Mon, 8 April 2024
Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with David Masciotra, author, lecturer and journalist based in Indiana, to discuss his recent book Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Israel’s continuing operations in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, mounting pressure on Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel, Sec. Mayorkas’ impeachment, student debt relief, unionization, and Mike Johnson’s Ukraine aid package, before diving into Donald Trump’s new middle-ground stance on abortion legislation, and the subtle backlash from his evangelical base. David Masciotra then joins, first outlining the definition of the “exurbs” – distinct from suburbia due to its lower density and greater distance from urban centers, yet much wealthier and with much more robust infrastructure than rural areas – and exploring the particular role they play in bolstering far-right politics electorally. After contextualizing the rise of exurbs as a late-stage development of white flight beginning in the mid-‘90s, with real estate firms building up isolated communities in previously rural towns and using exclusionary politics and property tax gimmicks to recruit those still escaping the growing diversity of urban centers and even some suburban areas, Masciotra walks Sam and Emma through the infrastructure of exurbia’s isolation, with residents largely working outside of their towns while all civic, media, and commercial roles are taken over by mega-churches, casinos, and massive corporations, resulting in little-to-no connection with their community, much less the outside world. Wrapping up, David explores the major issue that comes with addressing these severely isolated communities, particularly when their “problems” largely arise from reactionary cultural issues grounded in racial resentment and Christian nationalism, and why our hope in conquering this issue lies in on-the-ground and bottom-up organizing. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma dive into the increasing pressure on Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel after the IDF’s slaughter of the employees of DC’s favorite Chef José Andrés, Bernie Sanders’ staunch rejection of Biden’s rhetorical posturing of anger with Netanyahu, and Jonathan Guyer’s recent reporting on the role of one Brett McGurk in Biden’s Israel policy (particularly when it comes to the risk of expanding the conflict into a regional war). Jon Stewart discusses Apple’s massive fear of the FTC and Lina Khan, Dawn Staley has no time for transphobic fear-mongers, and far-right weirdos Rudy Giuliani and Brian Glenn posit interesting scientific theories. Bill Maher struggles to find common ground with Billy Dee Williams despite their shared appreciation for blackface. Check out David's book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740832/exurbia-now-by-david-masciotra/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ; use coupon code Majority and get 15% off; ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/ Get emails on the IRS pilot program for tax filing here!: https://service.govdelivery.com/accounts/USIRS/subscriber/new Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today’s sponsors: Cozy Earth: IF you’ve never tried Cozy Earth, I've got awesome news! You can SAVE up to 35% off Cozy Earth right now! But hurry... this offer won't last. Go to https://CozyEarth.com and enter my promo code MAJORITY REPORT at checkout for up to 35% off on your first order! That's https://CozyEarth.com promo code MAJORITY REPORT. Sunset Lake CBD: Sunset Lake is running it back their 4/20 sale in conjunction with the Majority Report. Starting today, everything on https://SunsetLakeCBD.com is 30% off with coupon code 420. And, if your order is over $100, they’ll throw in a free 20-count jar of their Vibe Gummies! Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/ |