Escape Velocity Radio

Well dear listeners, this is it – the final episode of Escape Velocity Radio (for the foreseeable future anyway). And it’s not even a real episode. It’s about one-tenth of an episode – and even then it barely got made. But we felt that at the very least we owed you 6 more minutes top-drawer† podcasting before we closed this chapter, so here it is. Thanks for listening and for all the support, and we’ll see you on the other side. † assessment of quality has not been verified by an independent third-party

Episode Links

Episode Music

• Europe – The Final Countdown

After celebrating Winnipeg’s triumphant victory as Canada’s most racist city, we look at the disconnect between viewing racism as bigoted acts by individuals and seeing it as a colonial system which operates beyond any individual person’s attitudes or actions. We then buckle in for the thrill ride that is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, offering our official review of Canada’s newest national museum: from the wings of the white dove, through the bodegas of despair, and up to the tip of the flume ride and back. Lastly, on G7 Radio, we look at Rhythm Activism’s strange and amazing 1998 album Jesus Was Gay.

Episode Links

• Welcome to Winnipeg: Where Canada's racism problem is at its worst
• Wheeler Vs. MacLeans Magazine
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights
• Norman Nawrocki

Episode Music

• Rhythm Activism – Down in the Mines
• Rhythm Activism – In the Darkest Hour

This month we get into the copious feedback we received from last episode, specifically reflecting on the dissonance between our discussion of sexual assault and two of our past G7 releases. Next we look at the recent spate of highly-publicized police killings of black men in the United States, and wonder aloud what might be more effective in preventing such extra-judicial murder: police body cameras, or a fundamental power shift in race, policing, and justice? Then we make the mistake of once again trying to review a Hollywood movie with Interstellar, but end up on a tangent about our obsession with science fiction and space travel, human triumphalism, alien saviourism, and the barf scene in Team America. Lastly, in the fourth installment of G7 Radio, we discuss I Spy’s 1998 discography Perversity Is Spreading … It’s About Time!

Episode Links

• ConsentEd - What Is Consent?
• ConsentEd - Misrepresentation of Sexual Assault
• Project MEND
• Restorative Justice Online
• Operation Ghetto Storm Annual Report
• Do Police Body Cameras Actually Work?
• Why is no-one talking about American-on-American crime?
• Black Lives Matter
• Interstellar
• Wanderers
• The Fermi Paradox
• Avoiding "Sagan Syndrome"
• Reasonable Vegan

Episode Music

• Dead Prez – I Have A Dream, Too
• I Spy – Appliances and Cars

In the wake of widespread allegations detailing disgraced CBC Radio personality Jian Ghomeshi’s long history of violent sexual assaults, Winnipeg-based writer and journalist Melissa Martin (@DoubleEmMartin) joins us in the basement. We discuss her experience being introduced to the “open secret” of Ghomeshi’s unsettling behaviour towards women; how that kind of open secret is mirrored more broadly in society; why the criminal justice system is not the right model for dealing with sexual assault; and how our twisted and deficient views on consent and sexuality allow abusers like Jian to believe they’ve done nothing wrong. Then to lighten the mood, we bring you the third installment of G7 Radio, this time featuring The Weakerthans’ debut album “Fallow”.

Episode Links

• Jian Ghomeshi: 8 women accuse former CBC host of violence, sexual abuse or harassment
• The week that was: How Jian Ghomeshi news unfolded
• Jian Ghomeshi's Facebook post
• Do You Know About Jian
• I Didn't Report Because Fuck You
• For battered NFL wives, a message from the cops and the league: Keep quiet
• Sorry, we haven't reached a 'watershed' on violence against women

Episode Music

• The Weakerthans – Leash
• The Weakerthans – Letter of Resignation

Boo! It’s October, which means another terrifying Halloween episode! This month we visit the home of Anishinaabe/Metis comedian and podcaster Ryan McMahon (@RMComedy) – which, like most homes in North America, is probably built on a haunted ancient Indian burial ground. We chat with Ryan about his stand-up comedy and his Red Man Laughing podcast; how Idle No More has influenced his work; the history of colonization in Canada; and how we might work towards a more just and sustainable future. Then, on the second installment of G7 Radio, we discuss Consolidated’s artistically-advanced yet commercially-untenable 1997 album “Dropped”.

Episode Links

• Ryan McMahon
• Red Man Laughing Live on CBC
• Dancing On Our Turtle's Back
• Indian & Cowboy
• Consolidated - "Dropped"
• Consolidated - "Business of Punishment"

Episode Music

• Tanya Tagaq – Uja
• Consolidated – Schnitzel Boy
• Consolidated – Fractured Fairytales
• Consolidated – Shell

This month we delve (very-shallowly) into our personal video game histories in order to reveal just how little we know about games and gaming, then discuss Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency and Tropes vs Women in Video Games projects. We then touch on the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights and how it may or may not be of any value to anybody anywhere currently facing human rights abuses, and see how it compares to the nearby Museum of Canadian Human Rights Abuses. Lastly we break ground on a new segment called G7 Radio, where we step back through time and discuss the records we released while running G7 Welcoming Committee Records. This month: …But Alive’s Bis Jetzt Ging Alles Gut.

Episode Links

• Feminist Frequency
• Canadian Museum of Human Rights
• First Nations launch human rights violations museum on CMHR grounds
• G7 Welcoming Committee Records
• ...But Alive
• Kettcar
• Grand Hotel van Cleef

Episode Music

• ...But Alive – Zeit, An Gott Zu Denken
• ...But Alive – Ausverkauf Vs. Ghettoromantik
• ...But Alive – Korrekt III (Das Letzte Kapitel)

We return from our summer travels (and travails) with stories of colonial homesteads and colonial privilege, followed by a debunking of prominent atheist and neuroscientist Sam Harris’ absurd article and podcast defending Israel over the (apparently) mindless barbarian Arabs who comprise “her enemies”. We then chat with Electronic Intifada associate editor Nora Barrows-Friedman (@norabf) about the origins of the Israel/Palestine conflict, Zionism as a colonial project, what the deal is with Hamas, and what lies ahead.

Episode Links

• Sam Harris - Why Don't I Criticize Israel?
• Gaza myths and facts: what American Jewish leaders won't tell you
• The Electronic Intifada
• One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse

Episode Music

• Punch – Worth More Than Your Opinion

We start by discussing the new documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, which delves into how animal agriculture is the primary source of environmental degradation on the planet, and asks why major environmental organizations aren’t doing anything about it. Then we are joined by veteran lecturer and media analyst Jean Kilbourne to discuss her pioneering work looking at how advertising depicts women; how it creates and enforces gender roles and impossible beauty standards; and how it contributes to rape culture. Lastly, we review some feedback on the Chris Hedges plagiarism debacle.

Episode Links

• Cowspiracy
• The Wrong Kind of Green
• Green, Inc
• Why Do Environmentalists Keep Getting Killed Around the World?
• Jean Kilbourne
• Killing Us Softly 4
• Can't Buy Me Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel
• So Sexy So Soon

Episode Music

• Clann Zú – There Will Be No Morning Copy

As we return from our extended absence, Chris brings us tales of Propagandhi’s Australian sojourn, including their introduction to the RISE organization, and their time with Sea Shepherd. Then we give our half-a-cent on the plagiarism charges being levelled at Chris Hedges; look at new and probably-terrible ideas to alter how we eat via technology; and relatedly review some feedback on last episode’s interview with Leigh Phillips about GMOs. Lastly, we discuss Dr. Gabor Maté‘s humane yet difficult perspective on the Rob Ford spectacle; and on Kickstarter Corner®, we bring word of Will Potter’s Drone on the Farm project.

Episode Links

• RISE
• Sea Shepherd
• The Troubling Case of Chris Hedges
• Chris Hedges Defends Himself Against Accusations of Plagiarism
• Let’s embrace the end of food
• Organic farming: Environmental impact and emissions
• Can Rob Ford Conquer his Pain and Become an Inspiration?
• Drone on the Farm

Episode Music

• RVIVR – The Seam

In this month’s extended installment of the podcast, we begin by taking a field trip to a corporate chain movie theatre to watch better-than-average Hollywood slop in the form of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah. Then we take a field trip to our houses to watch better-than-everything sciencey television in the form of Cosmos. Next, our interview guest – science writer and EU affairs journalist Leigh Phillips (@leigh_phillips) – joins us to mount a leftist defence of genetically-modified food. Lastly, we review some listener feedback, and discuss the Inuit #sealfie campaign (and the Canadian government’s success in conflating the commercial and subsistence seal hunts to its own shit-mouthed benefit.)

