129: Conclave (2024), the Papacy, and Right-Wing Catholicism
In this immediately out-of-date episode, Daniel and Jack discuss the 2024 movie Conclave in light of the (at the time of recording) underway 2025 Conclave in the Vatican to choose a new Pope. Both your hosts talk a little about their own religious backgrounds, review the film, and then get onto the politics of the Catholic Church, particularly the integration of right-wing US bishops with American reactionaries. Episode Notes: https://www.ncronline.org/culture/book-reviews/playing-god-traces-history-catholic-conservatism-gone-extreme https://publicseminar.org/2024/08/the-catholic-new-right-and-project-2025/ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/catholic-right-celebrity-conversion-industrial-complex?srsltid=AfmBOooTq0kt0MevV9R8VfOMTL3vn5n2JBO1URs0O1qbA9760WPUWsRa https://www.politico.eu/article/vaticans-church-catholic-pope-francis-hard-right/ https://sojo.net/magazine/march-2019/rise-catholic-right https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/maga-catholics-vatican-pope-conclave https://youtu.be/Mb3zYyhrUWg?si=d1UG7bpGi16WAaRo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKW-0fIDHdw&t=220s Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay ad-free and independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month plus all backer-only back-episodes. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1
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1:24:34
News Brief: The JFK Files
Trump released all the remaining secret JFK files! Except not really. And they're full of revelations! Except not really. (They're mainly full of people's social security numbers which, it transpires, is pretty much all the remaining redactions were hiding.) Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL) is leading a new congressional investigation! Er... no, she's inviting conspiracy theorists into Congress to confirm her ill-informed beliefs. The mystery is solved! Or deepens! Except nope nope and nope. In this impromptu News Brief, Jack and Daniel jump off from a supremely stupid clip of reactionary conspiracybrained shitheads Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan to ponder the changing political meaning of the conspiracy theories around the Kennedy assassination, why it has migrated from a left preoccupation all the way over to being an obsession of MAGA and the far-right. Along the way we encounter the peculiar and controversial author Gerald Posner, who is able to debunk JFK conspiracy theories but apparently unable to see the problems with Israel's policies in Gaza, Elon Musk doing seig heils, or Gender Criticals who think the Trans movement is all funded by evil rich Jews (or possibly alien lizards). Yes, this is the world we live in folks. Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Posner#Controversies https://www.justthefacts.media/ https://www.justthefacts.media/p/the-ressurection-of-oliver-stone https://www.justthefacts.media/p/hitler-musk-and-the-art-of-the-smear https://www.justthefacts.media/p/the-transgender-money-pipeline https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/LGB_Alliance https://web.archive.org/web/20211009112830/https://twitter.com/christapeterso/status/1368635513775689728 https://web.archive.org/web/20211029170407/https://twitter.com/LGBAlliance_CA/status/1368988077901905925 https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2022/02/fears-of-creeping-transhumanism-give-space-for-overt-conspiracism-in-gender-critical-communities/ https://progressive.org/magazine/antisemitism-meets-transphobia-greenesmith-lorber/ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/donald-trump-bill-maher-real-time-b2732092.html https://youtu.be/aE9mTr2uI10?si=4OaFzGM27Y1lots9 https://youtu.be/KAMC9cxEPzo?si=4SMhZoH9XKWLcaQ5 https://youtu.be/UJ28qfIR_8M?si=-rDyDFG70OvE3--x https://youtu.be/-Lo1ButCuqE?si=tNl46hKnHyXdfvnO Sean Munger: Oswald Acted Alone Part 1: https://youtu.be/DC8tO16xdrY?si=jhWAKR-GzJHnQacz Part 2: https://youtu.be/Ptt1ti63IiE?si=Dkr3Nd75Jjlv6j95
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1:28:09
PREVIEW: Bonus 39 In the Line of Fire (1993)
Our 'movies about presidents' series continues (probably for four more years) with a much better movie this time. 1993's Wolfgang Peterson joint In the Line of Fire, featuring Clint Eastwood again (are we... doing a Clint Eastwood season now?) as jaded old Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, veteran of a particular epic fail in Dallas 1963, up against the 90s serial killer shtick of rogue CIA super-assassin John Malkovich and, even more dauntingly, the merciless side-eye of fellow agent Rene Russo. A superior slice of 90s Hollywood nonsense with a nice line in gentle self-mockery and some adorable early digital effects. This is a fun one, kids. Full episode exclusive for Patreon subscribers. Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1
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7:38
PREVIEW: Bonus Ep38 Absolute Power (1997)
Our series on 'movies about presidents' continues with a fun discussion of this 1997 'thriller', written by legendary Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman based on the debut novel of David Baldacci, starring/produced/directed by noted chair-interviewer Clint Eastwood, and boasting a splendid cast - including recently-deceased screen legend Gene Hackman - none of whom are given anything very interesting to do. Clint plays a suave cat burglar - with the unlikely name of Luther Whitney - who accidentally witnesses the president of the United States sexually assaulting a woman (far-fetched, right?) and getting her killed. All Hell then persistently threatens but repeatedly fails to break loose. Instead we get a slow, aimless, half-baked movie filled with good elements that don't cohere or go anywhere special. It sparked an amusing conversation though, as we hope you will agree. Full episode exclusive for Patreon subscribers. Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1
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6:58
128: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism, with Craig A. Johnson
Jack and Daniel welcome to the show Craig A. Johnson - academic, researcher, antifascist, and host of the (excellent) podcast 15 Minutes of Fascism - to chat about his (excellent) new book How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism, a primer on today's fascist and far-right, in all their styles and iterations, aimed at people worried that a young person in their lives (most especially a young man, obviously) is being sucked into the darkness. Episode Notes: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism, book. 15 Minutes of Fascism at Soundcloud IDSG on 15MoF Craig's bluesky Craig's Patreon Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay ad-free and independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month plus all backer-only back-episodes. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1
Daniel Harper is a researcher who goes where few others can bear to go: he listens to what the reactionaries - from the IDW to the modern day Nazis - say to each other in *their* safe spaces! In this timely and shocking - but entertaining - anti-fascist podcast, Daniel tells his friend, online writer Jack Graham, all about it.
Australia