For this week’s podcast episode, I’m joined by Dr. Ian Marcus Corbin, a Harvard Medical School philosopher, who recently co-wrote "The Left Needs a Spiritual Renaissance. So Does America" with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). We talk about how America finds itself in a period of decline, what must happen to pull itself out of it, and what Democrats need to change to take on Trump. This is a brief clip from our conversation.
Francesca, While it’s cliche, in my view, Trump is not the cause; he’s the symptom of a party, whose misplaced grievances, particularly since the Gingrich Revolution of the 90s, have increasingly been amplified. As the saying goes, if Trump had not appeared the Party would have created him.
... comes from the character of "seeds" that were planted yesteryears ago. SEEDS of Hypocrisy can only produce FRUITS of Hpocrisy! From the birth of America, discriminatory practices in every aspect of life was levered against all Peoples of Color!
This nation was birthed in a cesspool of sinful corruption, marginalization and exploitation of indigenous native tribes of this land and enslaved Africans.
For centuries, America has boasted about it's self-righteousness like the early Pharisees! It's sad for America to admit to being a "supposedly" CHRISTIAN Nation that loves God Whom no one has ever seen, but simultaneously offend, misuse and abuse those we see every day.
America is reaping what it had sown?
Until Federal acknowledgment with legally omitted reparations have been fulfil toward the victims of America's brutal domestic violence against Native & Black American Citizens are resolved... there will never be PEACE & HARMONY among us!
Will, no disrespect intended, but you mean to tell me that if reparations are "paid" out by money or land, or some combination of both, to those whose decedents were enslaved then there will be peace and harmony, everyone will be made whole? I doubt it. It seems like it's being suggested that money/wealth is the magic bullet that will erase all the intergenerational mayhem that slavery and the confinement of Native Americans on reservations has brought to segments of our population. You know, the Sioux have been offered $5 Billion to settle the Black Hills "issue" with the federal government. They have yet to settle. I argue $$ doesn't buy peace and harmony. Money only feeds the machine that continues to break us all apart . . . that continues to eat our spirits and prevents us from valuing each other as human beings and using our creative intelligence in order to move past this moment of decline in our society.
You're right; the LUST for "money does feed the machine that continues to break us all apart." But, please, let's take a moment to reflect a little on American History and think about [whose] initial LUST for money was & remains today, the [root cause] of the "intergenerational mayhem that Slavery and the confinement of Native Americans on reservations"... was the impetus of racial disparities in America.
We are where we are today due to immoral institutionalized racial bias, which was strategically implemented during Colonialism and engraved into our Constitution.
This is the critical race history that White America refuses to admit! All of the descendants of Slave Owners have benefited immensely from the free labor and exploitation of enslaved Africans brought to America against their will.
More importantly, after the Emancipation Proclamation that was "supposedly" meant to liberate African Slaves, new Jim Crow Laws & the Klu Klus Klan were immediately organized to mitigate the physical, emotional, economic, social & intellectual progression of enslaved people in America.
This happened because of Slave Owners' self-centered GREED for MONEY & WEALTH... produced by enslaved Africans!
So your audacity to insinuate the need for financial reparations is futile after the [centuries] of LEGAL HARM & degradation America has imposed upon African American... leaves me speechless!
And YES! No money, property or any other form of physical compensation will usher in permanant peace & harmony in America! But what I know for sure, is that... our Race Relations will never improve beyond the surface of blatant disrespectfulness & decepetion!
Conflicts can only to effectively resolve from a foundation of Spirit & Truth! RACISM is a HEART DISEASE that affects every other aspect of our lives!
It's time for America, the [CHRISTIAN] Nation to finally clear its SOUL of the residuals of Colonialism and do the right thing:
- CONFESS an acknowledgment of its offenses & abuses of minorities, rather than banning students from knowing the truth history of this country!
- Recognize & Reform all residual laws & practices of institutionalized racial bias in this country!
- Honor its LEGAL publication to provide equal liberty & justice for ALL CITIZENS alike!
Finally, America should STOP proclaiming to be a "CHRISTIAN" Nation, when for its inception has been the catalyst of evil prejudices and discriminatory practices toward all People of Color!
"YES! No money, property or any other form of physical compensation will usher in permanant peace & harmony in America! But what I know for sure, is that... our Race Relations will never improve beyond the surface of blatant disrespectfulness & decepetion!
Conflicts can only to effectively resolve from a foundation of Spirit & Truth! RACISM is a HEART DISEASE that affects every other aspect of our lives!
It's time for America, the [CHRISTIAN] Nation to finally clear its SOUL of the residuals of Colonialism and do the right thing:
- CONFESS an acknowledgment of its offenses & abuses of minorities, rather than banning students from knowing the truth history of this country!
- Recognize & Reform all residual laws & practices of institutionalized racial bias in this country!
- Honor its LEGAL publication to provide equal liberty & justice for ALL CITIZENS alike!
Finally, America should STOP proclaiming to be a "CHRISTIAN" Nation, when for its inception has been the catalyst of evil prejudices and discriminatory practices toward all People of Color!"
Will, perhaps you don't understand the reason the Lakota haven't taken the $5 Billion for the Black Hills. The land is sacred. Yes, land can bring wealth and prosperity, but land, like the air and like the water, is sacred. They all have BE'ing, they have spirit. How can one sell spirit, the Lakota asks? Now, I know the African American doesn't understand this because they were ripped away from their spiritual motherlands and dropped inside the middle of an economic nightmare that is ongoing . . . left motherless, fatherless, and ancestorless with no anchor that ties the past to the present and the future.
Above, you talk about Spirit and Truth. Perhaps it is time to have conversations about what Spirit and Truth look like beyond the Christian because that Christian thing has not only not worked out for the African American, but you can say it was an actual, direct cause of grief and chaos for the Native person in this hemisphere. In fact, it was the Catholic church, under the directives of the Pope's Papal Bulls, that began the institutional slavery of Africa during the 13th Century in the European colonies on the continent of West Africa. It was the Catholic Church, under those same Papal Bulls, that instituted the exploitation of earthen resources as well as human resources that leads to what we call racism and capitalism today.
It seems to me, putting a price tag to a long line of intergenerational suffering only, ironically, cheapens that ancestral suffering. How can one put a price tag to that kind of suffering? The reparation only becomes diluted because of the volume of those that have to be compensated. So, in the end, a descendant of slaves can say they received a pittance for the amount of suffering their ancestors endured? It sounds like this would only cause more bitterness and resentment.
Bernie Sanders, from all that I've observed and heard, is a human being often navigating successfully the treacherous waters of Babylon that is modern day American politics and culture.
What's the deal with @SteveSchmidt membership levels? I already paid something like $75 for a one-year subscription to his substack...and now there are two other levels - "founding" and "premium"? What gives? Are other people perplexed and a bit frustrated by the fact that they've paid for content but have apparently not paid enough to receive access to all of it?
With all due respect, you can get 95% of my content for free. If people choose, and value the work that I do, and are able, they can pay for it, including my Substack essays, additional premium content, 48 hour advance access and ad free podcasts. If you look at other Substack writers, most have different membership levels too. It's not something that is unique to me
The amount of time, effort and out-of-pocket expenses associated with all of the content I produce ON A DAILY BASIS has to be covered financially, or else I can't sustain this effort.
Steve - Thanks for responding; I appreciate it. I suppose what I'm looking for is a grid of the various membership levels, their costs, and their benefits. I "joined" as a paid subscriber and now find that there are other membership levels that provide access to content not available to me.
The podcast is on another platform called Supercast, not Substack. You have one of two options:
1. You can subscribe to the premium podcast to get specific benefits, which you can find here -- https://thewarning.supercast.com -- which includes immediate access to the podcast ad free (48 hours before the standard release)
OR
2. You can wait until after the 48 hour advance access for premium subscribers to get the full episode, which can be found on my YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform that you use
At the risk of being cancelled: If I sign up for the $750 lifetime membership, will you be my friend? Will you remember my birthday? If I die tomorrow, will you refund my "estate"? What about if you die tomorrow? Not much of a payout. Them's the breaks, I guess. Hey! Remember when I asked (twice) about discounts for people on Medicaid or SNAP? If I sign up, will you answer me? Or do I already know the answer.
I suggest that the decline began during Ronald Reagan’s presidency: the weakening of labor unions, the tax reductions for the rich, the nationwide reduced funding for public schools, the reduction in enforcement of anti-monopoly laws, the abolishment of the draft due to political pressure after the Vietnam War, and later the instant impact of NAFTA, the recession in 2008 to 2010 that caused thousands (millions?) of people to lose their homes while senior executives of banks received huge bonuses after their banks took excessive risks and had to be purchased by other banks because they were failing. I went to the University of California during the period 1960 to 1972, earning a BA, an MA, and a PhD. It was affordable then. I would be willing to pay additional state taxes to help pay for college for those who get very good grades in high school. I believe this country needs to require every young man and every young woman who is not handicapped to provide two years of some kind service, e.g., in the Army or the Navy or the Air Force or the Space Force or community service. I believe all banks, not just the very large banks, should be more closely overseen.
What I remember growing up in the 40s and 50s is the number of heroes that were constantly in the news. People who were examples for all to follow and admire. These were people larger than life, who could make you feel small, no matter how big and successful you were. How much their size was based on fact, admiration or media exposure is uncertain, but they were not fabrications; actual accomplishments were clearly documented. I am talking about national as well as world wide heroes.
These people of enormous accomplishments were from all walks of life, political, science, military, media, theatrical, religion, and sports. People such as Churchill, Roosevelt, Einstein, Salk, Eisenhower, Morrow, Cronkite, Gandhi, Williams, Feller, would all be on the list as well as many others. There was no shortage of supply.
I am sure there are an equal number of such people today, but they don’t get the acknowledgement as in the past. Part of this is due to changing values, the short attention span of people and the media, and the condensing of news into sound bites.
Those getting such attention today are short lived, superficial flashes in the pan, exploited for their commercial value rather than their accomplishments, intellect and talent. No one is dwarfed by their image. The hero of today is fashioned after the emergence of the anti-heroes forged by filmmakers and television sitcoms in the latter half of the 20th century. The idolization of the con man, the criminal outsmarting the law, and the rise to power by the maverick who exploits the norms while others have captured the current imagination through the exposure to the modern news and media cycles.
This absence of legitimate heroes and the dumbing down of America has produced a different kind of American. It more explains the Trump phenomena than anything else. Trump followers are not entrapped cult figures, who have been mesmerized, or foreign adversaries. They are home grown and groomed by the political system, the power brokers and the self-serving. It is who we have become, it is the new face of America. They follow Trump not because they idolize Trump or believe in some higher moral thoughts he expresses, they follow Trump because they are Trump in miniature. They act not out of devotion, but out of self image. This is why their thinking cannot be changed.
There is not much thinking to change, for all feelings and concerns have been turned inward and what is demonstrated is self-reflection. The roots are deep and spreading and, as most deep and spreading roots are, they are not easily seen unless one scratches the surface. For too long this country has not bothered to stop and scratch the surface to view the kind of plants taking root, while the seeds of self-destruction are being planted, we just water and move on. Along with this passive behavior, we have forgotten how to prune and shape what is planted, so that it blends in with the desired landscape.
Today, we are in need of the recognition of the true heroes that are among us on a regular and continuous basis. We need a leader who can catch lightning in a bottle, and has the will to harvest the true potential of the country, and begin to once again plant the seeds that will produce the kind of citizen envisioned by the founders. We need to return to the original principles upon which this country was built. Unless this can be done, the wild and uncontrolled growth of unwanted foliage planted will engulf American society like an invasive, unwanted, and twisted vine. We need to start scratching the surface now, and replant, before it is too late.
We were fortunate to find a transitional leader, but we now need a two term leader, who can take us the distance for a more lasting change.
I blame Trump for our downfall. He gave a pass for bigots to hate again. They are the ones that need to go back into the closets!
