Best Tending Nets Podcasts (2025)

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Artifacts of Collapse: Touring the Crazy Town Museum 1:02:50

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1d ago1:02:50

1:02:50

In this episode we travel in time to the year 2125, to visit the Crazy Town museum, which showcases today’s world of wanton consumption and profligate waste. How will humans in 2125 – if there are any of us left – judge the things everyone sees as normal today? Jason, Rob, and Asher take turns serving as expert curators of this future museum, nomin…

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Crazy Town Classics - Net Energy and Sustainability, or… the Story of the Overstuffed Strongman 1:26:55

15d ago1:26:55

1:26:55

All of humanity’s feats, whether a record-setting deadlift by the world’s strongest man or the construction of a gleaming city by a technologically advanced economy, originate from a single hidden source: positive net energy. Having surplus energy in the form of thirteen pounds of food per day enables a very big man, Hafthor Bjornsson, to lift very…

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Just One Word: Microplastics, with Matt Simon 53:16

29d ago53:16

53:16

Put on your best polyester pants, grab a bunch of gleaming mylar balloons, and crack open a case of bottled water. In today's episode, we're entering the plastic world of plastic pollution in all its glorious plasticity. We're on the hunt for microplastics – and we won’t have to go very far, as they're present everywhere – in the soil, in the water…

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Crazy Town Classics - Lord of the Swans: The Tragedy of the Enclosure of the Commons 57:02

1M ago57:02

57:02

The “tragedy of the commons” is an idea that has so thoroughly seeped into culture and law that it seems normal for people and corporations to own land, water, and even whole ecosystems. But there’s a BIG problem: the “tragedy” part of it has been debunked – it really should be the triumph of the commons. Learn the origin story of privatization and…

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Will Trump's Tariffs Fuel or Foil the Degrowth Movement? 47:52

2M ago47:52

47:52

As Trump’s tariffs kick in, the Republican party is suddenly spouting anti-consumerist rhetoric that would make the Lorax smile. Should we cheer on this accidental experiment in economic shrinkage, or will this ham-fisted set of trade policies cause a backlash against the proponents of degrowth? As political confusion reigns, we offer eco-localism …

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Blinded by the Light - Facing Reality with Renewable Energy 56:39

2M ago56:39

56:39

Solar panels and other modern energy technologies can be really useful, but the belief that we can technologize our way to a bigger and better society powered by clean energy is tragically flawed. Asher, Rob, and Jason dig into the up-and-down story of the Ivanpah concentrated solar power plant, review the Harry Potteresque thinking behind complex,…

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Who Can Fix the Housing Crisis - NYT Pundits, German Shepherds, or Bilbo Baggins? 51:46

3M ago51:46

51:46

Jason, Rob, and Asher are taking out a huge, unaffordable mortgage on the housing crisis. What’s behind the shortage in housing? Why is it that no one, except canine Tik Tok influencers with billion-dollar bank accounts, can afford to own a home? While mainstream pundits press for an energy-blind buildout of desert sprawl and gleaming towers of gla…

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Bunkers, Bazookas, and Bespoke Moats: How to Be Safe in an Unsafe World 42:13

3M ago42:13

42:13

The world has gone bunking mad. The bespoke security industry is burying bunkers stocked with arsenals of automatic rifles and surrounded by flaming moats. Is there a better way to prepare for the polycrisis, the zombie apocalypse, or whatever hard times are on the horizon? Jason, Rob, and Asher have some fun at the expense of the bunker builders b…

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It Was Never Your Democracy Anyway: Thomas Linzey on Rethinking the Constitution 51:18

4M ago51:18

51:18

Democracy and environmental protection have two things in common: (1) they’re both supposed to be enshrined in the laws of the United States and (2) they’re both under severe attack right now. Asher speaks with Thomas Linzey of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights to uncover how the source code of the U.S. Constitution and the body of…

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Going #2: The Dueling Rules of Nature That Every Good Earthling Needs to Know 50:31

4M ago50:31

50:31

Happy Earth Day! There are two concepts that every person should understand to be a better Earthling: entropy and self-organization. It seems like a paradox, but systems on Earth are simultaneously breaking down into disorder and arranging themselves into complex superorganisms. Everything on Earth (well, really in the whole universe) is subject to…