Episode Links

• Noah
• Cosmos
• Leigh Phillips
• Debate: GM is good for you
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights
• Sistah Vegan
• An Animal Liberationist Perspective on #Sealfie and the Inuit Seal Hunt

Episode Music

• Corrosion of Conformity – Technocracy
• The Flatliners – Drown in Blood

To celebrate the vernal equinox in the tradition of Chris’ ancestors, we at once lamely lament the continued dearth of female voices on our podcast, and simultaneously criticize The Agenda for their disingenuous comments about their own sausage party. We then recap this year’s Canada Reads series and how it brought some passionate discussion about colonization onto the mainstream airwaves, as well as the critiques and responses around Joseph Boyden’s book The Orenda. Then Chris launches an Escape Velocity Radio Reads segment featuring books he hasn’t yet finished, and we discuss some ideas on how decolonization, indigenous resurgence, and animal liberation might relate to each other.

Episode Links

• Where, Oh Where, Are All the Female Guests?
• Canada Reads
• Critical Review Of Joseph Boyden's "The Orenda": A Timeless, Classic Colonial Alibi
• The Ecological Hoofprint: The Global Burden of Industrial Livestock
• Black Flags and Windmills: Hope, Anarchy, and the Common Ground Collective
• Veganism in the Occupied Territories: Anti-Colonialism and Animal Liberation
• Is There No Room for Rod Coronado in the Animal Rights Movement? The Problem with Veganism as the Moral Baseline

Episode Music

• Bikini Kill – Statement of Vindication

With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia just winding down, we sit down with Jules Boykoff – author of Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games and Activism and the Olympics – to talk about what’s inspiring and what’s sickening about the Olympics. Chris and Jules discuss the gargantuan (and publicly-funded) cost of the games, the ubiquitous corporate sponsorship of athletes, the politics of Olympic boycotts for both athletes and spectators, and ideas for reclaiming the Olympics from corporate profiteers. Also: Chris and Derek recap the Maple Leafs “Forces Appreciation Night” parody website; reflect on Joshua Oppenheimer’s insane documentary The Act of Killing (brief re-enactment included), and note the recent resurfacing of two of the left’s most controversial activist scholars (excluding your charming hosts of course).

Episode Links

• Toronto Maple Leafs parody
• Two Canadians Made A Fake Toronto Maple Leafs Website To Criticize The Afghan War
• Jules Boykoff
• Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games
• Activism and the Olympics:Dissent at the Games in Vancouver and London
• Papa Palermo Pizza ad featuring Jules Boykoff
• The Act of Killing
• Director calls for US to acknowledge its role in 1965 killings
• Electronic Intifada on Scarlett Johannson
• An Alienated Finkelstein Discusses His Writing, Being Unemployable, And Noam Chomsky
• In Search of Ward Churchill

Episode Music

• Greg MacPherson – 1995

We take the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico to interview teacher, researcher, and author of Zapatistas: Rebellion from the Grassroots to the Global, Alex Khasnabish. Alex takes us through the roots of the rebellion; the military conflict and subsequent negotiations; the unique and refreshing character of the movement; its broad influence both inside Mexico and internationally; and the ongoing grassroots work the Zapatistas continue to do today. In our debrief, we discuss the influence the Zapatistas had on us as young, irritating, and pedantic but well-meaning twits, and the connections between indigenous movements in places like Mexico and indigenous resurgence here in Canada. But more importantly: Propagandhi tour news, and a new song from War On Women!

Episode Links

• Alex Khasnabish
• Zapatista: Rebellion from the Grassroots to the Global
• Rebellion in Chiapas: An Historical Reader

Episode Music

• War On Women – Servilia
• Rage Against the Machine – People of the Sun
• Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues

While on a short break from our clandestine preparations for liberating Santa’s reindeer from chattel slavery, we recount some of the feedback we received on last month’s Chris Hedges interview. Then we review Alex Gibney’s documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks; do what may be our first ever science segment, about the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the coming post-antibiotic age; and have our plans for an Escape Velocity Radio intern dashed by Charles Davis’ article about poorly-paid (and unpaid) interns, “The Exploited Labourers of the Liberal Media”.

Episode Links

• Losing Moses on the Freeway
• We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks
• We Steal Secrets: Alex Gibney, WikiLeaks, & Julian Assange
• We Steal Secrets: A response from Alex Gibney
• Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013
• How Industrial Agriculture Has Thwarted Factory Farm Reforms
• Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future
• The Exploited Labourers of the Liberal Media

Episode Music

• Slapshot – Punk’s Dead, You’re Next
• Living Colour – Cult of Personality
• Christmas in the Stars – What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)

This month we bring you our conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author Chris Hedges. Recorded during his late-2013 visit to Winnipeg, we discuss the idea of human progress; religion’s role in the world and the “new” atheists; his controversial attacks on the black bloc tactic; the role of electoral politics in agitating for social justice; and more. Then your intrepid hosts debrief on where some atheists go astray, and enter the fray regarding living clown celebrity Russell Brand, concluding that he and Chris are basically living parallel lives.

