Episode 229: SSG Sing a Song of Derision!

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Status is important to all of us. To maintain relative status for everyone, we need to keep those around us in check. Sometimes we must bring out the biggest means of checking behavior and, like the title of this Episode 229, Sing a Song of Derision!

In this episode, I read from: a psychological experiment involving parking lot behavior; and Will Storr's book The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It. There's still more in that book to cover, I assure you. I recounted: a joke made by David Letterman; an article by Thom Hartmann discussing the new Barbie movie; and details into Stetson Kennedy's exploits with the Klan.

I play: Dana Carvey taking the piss out of a glass of, well, piss; and the Superman radio serial from 1946, "Superman vs The Klan of the Fiery Cross", taking the piss out of the Klan. I also share a little tune that hoped to save the world, but how? They encourage folks to get together and "Let's all poop in a bucket."

Henry Giroux opens the show backed by KMFDM's "Attack"; and I close with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

NB: I've chosen the TLA "SSG", or Storr's Status Game, to mark episodes in this series. I'll go back and change the other one now.

Bonus Episode: The Advertising Nuisance

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My hatred of advertising brought about my study of it. What I could never anticipate was the shared hatred that every now and again in history flares up and prompts so very many to complain, if not to act against it. Here is one such collection of complaint and solution from over a century ago in this Bonus Episode: The Advertising Nuisance.

These essays were published in the November, 1893 edition of a London periodical called The New Review, originally published by Archibald Grove, and found in that year's compiled book (found online here).

(Jim here. I do apologize for the episode being a day late. I completely underestimated how long it would take to record. Ugh. Victorian writing. Ugh.)

Episode 228: My Eight-Legged Monkey Dance

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We brag about living in a "free" country. Private industry, however, has too often more freedom to suppress speech than we do to exercise it, at least on "their" platforms. I vaguely allude to this in today's Episode 228: My Eight-Legged Monkey Dance.

In this episode, I read from: John M. Barry's 2018 book, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. Again, it's a good read. Lots of gory details about what made that flu outbreak special. I also read from a Nature magazine article about President Obama curtailing research in the US. Just for fun, at the links I'll direct you to another article I didn't read on the show, but which I feel, monkey-dance-wise, gives you some perspective on …the current problem.

I play: a few bits of Professor Adrian Gibbs being interviewed in December of 2009 by one of The Naked Scientists at the BBC. I also play snippets of reporter Keren Landman and On The Media host Brooke Gladstone spewing forth opinion with which I strongly disagree. Musically, KMFDM backed then-Mayor Bernie Sanders observing a problem with media concentration; and I close today with Julie & Rolf and The Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Addendum: Once again, perspecatious observer L33tminion caught my error, caused by letting my emotions overwhelm the direction of the show. Check out his quite proper admonition in the comments.

Episode 227: SSG The Games of Our Lives

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Yes, we humans are obsessed with playing games. They’re harmless fun, giving winners some bragging rights; in that way they resemble the most important game we play, the Status Game. I discuss this Greatest Game in Episode 227: The Games of Our Lives.

In this episode, I read from: Will Storr's book The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; Franz de Waal's book Our Inner Ape: a Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are (available online here in PDF format); Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads; and two academic papers de Waal used to support his book. I also relay from memory detail about those without mouths—infants—from The History of English Podcast.

I'll also link to an interview with Will Storr on the You Are Not So Smart podcast. It's a good introduction to his work.

Musically, I play Lance Strate in the opening commenting on our complete inability to deal with lots and lots of anything, backed by KMFDM's "Attack"; Julie & Rolf and The Campfire Gang sing us out.

Episode 226: Categorization & Confirmation

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For almost a decade now, I've shared intrusive surveillance crap with you done in the name of advertising and marketing. Worse, today I need to revisit that crap to show that it's now a probable reality. Thus, Episode 226: Categorization & Confirmation.

In this episode, I read from: an article from The Markup called "From “Heavy Purchasers” of Pregnancy Tests to the Depression-Prone: We Found 650,000 Ways Advertisers Label You"; Shoshana Zuboff's book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power; Antonio Garciá Martínez's book, Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley; An article about the Frootie Fone's invisible face reader from ITechPost called "Is Your iPhone Spying on You by Taking Invisible Photos? Apple Explains Infrared Camera"; and a Frootie support page filled with very specific and disturbing language.

I play: A tikki tokker named Brie who showed with an infrared camera all that darned flashing every five seconds. Musically, KMFDM backs Shoshana Zuboff herself in the intro; and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 225: Why We Can't Have Nice Things

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It really is possible to improve our lives by adopting less onerous practices. Keeping us from this better life are obscene fortunes earned by those who provide more onerous practices. I discuss some of this Episode 225: Why We Can't Have Nice Things.

In this episode, I read a message from my cell phone provider. I didn't read the silly survey they gave me afterwards, which, of course, allowed me to give them a shit review. I also recalled quite a few memories, and shared quite a few opinions, on things like M-Pesa.

