In September, on NF Episode #73 we discussed the book “How Democracies Die” by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky as part of our Nerd Farm Reads Book Club (#nerdfarmreads). This week in light of events in the news from Wisconsin and elsewhere, we decided to revisit the text and examine the further degradation of US democracy since we discussed the book.
Cast of Characters
- Andrew Hammond: Tacoma News Tribune
- Ingrid Walker: Professor University of Washington Tacoma (the Bad Academic)
- Halley Knigge: Mistress of Books, Runner, and Rad Human
The Rundown
4:00: The ways our guests are watching democracy die
8:00: Why voting (and non-voting) and politics in a pandemic (and always) are so frustrating
25:00: Pre-Trump moments that led us to where we are today
35:00: The role of political violence in the decline of US democracy
45:00: Can informed-consumerism really replace democracy (spoiler: no)? Are we really voting with our dollars? What are actual impactful political acts?
50:00: The media obsession with “neutrality” will be the death of us all
57:00: Closing thoughts
The Wind Down
Guests have homework!! “How to Fix A Drug Scandal”
The Socials
Andrew Hammond: @ahammTNT
Ingrid Walker: @badacademic
Halley Knigge: @halleyrebecca
Coming Up
Next Nerd Farm Reads: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Going Further
Stolen Justice by Lawrence Goldstone
The Red and the Blue by Steve Kornacki
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