Critical Wade Theory

From missile strikes to aircraft carriers, from nationalist propaganda to campaign rhetoric, the same political logic emerges repeatedly: ordinary people bear the costs while governments compete for dominance.

In responding to a YouTube comment, I dismantle the arguments around flat taxes, sales taxes, and progressive tax brackets. I examine how shifting from income tax to consumption tax impacts everyday buying power, what happens to tax credits like the EITC, and the concept of "marginal utility." Tune in for a clear-eyed breakdown of the tax reform debate and why it's inaccurate to say...

How does something once considered shocking eventually become ordinary? Repetition matters.

Imagine walking through a quiet cemetery in Middlebury, Vermont. The gravestones surrounding you belong to local families from the nineteenth century. Then, suddenly, one marker stops you in your tracks...

AIPAC and its primary political arms — led by the so-called United Democracy Project (UDP) — have deployed an unprecedented political war chest exceeding $100 million in the 2026 election cycle. Their core focus has been backing pro-Israel candidates and unseating or defeating progressive critics of Israeli military policy. However, Abdul El-Sayed overcame all the money against him, using the very...

Today we're taking a trip down one of the strangest side roads in animation history: the 1961 "Tales of the Wizard of Oz" cartoon, specifically Season 1, Episode 3, "Leapin' Lion."

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the landmark first episode, serves as both the pilot and the mission statement for everything "Animaniacs" would become. In just over twenty minutes, it establishes the show's mythology, introduces its unforgettable cast, and demonstrates its unique blend of slapstick, satire, music, and fourth-wall-breaking comedy.

There are certain songs that become cultural landmarks. Songs that seem to exist in a category all their own. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of those songs. Get ready for me to pour sweet syrupy praise all over this classic rock song...to the point where even fans might be like "Okay, that's enough. We get it."

Fetid Fever Dream Flashbacks of the Week: John McCain & The Keating Five Scandal

Peripheral Poophead of the week: Who the Hell is David Alan Trott? From an honest perspective, state politics is not a true arena of democratic representation, but a mechanism designed to protect private property, enforce elite hierarchy, and legitimize rule by capital. The political trajectory of Michigan’s 11th Congressional District illustrates how electoral transitions — whether switching part...

I look at another failed TV pilot, and try to explain what happened...and what might have been.

The most prominent battle occurred in Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, where former public health official Abdul El-Sayed defeated four-term Representative Haley Stevens in a high-stakes clash between the party’s progressive wing and establishment center. El-Sayed — endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — campaigned on “Medicare for All,” systemic...

"Following a successful run on the genre festival circuit,  The Prowler , the psychological horror short written, directed, and edited by Christopher Piñero and starring Aaron Dominguez, is headed to the Academy Award®- and BAFTA-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, taking place July 30-August 12, 2026, at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles."

Today I'm exploring one of the most extraordinary—and too often overlooked—chapters of the Spanish Civil War: the women who fought on the front lines, and one remarkable fighter whose story embodies both the promise and the tragedy of that revolutionary moment. Her name was Pepita Inglés [NOTE: I could not find an image of Pepita Inglés, so I found one of the Durruti Column.]

Today I'm looking at "Speech", the fourth and final album by British progressive blues-rock band Steamhammer. Released in early 1972 on the German Brain label, it marked a dramatic transformation for the group, abandoning much of their blues-rock foundation in favor of a darker, heavier, and far more progressive sound. In addition to giving my thoughts, I will try to explain why some...

I talk about Detroit. I will probably make follow-ups on this, which is really just an introductory episode (to be honest).

This time I mostly do material about Pepsi vs. Coke, and Santa Claus, and a Posse of Insane Clowns. Is this rip-roaringly hilarious? I don't know, but it's possibly what I will discuss for 10 minutes at an open mic comedy gig at the end of the month.

Today, I'm talking about one of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ most iconic tracks — American Girl.

Because (for no clear reason) Spotify for Creators is making it tricky to share my RSS feed for my new podcast, I am now posting episodes of my new podcast, Wade's Year-By-Year Flashback, onto the Critical Wade Theory podcast. So, yes, this will now be like another "show-within-a-show." Why do I do any of this stuff? I don't know. Glutton for psychological punishment for dealing...

Today we're diving into the life of one of the most infamous women in ancient history: Valeria Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius and Roman empress from AD 41 until her execution in AD 48.

Here I am diving into a story that perfectly encapsulates the ultimate irony of modern statecraft.

This episode is my reply to YouTube comments by "@duxdawg." The person's response attempts to shift the debate using classic ideological talking points, historical revisionism, and a false "either/or" spectrum. I dismantle their arguments directly using economics, history, and basic political science — while tying it right back to my original episode's theme of land, st...

Today I'm looking at one of the more unusual political biopics ever released — Oliver Stone's 2008 film *W.* Rather than delivering a fiery political attack or a comprehensive history lesson, Stone chose to make something far more intimate: a character study of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So, let's look at just how much Trump's Department of Justice has been distorting facts and statistics.

NOTE: I had to repair this video, splicing two separate recordings together (one from "the cloud"). Make of that what you will. Anyway, this is a fitting intro: Best known as the performer behind the helmet of Din Djarin in  The Mandalorian ,  Branden Wayne  has spent more than 25 years working across film and television, with credits ranging from  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  and  Angel  to...