I play: someone discussing small men's swimwear; and play Pee Wee Herman pointing out that many cannot wear the smallest size… due to their larger posteriors. Musically, Representative David Cicilline opens the show backed by KMFDM, and I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Episode 224: Categorically Errory

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I could do every episode sharing crud that attempts to score points against collective action… crud that spouts from mouths paid by people most likely to suffer should collective action occur. I present two in this Episode 224: Categorically Errory.

In this episode, I read from: Robert Henderson's City Journal article, "The Cadre In The Code"; and from the Manhattan Institute's various web pages. From memory, I also related the gist of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd novels.

I play: from Bill Maher's show, Real Time, Elon Musk getting his meritocracy on; and D. L. Myers invoking the Powell Movement. KMFDM backs Bruce Livesy in the intro, and I close with Julie and Rolf & the Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Links to that material (along with an article that I didn't quote at all, but that had a full link to the Bill Maher show) can be found at the show notes at AttackAdsPodcast.Blogspot.com.

Oh, and a brief apology: this show is over a week late, simply because of [reasons], which were very good ones indeed. Trust me.

Addendum: Thanks to longtime friend and listener BleakNemesis, we can picture what this controversy hath stirred!


Bleak got it here.

Oh, and for those curious, BleakN is my nemesis, and has been since the name's creation. And a worthy adversary he is!

Episode 223: The Counterintelligentsia Strikes Back!

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I've described before how ideas originated in academia have caught society’s collective popular vision. How much of that content, though, was intended to benefit only the wealthy? I explore this in Episode 223: The Counterintelligentsia Strikes Back!

In this episode, I read from Nancy MacLean's book Democracy In Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan For America. I also mentioned in passing Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day and Arlie Russell Hochshield's book Strangers in Their Own Land.

I played: bits of two online videos featuring a mash-up of newsreels from 1957's Arkansas integration fight. D. L. Myers voiced the stinger for the Powell Movement.

Musically, I finished the body of the episode with Lee Rosevere's appropriately named "Intervention". KMFDM backed Henry Giroux in the introduction, and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 222: FOB The Most Important Invention Ever

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Too few realize that answering the cocktail party question “what’s the best [something] ever?” requires taking into account how many on earth are affected by it. I attempt to answer this question in this Episode 222: FOB The Most Important Invention Ever.

In this episode, I read from: Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma; Vaclav Smil's book Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production; my computer's quickie dictionary; and Peter Zeihan's book The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization. I played: Political Economist Mark Blyth backed by KMFDM; and I'm closing now with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Oh, for the show notes pages I'm including a brand-new TLA of FOB, which stands for Feeding Our Bellies. That will go into the title at the show notes so you can find… or avoid… all of my diversions from advertising that concern agriculture and global warming.

Episode 221: Books I've Quietly Read

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Most of us can relate: if we do something too often, specific memories of doing that thing are often lost until something triggers us to remember. Well, I read a lot. Here are some titles I forgot to mention in this Episode 221: Books I've Quietly Read.

In this episode, I mentioned: The On The Media series "The Divided Dial", which referenced Ann Nelson's book Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right; and Amy Webb's book The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity. I read from: Scott Galloway's book The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google; my computer's quickie dictionary; Nancy MacLean's book Democracy In Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America; and H. G. Well's book Tono-Bungay. Too many books; too few mentions.

I played: a single word from the Pixar movie Up. Musically, I also played: KMFDM backing Mr. Ceglowski commenting on the truthfulness of advertisers; and I'm closing with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 220: Snitches Get Riches

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Once we learn about all the intrusive technologies foisted upon us just to stuff ads in our earholes and eyeballs, paranoia comes naturally. How much is enough? When does our paranoia match reality? I muse that in this Episode 220: Snitches Get Riches.

In this episode, I read from: two Wikipedia articles, one on the Met, the other on its founder, Sir Robert Peel; and an ad-jargony article about a radio station and billboard owner in Oklahoma.

I played: a bit of the movie The Limey; and a promotional video that bragged about just how intrusively they can coordinate radio, billboards, and phones. Musically, KMFDM backed Shoshana Zuboff in the intro; and I'm closing the show with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 219: "Not Totally Without Historical Significance"

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We are taught from childhood to save, because a penny saved can lead to a penny earned. What happens, though, when others have investments that take every penny we have? I explore this in Episode 219: "Not Totally Without Historical Significance."

In this episode, I read from: The Hipcrime Vocab's January 14th article, "The Big Housing Lie"^* (which itself quoted other sources that I also read); Chuck Collins' book, The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions; an Atlantic article called "When Wall Street Is Your Landlord"; and Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

Bernie Sanders opens the show backed by KMFDM; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

^*NB: Something changed between my email client's download and his blog entry's current title. Throughout the episode, I refer to the article as "The False Housing Crisis Narrative." Please don't let the discrepancy bother you.

Episode 218: Why (r > g) Matters

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Who can we trust in the “sciences”? In this episode, I offer academic research—later discounted by evidence—for years considered sacrosanct simply because it protects a hidden agenda of political economy. Hence, today's Episode 218: Why (r > g) Matters.

