4. How Political Definitions Shape Reality

05/31/20 • 37 min

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Definitions of political terms affect what we see and don’t see in the world around us, and turn us into effective or ineffective communicators and political actors.

The definition of government that journalists and academics use makes us blind to the people who rule over us in our private lives.

Popular definitions of left and right propagated by media and academia (the state vs. the market, big vs. small government, liberty vs. equality), frame the world in right-wing terms, while the historical definition (hierarchy vs. equality) frames the world in left wing terms.

Competing definitions of racism have different consequences in terms of peoples’ ability to discuss racism, and on how we relate to people from different cultural categories than our own.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

tweeter: @worbsintowords

Video version: https://youtu.be/TaFkzIQk-1o

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whatispolitics

https://archive.org/download/04-relativity/04%20-%20LINGUISTIC%20RELATIVITY%20AND%20POLITICSes.mp3

Definitions of political terms affect what we see and don’t see in the world around us, and turn us into effective or ineffective communicators and political actors.

The definition of government that journalists and academics use makes us blind to the people who rule over us in our private lives.

Competing definitions of racism have different consequences in terms of peoples’ ability to discuss racism, and on how we relate to people from different cultural categories than our own.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

tweeter: @worbsintowords

Video version: https://youtu.be/TaFkzIQk-1o

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whatispolitics

https://archive.org/download/04-relativity/04%20-%20LINGUISTIC%20RELATIVITY%20AND%20POLITICSes.mp3

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3. The Left-Right Political Spectrum is About Class Conflict

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Most journalists and Doctor-Professor academics don’t really know what the left-right political spectrum is about, but you will after listening to this episode!

FULL TRANSCRIPT

tweeter: @WorbsIntoWords

help! http://www.patreon.com/whatispolitics

video version: https://youtu.be/P3cmjNrXWms

https://archive.org/download/03leftrightandyou/03%20-%20LEFT-RIGHT%20AND%20YOU.mp3

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Understanding the News: How Tax Cuts Fuel Police Brutality

1 Recommendations

Politicians’ dependence on police as a revenue stream, prosecutors’ dependence on police for convictions, and falling tax cuts on the wealthy combine to give police incredible power. This is a key reason why they’re rarely punished, even for the most egregious abuses.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

tweeter: @worbsintowords

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WHATISPOLITICS69

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/whatispolitics

https://archive.org/download/bleepbloop01/BLEEP%20BLOOP%2001.mp3