The oursociallandscape's Podcast

Karl Denson’s (not so tiny) Universe

Karl Denson, composer, band leader, and Rolling Stones saxophonist, joins me on Our Social Landscape to discuss the current state of the union.

Sports and Economics, Part II: Neil deMause

Author and journalist Neil deMause joins me on Our Social Landscape to discuss a few current topics in the world of sports. deMause is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author who has written for Baseball Prospectus, Slate, CNN Money, and the Village Voice and is the co-author, along with Joanna Cagan, of the award-winning expose into the public financing of sports stadiums, Field of Schemes.  He has also presented his work in Congressional hearings, journalism courses at Columbia, ESPN and Democracy Now!

Sports and Economics, Part I: Andrew Zibmalist

A discussion with renowned sports economist Andrew Zimbalist on the NCAA, MLB, and pro stadiums.

Malcolm X & George Washington

A discussion of Malcolm X on President's Day...

What the Hell is Going on in Florida, Part III

A discussion of a new Florida law that prohibits the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in public colleges and universities. 

What the Hell is Going on in Florida, Part II

A discussion of a new Florida law that prohibits transgirls from athletic completion on girls teams in public schools.

Tim Wise on Race, Class and… Bowling

Anti-racism educator and author Tim Wise joins me for this iteration of Our Social Landscape.  Author of 9 books on race, and a prolific public speaker and blogger, Tim began his activism as a student at Tulane in the late 1980s and has been involved in the struggle for racial equality and social justice ever since. 

The conversation starts with a discussion of how he began activism work against South African apartheid and neo-Nazi politician David Duke.  We then touch on civil unrest, particularly in the wake of the 1-year anniversary of the January 6^th, 2021, insurrection, before moving onto the intersection between race and social class in America. 

Next comes a discussion of Critical Race Theory, plus the role of racism, individualism, and animosity towards the public good, that has impacted the current Covid-19 pandemic.  We conclude with some suggestions moving forward, and Tim finishes with a quick discussion of how he keeps his eyes on the prize, even if the prize continues to appear unreachable.

More information about Tim Wise and his work can be found here:

https://timjwise.medium.com/

http://www.timwise.org/

The podcast features a live version of “True” by the late New Orleans piano legend James Booker.

All episodes of Our Social Landscape can be found on iTunes, simply type oursociallandscape into the search box. If you have any questions or comments, email me at jr@oursociallandscape.com.

Politics & Media: A Discussion with Claire Bond Potter

I’m joined by political historian and writer Claire Bond Potter.  A professor of history at the New School for Social Research in New York City, Claire’s writing focuses on the interaction between politics and the media and she’s the author of an amazing book on the topic,

Political Junkies:

From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy.

Talking Culture with Tommy Guerrero

A discussion with professional skateboarder and musician Tommy Guerrero about the influence of both on contemporary culture.

“Sports is Like Fire”- a talk with Dave Zirin

Progressive sports writer Dave Zirin joins me on Our Social Landscape to hit on a few hot button topics in the sports world today.  Zirin is the sports editor of The Nation magazine, the author of 11 books on the politics and history of sport, and a frequent contributor to television and radio shows nationally.