In this episode, I read from: a book by Chuck Collins called The Wealth Hoarders (which I will no doubt be relating more in coming episodes); Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century; and two Wikipedia pages, one on The Kuznets Curve, the other on The Gilded Age.

I play: a snippet from the television series cartoon version of the comic Dilbert, where Nobel-prize winners gathered on a bus have a disagreement on what kind of academic research does——and what does not——constitute a science. As I mentioned in Episode 20, that is still a hot but smoldering controversy. Musically, I open the show with Henry Giroux backed by KMFDM's "Attak"; I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Episode 217: Chopping At The Golem

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I have to say, it's exciting to witness a change in political winds almost the moment it happens…especially when it concerns legality in the world of online advertising! I share this change in the weather in this Episode 217: Chopping At The Golem.

In this episode, I read from: Matt Stoller's article from his newsletter Big, called "The Week CNBC Started to Panic"; and a synopsis of a brief filed by the Department of Justice concerning the legal break-up of the Alef Bet.


That image has lots of the pseudopods
from one company, doesn't it?

I play: the enraged and apoplectic Jim Cramer from CNBC. Musically, KMFDM backs Matt Stoller in the opening; I play a bit of incidental music from the December 12, 1953 radio version of Dragnet, stuff I found in an episode titled "The Big Pick"; and I close today with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

Episode 216: FOB The Dirt Road To Serfdom

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We all like to eat. There are, sadly, very profitable reasons to keep the various processes dictating how the food we buy is created well hidden. Today I point out just some of the lowlights you find alongside Episode 216: FOB The Dirt Road To Serfdom.

In this episode, I read from: Joel Salatin's book, Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal; my quickie dictionary; and Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I would highly recommend both of these books to anyone, again, who eats.

I play: Pee Wee Herman's observation about sizable posteriors. Yeah, I play that a lot; but it's still funny. Musically, KMFDM backs author Cory Doctorow in a brand-new intro mulling over the profitability of doubt and the merchants that peddle it; and Mistle Thrush closes the show.

Epiosde 215: The Libertarian Delusion

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Everybody likes to suggest changes that will fix problems found in everyday life. What we don't often have, though, is a clear idea of whether those utopian changes will—or won’t—work. I present one example in this Epiosde 215: The Libertarian Delusion.

In this episode, I read from: Joel Salatin's books, first Folks, This Ain't Normal, and then Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: Stories from the Local Food Front; and Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.

I play: Sydney Greenstreet as the evil corporate soap advertiser in The Hucksters. Seriously, folks, you have to see that 1947 movie. Musically, KMFDM backs Douglass Rushkoff in the opening, and I close with Julie & Rolf and The Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

Episode 214: Medium unCoolers

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Advertisers scheme ways to spread filth; but low-margin retailers can't stop these intrusions without angering shareholders. This creates a creeping tendency toward abominations in stores. I give a chilling example in this Episode 214: Medium unCoolers.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; a CNN article about store cooler screens; and a Slashdot entry about said screens.

I play: a videographer bemoaning the very existence of these screens; and from the movie Annie Hall Marshall McLuhan bemoaning ignorance of his work. Musically, KMFDM backs Lance Strate in the opening; and I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow". (After finishing the show, I snuck a bit about 20th century advertising intrusion from Fry on Futurerama.)

Episode 213: The Audience Commodity

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Advertisers want to know you because pitches to receptive audiences sell product. But before surveillance technology existed, how did they do that? To help, there’s an obscure but key theory to know in this Episode 213, one named The Audience Commodity.

In this episode, I read from: Daniel Joseph's article on Dallas Smyth's theory on the Audience Commodity. I didn't share everything, but I think I got the important points. You decide.

I play: Excerpts from Dana Carvey on the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show; Jason Matheson and Kendall Mark from The Jason Show; D. L. Myers giving us the haunting stinger for the Powell Movement; the voices of the actors playing Matt Dylan, Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble, all hawking tobacco^*; and real people James Jacoby and Brad Parscale from raw footage recorded for a Frontline interview.

Musically, I play: The Vince Guiraldi Trio playing "Skating," the only seasonal music I can personally stand at all. KMFDM backed Professor Shoshana Zuboff in the opening; and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

^*Apologies for linking to an old episode; it turns out there were many, many sources for the commercials I recorded, and I neglected to specify which of the many videos gave me the actual recordings.

Epiosde 212: KSD Get Thee To The Moil!

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Everything seems chaotic today, what with supply chain disruptions, staffing shortfalls, and this wave of union activity, all panicking employers. What could be the reason? How about math? I explore that in this Epiosde 212: Get Thee To The Moil!

In this episode, I read from: Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day; John M. Barry's book The Great Influenza; and Robert Louis Stevenson's essay "An Apology For Idlers".