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Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant 1:09:46

5M ago1:09:46

1:09:46

Who knew that the breakthrough moment of AI sentience would come from interacting with an annoying neo-Luddite? After failing to raise a single dollar for PCI’s newest initiative — the $350 billion Transdisciplinary Institute for Phalse Prophet Studies and Education (TIPPSE) — Jason, Rob, and Asher devise the only profitable pitch for raising capit…

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A Temporary Techno Stunt: Tom Murphy on Falling out of Love with Modernity 54:21

5M ago54:21

54:21

Recovering technology booster Tom Murphy visits Crazy Town to discuss his journey from shooting lasers at the moon, to trying to "solve" the energy predicament, to falling out of love with modernity itself. Asher, Jason, Rob, and Tom discuss the roots and short-lived nature of modernity, which has not only shaped the world we inhabit but conquered …

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Eating the Future: The NY Times Goes Full Ecomodernist on Food and Farming 47:00

6M ago47:00

47:00

How will we feed people living in the megacities of the 21st century, especially while confronting climate chaos and the depletion of fossil fuels and fossil water? According to the mainstream media: ecomodernism! Massive deployment of technology on factory farms and an extreme ramp-up of industrialization will save the day – right? RIGHT?!? If you…

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Bargaining With Collapse: A Superabundance of Lab Grown Meat and Dryer Balls 37:32

7M ago37:32

37:32

Do you contemplate topics like climate change, biodiversity loss, and the risk of civilizational collapse? If so, then you probably understand something about bargaining – a psychological defense mechanism that’s one of the five stages of grief. With just a wee bit of embarrassment, Asher, Jason, and Rob reveal damning episodes of bargaining from t…

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The House Is Quite Literally on Fire: Peter Kalmus on the Climate Emergency Hitting Home 53:48

7M ago53:48

53:48

Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and returning friend of Crazy Town, used to live in Altadena, California, where one of the disastrous Los Angeles wildfires struck on January 7th. Having learned that his former house had burned, Peter penned an emotional article for the New York Times about his family's decision to leave LA two years prior, out of s…

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The Frequent Flyer Tree: Losing the Last Bit of Sense in the Climate Emergency 30:28

8M ago30:28

30:28

In the world of college sports, money talks and the volleyball team walks, er, flies 33,000 miles to play games. The NCAA, like almost everyone else, is playing games with Mother Nature. What do we expect student-athletes to gain from ignoring the climate emergency (not to mention putting their health at risk)? Who cares, as long as we can wring a …

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Shotgunning Hedwig: The Dilemma of Invasives and the Bizarre Decision to Slaughter Barred Owls 33:36

9M ago33:36

33:36

The US Fish and Wildlife Service decided to "manage" barred owls by shooting half a million of them over the next three decades. Jason, Rob, and Asher (along with the postal workers at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) are upset about this plan for addressing the predicament of invasive species. Surely there's a finer tool than a doub…

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Breaking News: Crazy Town Joins the Newly Formed Department of Entropy 45:08

9M ago45:08

45:08

Rob, Jason, and Asher talk about joining the new Trump Administration, at least until Elon Musk eradicates it. They explore the implications of Trump 2.0 through three reality-bending lenses – shifting baselines, entropy, and the upside of down – and three ways of responding: resistance, resilience, and regeneration. They decided they couldn’t stom…

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Bonus: Human Nature Odyssey 40:11

1y ago40:11

40:11

Sometimes you just wanna hear from someone else. In this bonus episode, Alex Leff enters Crazy Town to introduce his podcast, Human Nature Odyssey. Before playing the first episode of the podcast, Jason, Rob, and Asher find lots of laughs with Alex as they contemplate environmental destruction, gorilla suits, the fate of civilization, tandem bike r…

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Escaping Escapism: What a Bizarre Rodent Ritual Can Teach Us About Navigating a World We Can't Really Escape 1:06:03

