films to life — from improvised effects and set design ingenuity to the unpredictable energy of 1990s horror production. He also offers firsthand memories of working with Warwick Davis, Brian Yuzna, Melinda Clarke, Richard Lynch, Screaming Mad George, Mickey Rooney, Bruce Payne, David Warner, and others, plus surprising anecdotes involving Corey Haim, Matt Damon, and Tobey Maguire. Oh, and we talk about the craziness of working with Jim Wynorski on Ghoulies IV! Perfect for Halloween, this episode dives deep into the world of cult horror, practical effects, and the art department magic that defined a generation of B-movie filmmaking. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our annual Halloween “spooky season” episodes with Marta McDowell, author of Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers. McDowell, known for her books connecting literature and horticulture, turns her attention to crime fiction and shows how gardens, plants, and gardeners themselves have played a surprisingly sinister role in the mystery tradition. From poisonous blooms slipped into a cup of tea to trowels and hedges concealing dark secrets, McDowell explores how the world of horticulture has provided inspiration, atmosphere, and even murder weapons for generations of writers. In this conversation, we discuss why gardens make such fertile ground for crime stories, how botany intersects with the genre’s history, and what these recurring motifs reveal about cultural attitudes towards nature, danger, and death. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, host J.G. Michael speaks with journalist and activist Hadas Thier, author of A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics, about her recent Nation magazine article, “How DSA Built Zohran Mamdani’s Electoral Machine.” In this in-depth conversation, Thier breaks down how the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) powered Zohran Mamdani’s groundbreaking mayoral campaign in New York City, transforming it into a model for grassroots political organizing. She explains how DSA’s field-first strategy, volunteer-driven infrastructure, and commitment to democratic socialist politics built one of the most effective electoral machines in the country—mobilizing over 50,000 volunteers, knocking on millions of doors, and reshaping NYC’s political landscape. J.G. and Hadas also explore what Mamdani’s victory means for the future of the left, working-class politics, and progressive movements across the United States. Could DSA’s organizing model become a roadmap for challenging the Democratic establishment nationwide? Tune in for a timely discussion on DSA, Zohran Mamdani, democratic socialism, and the new era of grassroots political power in America.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, the Quincy Institute's Middle East program research fellow Dr. Annelle Sheline, known for resigning from the State Department over the Biden administration's handling of Gaza, returns to the program to discuss Trump, Israel, and the Gaza "peace talks" taking place in Egypt. She argues that these "peace talks" are a facade. We also discuss a number of topics related to Gaza and Israel including the way in which Israel's two year war has not brought back any hostages, the figure of Marwan Barghouti as a potential unifying figure amongst Palestinians, the corruption of the Palestinian Authority, report that Trump is fed up with Netanyahu and skepticism towards those reports, the changing relationship between the Gulf monarchy states and Israel, the incredible amount of death and destruction that has been wrought on Gaza in the past two years, and much, much more.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, Israeli dissident commentator Ori Goldberg returns to discuss the current situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank amid the U.S. President’s push for a Gaza peace deal. A frequent guest since the October 7th attacks and the subsequent bombing campaign, Goldberg offers insight into how Trump and the Gulf monarchies are growing increasingly frustrated with Israel—even without much sympathy for Palestinians. We explore the dynamics of Israeli protests against the Gaza war and Goldberg’s analysis of the psychology driving the Israeli body politic. He also examines the rise of the Qatari/Iranian psyop conspiracy theory—the claim that graphic images from Gaza are fabrications meant to stoke anti-Israel sentiment—a narrative now spreading beyond Israel and recently echoed by Van Jones on Bill Maher’s Real Time. Goldberg further critiques the alliances between pro-Israel figures and anti-Islam activists like Tommy Robinson, describing an “Alex Jones-ification” of Israeli politics centered on the “Islamo-wokeism” conspiracy theory, which portrays Islamists and the left as conspiring to destroy the West with Israel as the last line of defense. Along the way, he offers sharp criticisms of not only Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right, but also Israeli liberals. The subject of Israeli settlers in the West Bank is also discussed. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our annual Halloween "spooky season" series with a previously unreleased, wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Biro — filmmaker, writer, and the driving force behind the boutique cult label Unearthed Films. Known for bringing some of the most infamous extreme horror titles to audiences worldwide, Biro joins us for a wide-ranging discussion that veers from the psychedelic to the grotesque. Some of the conversation may not be for the faint of heart as we delve into why some people are drawn toward extreme horror like A Serbian Film or the Japanese Guinea Pig movies. We begin the conversation, however, talking about Biro's experiences tripping on LSD. After that we go all over the place discussing the old underground/bootleg tape trading circuit of the pre-streaming era, the world of boutique labels and how they're run, and how Stephen Biro brough Hong Kong's notorious "Category III" (essentially NC-17) movies