First Adolph Reed and now Catherine Liu. I have been listening to her podcasts with Jacobin and became an instant admirer of the way she thinks. I will have to read her book, it sounds great. Looking forward to diving into Reed's book this weekend. Keep going Tara. This type of analysis is important. Also, you could do a deep dive into the transformation of the NDP into a PMC party rather than a worker party. At least that's what it seems has happened to me.
I'm an older person. I listen to the PMC's invalidating babble, and I immediately get the image of the old man Oz hiding behind his curtain, pulling levers, and completely unaware that his shim-sham has been revealed by the lowly Toto. Do you think that anyone in the PMC is aware that their insincerity is completely obvious? Or are they so full of themselves that they actually think they can piss on our heads and tell us it's raining?
As mentioned in other posts. I watched this same razzle dazzle happen to my husband last year at Canada's largest mental health hospital. 10 years ago that hospital was the only Canadian hospital to make it into the top 50 hospitals IN THE WORLD. This year, it can't even make it onto the list of top 300 places to work IN CANADA.
Style over substance does real damage to all of us.
Wow, I agreed with 99% of what Lui said. How did she ever get a full-time job as a professor? Where I work, she'd never get hired after critiquing the PMC in print. The only slight critique I would put on the table is that she seems to buy into the myth of the bogeyman of the right ready to turn America into a fascist tyranny. Instead, I see political ideology as existing as a series of points in a three-dimensional constellation, with many overlaps and confusions. There is no unalloyed "right" or "left" - we have to stop using the language of the woke if we want a reasonable conversation (e.g. stop saying "viewpoint diversity" and say instead freedom of speech and ideas, or rational debate).
Very late to the party here, and thrilled to find so many like-minded souls. Must start by mentioning that Tara is incredibly brave to take on the CBC, and wonderfully wise for doing so in such an unimpeachable manner. Tara, if you ever decide to offer etiquette classes, sign me up! I digress.
Catherine Liu is a champion for those of who have been not-so-subtly pointing out class inequities for years, yet she has managed to maintain an enviable job, whereas I fall more into the flailing mess category. And while I agree with her in theory about keeping up the fight, my dogged determination to expose the hypocrisy of the elite has been disastrous for my social life. In fact, a four-year relationship with my very kind and caring boyfriend recently went up in flames after I challenged his smug "PMC" friend/housemate's views on Trudeau, the Legacy media, and yes, the trucker protests.
This fellow worked in the media, and then for a union supporting the media, and is now doing some PR writing for a university. He's the alleged progeny of working-class parents, yet despite this, still referred to the protestors as "Nazi truckers". Before completely losing my mind, I tried to point out their unsuccessful efforts to arrange a meeting with JT, and stressed the fact that many of the protesters were receiving positive attention and support for the first time in their lives, and reminded him that the men and women attending these protests were hard-working folks, many of whom perform the dirty/dangerous/difficult jobs that literally keep Canadian society from crumbling into ruin. After repeating his spurious slur about the protestors, I'm ashamed to admit that my anger got the best of me. I said, "So you have proof that they're Nazis? Really? Like the ones who killed my grandfather at Auschwitz, and were responsible for irreparably damaging my father's life ..." At that point he cut me off, and muttered, "Eff you", while walking upstairs to his home office. At that moment I knew our relationship was kaput.
Many months of debates and heated back-and-forth between my boyfriend and I had culminated in this pathetic, horrible moment. You'll be proud to know that I never wavered from my position. Tears were shed, and far too much chocolate was consumed, yet I knew that dealing with people like this was ripping me apart. Even though my ex-BF agreed with me in principle, he was loathe to ditch 40 years of friendship for a passionate "Leftist anti-left" woman, who in his mind was agitating for the sake of agitation.
And yet ... nothing will make me acquiesce to the blank and often mean-spirited rabble of "nouveau-left wingers". I'm still dusting myself off, and will eventually embark upon the awkward search for a tribe of like-minded souls. With any luck I'll find an 'Introvert Leftist Anti-Left Association'. Kudos to Lean Out.
What a fantastic interview! I wish it had gone on forever!
Any chance of a transcript?
First Adolph Reed and now Catherine Liu. I have been listening to her podcasts with Jacobin and became an instant admirer of the way she thinks. I will have to read her book, it sounds great. Looking forward to diving into Reed's book this weekend. Keep going Tara. This type of analysis is important. Also, you could do a deep dive into the transformation of the NDP into a PMC party rather than a worker party. At least that's what it seems has happened to me.
