What's Normal Anymore? (E342)
What once was fringe is now just normal. To chat about the new, strange normality, Jake, Julian, and Travis are joined by USA Today extremism report Will Carless. Carless has reported all over the globe for two decades, and has just released the first episode of his new video documentary series "Extremely Normal."
The crew chats about the James Comey indictment, Trump's executive order declaring antifa "domestic terrorists," attempts to rewrite the history of January 6th, and why some young men continue to be drawn towards the message of Andrew Tate.
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Extremely Normal from Will Carless and USA Today
https://youtu.be/NoC7t29e__A?si=f9m2Y8XVGBo2wl89
Will Carless
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Comments (71)
The young men Will interviewed conned him. They’re listening to Tate because his misogyny appeals to them, not his “normal” life advice. These dudes are active on the internet and know exactly what kind of journalist Will is. Tate’s followers are conditioned to distrust and troll traditional media. The last third of the episode is just boring both sides bullshit.
Me actively charging my phone eating hot chips and being Bi while listening to this episode
Like this comment if you're a spooky scary antifa. (Happy Halloween)
You can't trick me, big government
This podcast is one of the only things keeping me sane right now. Thanks?
America is a political sewer pipe.
Also, “I’ve met some scary ANTIFAs myself” ….. wow lol
Damn yeah this dude does sound like he writes for USA Today… was half expecting him to complain about sagging what was that weird ass comment about rappers lol
It sounded like Will got Comey mixed up with Mueller early in the episode. He also got the prosecutor/grand jury saying wrong. It was something like, “A prosecutor can convince a grand jury to indict even a ham sandwich.” I remember reading it as a quote from the former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, Sol Wachtler, during the period of his infamy. Such a quaint little scandal, isn’t it? Judge Wachtler is still living. He’s 95.
Will has only heard of rappers that are misogynistic? Damn, that’s crazy.
This guy seems kinda milquetoast, and not saying anything anyone hasnt already said, and hes not even saying it in a new or interesting way. I mean, for gods sake he never even used the word "verfremdumseffekt" once! I like that you guys bring on people who are different from you, and very different from me. But i like it best when theyre *interestingly* different, and not the kind of milquetoast centrist who says stuff like "grannies who read a bit too much marx" (might not be an exact quote) or worries about the effect this newest judicial putsch will have on the (near extinct) swing voter.
Above the fold, i.e, longsheets. Oy, I'm old.
I’m kind of disheartened by the strident objections to this episode. Can we not have a conservation with someone who has some different takes on things?
Different takes on things is different than repeating right wing talking points that there are dangerous leftists analogous to right wing extremists.
I thought Julian did a good job of articulating why toxic masculinity is a deeper, much more systemic issue than standard liberal responses to it want to admit, and tbf to Carless he responded reasonably to all that. I don't think this was as bad an episode as some of the comments make out. I know everyone is angry and afraid right now, but it's fine to have more guests with centrist talking points on if they're willing to debate them in good faith.
I hate when my grandma reads too much Karl Marx and becomes antifa
Soup for my sewing circle
Umm this show was just recommended on Pod Save America. Was not expecting that crossover lol
Which episode?
I feel like a lot of the people complaining about this episode have never listened to this podcast before
Agreed Wil said nothing that hasn’t been said many times before on this show. Given the current state of US politics and the real risk of a third red scare I suspect a lot of the critical commentators want to batten down the hatches by purifying what they regard as ‘their’ spaces. They can’t control US federal politics but maybe they can control the podcast’s editorial line.
Love y'all, but what a turnaround that guest was. My head hurts
Gave up after 9 minutes, first time for this show. Based on the comments glad I did. This guest immediately comes across as a person with dangerously incoherent ideas.
You shouldn't have. Carless isn't a leftist, sure, but what he has to say is downright milquetoast. All I see is a lot of anarkiddies who never talk to Normal People.
Perhaps time for that Eurovision episode to help lighten the mood ! Or something else a bit more chill while everyone cools down a bit . How's our Jakey-boy getting on with his Labubus ? Any updates?!
I’d be cautious about interpreting the comments section as representative. There’s probably behind the scenes episode analytics that give a more accurate picture of how responses to the show. For all we know ALL the really angry people may be in this comment section and everyone else took the episode in stride as another QAA episode.
Thanks to the comment section for giving me a headsup so I can skip this one
I wouldn't say this one is essential, but the comment section is massively overreacting
Were your (the hosts) ears open during this conversation?
Im curious. Who are these genuinely dangerous antifa? Im not doubting you. But I been on the left here in Australia for 30 years, and Ive never met 1. Met lots whod like to think they were. But not a single one who was.
It’s a bit like Anonymous the old 4chan hacker collective, you can kind of just declare yourself a member. It’s not a formal organisation, just a loose movement with some branding and slogans. They’re best known for organising and or showing up at right protests as counter protesters which is part of how they became a right wing bogey man. The fact that anyone can declare themselves a part is both an asset and a potential liability.
I think the biggest problem with Will, is that he seems to treat all radicalism as an ontological condition, rather than brought forth by material conditions. When Julian said that Trump wasn’t an insane actor who went against the norms of society, wills immediate reaction was to do the exact thing that Julian spoke of. The comment about “the horseshoe of politics” prove this guy to be a reactionary, with no politics, but that of aesthetic. Incredibly hard episode to listen to.