Francesca, While it’s cliche, in my view, Trump is not the cause; he’s the symptom of a party, whose misplaced grievances, particularly since the Gingrich Revolution of the 90s, have increasingly been amplified. As the saying goes, if Trump had not appeared the Party would have created him.
In a nutshell. "Win at all costs" ethics, convictions, and decency be damned. Thanks, Steve, for a wide array of subjects under The Warning banner.
The harvest or fruit that's showing up today
... comes from the character of "seeds" that were planted yesteryears ago. SEEDS of Hypocrisy can only produce FRUITS of Hpocrisy! From the birth of America, discriminatory practices in every aspect of life was levered against all Peoples of Color!
This nation was birthed in a cesspool of sinful corruption, marginalization and exploitation of indigenous native tribes of this land and enslaved Africans.
For centuries, America has boasted about it's self-righteousness like the early Pharisees! It's sad for America to admit to being a "supposedly" CHRISTIAN Nation that loves God Whom no one has ever seen, but simultaneously offend, misuse and abuse those we see every day.
America is reaping what it had sown?
Until Federal acknowledgment with legally omitted reparations have been fulfil toward the victims of America's brutal domestic violence against Native & Black American Citizens are resolved... there will never be PEACE & HARMONY among us!
Will, no disrespect intended, but you mean to tell me that if reparations are "paid" out by money or land, or some combination of both, to those whose decedents were enslaved then there will be peace and harmony, everyone will be made whole? I doubt it. It seems like it's being suggested that money/wealth is the magic bullet that will erase all the intergenerational mayhem that slavery and the confinement of Native Americans on reservations has brought to segments of our population. You know, the Sioux have been offered $5 Billion to settle the Black Hills "issue" with the federal government. They have yet to settle. I argue $$ doesn't buy peace and harmony. Money only feeds the machine that continues to break us all apart . . . that continues to eat our spirits and prevents us from valuing each other as human beings and using our creative intelligence in order to move past this moment of decline in our society.
You're right; the LUST for "money does feed the machine that continues to break us all apart." But, please, let's take a moment to reflect a little on American History and think about [whose] initial LUST for money was & remains today, the [root cause] of the "intergenerational mayhem that Slavery and the confinement of Native Americans on reservations"... was the impetus of racial disparities in America.
We are where we are today due to immoral institutionalized racial bias, which was strategically implemented during Colonialism and engraved into our Constitution.
This is the critical race history that White America refuses to admit! All of the descendants of Slave Owners have benefited immensely from the free labor and exploitation of enslaved Africans brought to America against their will.
More importantly, after the Emancipation Proclamation that was "supposedly" meant to liberate African Slaves, new Jim Crow Laws & the Klu Klus Klan were immediately organized to mitigate the physical, emotional, economic, social & intellectual progression of enslaved people in America.
This happened because of Slave Owners' self-centered GREED for MONEY & WEALTH... produced by enslaved Africans!
So your audacity to insinuate the need for financial reparations is futile after the [centuries] of LEGAL HARM & degradation America has imposed upon African American... leaves me speechless!
And YES! No money, property or any other form of physical compensation will usher in permanant peace & harmony in America! But what I know for sure, is that... our Race Relations will never improve beyond the surface of blatant disrespectfulness & decepetion!
Conflicts can only to effectively resolve from a foundation of Spirit & Truth! RACISM is a HEART DISEASE that affects every other aspect of our lives!
It's time for America, the [CHRISTIAN] Nation to finally clear its SOUL of the residuals of Colonialism and do the right thing:
- CONFESS an acknowledgment of its offenses & abuses of minorities, rather than banning students from knowing the truth history of this country!
- Recognize & Reform all residual laws & practices of institutionalized racial bias in this country!
- Honor its LEGAL publication to provide equal liberty & justice for ALL CITIZENS alike!
Finally, America should STOP proclaiming to be a "CHRISTIAN" Nation, when for its inception has been the catalyst of evil prejudices and discriminatory practices toward all People of Color!
-
I can get behind these:
"YES! No money, property or any other form of physical compensation will usher in permanant peace & harmony in America! But what I know for sure, is that... our Race Relations will never improve beyond the surface of blatant disrespectfulness & decepetion!