I play: "Eight Hours", from the album "The Hand That Holds The Bread: Progress and Protest in the Gilded Age Songs from the Civil War to the Columbian Exposition," recorded in 1978 by Cincinnati's University Singers; and a snippet, slowed down to a groan, of "Look For The Union Label," taken from an ad campaign in the '70s by the Ladies International Garment Workers. I open with Henry Giroux noting the value of civic awareness, backed by KMFDM; I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 211: Back To Basics

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Parody goes beyond laughter: it can help all of us see silliness in what we never questioned; help us see our naked marching monarch. I explore ideas I've had, along with terms others have coined on this topic, in this Episode 211: Back To Basics.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; a Wikipedia article on détournement; and Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.


Now that's sublime détournement!

I play: a hilarious excerpt from The Dana Carvey Show; and an excerpt with John Roderick and Ken Jennings, from their podcast Omnibus. Once again, it was a treat to have listener Vincent complain about my horrific attempts to speak his native language. Thanks again, Vincent. (Oh, and since a recent episode concerned animal husbandry and the care of waste, I had Vincent read the curses "cow" and "shit." Just for fun!)

Musically, KMFDM back the first intro I ever used with Dmitri Orlov spouting a timeless truth. I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Episode 210: FOB Prehistory, Lost & Found

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Question: Why is the largest river in South America called the Amazon? I recently re-read some important source material, and got some surprises on that and other important topics I hope you'll share in this Episode 210: FOB Prehistory, Lost & Found.


A researcher linked research!


Here, the same thing happened!

In this episode, I read from: Albert Bates' book The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change; a Wikipedia entry on the Amazon's name; my computer's quickie dictionary; and one or two or three articles about biochar research. I also allude to Charles C. Mann's books on the impacts of the discovery and exploitation of the Americas, 1491 and 1493.


Biochar in close-up, from the third linked article!

Musically, I play: KMFDM, backing Mark Blyth in the opening; and I close with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 209: FOB Partners In A Symbiotic Dance

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At this rate, we humans face a hot climate blanketing the planet with the over two centuries of fuel exhaust we have already dug up and burned. There are solutions out there. I share a dirty, meaty one in this Episode 209: FOB Partners In A Symbiotic Dance.

In this episode, I read from: that completely ass-backwards website put out by the World Economic Forum; and from Joel Salatin's book, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advise for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World, which I highly recommend.


See Joel!

I played: Joel Salatin himself (pictured and linked above), giving a videographer a tour of his techniques; and a bunch of animals. Musically, I played: KMFDM backing political economist Mark Blyth; I close today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 208: FOB Peddling the Nitrogen Cycle

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What do you think: will we as a species starve to death, or merely roast? Trying to thread that policy needle is proving a challenge, one that (for me, at least) needs to be itself challenged. Hence, Episode 208: FOB Peddling the Nitrogen Cycle.

In this episode, I read from: not just one, but two web sites produced by the World Economic Forum in 2016; an Environmental Protection Agency primer on judging the potency of greenhouse gasses; not just one, but two articles about resistance to new law, the first from The Financial Post, and the second from the New York Times; and my computer's quickie dictionary.



I play: the sound of protests in the Netherlands. KMFDM backs Mark Blyth's shitty remarks in the opening; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 207: Take Two, Phase One

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Is your phone listening to what you say when you aren't using it to actually make calls? That's what it seems everyone is wondering; but how to find out if it is? I ponder one possible answer to that question in this Episode 207: Take Two, Phase One.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; Antonio Garciá Martínez's book, Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley; and Shoshana Zuboff's book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power.

I play a bit of a song appropriately called "Why Try?" by Dumbo Gets Mad toward the end. KMFDM backs Shoshana Zuboff in the intro, and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 206: Good News For News?

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Extra! Extra! Read all about (maybe) good news for newspapers! Hey, a guy can dream, right? Best of all, this might be the very thing that ends our scourge of disinformation! I look into this possible solution in this Episode 206: Good News For News?

In this episode, I read from: a Wikipedia article about the Old English poem Beowulf; two articles by Matt Stoller, both from his newsletter Big (which I highly recommend); Robert McChesney and John Nichols' book The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution That Will Begin the World Again; and my computer's quickie dictionary.

I play: listener Vincent, cursing once again at my inability to clearly speak his native French language^*; and KMO from The C-Realm (who also draws and writes comics and hosts other podcasts!) gave us a "great." Matt Stoller opens the show backed by KMFDM, and I close today with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

^*Thanks again, Vincent, for recording those curses. Every time I play them, they make me giggle.

Episode 205: All That You Can Be

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What each of us shall find in our future, sadly, too often depends not upon good planning, smarts, and gumption, but rather on who happen to be your mom and dad. Thus it's hardly a meritocracy that dictates Episode 205: All That You Can Be.

In this episode, I read from: Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers: The Story of Success; and listener Kevin and his friend John riffing on Kevin's Fuckbook page. Thanks again to both of them for giving me permission to read their contributions. I also share the results of a focus group related to me by an anonymous friend. Thanks again, anonymous friend!

