Audio From A Collapsing State | Jared Yates Sexton

Huge thank you to THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali for having me on. Always appreciate these conversations and in this one we get into the implications of Donald Trump’s continued struggles with the Epstein scandal, the signals that Rupert Murdoch and other Right Wing powerbrokers are turning on him or maybe looking elsewhere, what it means that we’re starting to see public acts of defiance in popul...

I was so grateful for this week’s episode of The Check-In with Danielle Moodie . Here, we get into the culture of mindless consumption and sociopathic behavior that capitalism requires and that leads to living unexamined lives that trend toward destruction and hurt. This is something that has happened to all of us and affects us in ways we are often not aware. We are supposed to sleepwalk through...

Danielle Moodie and I weren’t planning on doing an episode of The Check-In this week because I’m traveling and working, but I think the prospect of it made both of us sad. So, this was an impromptu episode and discussion about what I’m seeing out and about, namely a culture of addiction that is fueling the fascist movement. Seeing scores of “Trump Stores” and people moving from one cheap and empty...

It was, as always a joy getting to hang out and talk with my friend Danielle Moodie . On this episode of The Check-In , we discussed the paradoxical state of living under a fascist regime that is attempting to dominate our minds, our spirit, and our time. It requires finding and holding onto joy while also understanding the threats we face, all while not allowing the fascists to steal our joy and...

On this week’s episode of The Check-In , Danielle Moodie and I talked about the unnerving experience of watching concentration camps being built around the country and world and wrestle with the assault on our morals, ethics, and, ultimately, our spirits. We discussed the need to hold within us a clear vision of right and wrong that will fortify us even when things get harder and harder. This isn’...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com Like a lot of you, I have been disgusted by the Democratic Party’s response to Zohran Mamdani’s miraculous victory in the New York City Mayoral Primary. Members of his own party have engaged in relentless fearmongering and race-baiting in an attempt to undermine his campaign. This effort, which has been hel...

It was another great week of checking in with my friend Danielle Moodie . In this episode we discuss the upset victory by Zohran Mamdani, including the repulsive attempt by the status quo to smear him and maintain power. That conversation revolves around the complicit factions within the Democratic Party that are beholden to the wealth class, the fact that their smears and fear tactics are falling...

In this episode of The Check-In , my friend Danielle Moodie and I discussed the ramp up to an illegal and unnecessary war with Iran, as well as the worsening authoritarian conditions we all face, and got into the need for mass action and a general strike. This is difficult, obviously, for a variety of reasons, but also because we do not have the apparatus yet. We need to get busy organizing. And i...

This weekend there will be protests in over 1,800 locations around the country. Many of us are planning on attending and I think that’s beautiful and inspiring. But a lot of people have never done this before and we are facing an authoritarian takeover the likes of which we’ve never seen. So, I wanted to get some thoughts out there for people looking to be prepared. In this episode of Audio From A...

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my friend Danielle Moodie . In this week’s episode of The Check-In , we discuss the building anxiety and dread as the situation in Los Angeles and in cities around the country builds. Anxiety is a hell of an adaptation meant to prepare us for threats. And, right now, we are in incredible danger. The conversation gets into that, as well as the need to nurture...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com The messy fight between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is eating up all the headlines. It’s an absolutely horrid thing considering these two men control so much power and have so much influence and their unhinged implosion only drives home the fact that they shouldn’t be anywhere near the controls of government...

Man alive, I love doing these livestreams with Danielle Moodie . In this episode of The Check-In , Danielle and I talk about listening to the Self and recognizing what things bring us joy and what things deserve our time, our attention, and our labor. The vast majority of Americans spend their time running from themselves and avoiding any kind of discomfort, thereby putting off the necessary self-...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com Authoritarian takeovers are strange. There are moments of absolute chaos and violence, then periods where it’s oddly quiet. Right now, we’ve entered into a bizarre chapter where people are tired, exhausted, and behaving in ways we might not have expected. This is an ongoing fight and we need to take stock o...

Another week, another conversation with my friend Danielle Moodie . Just to start: I’m sick. Like, beat-up sick. We talked about that. About how even though an authoritarian takeover is happening, we are still living and going through all of our stuff. That takes a toll and adds to the overwhelming nature of things because living, even under the best circumstances, is hard work, and these are most...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com On this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State , I delve into the hard work of trying to stay grounded while American descends into chaos. Every day is another deluge of lies, abuses, and manipulation, which can leave us feeling exhausted and lost. This is a key weapon in the authoritarian arsenal and is...

I’m on the road but that didn’t stop me from getting on with my friend Danielle Moodie for our weekly Check-In. Today we talked the difference between living and the unnatural and unhealthy state that capitalism requires, which brought us to the problems with MAGA and even some people (and parties) that loudly proclaim themselves an anti-MAGA. Oh, and how men and their bullshit always form the bas...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com In this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State , I discuss the massive tornado that ripped through my hometown on Friday and the disturbing storm that slashed through the Midwest. In talking about it online, I was peppered with people who dismissed the concern, saying people in so-called “Red States” dese...

In this episode of The Check-In , Danielle Moodie and I discuss the kind of self-work and self-introspection that this moment requires of us. There’s a need to find the things that nurture and replenish us as we withstand the onslaught of authoritarianism, but we also have to learn to sit in discomfort so that we can decide what we want our lives and the world to be. MAGA’s rise to power has been...

In this week’s edition of The Check-In , Danielle Moodie and I talk about how this authoritarian push wears on you as a person and can leave you tired, demoralized, and, quite frankly, feeling crazy. We discuss looking around at an increasingly brutal and violent world and staying firm in saying it’s not okay and we deserve better. And that something better has to move beyond compromising with opp...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com In this episode of Audio From A Collapsing State, we dive into the cult mechanics of MAGA and other authoritarian movements to see how the crises of Democracy, Meaning, and Purpose fuel these movements and twist our realities. Donald Trump’s continued comments on his disastrous economic actions reveal somet...

In this week’s episode of The Check-In , Danielle Moodie and I get into the experience of meeting with people who have affected so far by the Trump Administration’s cruelty and corruption, discuss the media and political classes’ failures to identify the threat and do their jobs, the costs of privilege, and then a deep dive into how a fostering of intimacy and solidarity is the solution to not jus...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com Two year olds are being disappeared. Children are defending themselves in immigration courtrooms. It’s a repellent state of affairs, but I would be lying if I said this was new or an aberration. America’s present crisis was built on the exploitation and abuse of children, here and around the world. In this...

This is the second episode of my new series with The DAM Digest writer Danielle Moodie that we’re calling The Check-In . This is two friends getting together on their lunch hour on Wednesdays at 12pm ET and discussing the emotional toll of living under an authoritarian regime. If you haven’t already, check out the first episode . In this episode, Danielle and I discuss how a culture of delusion an...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com This past week lasted a month. I cannot believe how long and trying it was. When Danielle Moodie and I recorded The Check-In on Wednesday, we discussed the emotional toll of it all, how it felt like grieving mixed with anger, and then, within a couple of days, that grief morphed to just outright rage. The a...

So, my friend Danielle Moodie and I have a launched a new weekly show (Wednesdays at 12pm eastern) we’re calling the Check-In. We’ll go live and discuss the experience of living through rising authoritarianism, get into the emotional and psychological toll, where we are, and what we can learn from the moment to get past this crisis and make something better. In this first episode, we touch base an...