SCOTUS trouble, working-class white people, and Taiwan's military
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Hello from the National Speech & Debate Tournament!
This week, we unpack the idea of court packing, look for common cause with working-class whites, and ask what\\u2019s up with the Taiwanese military.\\xa0
0:00 \\u2013 Amy Coney Barrett\\u2019s confirmation proceedings began Monday. Will the questioning be more Acoustic Lindsey Graham or Lindsey Graham Unplugged? Inspired by a recent episode of the Dig podcast (Hi, Dan and Amna!), we wonder: Why does the US democracy\\u2014or, why do ACLU-cheering liberals\\u2014depend on an institution as ridiculously undemocratic as the Supreme Court? Should leftists support court packing or other legal reforms? Plus: Jay\\u2019s double-SCOTUS-clerking high school nemesis.
36:48 \\u2013 At the height of the opioid epidemic, and right after Trump\\u2019s election, we seemed to talk incessantly about the \\u201cwhite working class.\\u201d Not so much anymore. Who are these people, and how can we build a program of social change that benefits everyone? We read Helen Epstein\\u2019s analysis of despair and death among \\u201cnon-BA whites\\u201d and a piece by Adam Rothman and Barbara Fields, arguing that \\u201ca successful national political movement must appeal to the self-interest of white Americans.\\u201d Can we replace our oppression olympics and racial whataboutism with Jesse Jackson\\u2019s Rainbow Coalition or William Barber and Liz Theoharis\\u2019s Poor People\\u2019s Campaign?\\xa0
1:04:18 \\u2013 So many anxieties, real and imagined, in the Taiwan Strait. How imminent is the threat of military action by China, and will Taiwan continue to spend billions on its armed forces? Why do younger generations of Taiwanese men resent their mandatory military service? We talk about Taiwan and South Korea\\u2019s grudging reliance on the US military and the persistence of neocolonial camptown relationships. Bonus: Andy introduces us to \\u9ad8\\u7cb1\\u9152 / \\uace0\\ub7c9\\uc8fc.
1:17:05 \\u2013 Outtro recap: Do we care if people have \\u201cracism in their hearts\\u201d? And why must Asian Americans borrow other people\\u2019s \\u201cwhatabouts\\u201d? Mike Davis continues to school us.
Very cool digital conference alert!
Join our friends at New Bloom, New Naratif, and Lausan for \\u201cTransnationally Asian,\\u201d Oct. 19 through 22, which takes its title from an article Tammy wrote over the summer. The sessions will consider postcolonial solidarity, local and global labor movements, and the role of the media in political activism. Tammy will moderate the opening panel, so please tune in. You can register for free here.
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