Episode 98: Breaking Free from the Trumpist Bubble—Interview with Jane Michaels

Brendan and Andrew welcome Jane Michaels, a woman from rural Wisconsin who grew up in an outwardly apolitical environment, but whose family and friends suddenly embraced Trump and Trumpism during his first presidential campaign. Jane has also been on a decades-long search to find out real information about Marx and Marxism—in contrast to the lack of information she had when growing up and the deluge of misinformation on the internet. In the latter part of the interview, Jane and the co-hosts discuss her search and her recent discovery of Marxist-Humanism and Radio Free Humanity.
 
First, however, she and the co-hosts discuss the environment in which she grew up, including its “populist” alienation from standard politics and the prevalent racism and misogyny she rejected. They then discuss Jane’s efforts to reason with family and friends who had turned to Trumpism, why she failed, and the courage and independent thinking she displayed by refusing to be overtaken by MAGA fervor and, ultimately, by distancing herself from her past. Although doing so was painful, she regards the political as personal.

 
Plus current-events segment: Important Victory for Truth and Retraction—investigations by student journalist Theo Baker and science whistleblower Elisabeth Bik force resignation of Stanford University’s president and retraction of his publications. The co-hosts also comment on newly published data pertinent to Ep. 97’s critique of a recent Jacobin study.

 
Coming soon, Sunday, Sept. 10, 1–3 pm EDT—ChatRFH: Special 100th Episode of Radio Free Humanity. This milestone ep. will feature dialogue between co-hosts and the online audience via the “chat,” and be streamed live as well as recorded. Participation open to all. Check the MHI website for further details as they get worked out. To allow us to get ready for this milestone ep., only one more ep. will be released until then—Ep. 99, slated for release on Aug. 18.

 
Radio Free Humanity is a podcast covering news, politics and philosophy from a Marxist-Humanist perspective. It is co-hosted by Brendan Cooney and Andrew Kliman. We intend to release new episodes every two weeks. Radio Free Humanity is sponsored by MHI, but the views expressed by the co-hosts and guests of Radio Free Humanity are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of MHI.

We welcome and encourage listeners’ comments, posted on this episode’s page.

Please visit MHI’s online print publication, With Sober Senses, for further news, commentary, and analysis.

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