I played: a marines recruitment advertisement, gotten from a site that cinematically broke down the ad; Marine General Smedley Butler addressing the Bonus Marchers in 1932; and the theme from The A-Team. Chuck Mertz noted in the opening that people aren't dumb, backed by KMFDM (which might explain the dystopias predicted by young people today); and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 204 Our Howie Holidays… of Work

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Let's remember Howie's 1958 holiday, the one that turned out to be “I Must Work More!” In this Episode 204, Our Howie Holidays… of Work, I explore just some of the forces that try to convince us to stop worrying, but to never, ever stop working.

In this episode, I read: Jacob Goldstein's comments made on the podcast You Are Not So Smart; and from Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. I played: a video from the Bank of England concerning broad money creation; and from a recording of Michael Hudson relaying key moments in his life (I wish I could remember where I got it!).

At the end, I also play an old audio montage about money creation, something I originally assembled in 2011, built of clips from early C-Realm Podcast episodes, and last heard on this show back on Episode 8: The Buck Starts Here. In order of vocal appearance, we find in the montage: C-Realm host KMO; John Michael Greer (from #262: Assume the Can is Open), Ellen H. Brown (from #102: A Vocabulary of Control); Thomas H. Greco (from #265: Legal Tender and the Credit Clearing Function); Dmitri Orlov and Richard Heinberg (from #266: A Black Hole of Debt); Charles Eisenstein (from #272: Emperor of What); and Doug Lain (who has not articulated the tidbit himself as far as I am aware, but I included his voice as well) (from #269: A Better Laugh Track). Ably backing those voices was Ga'an's "Servant Eye".

I open the show with Henry Giroux explaining how lies are perpetrated by the moneyed right, backed by KMFDM. I close with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang.

Addendum: Listener and old friend Bleak Nemesis did a little digging and found the Michael Hudson interview I have. I followed Bleak's Stitchup link and found what seems to be a now-defunct show called Left Out. According to the link: "This autobiographical interview was conducted at Peking University on May 7, 2018 by Lau Kin Chi of the Global University for Sustainability."

I still don't know how it got on my computer, but now we know more!

Episode 203: KSD Unquieting Hearts For Profit

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We last left the six-hour workers at the Kellogg's factory when the war ended in 1946. What new challenges to their shorter work shift will confront them next? That is the question for this Episode 203: Unquieting Hearts For Profit.

In this episode, I read from: Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. I also mentioned in passing a book I found pretty darned interesting: Daniel Pink's Drive.

I play: Pee Wee Herman's observation about people with large posterior impediments; KMFDM's "Attack," which backed Dmitri Orlov; and I close today's show with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today".

Episode 202: Right In The Heartballs

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We humans are hyper-social critters. For that reason, it can be difficult for us to discover which of our ideas social pressures unknowingly impose upon us. Changing our minds can thus require a kick implied in this Episode 202: Right In The Heartballs.

In this episode, I read from: David McRaney's newer book How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion; the Wikipedia pages for both the Ashe Conformity Experiments and the Overton Window; the political blog Bending Left, written by thereisnospoon; and the website for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The voice of Joseph G. Lehman, the current President of the Mackinac Center gives us an intro into the Overton Window; and D. L. Myers intones the portentous utterance of the Powell movement. KMFDM's "Attak" opens the show backing Noam Chomsky's mention of the Powell Memorandum itself. I close today with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

[Oh, and yes, this episode is posted a couple days late, due to the heat wave and its deleterious effects on electronics. I'm as sorry as I can be over the weather and my inability to control it.]

Episode 201: After Long Silence

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After over eight years of doing this show, I still maintain the best source for show topics comes directly from listener feedback. I have listeners and commenters Pim and Dode to thank for this Episode 201: After Long Silence.

In this episode, I summarized a bit of Jacques Ellul's 1965 translation of his 1962 book Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes. I read from: two comments left by listeners Pim and Dode. Thanks to both of you for those insightful observations!I also read from: Jaron Lanier's book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now; and an article that addressed misspellings in ads.

Musically, KMFDM backs a brand new intro I cobbled together with the voice and message of Douglass Rushkoff, concerning the inadvisability of customized news. I close today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 200: Shees Reminded Me of Science!

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Time to review my first experiment conducted to try to determine if my phone listens to me… when it should not. To see if I manscaped well or if I nicked the berries, check out Episode 200: Shees Reminded Me of Science!.

In this episode, I read from: Shoshana Zuboff's book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power; and bits of selected spam sent by random shees. I reference an article concerning a patent held by Zuckerfuck's company the Effin' Bees.

(Oh, you really should see that article, if only to marvel at the picture they provided. It shows old Marky Zuck sitting at (I assume) his desk. Some sharp eyes noticed that on Zuck's computer, pieces of tape blocked the built-in camera and microphone jack. I guess if you know exactly what dangers lurk around those supposedly innocent devices, exactly what nefarious and evil people can do with them without your knowledge, you can't call it paranoia.)

