Bonus Sample: Nair, Mamdani, and Culture against the Culture War (Pt 1)
Well, I seem to always be inspired by the person who is considered marginal. Firstly, their spirit of survival, their resilience, their lack of self-pity, the ability usually to laugh in the face of having nothing and to create a kind of sense of flamboyance and life at any cost, despite having you know no resources of any kind that are visible. That's what inspires me and I think in making portraits of the so-called outsiders, I'm also then allowed to question what is that society that deems us an outsider?
— Mira Nair on BBC “Masterpiece”, 11/29/04
When official America speaks of good and bad Muslims, we must not think that they are speaking of the attitude of Muslims to Islam. They are actually talking about the attitude of Muslims to the U.S. A good Muslim is simply a pro-American Muslim and a bad Muslim is simply an anti-American Muslim. This is not about Islam, it is about America.
— Mahmoud Mamdani, C-Span's Book TV series, hosted by the University of Michigan on April 15, 2005.
Want to better understand Zohran Mamdani’s intellectual and emotional heritage? Want to understand how he seems to be thrashing the culture war with, well culture?
Matthew did, and so he looked into the films of his mom Mira Nair (Part 1), and the scholarship of his dad, Mahmood (Part 2).
Show Notes
Masterpiece - Mira Nair - BBC SoundsÂ
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim | Author Mahmood MamdaniÂ
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim | Penguin Random House Secondary EducationÂ
Reluctant Fundamentalist, The
Ben Affleck, Sam Harris and Bill Maher Debate Radical Islam | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)Â
Sam Harris on the Reality of Islam - Truthdig Â
Samuel Huntington’s Great Idea Was Totally Wrong | The New Republic
#ZeeJLF2018 | Mira Nair
A timeline of JK Rowling's anti-trans shiftÂ
Mori Araj Suno lyricsÂ
My secret debate with Sam Harris: A revealing 4-hour dialogue on Islam, racism & free-speech hypocrisy - Salon.comÂ
New Atheists and old prejudices - The Chronikler
The Clash of Civilizations - If Books Could Kill - Apple PodcastsÂ
President Reagan welcomes al-Qaeda and Mujahideen leaders to the White House, May 1986Â Â
For Zohran Mamdani, Mom Mira Nair’s Films Were a Formative Influence
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Brief: Nair, Mamdani, and Culture against the Culture War (Pt 1)
Well, I seem to always be inspired by the person who is considered marginal. Firstly, their spirit of survival, their resilience, their lack of self-pity, the ability usually to laugh in the face of having nothing and to create a kind of sense of flamboyance and life at any cost, despite having you know no resources of any kind that are visible. That's what inspires me and I think in making portraits of the so-called outsiders, I'm also then allowed to question what is that society that deems us an outsider?
— Mira Nair on BBC “Masterpiece”, 11/29/04
When official America speaks of good and bad Muslims, we must not think that they are speaking of the attitude of Muslims to Islam. They are actually talking about the attitude of Muslims to the U.S. A good Muslim is simply a pro-American Muslim and a bad Muslim is simply an anti-American Muslim. This is not about Islam, it is about America.
— Mahmoud Mamdani, C-Span's Book TV series, hosted by the University of Michigan on April 15, 2005.
Want to better understand Zohran Mamdani’s intellectual and emotional heritage? Want to understand how he seems to be thrashing the culture war with, well culture?
Matthew did, and so he looked into the films of his mom Mira Nair (Part 1), and the scholarship of his dad, Mahmood (Part 2).
Show Notes
Masterpiece - Mira Nair - BBC SoundsÂ
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim | Author Mahmood MamdaniÂ
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim | Penguin Random House Secondary EducationÂ
Reluctant Fundamentalist, The
Ben Affleck, Sam Harris and Bill Maher Debate Radical Islam | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)Â
Sam Harris on the Reality of Islam - Truthdig Â
Samuel Huntington’s Great Idea Was Totally Wrong | The New Republic
#ZeeJLF2018 | Mira Nair
A timeline of JK Rowling's anti-trans shiftÂ
Mori Araj Suno lyricsÂ
My secret debate with Sam Harris: A revealing 4-hour dialogue on Islam, racism & free-speech hypocrisy - Salon.comÂ
New Atheists and old prejudices - The Chronikler
The Clash of Civilizations - If Books Could Kill - Apple PodcastsÂ
President Reagan welcomes al-Qaeda and Mujahideen leaders to the White House, May 1986Â Â
For Zohran Mamdani, Mom Mira Nair’s Films Were a Formative Influence
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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269: The Book of Gwyneth
In her new biography of Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Odell calls Goop “a powerful platform for spreading health misinformation.” So many topics Goop has covered favorably—yoni eggs, coffee enemas, celery juice—have been scrutinized on our podcast.
Rolling off her successful biography of Anna Wintour, Odell decided to train her sight on the “It girl” of the nineties who pivoted to a lucrative but contentious wellness business that laid the groundwork for the influencer aesthetic. She joins Derek to discuss her new book. But first, we discuss our thoughts on Odell’s subject.
Show Notes
Gwyneth: The Biography
BackRow by Amy Odell
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1:02:29
Bonus Sample: The '80s Zen Master Con Man
Everything about Zen Master Rama was fake—except for the piles of money he made. His black belt in paranormal martial arts, three past lives as a Buddhist teacher, 31 meditation albums he claimed to compose in other dimensions, multiple computer software companies, and a bestseller based on being a “world-class snowboarder” were all smoke and mirrors.Â
He had no training or talent in any of these areas. He was an expert con man, however. The man wore Versace suits and Rolex watches, bought mansions, and owned a collection of pricey cars. His headshots were by the top Hollywood photographer of the day; he made many TV appearances.
His students believed he could fill rooms with golden light, skate on light-beams, and protect them from the demons he claimed wanted to steal their enlightened energy. He instructed them to be celibate but then manipulated and coerced the prettiest into joining him for tantric sex rituals he claimed would accelerate their enlightenment. It didn’t end well for anyone—including him.
In the latest installment of the Roots of Conspirituality series, Julian tells the tale of Frederick Lenz, a quintessential 80's synthesizer of phoney Buddhism, New Age delusions, cultic abuse, and wealth as a signifier of spiritual progress.
Show Notes
The Code Cult of the CPU Guru
Mentor to Some, Cult Leader to Others
The Guru’s Latest Incarnation
Atrocity Guide The Enlightenment Fraud of Zen Master Rama
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Brief: DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience
Strange billboards have been popping up all over Los Angeles featuring disgraced Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes, and an unidentified man listing a new URL—one that redirects to the Theranos website. Against all odds, the brand is back, with a wellness twist, as the new founder is directly courting MAHA. Derek and Julian dive in.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis. At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon. As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse, and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia. Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.
Listen to Conspirituality, Circle Time for The Soul Daily Devotional | Bible Study, Christian Women, Journal Prompts, Morning Prayer, Biblical Encouragement and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app