Hey the system works for Will—who are you to knock it!!?
Nope, it's 'honor among thieves,' NOT 'no honor among thieves."
“These influencers like Andrew Tate preach good stuff, but in a bad way.” The Manosphere preaches nothing but terrible ideas. I still love the pod and the hosts, but that wasn’t such a great take.
You seem to be missing the point of the guest. He clearly identified the generically positive things they say, and then he was clear they use that as a tool to launder other shitty ideas. Like, it's *immediately* the thing the guest follows up with.
Wow! There's some unhappy bunnies on this latest message board ! No wonder things are so fucked ! Relieved to be in Brexitland where everything is so sweet and harmonious right now ! 😏
The hosts have to be bleeped out when they talk about you…
This is a spicy comment section. Perhaps the pod can do an episode on their own followers. Things seem to be fracturing here along a few clear lines.
WE ARE THE NEWS NOW!
Another week, another comment. I teach ages 7-9. They are influenced by Andrew Tate and those others. It's making my life a living hell
FYI minority opinion: best guest in a while
Anarchism, and struggling to establish Anarchism is the historic aspiration of the working class. "Yes, the long memory is the most radical idea in this country. It is the loss of that long memory which deprives our people of that connective flow of thoughts and events that clarifies our vision, not of where we're going, but where we want to go." Bruce "Utah" Phillips
The way some of you people use “lib” as a pejorative is very weird to me
What do you mean by you people?
"Why do rappers get a pass for misogyny from the 90s?" is a crazy thought. Homeboy compared Snoop Dogg to Andrew Tate 😂
Well it is interesting to see how a many like Snoop who made hardcore porn partnered up with Martha Stewart to help her image after insider trading. Then for him to become a household name and brand ambassador. That is interesting.
Yeah this whole ‘extremeism’ framing from liberals is very tired. I can only wish for an ‘extreme left’ movement of anarchist agitators !
This guy fucking sucks extremely disappointing episode
Sounding like a ‘Nassaly Twat’ doesn’t help their cause.
cool! please never have this guest on ever again!
That clip was so frustrating to me extremely just taking them at face value "oh these poor boys ;(((("
I’m really tired of being told these Tate people aren’t that bad. He spews nothing but garbage and hate and just because they weren’t actively beating a woman when you were there doesn’t mean they’re just little guys.
More like Will Careless… am I right?!?! Dawg if you find anti fascist scary you might need to reexamine your position. If you find passion and intensity for liberation scary then maybe you’re a lib?
This guest was the worst...
Oh those scary antifascists trying foment anarchism, that scary idea of building a society on a voluntary cooperative basis free of discrimination, authoritarianism, organized violence, and coercion. Be afraid everyone.
🚨Lib Alert!🚨
"Oh are they only going to after the Scary Antifascists who are Really Fomenting Violence" literally just buying into Trumps narrative
Wow, what an episode. It really made me stop and take some time to reflect after it was over. This issue of the world fracturing along the fault lines of reality is really unsettling. It is more that just dread I feel, although I feel that too. When I listen to stuff like this it reminds me of why I'm going back to school to get my MSW. I want to be connected to the people while we all navigate this great uncertainty together. Your show is such a shining light when I'm feeling discouraged, so thank you all.
My brain is so cooked from everything that since the day Comey was indicted I’ve been thinking of Robert Mueller the whole time. Because going after that guy would made more sense for Trump.
He is suffering from end stage Parkinson’s and if people saw him there would be sympathy for him.
"this won't make Trump diehards vote Dem" is the least useful commentary you can make. the most consequential political decision most Americans make in a given year is whether or not to bother voting. if you think you can piss off your own base as much as you want with no consequence, I hear the DNC is hiring.
Robin Westman was a DEtransitioner and an O9A cultist who venerated neo-nazis, and I think that the fact that he detransitioned and literally believed that he was brainwashed into transitioning is a very important point.
No, trans women have to be held responsible for the actions of every man or woman cis people can in any possible way claim wasn't fully man or woman enough for their liking. Hence us being blamed for the actions of the YouTube shooter (a cis woman), the Uvalde shooter (cis man), Bobby Crimo (cis man AND white rapper), Tyler Robinson (who they'll at least admit was cis before blaming us for seducing him into doing it), etc. We are collectively history's greatest monsters. Which is why Jules Gil-Peterson (who works for the single most transphobic "mainstream" academic institution in U.S. history and yet is routinely cited as an "expert" on trans history despite being the most out-of-touch zoomer rich girl I've ever heard speak) had to take the term transmisogyny away from us and make cis women and gay men out to be the true victims of it given that us evil trans women are only capable of being victimizers and not victims of any particular social or individual injustices.
Need a QAA review show of One Battle After Another
You get Flynn vibes from Penn in that? I figured it was just my brain doing it to me as I watched, but I rolled with it after a while and it didn’t make it less funny
Jake
Travis View
Wow! i was just wondering when the next episode would drop! And then it did!😆
Liv agar
That is the perfect answer