1y ago1:06:03

1:06:03

After a full season of trying to escape more than a dozen evil -isms (fun things like capitalism, industrialism, extremism, and otherism), Rob, Jason, and Asher come to one conclusion: there is no true escape -- at least not for those of us who want to help their communities collapse and re-emerge gracefully. Join the boys as they explore what the …

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Escaping Otherism: Why Dr. Seuss Could Never Find a Rhyme for Genocide 1:18:34

1y ago1:18:34

1:18:34

The drive to belong to an in-group and the tendency to observe differences in others are core parts of the human condition. But differentiating can (and often does) turn deadly when it morphs into othering. Jason, Rob, and Asher try not to other one another as they explore the roots and consequences of othering, and the ins and outs of belonging as…

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Escaping Extremism: Slap Fighting Our Way to a More Civil Society 1:06:33

1y ago1:06:33

1:06:33

The forces of media, technology, and even the wiring of our own brains seem aligned to draw people toward extremism. But never fear: Asher, Jason, and Rob unpack why we're so susceptible to wackadoodle viewpoints and offer ways to tamp down extremist thinking and behavior in ourselves, our communities, and across society. Along the way, they tour t…

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Escaping Humanocentrism: Why a Slime Mold Will Be President in 2028 1:10:15

1+ y ago1:10:15

1:10:15

The myth of human dominion and exceptionalism is as old as the Bible and as unquestioned as gravity, at least in "modern" society. Rob, Asher, and Jason explore the ways that humanocentrism has come to dominate the planet and our minds, while pointing to ancient and newly emerging ways that the more-than-human world is respected and protected, even…

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Escaping Individualism: Why Rickey Don't Like It When Rickey Feels Lonely 1:11:22

1+ y ago1:11:22

1:11:22

The epidemic of loneliness isn't just a product of technology or even capitalism -- it has its roots in the same fertile ground as the founding of the United States. And it may just be the most important "ism" of all to escape as we enter the Great Unraveling of social and environmental systems. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy languag…

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Escaping Imperialism: Where Does Darth Vader Get His Lithium? 1:12:54

1+ y ago1:12:54

1:12:54

Perhaps no community has undergone more versions of imperialism than the tiny island nation of Nauru, which has morphed from being "Pleasant Island" to the mined-out home of offshore banks, discarded refugees, and deep sea mining interests. Jason, Rob, and Asher take a bad trip to wrap their heads around Nauru, the topic of "psychedelic imperialism…

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Escaping Capitalism: How to Replace the "Logic" of Psychopaths, Pharma Bros, and Private Prisons 1:10:54

1+ y ago1:10:54

1:10:54

Capitalism ruins SO many things, from key sectors like college sports all the way down to novelties like people's health and the environment. Jason, Rob, and Asher rely on their keen insight and otherworldly investigative talents to somehow unearth a few flaws of capitalism. But rather than wallow in the world of profiteering and privatization, the…

1
Escaping Growthism: Wendigo Economics, Mystery Houses, and Becoming the Bear 1:03:22

1+ y ago1:03:22

1:03:22

Grow or die. It's the governing principle of companies, investment portfolios, national economies, and even philanthropic foundations. Oh, and cancer. Asher, Jason, and Rob lay bare the stats on everything from human population, energy consumption, global GDP, greenhouse gas emissions, and the size of cars and cruise ships, before concluding that t…

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Escaping Globalism: Rebuilding the Local Economy One Pig Thyroid at a Time 1:08:09

1+ y ago1:08:09

1:08:09

From the top of a skyscraper in Dubai, Jason, Rob, and Asher chug margaritas made from the purest Greenland glacier ice as they cover the "merits" of globalism. International trade brings so many things, like murder hornets, piles of plastic tchotchkes, and deadly supply chain disruptions. The opposite of globalism is localism -- learn how to build…

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Escaping Technologyism: Dreams of AI Sheep and the Deadliest Word in Film History 1:06:47

1+ y ago1:06:47

1:06:47

Modern humans have a Stockholm Syndrome relationship to technology, which has kidnapped us while convincing us it has our best interests in mind. But when one looks back at the history of plastics or the current frenzy around AI, it isn't hard to see the insanity of doubling down on new technology to save us from previous technology. Find out what …