Musically, KMFDM opens the show with "Attak" backing Shoshana Zuboff's warning of the hidden dangers of surveillance capitalism. Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang close the show with "Over the Rainbow."

Again, if you leave me a message here, remember that I'll be laid up for a few weeks, so allow some time before I answer.

Episode 199: Ultima Ratio Plebium

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I will maintain as long as I am able to speak that we must learn from history, if only to avoid making mistakes already made… well, making them again… and again… and…. I look back to the Crash of the 1930s in this Episode 199: Ultima Ratio Plebium.


My title's inspiration.

In this episode, I recalled: a bit of David McRaney's book You Are Not So Smart, the book I covered in my last show; and the detail about the "last argument of kings," which I originally encountered in Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash. I read from: Michael Perino's The Hellhound of Wall Street: How Ferdinand Pecora's Investigation of the Great Crash Forever Changed American Finance; and my quickie dictionary.

Musically, I threw in a bit of Podington Bear at the end, with "Feather". KMFDM backed Mr. Ceglowski in the opener, and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 198: We Are Not So Smart

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We humans bear complex mental mechanisms, which are often general enough for experiments to tease out some rules that govern our behavior. Knowing how these rules can manipulate us helps us realize the title of this Episode 198: We Are Not So Smart.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; David McRaney's You Are Not So Smart (Penguin Random House, 2012); and Rose George's Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate (Metropolitan Books, 2013). Strictly from memory, I shared details from the movie Flight From Death.

I play: Pee Wee Herman commenting on large exceptions; and a bit from Animal House of Neidermeyer swinging the bat to induct a young Kevin Bacon to the ways of fraternity life… and economic life in general. Musically, Tristan Harris opens the show with KMFDM. I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 197: KSD The Rabbits and the Work-Hogs

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Workplaces are social dynamos. Quite often—and often by design—how we are paid and scheduled interferes in what people really want from their work. This is the long-existing division I discuss in today's Episode 197: The Rabbits and the Work-Hogs.

In this episode, I read from Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. I also did not quote from, but sought some clarifying information from a helpful article found at the Department of Labor concerning the original legislation for maximum work hours, the Black-Connery Bill, which eventually became the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

Musically, Henry Giroux expounded the benefits of civic literacy, backed by KMFDM. Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang now close us out with "Over the Rainbow."

Episode 196: The REALLY Big Necessity

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History has shown again and again that an incomplete or just mistaken understanding of how the world really works leads to most of the problems we suffer. To change our world, we must first change our minds; thus Episode 196: The REALLY Big Necessity.

In this episode, I read from four books: First, I recall a bit of Rose George's The Big Necessity: the Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters; then, Steven Johnson's books, Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate and The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic——and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World; and finally, Jaron Lanier's Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. I also quote Upton Sinclair's most quotable quote ever quoted, so quotable I call it The Sinclair Maxim (which was originally published, as far as I know, in I, Candidate for Governor and How I Got Licked).

Musically, Pietnastka did "Superator" near the end. I open with KMFDM backing Tristan Harris in the opening, and Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang take us out with "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 195: I Miss Magazines

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After seeing some of the best magazines I've ever read go quite extinct, some have wondered if the lack of advertising killed them. I would ask, rather, if magazines can afford to advertise at all. Still, in this Episode 195: I Miss Magazines.

In this episode, I read from: a 1990 Gloria Steinem article titled "Sex, Lies, and Advertising", reprinted in the collection Our Unfree Press: 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism; and an article from the Nation on the demise of Mad magazine that quotes Ms. Steinem. I play Pee Wee Herman noting the prevalence of large final exceptions. (Oh, and I forgot to mention the voice of D. L. Myers intoning the Powell Movement Stinger. Sorry, D. L.)

Musically, I play: KMFDM backing then-Mayor Bernie Sanders commenting on the concentration of media; and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

(For the curious, I recommend this page.)

Episode 194: Something Old, Something New

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Lately, it seems, how long we owners of tech can use our things has been shrinking, as ever-more monopolistic powers extend toward a product totalitarianism that favors newness over usefulness. This I explore Episode 194: Something Old, Something New.

In this episode, I read from John Michael Greer's book, The Long Descent (which no longer appears to be available from my library, darn it). Though I borrowed heavily from a couple wiki articles about certain computers and noise makers, I didn't directly quote any of them, so there.

Musically, KMFDM backs Representative David Cicilline decrying the monopolistic state of corporate power. Mistle Thrush plays in the closing.

Episode 193: KSD Lazy, Do Nothing Idlers

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Have you ever thought how weird it is that experts in labor—issuing pronouncements about how long shifts should be—never work those job shifts themselves? It's another argument supporting the title group in this Episode 193: KSD Lazy, Do Nothing Idlers.

In this episode, I read from: an anonymous 18th century pamphlet; Benjamin Hunnicutt's book, Kellogg's Six-Hour Day; and my computer's quickie dictionary.