like Herman Yau's shocker THE UNTOLD STORY, featuring an award-winning performance by Anthony Wong, to a wider audience in the U.S. We also go into some pretty weird tangents about all kinds of dark subject matter including the question of whether or not snuff is real, how Illuminati conspiracy theories influenced extreme horror movies like the American Guinea Pig movies, recent Unearthed Films titles like the Henry Lee Lucas biopic Confessions of a Serial Killer and the long-awaited anthology The Profane Exhibit (featuring such stalwart filmmakers of the genre as Cannibal Holocaust's Ruggero Deodato, the controversial Uwe Boll, Spanish filmmaking maverick Nacho Vigalondo, and others), body modification and Biro's script to an unmade sequel to Brian Yuzna's body horror cult classic Society, Srdjan Spasojevic's A Serbian Film and Biro's documentary on it called A Serbian Documentary, and much, much more. Again, this episode is about extreme horror movies so proceed with caution if you're squeamish. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, we begin our annual "Spooky Season" Halloween countdown with a chilling true crime story that shows how online conspiracy theories can spiral into dangerous cults — and even death. Journalist Tony Russo joins us to discuss his book Dragged into the Light: Truthers, Reptilians, Super Soldiers & Death Inside an Online Cult. Before QAnon captured headlines, there was Sherry Shriner, a self-styled online prophet whose bizarre mix of Bible prophecy, reptilian shapeshifter & super soldier conspiracies, and “orgone energy”— a mystical life force Shriner promoted as being able to fight demons, UFOs, clones, and "synthetic robotoids" — built a digital following with deadly consequences. Russo — also featured in Season 2 of VICE’s The Devil You Know — unravels the disturbing saga of how Shriner manipulated followers through online talk radio, social media, and her infamous website, The Watcher Files. At the heart of this story are two tragedies: the 2017 killing of Steven Mineo, which left his girlfriend Barbara Rogers facing a murder charge, and the earlier 2012 death of 22-year-old Kelly Pingilley, a devoted Shriner follower who was found dead while wearing one of the cult’s “orgone” pendants. These cases reveal how apocalyptic paranoia and online manipulation can lead not only to broken lives but to fatal consequences. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio - Track: "Exorcism"

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ In this episode of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, I speak with renowned foreign policy expert Vali Nasr about his book Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History. We examine the historical roots of Iran’s political and strategic thinking, from the Persian Empire to the modern Islamic Republic, and explore how ideology, geopolitics, and domestic politics shape Iran’s approach to the world. Nasr explains how Iran perceives the United States and its foreign policy, and how this perception informs Tehran’s dealings with the U.S., its own diplomacy, and its long-term strategy. He also offers a reassessment of the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, arguing that while the U.S. supported it, the coup itself emerged organically from Iranian political dynamics. And yes, we will discuss the issue of Iran and its nuclear program, including what the strike against Fordow nuclear site entails for Iran.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ Apologies for background, but it was raining at Dorsey's house in Singapore. On this edition of Parallax Views, Israel continues bombing Gaza, Houthis launch a drone strike on the Israeli city of Eilat, Israel conducts airstrikes in Doha, Qatar, the Gaza aid flotilla is being swarmed by Israel according to crew, and European states are recognizing Palestinian statehood. A lot is going on in terms of the Middle East and especially Israel Palestine. James M. Dorsey of the Turbulent World blog/Substack, a longtime scholarly commenter on the Middle East, returns to break it all down and discuss a number of topics including the two-state solution vs. the one-state solution vs. the one-state reality, Gulf and Arab states now seeing Israel as a bigger security threat than Israel, Israel's attack on a compound in Gaza that killed members of the Doghmush clan and its implications, Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard's Knesset run, problems with the Palestine Authority, Israel's West Bank annexation plans, and much, much more.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, a previously unreleased conversation from July 2025 with Yale historian and legal scholar Samuel Moyn returns to the program to unpack the arguments in his recent Guardian article, “America is over neoliberalism and neoconservatism. Trump is not.” Moyn argues that while Donald Trump has often been portrayed as an unprecedented break with American politics—whether as a populist challenger to the status quo or as an authoritarian threat—the reality is more complicated. Yes, Trump has moved in an authoritarian direction, from mass immigration roundups to open pandering to extremist forces. But at the same time, his administration has doubled down on the “zombie ideologies” of the past fifty years: neoliberalism in domestic policy and neoconservatism in foreign policy.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, a cross-over episode w/ Jason Myles' This is Revolution that was recorded last Thursday on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and what political violence in America means in the 21st century. This was recorded before many of the facts in the case were public, and deals more with the nature of political violence and its potential consequences in this turbulent moment of America's history.