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Escaping Speedism: How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Collapse 1:09:13

1+ y ago1:09:13

1:09:13

Consult your inner tortoise to find novel ways of slowing down and living the good life. In a world haunted by just-in-time delivery, hyperactive business, accelerating environmental calamities, and metric tons of stress, Jason, Rob, and Asher work at a fast and furious pace to savor the moments, because there aren't many left. Warning: This podcas…

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Escaping Urbanism: Green Acres, Climate Migration, and the End of the Megacity 1:18:43

1+ y ago1:18:43

1:18:43

Did a whimsical 1960s TV sitcom presage climate migration and a reversal of urban growth? We're not calling for a Godzilla-esque teardown of cities, but climate change is forcing a serious urban rethink. Jason, Rob, and Asher offer visions of better infrastructure, policies, and culture that you can embrace, even if your home is in the city. Warnin…

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Escaping Consumerism: Why Crocheted Codpieces Are the Perfect Antidote to Fast Fashion 1:03:27

1+ y ago1:03:27

1:03:27

If American consumers ever come up for air under the pile of crap in their storage units, they find themselves face to face with a materialistic hellscape of megastores, McMansions, endless fleets of delivery trucks, and evil hordes of targeted ads. But help is on the way. Jason, Rob, and Asher present ideas for shaping up a world beyond consumeris…

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Escaping Industrialism: How to Avoid Pancakes on a Stick and Other "Miracles" of the Industrial Age 57:29

1+ y ago57:29

57:29

Jason, Rob, and Asher take a tour of New Caledonia, California's Central Valley, Bhutan, and Cuba to uncover the ins and outs of industrialism, especially as it has been applied to agriculture. Along the way they riff on how the hell we can escape from an -ism that completely engulfs us. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language. Sourc…

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Escape Routes: Let's Get the F**k out of Crazy Town 51:02

1+ y ago51:02

51:02

Escape Routes! That's the theme of the sixth season of Crazy Town. We're exploring how to escape industrialism, consumerism, globalism, capitalism, and all the other -isms that are causing a polycrisis of environmental and social breakdown. Most of all, Jason, Rob, and Asher are looking to maintain their sense of humor while escaping fatalism and f…

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Crazy Town Season 6 Trailer 1:16

1+ y ago1:16

1:16

Join us on March 13, 2024 for the launch of our sixth season, in which Jason, Rob, and Asher explore escape routes from industrialism, capitalism, consumerism, and a bunch of other "-isms" that are causing the polycrisis of environmental and social breakdown. Support the showBy Post Carbon Institute: Sustainability, Climate, Collapse, and Dark Humor

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Bonus: Grief and Making Connections with LaUra Schmidt 47:49

1+ y ago47:49

47:49

LaUra Schmidt visits Crazy Town to discuss her work with the Good Grief Network and her book, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet. Along the way, she shares wisdom and insights on courage, taking meaningful action, terror management theory, and practices for processing the strong e…

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Bonus: New Year's Dissolutions 34:15

1+ y ago34:15

34:15

Asher, Jason, and Rob reflect on 2023 – a year filled to the brim with Crazy Townisms like the COP climate conference being held in Dubai, an anti-aging nutbag who parasitizes his own son, and the hijinks of the world’s dumbest billionaires. After a few predictions (all with money-back guarantees), they turn to some personal resolutions that might …

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Bonus: Vanilla Andreessen, Pygmy Marmosets, and Hi-Tech Delusions 1:03:03

1+ y ago1:03:03

1:03:03

The most vomit-inducing document of 2023 has to be the "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," written (oh so obviously) by a billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Join Jason, Rob, and Asher if you feel like sharing in some outrage and learning about a WAY better manifesto that just so happens to focus on the world's smallest monkeys. Warning: This p…

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Bonus: Bundyville and Stories that Need to Be Told with Leah Sottile 57:04

2y ago57:04

57:04

Investigative journalist Leah Sottile writes articles teeming with insights, and she produces and hosts podcasts filled with ah-ha moments. Rob tries not to sound like too much of a fanboy as he interviews Leah about political extremism, environmentalism, and the craft of storytelling during the Great Unraveling. Resources: Leah's website Leah's Su…

