Dig This

May 31, 2017 6:43 PM

Daniel Denvir, a socialist journalist once described by Philadelphia Magazine as "a self-righteous pain-in-the-ass, an unabashed class warrior," hosts The Dig, a podcast from Jacobin magazine "discussing the politics of American class warfare." Denvir's work has been published in Salon, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Nation, Vox, The New Republic, The Guardian, Al Jazeera America, Vice, and others.

Guests have included Liza Featherstone, Dean Baker, Corey Robin, Matt Bruenig, Diane Ravitch, Glenn Greenwald, and Charlene Carruthers.

Here are a few choice episodes:

Mark Blyth: How Austerity brought us Donald Trump
Sarah Jones: What's the matter with Appalachia? Capitalism
Dave Weigel: What the media doesn't get about the left
The Democratic Socialists of America and the fight against Trump
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on Black Liberation and Socialism
Americans in Revolt: Sarah Jaffe on social movements

posted by Joseph Gurl (16 comments total)

The Mark Blyth taping and Q & A is so great, (and, in addition to a great and thoughtful interview, I just love Liza Featherstone's laugh). This is one of my favorite podcasts at the moment, probably the one most closely aligned with my own politics.

(Any suggestions for podcasts similar to The Dig (I'm thinking like Doug Henwood's "Behind the News") would be much appreciated)
posted by Auden at 7:30 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

what's the audio quality on this? Are they skype interviews or studio interviews? As much as i love how this podcast is described, I simply don't have the capacity for low-quality audio these days.
posted by rebent at 7:33 PM on May 31, 2017

I'm not sure, rebent, but audio quality is excellent. Even the Blyth, which is a live event, sounds good.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:42 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Any suggestions for podcasts similar to The Dig (I'm thinking like Doug Henwood's "Behind the News") would be much appreciated)

I don't listen to either of those (yet) but based on the description and our mutual appreciation of Doug Henwood, you might like Intercepted, which is like a weekly news-interview hour from Jeremy Scahill. I've been meaning to post it to the blue.
posted by grobstein at 8:14 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hooray, left wing politics!! Auden, add The Katie Halper Show to your playlist. Same politics, although not quite as in depth, but she's got a great sense of humor. Belabored is ok, good interviews, but a little hokey and not as polished.
posted by Unioncat at 8:16 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I do like Intercepted, grobstein, and am subscribed to it. (Scahill - as much as I agree with him most of the time - kinda rubs me the wrong way from time to time, a little too aggressively cocky).

I also subscribe to The Katie Halper Show, Unioncat. She is AWESOME, so smart, so quick-witted. Love her.

still trying to get into Chapo Trap House...

oh, if anyone is interested, I will share one new podcast discovery that I love as much as The Dig, but even smarter, and with British accents!: Talking Politics with David Runciman. Its like a liquid London Review of Books for your brain
posted by Auden at 8:27 PM on May 31, 2017 [3 favorites]

This might also be of interest: DSA to start a podcast.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:55 PM on May 31, 2017 [4 favorites]

And THANKS to Unioncat and Auden for pointing me to Katie Halper--good stuff.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:57 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I like The Dig, Intercepted, Katie Halper, Chapo, and am always looking for new leftish podcasts.

I would also give my highest recommendation to the podcast/radio show "This is Hell!" which is very left, has a great host, great guests, excellent audio quality too. The podcast Delete Your Account can be pretty good but it isn't as polished as the ones already mentioned.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 10:54 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I also like This is Hell! - and I could not be a huger fan of Jeff Dorchen and his Moment of Truth ("The Thirst That is The Drink"). (Here's a link to my favorite Moment of Truth ever from This is Hell! - "In praise of the Sun, the last free thing on Earth.")