I play: in honor of black history month, Martin Luther King expounding about the evils of "gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion," his quote backed by KMFDM's "Attak"; and I close today with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 192: The Right To Be Lazy

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Everyone seems aware of the appalling working conditions afflicting the poor in the 18th century; fewer seem aware, though, of what rationale drove employers to such torture. I dip into a book from that period in this Episode 192: The Right To Be Lazy.

In this episode, I read from: a snippet of William Blake; the 1883 English translation of Paul Lafargue's book The Right To Be Lazy; and my computer's quickie dictionary.

Musically, I open the show with KMFDM backing Henry Giroux's observation about civic literacy. Mistle Thrush closes the show once again.

Also, listener Vincent voiced his frustration at me butchering his native language with a bit of foul French cursing. This one "bordel a queue", translates roughly to "a line outside a brothel." It's an oath uttered in frustration. "Damn it," it seems to say, "I won't get laid for hours!" I still giggle every time I quote his curses on this show! Thank you again, Vincent!

While I'm here, let me ask: are their any other listeners who can curse a blue streak in their native languages, and who would be willing to record some doozies for the Attack Ads! Podcast? If so, let's talk! Drop me a comment!

Episode 191: An Apology For Idlers

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Today’s society values industry and work, specifically hard and grueling work. This has happened before. We should look to 1877, where good advice was given in an essay, the title of which I've stolen for this Episode 191: An Apology For Idlers.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; the original 1877 essay bearing the title "An Apology for Idlers" by Robert Lewis Stevenson; Daniel Markovits' book, The Meritocracy Trap: How America's Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite; Annie's Box^* by Randall Keynes; Passionate Minds^* by David Bodanis; The Big Test by Nicholas Lemann; and tiny, unquoted bits from Evolution's Captain: the Dark Fate of the Man Who Sailed Charles Darwin Around the World by Peter Nichols, and one of Jane Austen's books (probably Pride and Prejudice).

I play throughout a snippet from Episode 1, Season 1 of Jeeves and Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Musically, I play: Podington Bear's "Gamma Ray". KMFDM backs Douglass Rushkoff in the beginning^*; and I close today with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

[NB: My local library did not have two of the references, and I carelessly misplaced the source for the new Rushkoff intro. I regret my oversight. I will edit this and include it as soon as possible. I doubt I will be able to do anything, though, about my library's oversight, since they are really good books that people in Seattle really should read.]

Episode 190: How To Do Nothing

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With all the bad news in which we wallow, it's natural to feel the need to do something. Sadly, that is just what the people who got that news to you would like you to do. Better instead to follow the advice of today's Episode 190: How To Do Nothing.

In this episode, I read from Jenny O'Dell's book, How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. There's lots more in her book that I was unable to even touch on, some of which she touches on in an interview.

I play: Podington Bear doing "Flutterby". Tristan Harris opens the show backed by KMFDM; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Bonus Episode: FDR's 1938 Message to Congress on Curbing Monopolies

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Every now and again, I discover a quote I deem relevant enough to share. Less often, I’m moved enough to share most of the original source. In this Bonus Episode, I read from one of those rare finds: FDR's 1938 Message to Congress on Curbing Monopolies.

Other than a snippet from KMFDM's "Attack," I play: the muzak version of "The Girl From Ipanema", which was featured in the movie The Blues Brothers.

Episode 189: Memento Mori, Motherfacer

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Context is everything. Sadly, context is often lost in the transition to digital communications. We need to remember that, especially when the context is not happy, cheery, with nary a care in the world. Hence, Episode 189: Memento Mori, Motherfacer.

In this episode, all the stories are of people I personally knew. Call it anecdata if you need, it makes no nevermind to me. Because it's such a short episode, I've provided a little non-Fuckbook tale after the credits for your amusement.

I did play the voice of Mark Zuckerfuck himself giving "testimony" before Congress, as to the way they make their money. I also played KMFDM backing Tristan Harris summarizing how the tech community makes their money. I close, as I often do, with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

Episode 188: The Hyporeality Vortex

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Of course, not all we learn in commercial media can be trusted. It's always good to remember, though, how tenacious some efforts at mis- and disinformation become, swirling to form something described by the title of Episode 188: The Hyporeality Vortex.

In this episode, I read from: Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments For the Elimination of Television; two Guardian articles by George Monbiot; Naomi Oreskes and Eric Conway's book The Merchants of Doubt:How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues From Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming; and Jane Mayer's book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

I play: D. L. Myers intoning the Powell Movement Stinger; Burlington, Vermont Mayor Bernie Sanders, backed by KMFDM; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 187: Sharing A Little Mulled Whine

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I'm sometimes embarrassed to admit that I might produce this show even without an audience; it's therapeutic. It's good to know people do listen, and often share their provocative thoughts, which prompt this Episode 187: Sharing A Little Mulled Whine.

In this episode, I read from: listener Pim's disquieting concern; and Jacques Ellul's 1962 book, Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes. Musically, I open the show with Mr. Ceglowski backed by KMFDM, and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Links to this here stuff can be found at the show notes at AttackAdsPodcast.Blogspot.com.