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Bonus Riff: Infinite, Unlimited, Forever - Water in the Desert 31:30

2y ago31:30

31:30

Just how much has the extractivist growth mindset come to dominate Phoenix and other cities in the desert Southwest of the United States? Prepare to turn your indignation meter up to 11 as Jason, Rob, and Asher consider desalination, pipelines, and the folly of pursuing infinite growth in a dry climate. Support the show…

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Bonus: Holding the Fire - Indigenous Voices on the Great Unraveling 25:10

2y ago25:10

25:10

We are pleased to share the new podcast from Post Carbon Institute, Holding the Fire. Award-winning journalist and author Dahr Jamail hosts in-depth interviews with leaders from around the world to uncover Indigenous ways of reckoning with environmental and societal breakdown. Support the showBy Post Carbon Institute: Sustainability, Climate, Collapse, and Dark Humor

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Bonus: Going Wild with Rae Wynn-Grant 50:50

2y ago50:50

50:50

Wildlife ecologist and communicator extraordinaire Rae Wynn-Grant visits Crazy Town to talk human-wildlife interactions, the social side of environmentalism, diversity and equity in the sciences, and ideas for young people (don't worry if you're older—the ideas apply to you, too). Rae is the host of the PBS Nature podcast "Going Wild" and will soon…

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Bonus: Bagdhad Bob Visits Climate Town 40:23

2y ago40:23

40:23

What do Saddam Hussein’s information minister and the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board have in common? Hint: it starts with a “d,” ends with “enial,” and isn’t just a river in Egypt. A new and virulent strain of climate denial could be called “doomer shaming.” Instead of acknowledging how logical it is to be distressed about the state of the c…

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Bonus: Choose Your Own Adventure in the Great Unraveling 51:37

2y ago51:37

51:37

After hearing a story of woe on the streets of Portland, Oregon, Jason, Rob, and Asher cover the four critical ways of cultivating personal resilience to navigate the Great Unraveling. The report we reference several times is Welcome to the Great Unraveling: Navigating the Polycrisis of Environmental and Social Breakdown. Warning: This podcast occa…

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The Surest Paths to a Hard Collapse: The Delusional Doctrines of the Phalse Prophethood (Season Wrap-up) 1:24:54

2y ago1:24:54

1:24:54

Asher, Rob, and Jason explore the lessons and dangers of the brotherhood of Phalse Prophets and consider better ways to achieve a sustainable and equitable society. Along the way, they examine how to start a cult, turn the insufferability index on themselves, respond to listener feedback, and repeatedly mispronounce amygdala. Please share this epis…

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The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk 1:09:44

2y ago1:09:44

1:09:44

Meet Elon Musk, the Muskian mogul who Elon Musks his way to the pinnacle of Muskitude. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language. For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from …

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How to Fast-Track Collapse: Manipulating the Masses While Massaging Megalomaniacs 55:20

2y ago55:20

55:20

Meet Steve Bannon, the Molotov mixologist who wants to light the world on fire. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language. For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our ver…

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How to Lose Friends and Demoralize People: The Science (sic!) of Near-Term Extinction 54:21

2+ y ago54:21

54:21

Meet Guy McPherson, the extinction enthusiast who undermines legitimate climate concerns by predicting we’re all going to die yesterday. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language. For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the…

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Prepping for the Apocalypse: Elites' Foolish Fantasies for Surviving a Collapse of Their Own Creation 1:00:52

2+ y ago1:00:52

1:00:52

Meet Barrett Moore, the bunker-building bullshit artist who helps capitalists survive the apocalypse with beans, bullets, and bravado. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation. Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language. For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the d…

1
Announcement: 2023 Crazy Town Hall 1:50

2+ y ago1:50

1:50

How would you like to hang out with Asher, Rob, and Jason (well, virtually anyway)? Your chance is coming up at the fourth annual Crazy Town Hall. The town hall is our most fun event of the year, where you can ask questions, play games, get insider information on the podcast, and share plenty of laughs. It’s a special online event for the most dedi…