I'm an older person. I listen to the PMC's invalidating babble, and I immediately get the image of the old man Oz hiding behind his curtain, pulling levers, and completely unaware that his shim-sham has been revealed by the lowly Toto. Do you think that anyone in the PMC is aware that their insincerity is completely obvious? Or are they so full of themselves that they actually think they can piss on our heads and tell us it's raining?
As mentioned in other posts. I watched this same razzle dazzle happen to my husband last year at Canada's largest mental health hospital. 10 years ago that hospital was the only Canadian hospital to make it into the top 50 hospitals IN THE WORLD. This year, it can't even make it onto the list of top 300 places to work IN CANADA.
Style over substance does real damage to all of us.
BS Jobs by David Graeber captures this phenomenon well
Catherine Liu is fantastic!
Wow, I agreed with 99% of what Lui said. How did she ever get a full-time job as a professor? Where I work, she'd never get hired after critiquing the PMC in print. The only slight critique I would put on the table is that she seems to buy into the myth of the bogeyman of the right ready to turn America into a fascist tyranny. Instead, I see political ideology as existing as a series of points in a three-dimensional constellation, with many overlaps and confusions. There is no unalloyed "right" or "left" - we have to stop using the language of the woke if we want a reasonable conversation (e.g. stop saying "viewpoint diversity" and say instead freedom of speech and ideas, or rational debate).
Excellent interview. I may not agree with a Marxist solution but her analysis of the challenges we face is right on!
Victoria
… the appeal to other PMC people o appear virtuous… the indoctrination in action… prescriptive and performative gesture to secure status…
Thank you! Good to hear.
Very late to the party here, and thrilled to find so many like-minded souls. Must start by mentioning that Tara is incredibly brave to take on the CBC, and wonderfully wise for doing so in such an unimpeachable manner. Tara, if you ever decide to offer etiquette classes, sign me up! I digress.
Catherine Liu is a champion for those of who have been not-so-subtly pointing out class inequities for years, yet she has managed to maintain an enviable job, whereas I fall more into the flailing mess category. And while I agree with her in theory about keeping up the fight, my dogged determination to expose the hypocrisy of the elite has been disastrous for my social life. In fact, a four-year relationship with my very kind and caring boyfriend recently went up in flames after I challenged his smug "PMC" friend/housemate's views on Trudeau, the Legacy media, and yes, the trucker protests.
This fellow worked in the media, and then for a union supporting the media, and is now doing some PR writing for a university. He's the alleged progeny of working-class parents, yet despite this, still referred to the protestors as "Nazi truckers". Before completely losing my mind, I tried to point out their unsuccessful efforts to arrange a meeting with JT, and stressed the fact that many of the protesters were receiving positive attention and support for the first time in their lives, and reminded him that the men and women attending these protests were hard-working folks, many of whom perform the dirty/dangerous/difficult jobs that literally keep Canadian society from crumbling into ruin. After repeating his spurious slur about the protestors, I'm ashamed to admit that my anger got the best of me. I said, "So you have proof that they're Nazis? Really? Like the ones who killed my grandfather at Auschwitz, and were responsible for irreparably damaging my father's life ..." At that point he cut me off, and muttered, "Eff you", while walking upstairs to his home office. At that moment I knew our relationship was kaput.
Many months of debates and heated back-and-forth between my boyfriend and I had culminated in this pathetic, horrible moment. You'll be proud to know that I never wavered from my position. Tears were shed, and far too much chocolate was consumed, yet I knew that dealing with people like this was ripping me apart. Even though my ex-BF agreed with me in principle, he was loathe to ditch 40 years of friendship for a passionate "Leftist anti-left" woman, who in his mind was agitating for the sake of agitation.
And yet ... nothing will make me acquiesce to the blank and often mean-spirited rabble of "nouveau-left wingers". I'm still dusting myself off, and will eventually embark upon the awkward search for a tribe of like-minded souls. With any luck I'll find an 'Introvert Leftist Anti-Left Association'. Kudos to Lean Out.
She had me right until she called David Brooks an asshole. SRSLY?
An interesting listen. The class and economic comments are particularly of interest.
meow, thank you https://youtu.be/Wm1Sew7lAG4?t=121
Good point about land acknowledgments.
The pointless class!
https://nakedemperor.substack.com/?r=raurr