Of course, thanks again for the provocative observation, Pim!

Episode 186: MFA An Internal Scarcity of Contentment

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Jerry Mander's 1978 book still packs rhetorical punch, enough that reviewing the notes I took on it lead me to realize a cause, perhaps, of today’s extreme political sectarianism. I'll dive into that in Episode 186: MFA An Internal Scarcity of Contentment.

In this Episode, I read from: a Harvard Business Review article called "Advertising Makes Us Unhappy"; and Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.

Musically, I play: Jahzzar doing "Invisible" (which was perfect backing for all of Jerry Mander's content I was not going to mention). Brian Kaller mentions the anger McNuggets on their phones, backed by KMFDM; and I close today with Mistle Thrush doing "It's All Like Today."

Episode 185: WTN Destabilizing Our Collective Understanding

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I’m worried. To me, America may be suffering enough social anger—technically called "political sectarianism"—to lead to upcoming upheaval, perhaps in the near future. I'll discuss this in today's Episode 185: Destabilizing Our Collective Understanding.

In this episode, I read from: My computer's Quickie Dictionary; Karen Kaplan, "Fed up with the election? Science explains how politics got so awful" (LA Times, October 29, 2020); Nicholas Lemann, The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999); William Straus & Neil Howe, Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (William Morrow & Company, 1991); Jane Mayer, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right (Random House, 2016); Matt Stoller, Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy (Simon & Schuster, 2019); Charles Peters, "A Neo-Liberal's Manifesto," The Washington Post, September 5, 1982; Thomas Frank, Listen, Liberal, or What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? (Metropolitan Books, 2016); Arlie Russell Hochschild, Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning On The American Right (The New Press, 2016); and Michael J. Sandel, The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2020).

I play: quotes from both KMO from the C-Realm Podcast and listener Kevin W., who were gracious enough to record their opinions for me (my many thanks to both of them); Lance Strate, a guest on the Hermitix Podcast, "Amusing Ourselves to Death with Lance Strate"; "Those Were the Days", the opening song for the long-running CBS show, All In The Family; a Bill Clinton campaign speech (at National Education Association); a Barack Obama speech (Remarks by the President on Investing in America's Future, 10/25/2013); a Michael Gove and Faisal Islam debate; two On The Media episodes, first "Constitutionally Speaking", and then "Aftershocks".

Oh, and quick note: as they say, I shot my wad with this one (meaning in this case my monthly bandwidth allotment). Since I am, as they say, cheap, look for the next episode in early November.

Episode 184: His Tomorrow Is Our Today

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Henry Ford wrote in 1926*, “The machine is a symbol of man's mastery of his environment.” He also wrote other things of “public service” and the “wage motive” you should hear. I'll share these concepts in this Episode 184: His Tomorrow Is Our Today.

In this episode, I read from: a web site called the Quote Investigator concerning Walter Reuther's great retort; and Henry Ford's book 1926 book, Today and Tomorrow.

Musically, I played: Podington Bear doing "Holding Hands." Representative David Cilliline opened the show talking about monopolies, backed by KMFDM, and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

*I said 1925 in the show by accident. Oops. I also failed to mention Sydney Greenstreet's voice talking about proven facts, that voice taken from the 1947 movie The Hucksters. I regret the errors. Oh, and I really regret forgetting to post this episode until it was two days late. My forgetful bad.

Episode 183 ¡D'Liv'rin' In Vivo, Boca!

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We all have preferences for products, habits that sometimes last most of our lives. We should, though, be aware of what product makers can do to get us hooked… before we’re even born. With apologies to Ricky Martin, Episode 183 ¡D'Liv'rin' In Vivo, Boca!

In this episode, I read from: a 2011 book by David Linstrom called Brandwashed: Tricks Companies use to Manipulate our Minds and Persuade us to Buy; and from my computer's quickie dictionary.

Musically, I played: Lee Rosevere doing "Intervention". KMFDM backed Henry Giroux in the opening, and I'm closing this time with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

(Very quickly, the name of that researcher I mention in the show? Minna Huotilainen. See? If you're not a Finnish speaker….)

Episode 182: KSD The Fight To Guide The Plodders

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I've shown how the Kellogg's six-hour day became just one form of work sharing during the Great Depression. I haven't shown you yet why this schedule option was all but abandoned. Consider the title of this Episode 182: The Fight To Guide The Plodders.

In this episode, I read from: two books by Henry Ford, first My Life and Work (which my library does not carry, sadly; and you know better than to ask for a Shit River link!) from 1922, and then Today and Tomorrow from 1926. Mostly, though, I read from Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. Musically, I throw in a snippet from "Eight Hours", the marching song I introduced back in Episode 180. It was recorded by Cincinnati's University Singers and released in an album called The Hand That Holds The Bread: Progress and Protest in the Gilded Age Songs from the Civil War to the Columbian Exposition. That was released back in 1978. I open the show with KMFDM backing Dmitri Orlov, and I close the show with Mistle Thrush.