Conflicts can only to effectively resolve from a foundation of Spirit & Truth! RACISM is a HEART DISEASE that affects every other aspect of our lives!
It's time for America, the [CHRISTIAN] Nation to finally clear its SOUL of the residuals of Colonialism and do the right thing:
- CONFESS an acknowledgment of its offenses & abuses of minorities, rather than banning students from knowing the truth history of this country!
- Recognize & Reform all residual laws & practices of institutionalized racial bias in this country!
- Honor its LEGAL publication to provide equal liberty & justice for ALL CITIZENS alike!
Finally, America should STOP proclaiming to be a "CHRISTIAN" Nation, when for its inception has been the catalyst of evil prejudices and discriminatory practices toward all People of Color!"
Will, perhaps you don't understand the reason the Lakota haven't taken the $5 Billion for the Black Hills. The land is sacred. Yes, land can bring wealth and prosperity, but land, like the air and like the water, is sacred. They all have BE'ing, they have spirit. How can one sell spirit, the Lakota asks? Now, I know the African American doesn't understand this because they were ripped away from their spiritual motherlands and dropped inside the middle of an economic nightmare that is ongoing . . . left motherless, fatherless, and ancestorless with no anchor that ties the past to the present and the future.
Above, you talk about Spirit and Truth. Perhaps it is time to have conversations about what Spirit and Truth look like beyond the Christian because that Christian thing has not only not worked out for the African American, but you can say it was an actual, direct cause of grief and chaos for the Native person in this hemisphere. In fact, it was the Catholic church, under the directives of the Pope's Papal Bulls, that began the institutional slavery of Africa during the 13th Century in the European colonies on the continent of West Africa. It was the Catholic Church, under those same Papal Bulls, that instituted the exploitation of earthen resources as well as human resources that leads to what we call racism and capitalism today.
It seems to me, putting a price tag to a long line of intergenerational suffering only, ironically, cheapens that ancestral suffering. How can one put a price tag to that kind of suffering? The reparation only becomes diluted because of the volume of those that have to be compensated. So, in the end, a descendant of slaves can say they received a pittance for the amount of suffering their ancestors endured? It sounds like this would only cause more bitterness and resentment.
Right On!
Bernie Sanders, from all that I've observed and heard, is a human being often navigating successfully the treacherous waters of Babylon that is modern day American politics and culture.
What's the deal with @SteveSchmidt membership levels? I already paid something like $75 for a one-year subscription to his substack...and now there are two other levels - "founding" and "premium"? What gives? Are other people perplexed and a bit frustrated by the fact that they've paid for content but have apparently not paid enough to receive access to all of it?
Sooz,
With all due respect, you can get 95% of my content for free. If people choose, and value the work that I do, and are able, they can pay for it, including my Substack essays, additional premium content, 48 hour advance access and ad free podcasts. If you look at other Substack writers, most have different membership levels too. It's not something that is unique to me
The amount of time, effort and out-of-pocket expenses associated with all of the content I produce ON A DAILY BASIS has to be covered financially, or else I can't sustain this effort.
Steve
Steve - Thanks for responding; I appreciate it. I suppose what I'm looking for is a grid of the various membership levels, their costs, and their benefits. I "joined" as a paid subscriber and now find that there are other membership levels that provide access to content not available to me.
I’m a paid subscriber. Are you saying to be able to listen to your podcast I need to up to a “premium?”
Rebecca,
The podcast is on another platform called Supercast, not Substack. You have one of two options:
1. You can subscribe to the premium podcast to get specific benefits, which you can find here -- https://thewarning.supercast.com -- which includes immediate access to the podcast ad free (48 hours before the standard release)
OR
2. You can wait until after the 48 hour advance access for premium subscribers to get the full episode, which can be found on my YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform that you use
Steve
Will all subscribers have access to a written transcript?
At the risk of being cancelled: If I sign up for the $750 lifetime membership, will you be my friend? Will you remember my birthday? If I die tomorrow, will you refund my "estate"? What about if you die tomorrow? Not much of a payout. Them's the breaks, I guess. Hey! Remember when I asked (twice) about discounts for people on Medicaid or SNAP? If I sign up, will you answer me? Or do I already know the answer.
