Le Bon’s Nightmare: Activism and Social Movements
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EP68: Science Against the People (ft. Charles Schwartz & Sigrid Schmalzer)
The right attacks science, liberals uncritically defend it. But there are other ways to see scientific authority. Scientists have always served capitalism, patriarchy, and empire. So say Science for the People, a radical movement of scientists. So, they are fighting to change it. We tell the story of the groups Vietnam-era origins, and explore why it's having a resurgence today.Listen now -
EP63: Who Researches the Researchers?
Researchers with the best of intentions still get things wrong. So what does it look like when the old paternalistic ways are dispensed of? We talk to Garth Mullins, who is both researcher and subject in Vancouver's downtown east side and also to Michelle Fine, a leading proponent of critical participatory action research.Listen now -
EP59: January 6th and the Myth of the Mob (ft. James Jasper and Joy Rohde)
Scholars used discredited crowd theory to explain the events of January 6ths. These are straight from the physician Gustave Le Bon, a bigot who hated the masses. Is it OK to apply reactionary ideas to reactionary movements, out of political expediency? We think no.Listen now -
EP42: The Road From Roe (ft. Becca Andrews, Chelsea Ebin & Laurie Bertram Roberts)
For years, abortion rights advocates have worried about the United States drifting towards abolishing Roe vs. Wade. Could this be the moment? On this episode of Darts and Letters, we look at the road from Roe: years of court cases and anti-choice activism that have led to the current showdown that threatens the right to choose.Listen now -
EP30: Summer in the City (ft. Sandra Fairbank & Daniel Aldana Cohen)
In late June, the Pacific Northwest experienced extreme weather by way of a heat dome that settled over the region, driving up temperatures, and setting heat records. In Portland, the temperature reached 112F (44C) while Lytton, B.C. broke Canada’s heat record three days in a row before burning to the ground on the fourth day.Listen now