The thing that drives me crazy about This is Hill! is Chuck Mertz's habit of using "how much/to what degree" for literally every question he asks a guest (often prefaced by reading a paragraph written by the guest back to him or her). It puts my teeth on edge.

a total aside ...if anyone is interested in the politics, psychology and genesis of the Alt-Right, I'm listening to one of the most fascinating interviews right now with Angela Nagle on the "Irish Times Inside Politics" podcast. She has a book will come out at the end of this month called Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars From 4Chan And Tumblr To Trump And The Alt-Right. It's one of the most interesting interviews I've heard in a while.
posted by Auden at 3:14 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

(and wow--today's Chapo with R.L. Stephens is amazing.)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:45 PM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Just listened to the Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor episode during my morning walk and it was great. Thanks for the post and the effort to link to select episodes!

Unfortunately it seems that she just on Wednesday, the day of the OP, had to cancel a series of appearances after a Fox News report on her resulted in an avalanche of death threats.
posted by XMLicious at 2:22 AM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yes, XMLicious. Here's her statement about that:

Concerning my public talks this week:

It is with great regret that I have decided to cancel my public lectures scheduled at Seattle’s Town Hall and at the University of California, San Diego this week. I am canceling my appearances for fear of my safety and my family’s safety. Since last Friday, I have received more than fifty hate-filled and threatening emails. Some of these emails have contained specific threats of violence, including murder. Earlier this month, I delivered the commencement address at Hampshire College’s graduation ceremony. My speech at Hampshire was applauded but Fox News did not like it. Last week, the network ran a story on my speech, describing it as an “anti-POTUS tirade.” Fox ran an online story about my speech and created a separate video of excerpts of my speech, which included my warning to graduates about the world they were graduating into. I argued that Donald Trump, the most powerful politician in the world, is “a racist and sexist megalomaniac,” who poses a threat to their future. Shortly after the Fox story and video were published, my work email was inundated with vile and violent statements. I have been repeatedly called “nigger,” “bitch,” “cunt,” “dyke,” “she-male,” and “coon” — a clear reminder that racial violence is closely aligned with gender and sexual violence. I have been threatened with lynching and having the bullet from a .44 Magnum put in my head. I am not a newsworthy person. Fox did not run this story because it was “news,” but to incite and unleash the mob-like mentality of its fringe audience, anticipating that they would respond with a deluge of hate-filled emails — or worse. The threat of violence, whether it is implied or acted on, is intended to intimidate and to silence.

In some sense, then, they have been successful. In the last few weeks, white racists have committed heinous acts of violence. On May 20, a white “alt-Right” sympathizer, Sean Urbanski, murdered an African-American Bowie State University student, Richard Collins III, on the campus of the University of Maryland. Urbanski was a member of a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich: Nation.” And just this past weekend, a white supremacist in Portland, Oregon, murdered two men and attempted to murder another, when all three stepped in to stop an Islamophobic and racist attack on two young women riding public transit. President Donald Trump finally decided to release a half-hearted and subdued tweet to oppose the murders in Portland, but with not nearly the same vigor he has used to incite his base against immigrants, while also whipping up anti-Muslim hysteria. The lethargy of the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security in responding to the actual threat of white supremacist, terrorist violence encourages the development of its networks and organizations across the country. The cancelation of my speaking events is a concession to the violent intimidation that was, in my opinion, provoked by Fox News. But I am releasing this statement to say that I will not be silent. Their side uses the threat of violence and intimidation because they cannot compete in the field of politics, ideas, and organizing. The true strength of our side has not yet been expressed in its size and breadth, and so they believe they are winning. We have to change this dynamic and begin to build a massive movement against racism, sexism, and bigotry in this country. I remain undaunted in my commitment to that project.

posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:28 AM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Unreal. I don't know how libel or incitement laws work, but is there any legal recourse she has?
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2017

I also like What A Hell Of A Way To Die, a leftist podcast from the POV of Veterans and still serving military people , it's usually an interesting perspective from a place I have no experience with.
posted by The Whelk at 12:48 PM on June 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

The new one features Naomi Klein--great stuff.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:00 PM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]