Episode Links

• The Rob Ford saga
• War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning
• American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
• When Atheism Becomes Religion: America's New Fundamentalists
• Jeremy Paxman vs Russell Brand
• Russell Brand on revolution: “We no longer have the luxury of tradition”
• A discourse on brocialism
• Indigenous Nationhood Movement
• Citizen Radio

Episode Music

• warsawpack – Doomsday Device

On this month’s terrifying episode, which may or may not have been recorded in an actual haunted house, we spend the hour with activist and economist Robin Hahnel discussing his book Of the People, By the People: The Case for a Participatory Economy. Robin tells us about the bone-chilling failings of free market capitalism, the spine-tingling reasons why he feels viable alternative economic models need to be part of activist discourse, and the blood-curdling details of how his proposed alternative to capitalism — called Participatory Economics — works in practice. Join us for this mortifying discussion about how humans organize their economic affairs — if you dare!

Episode Links

• Of the People, By the People
• Robin Hahnel

This month, we take time out from exposing each other as undercover operatives working for the corporate state to discuss Jamie Meltzer’s new documentary Informant, about the bizarre case of activist turned FBI lackey Brandon Darby. We then look at Canada’s recent history of undercover operations in activist movements, and hear from Toronto-based organizer Sharmeen Khan about her experiences being infiltrated by the Ontario Provincial Police during the G20 protests in 2010.

Episode Links

• Informant
• Revolutionary to rat: The uneasy journey of Brandon Darby
• How a Radical Leftist Became the FBI's BFF
• Web of Hate
• The COINTELPRO Papers
• How police infiltrated groups planning G20 protests
• Living among us: Activists speak out on police infiltration

Episode Music

• The Rolling Stones – Undercover of the Night
• I’m A Policeman – Disneyland Children’s Sing-Along Chorus
• Dead Kennedys – I Spy

Come, sit by the lake and eavesdrop while we review your copious feedback to episode 11’s discussion of the BDS movement against Israel; debrief on Propagandhi’s European tour and the ubiquity of corporate sponsorships in music; and reflect on what it means to live an ethical life under capitalism. Next we discuss Neill Blomkamp’s film Elysium, Kim Stanley Robinson’s book 2312, and alternative economic models which take inspiration from the past. Then Derek gets hungry and eats a cultured hamburger while Chris simultaneously praises lab meat and compares it to dog shit.

Episode Links

• Consensus wisdom: The boycott of Israel is working
• Elysium
• 2312
• Anarchism and Workers' Self-Management in Revolutionary Spain
• Of the People, By the People
• First hamburger made from lab-grown meat to be served at press conference

Episode Music

• Shellac – Boycott
• Antillectual – Cut the Ground From Under Our Feat
• G.A.S. Drummers – Blind
• Deltron 3030 – 3030
• Judas Priest – Eat Me Alive

Derek barely reviews World War Z (the shitty movie, not the excellent book), which segues into a discussion of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel (wherein Chris calls for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Canada). Then we sit down with Montréal-based activist and journalist Stefan Christoff to discuss the 2012 Quebec student strike and its historical significance, outcomes, and legacy. Also: Chris airs his grievances against the armchair audio engineers amongst our listenership.

Episode Links

• World War Z
• Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS
• Interview with Noam Chomsky by Frank Barat
• Interview with Ali Aunimah by Khalil Bendidb
• Le Fond de l'Air est Rouge
• Stefan Christoff on Twitter

Episode Music

• The Rebel Spell – Please Resist
• Temps Libre – Brahja & Christoff

Derek backpedals on calling Jared Diamond “douchebaggy”, we give wildly divergent recommendations of who to follow on Twitter, and we attempt to convince you to back the new Media Education Foundation/Tim Wise documentary on Kickstarter. Then, Chris interviews sports columnist and author Dave Zirin about the intersection of sports and politics, discussing sexism, homophobia, racism, militarism and labour in the professional sports world. Plus: listener feedback!

Episode Links

• Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
• Survival International: Why Jared Diamond is wrong
• "White Like Me" Kickstarter
• Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From an Angry White Male
• Glenn Greenwald (The Guardian)
• Raffi Cavoukian (Twitter)
• Dave Zirin/Edge of Sports
• Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down

Episode Music

• The Doughboys – Never Sleep