So rude, so wrong, so misplaced -your comment. Please delete it.
Annie, how is it all so Trumpian? I'm curious.
I suggest that the decline began during Ronald Reagan’s presidency: the weakening of labor unions, the tax reductions for the rich, the nationwide reduced funding for public schools, the reduction in enforcement of anti-monopoly laws, the abolishment of the draft due to political pressure after the Vietnam War, and later the instant impact of NAFTA, the recession in 2008 to 2010 that caused thousands (millions?) of people to lose their homes while senior executives of banks received huge bonuses after their banks took excessive risks and had to be purchased by other banks because they were failing. I went to the University of California during the period 1960 to 1972, earning a BA, an MA, and a PhD. It was affordable then. I would be willing to pay additional state taxes to help pay for college for those who get very good grades in high school. I believe this country needs to require every young man and every young woman who is not handicapped to provide two years of some kind service, e.g., in the Army or the Navy or the Air Force or the Space Force or community service. I believe all banks, not just the very large banks, should be more closely overseen.
An 83 Year Old Remembering
What I remember growing up in the 40s and 50s is the number of heroes that were constantly in the news. People who were examples for all to follow and admire. These were people larger than life, who could make you feel small, no matter how big and successful you were. How much their size was based on fact, admiration or media exposure is uncertain, but they were not fabrications; actual accomplishments were clearly documented. I am talking about national as well as world wide heroes.
These people of enormous accomplishments were from all walks of life, political, science, military, media, theatrical, religion, and sports. People such as Churchill, Roosevelt, Einstein, Salk, Eisenhower, Morrow, Cronkite, Gandhi, Williams, Feller, would all be on the list as well as many others. There was no shortage of supply.
I am sure there are an equal number of such people today, but they don’t get the acknowledgement as in the past. Part of this is due to changing values, the short attention span of people and the media, and the condensing of news into sound bites.
Those getting such attention today are short lived, superficial flashes in the pan, exploited for their commercial value rather than their accomplishments, intellect and talent. No one is dwarfed by their image. The hero of today is fashioned after the emergence of the anti-heroes forged by filmmakers and television sitcoms in the latter half of the 20th century. The idolization of the con man, the criminal outsmarting the law, and the rise to power by the maverick who exploits the norms while others have captured the current imagination through the exposure to the modern news and media cycles.
This absence of legitimate heroes and the dumbing down of America has produced a different kind of American. It more explains the Trump phenomena than anything else. Trump followers are not entrapped cult figures, who have been mesmerized, or foreign adversaries. They are home grown and groomed by the political system, the power brokers and the self-serving. It is who we have become, it is the new face of America. They follow Trump not because they idolize Trump or believe in some higher moral thoughts he expresses, they follow Trump because they are Trump in miniature. They act not out of devotion, but out of self image. This is why their thinking cannot be changed.
There is not much thinking to change, for all feelings and concerns have been turned inward and what is demonstrated is self-reflection. The roots are deep and spreading and, as most deep and spreading roots are, they are not easily seen unless one scratches the surface. For too long this country has not bothered to stop and scratch the surface to view the kind of plants taking root, while the seeds of self-destruction are being planted, we just water and move on. Along with this passive behavior, we have forgotten how to prune and shape what is planted, so that it blends in with the desired landscape.
Today, we are in need of the recognition of the true heroes that are among us on a regular and continuous basis. We need a leader who can catch lightning in a bottle, and has the will to harvest the true potential of the country, and begin to once again plant the seeds that will produce the kind of citizen envisioned by the founders. We need to return to the original principles upon which this country was built. Unless this can be done, the wild and uncontrolled growth of unwanted foliage planted will engulf American society like an invasive, unwanted, and twisted vine. We need to start scratching the surface now, and replant, before it is too late.
We were fortunate to find a transitional leader, but we now need a two term leader, who can take us the distance for a more lasting change.
Say what u will, yes Newt started it but Trump allowed many Americans to be free to spread the hate