This Is Hell!

Olivia Riggio on her Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting article, “Blaming Mass Shootings on Mental Illness Doesn’t Address Either Issue: Rationalizing the horrors of a mass shooting by emphasizing the perpetrator’s mental state does little to address the larger issue,” followed by Rotten History. Check out Olivia's article here: https://fair.org/home/blaming-mass-shootings-on-mental-illness-doesnt-address-either-issue/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Christopher Ketcham on his Harper's Magazine article, "The Machine Breaker: Inside the mind of an ‘ecoterrorist’." Then a Past Inside the Present with Sebastian Wuepper. Check out Christopher's article here: https://harpers.org/archive/2023/11/the-machine-breaker/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Writer and author Kay Gabriel discusses the agenda of organizations like Moms for Liberty and their efforts to undermine public education. The podcast explores the attack on public education by Republicans and conservatives and debunking baseless claims made against the trans community. It highlights the tension between parental control and the agency of young LGBTQ+ individuals and addresses the expensive cost of ambulance services in the US. The chapter also explores the effects of the COVID lockdown on our minds and discusses the tensions and resentment among a group called 'pusker stankles'.

Susan Neiman on her The New York Review of Books essay, "Germany on Edge: In recent weeks, Germany’s reflexive defenses of Israel and suppression of its critics have assumed a fevered pitch." Then another installment of The Past Inside the Present with Sebastian Wuepper. Check out Susan's article here: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/11/03/germany-on-edge-israel-palestine/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Pooja Bhatia Agarwal joins This Is Hell! to discuss her recent Baffler article, "Deadly Strain: How the UN sought to deny its role in Haiti’s cholera epidemic." Plus, another dose of Rotten History from Renaldo Migaldi. Check out Pooja's article here: https://thebaffler.com/outbursts/deadly-strain-bhatia Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

The Intercept's Nick Turse joins This Is Hell! to discuss his just-published report, "Civilian Harm Secret Pentagon Investigation Found No One at Fault in Drone Strike That Killed Woman and 4-Year-Old." In the undeclared drone war, nobody is accountable. Check out Nick's report here: https://theintercept.com/2023/11/12/somalia-drone-strike-civilian-deaths/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Saree Makdisi returns to discuss his n+1 article, "No Human Being Can Exist: How can a person make up for seven decades of misrepresentation and willful distortion in the time allotted to a sound bite?” Then, Sebastian Wuepper returns with a new The Past Inside the Present. Check out Saree's article: https://www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/no-human-being-can-exist/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Bloomberg journalist Faye Flam challenges the 'Man the Hunter' myth, highlighting studies that debunk the belief in hunting as the main food source for early humans. The podcast also explores the evolution of human intelligence, the impact of wealth accumulation on gender roles, and critiques Israeli propaganda memes. Additionally, upcoming topics, a holiday office party, and Patreon benefits are mentioned.

Shane Burley, writer for Waging Nonviolence, talks about white nationalists exploiting the Gaza crisis to spread antisemitism and Islamophobia. The podcast also touches on hangover cures, the impact of Antifa on the Palestinian solidarity movement, and lighthearted conversations on random topics.

We had to reschedule today's guest, Nick Turse, whose article on American drone strikes and civilian casualties in Somalia remains to be published. We will let you know when that interview will take place as soon as we know. Today's episode features a timely interview from our archives. On February 15, 2015, just months after Israel's last invasion of Gaza, Middle East scholar Norman Finkelstein joined This Is Hell! to discuss the mechanisms of Israeli occupation, and the internal politics that sustain the country’s periodic massacres in Palestine. He is the author of the then-recently published book, _Method and Madness: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Assaults on Gaza_ from OR Books. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell