Episode 185: WTN Destabilizing Our Collective Understanding

October 13, 2021

Central Thesis

The episode argues that the current state of political polarization and social anger in America stems from a breakdown in shared understanding, fueled by an overabundance of information, the rise of a professional class divorced from the working class, and the mainstream media's abandonment of objective reporting for prescriptive pronouncements. Jim suspects that the move to gatekeep discussion using a singular "collective understanding" is making the problem worse.

Key Arguments

• Information Overload & Inability to Conclude Jim uses the analogy of food abundance leading to obesity to explain how an excess of information leads to confusion and disagreement. The problem is not a lack of information, but an inability to make sense of it.
• The Rise of the Professional Class & Neoliberalism The host posits that the ascendance of the professional class, coupled with neoliberal economic policies, has created a divide between those who benefit from education and globalization and those who are left behind. Politicians like Bill Clinton promoted policies benefiting the professional class while harming working-class jobs.
• Identity Politics & Alienation The shift from economic-based social science to identity politics, promoted by academics, has alienated working-class individuals who feel their values are not represented or are actively demonized by the media and cultural elites. Jim stresses that this alienation is compounded when coupled with the decline of unions and other worker protections.
• Erosion of Trust in Experts & the Media The host believes that the mainstream media's abandonment of objective reporting, especially NPR's increasingly prescriptive pronouncements, has further eroded trust in experts and institutions. The host quotes his friend KMO to illustrate how even NPR has stopped simply reporting the facts, and instead now tells the listener what to think.
• The Danger of a "Collective Understanding" Jim critiques the phrase "destabilize our collective understanding," arguing that it is propagandistic and assumes a universal, enforced agreement of opinion is both desirable and achievable. He believes imposing such a notion stifles dissent and contributes to the polarization.
• Disregard for the Working Class The host brings up a Sky TV interview of a Brexit supporter, who dismisses experts as self-serving. He also brings up Hillary Clinton, who stated that she won the more forward-thinking states in 2016, and he sees her as alienating the working class.

Notable Passages

• "Ideas are weapons. Indeed, the only weapons with which other ideas can be fought."
• "The people in this country have had enough of experts..."
• "Tried to destabilize our collective understanding? What the flying fuck? What is that?"
• "I have a really, really low tolerance these days about being told that I think the way I think due to somebody else's propaganda. What a cheap way to argue a point."

Rhetorical Approach

Jim builds his case through a combination of personal anecdotes (his experiences as a bus driver and shop steward), historical context (the Industrial Revolution, the rise of neoliberalism), analysis of political and media figures (Clinton, Gove, Pfeiffer), and quotes from diverse sources (books, articles, podcasts). His tone is generally skeptical and conversational, often expressing frustration with the current state of affairs. He uses analogies (food abundance) and rhetorical questions to engage the listener.

Connections

• The Powell Movement series.
• Previous episodes on education.
• References to thinkers like Richard Rorty, Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr., Arlie Russell Hochschild.
• References to books like "Dark Money," "Goliath," "Listen, Liberal," "The Tyranny of Merit."
• References to political events like Brexit and the 2016 US election.
• KMFDM (band)
• Lance Strait and the Hermetics Podcast.