Should we hope for a crisis as a way out? In-depth discussion with Eddie Yuen from Pacifica's "Against the Grain" radio show, on book "Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth."
Interview by Alex Smith for Radio Ecoshock
Clips of Sasha Lilley from "Against the Grain" KPFA archive, November 12, 2012.
Background music by Alex Smith
Break and reintroduction at 28:08 for stations that need to add Station ID or announcements.
Humans easily fixate on catastrophe, whether real or imaginary. Does the nation, the economy, or even civilization need to collapse in order to start anew? Who benefits if we think like that, and would things get better or worse?
The producers of the long-running radio program "Against the Grain" teamed up with others, to write an influential if controversial book about all that. It was published in 2012 with the title "Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth."
Why bring that back now? Three reasons: some listeners suggest I'm too fixated on collapse, at the expense of solutions. Meanwhile, in America Donald Trump, and others in Europe, feed on creating public fear.