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this episode of Parallax Views, Charlotte Dennett, author of Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil, unpacks the high-stakes geopolitical and economic forces behind the war in Gaza. Drawing on decades of research—including declassified CIA documents connected to her father’s post-WWII counterintelligence work in the Middle East (who died in a mysterious plane crash)—Dennett explores how energy interests, infrastructure projects, and pipelines have shaped conflicts from the Arabian Peninsula to the Eastern Mediterranean in what she calls "The Great Game for Oil. We discuss the so-called “Gaza post-war plan,” the IMEC pipeline linking India to Haifa, and how longstanding ambitions to transform Israel into a regional energy corridor intersect with war, displacement, and geopolitics. Dennett also traces surprising links between conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and the broader web of financial, intelligence, and political interests that underlie modern crises. Topics include: How energy infrastructure has influenced decades of Middle East policy. The “costs", including depopulation and military campaigns, associated with securing oil and gas reserves. The intersection of geopolitics, corporate interests, and intelligence operations from WWII to today. Connections between global conflicts, including Gaza and Ukraine, and "The Great Game for Oil". The GREAT (Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation) Trust plan And... The Jeffrey Epstein connection? Supplementary Materials and Images to Help You Understand This Episode: Image: Rendering of the GREAT Trust "Day After" plans for Gaza Image: Netanyahu presenting controversial maps at the UN, Sept 2023, surprising delegates by omitting Palestine. The “curse” represents the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” while the “blessing” shows what appears to be the route (by red arrow) of the IMEC pipeline connecting India to Saudi Arabia and the port of Haifa. Links: The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Connectivity in an era of geopolitical uncertainty - Atlantic Council Let's Call the 'GREAT' Gaza Post-War Plan Exactly What It Is: Ethnic Cleansing - Zeteo Netanyahu Presents Controversial Maps at UN, Surprising Everyone by Omitting Palestine | India.com

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, Richard Silverstein joins us to discuss his reporting for Jacobin on the dramatic shift in American public opinion on Israel amid the ongoing civilian casualities in Gaza. For the first time ever, polls show more Americans support Palestinians than Israel, with majorities opposing U.S. arms shipments and the Democratic Party’s unconditional support for the Israeli state. Silverstein breaks down the IDF’s leaked internal report admitting failures in Gaza, highlighting poor strategic planning, ineffective operations, and the resilience of Hamas despite massive Israeli assaults. He also analyzes the so-called GREAT Trust plan— a postwar scheme framed as reconstruction but effectively a Trump-backed grift, offering Palestinians just $5,000 to leave while opening Gaza to luxury resorts, high-tech investments, and U.S.-administered “trusteeship” oversight, enriching private investors while displacing millions. We explore how these developments are reshaping U.S. politics, divisions within the Democratic Party, and the broader implications of it all.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with journalist and author Ross Halperin about his new book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. Halperin takes us deep into the Honduran barrio of Nueva Suyapa, where poverty and gang violence created a landscape of fear and impunity. At the heart of his narrative are Kurt Ver Beek, an American sociologist, and Carlos Hernández, a Honduran educator, who together founded the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). Rejecting traditional models of charity, ASJ pursued justice through daring, sometimes clandestine, methods—taking on gangs, corrupt officials, and a failing state. We discuss the book’s central themes: the moral compromises of activism, the dangers of confronting entrenched power, the role of faith in motivating social justice, and the question of whether justice is possible in places where institutions have collapsed. Along the way, we examine how Halperin’s reporting complicates tidy narratives about NGOs, reform, and the global fight against corruption. Bear Witness has already drawn praise from writers like David Grann and Larissa MacFarquhar for its gripping, ethically charged storytelling. In this conversation, Halperin reflects on the limits of reform, the risks of speaking truth in violent lands, and what it really means to “bear witness.”

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist and author Daniel Lazare, author of The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution is Paralyzing Democracy, joins the show to dissect the forces behind Trumpism and the broader American political landscape. They explore why Lazare believes Trump is not a fascist, despite popular claims, and what his rise reveals about the collapse of liberal institutions. This does not, however, mean that Lazare think Trump is benign. Nor is he claiming that Trump isn't authoritarian. But the analysis can't of Trump, he argues, can't claim that the phenomena of Trumpism is alien to America. Lazare explains how the U.S. Constitution, far from being inherently protective of democracy, contains authoritarian mechanisms that have enabled the concentration of power. The conversation also delves into Trump’s foreign policy, drawing parallels with Putin’s consolidation of power and the revival of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” approach in a multipolar world. Lazare analyzes how neoliberal elites and cultural movements intended to strengthen their position have inadvertently fueled working-class resentment, contributing to Trump’s appeal. This episode is a deep dive into the structural forces shaping contemporary American politics, the myths of “alien fascism,” and the real threats to democracy that come from within. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews