Would you go along with the group consensus, even if you knew they were wrong? Psychologist Solomon Asch wanted to find this out (in an experiment on college boys) and the findings were enlightening, to say the least. The source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments The other source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html#Factors-Affecting-Conformity DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAI...
Mar 29, 2025•9 min
We all love the public library, so today we dig into how we can protect them given the current attacks. The Source: For the People: Libraries 101: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64063be39637e16c30d774ef/t/67303df9932af1200bf3aeef/1731214855888/Public+Libraries+101+v2+%28digital%29.pdf Addiitional FTP Resources: https://www.librariesforthepeople.org/resources Get involved in libraries: https://substack.com/home/post/p-153870103 DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Sp...
Mar 27, 2025•9 min
We all love the public library, so let's dig into the history of it here in America so we can continue to preserve this valuable institution. The Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-19/how-american-cities-got-their-libraries DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PAT...
Mar 26, 2025•10 min
“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.” - Timothy Snyder Timothy Snyder's website: https://timothysnyder.org/ By the book: On Tyranny: https://timothysnyder.org/on-tyranny/ DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Li...
Mar 25, 2025•11 min
Today we’re talking about purity culture, homogeneity, and surveillance capitalism, which pushes us towards authoritarian control, which works to erode our individuality and agency. Purity Culture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purity_culture DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get Involved: Operation Olive Branch: Spreadsheets + Links GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATRE...
Mar 24, 2025•11 min
Empathy involves listening to and validating other people's experiences, even when they challenge our own beliefs. Can empathy be learned, or is it an innate quality? Empathy is not perfect but its limitations don't diminish its importance. Just because you have to try, it doesn't mean your empathy isn't genuine. Empathy is an active practice that requires us to step out of ourselves and allow space for that imperfection. Leslie Jamison's book: http://www.lesliejamison.com/the-book Borrow it fro...
Mar 23, 2025•10 min
"It’s time for us to all be apocalyptic optimists: prepared for the shocks that are coming and ready to rally as activists, disruptors and bridge builders. Together, we can pressure the state and the market to adopt the changes that our communities require to survive. Here's my advice about how to be the change makers we need." - Dana Fisher Climate shocks are a stark reminder of what’s at stake, but they don’t have to be the only catalyst for change. By acting now: through policy reform, grassr...
Mar 22, 2025•9 min
People in positions of power resist reform because it threatens their position. That means backlash isn't a sign we failed, in fact it's a sign of the opposite. Persistence is the beating heart of change. = TODAY'S SOURCES: Remake Our World's Post: https://www.instagram.com/remakeourworld/p/DCm2oZ-zDzE/?img_index=9 Suz Howard's blog: https://medium.com/@suz.howard/why-social-progress-often-swings-back-lessons-on-change-backlash-and-moving-forward-fbda6f7a1cc1 The Gary Chambers Jr. Post: https://...
Mar 21, 2025•9 min
People in positions of power resist reform because it threatens their position. That means backlash isn't a sign we failed, in fact it's a sign of the opposite. Persistence is the beating heart of change. = TODAY'S SOURCES: Remake Our World's Post: https://www.instagram.com/remakeourworld/p/DCm2oZ-zDzE/?img_index=9 Suz Howard's blog: https://medium.com/@suz.howard/why-social-progress-often-swings-back-lessons-on-change-backlash-and-moving-forward-fbda6f7a1cc1 The Gary Chambers Jr. Post: https://...
Mar 21, 2025•9 min
"Isolation breeds despair. But once you step back to understand your life’s purpose thru a collectivist lens & spend more time building community, then you realize that despair is merely a phase in a broader journey towards figuring out how you can actually care for community IN community & OUTSIDE the system." - Ayesha Khan The Resource: "Two Cheers for Anarchism" by James C. Scott: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/james-c-scott-two-cheers-for-anarchism Ayesha Khan's Post: https:...
Mar 20, 2025•11 min
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation . - wikipedia The Resource: "Two Cheers for Anarchism" by James C. Scott: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/james-c-scott-two-cheers-for-anarchism ...
Mar 19, 2025•10 min
"You know, you and especially your grandparents could have used more of a spirit of lawbreaking. One day you will be called on to break a big law in the name of justice and rationality. Everything will depend on it. You have to be ready. How are you going to prepare for that day when it really matters? You have to stay ‘in shape’ so that when the big day comes you will be ready. What you need is ‘anarchist calisthenics.’ Every day or so break some trivial law that makes no sense, even if it’s on...
Mar 17, 2025•9 min
"Democratic institutions have, to a great extent, become commodities themselves, offered up for auction to the highest bidder. If relative equality is a necessary condition of mutuality and freedom, how can it be guaranteed except through the state? Facing this conundrum, I believe that both theoretically and practically, the abolition of the state is not an option. We are stuck, alas, with Leviathan, though not at all for the reasons Hobbes had supposed, and the challenge is to tame it." - Jame...
Mar 16, 2025•8 min
"Democratic institutions have, to a great extent, become commodities themselves, offered up for auction to the highest bidder. If relative equality is a necessary condition of mutuality and freedom, how can it be guaranteed except through the state? Facing this conundrum, I believe that both theoretically and practically, the abolition of the state is not an option. We are stuck, alas, with Leviathan, though not at all for the reasons Hobbes had supposed, and the challenge is to tame it." - Jame...
Mar 15, 2025•10 min
"Indivisible is a movement for people who are determined — people who turn fear, anger, and grief into action. People who come together in community to hold each other up, protect each other, and fight for our values. If that sounds like you, we invite you to join us. We can’t tell you that everything will work out OK over the coming years—no one can. But we can tell you with a lot of confidence that nothing will be OK unless we fight for it. And there’s so much that’s worth fighting for." - Ind...
Mar 14, 2025•10 min
The current establishment is banking on us giving up our power. They want us to forget that we pay their bills, we hire them, and we fire them. They can work out their contracts but if they don’t deliver? We have to hold them accountable. Today I share concrete strategies to pressure your representatives and reclaim some of the power they’re so desperate to convince you they’ve taken. Access the "Guide to protecting democracy" here: https://indivisible.org/resource/guide DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get...
Mar 13, 2025•12 min
The current establishment is banking on us giving up our power. They want us to forget that we pay their bills, we hire them, and we fire them. They can work out their contracts but if they don’t deliver? We have to hold them accountable. Today I share concrete strategies to pressure your representatives and reclaim some of the power they’re so desperate to convince you they’ve taken. Access the "Guide to protecting democracy" here: https://indivisible.org/resource/guide DONATE: www.pcrf.net Get...
Mar 13, 2025•12 min
There are no perfect revolutionaries, and Gandhi is no exception, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from their work. So, as Gandhi reminds us, "We must never lose our faith in humanity.” And he's right. We are all connected, we are all in this together, and cooperation is the best bet for winning this thing - for us, our allies, and unfortunately our enemies, too. THE SOURCE: https://wagingnonviolence.org/metta/2025/02/gandhis-faith-in-humanity-is-a-call-to-action/ Donate to Palestinian Child...
Mar 12, 2025•10 min
"... we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in the Bronx and along the border, we shall fight in the national parks and forests, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the streets, we shall defend our nation, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the public beaches, we shall fight to protect the public lands, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. And even if, which I do n...
Mar 11, 2025•11 min
Cooperation is good for the goose and good for the gander, but it's built on trust. Our current society does a lot of work to convince us that we can't trust each other - and that is to our detriment. I'm here to remind you that humans are worthy of trust + cooperation. The main resource: Cooperation: https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/chapter/cooperation/ Big Think: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/secrets-of-cooperation/ Strategies to reduce social loafing: https://www.athleticinsight....
Mar 10, 2025•8 min
In multi-cycle versions of the prisoner's dilemma, the most successful winning strategy was tit for tat (and later, tit for two tats) because it was: Nice, (didn't defect first) Retaliatory, (so they didn't get exploited for being too nice) Forgiving, (they retaliate, and then return to cooperation. Not petty or vengeful.) Non-envious (they didn't strive to get more than their opponent.) I think this can teach us a lot about cooperation and mutual-beneficiaries, even in relationships where we ha...
Mar 09, 2025•10 min
Believe it or not, in the official studying of strategy within game theory, cooperative strategies fared the best, even amongst those selfish motivations. Let's talk about the prisoner's dilemma and what we can learn from the thought-experiment. Game Theory Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory Prisoner’s Dilemma wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma#The_iterated_prisoner's_dilemma Find ways to get involved in your community: mobilize.us Donate to Palestinian Childre...
Mar 08, 2025•9 min
Today we discuss the Twilight Zone, its controversy, and a few of its more profound (and controversial) episodes. If you like this stuff let me know by emailing mydbpodcast@gmail.com! If you don't like this stuff, you can also let me know by emailing mydbpodcast@gmail.com! The source: https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-metaphor-years-writing-lessons-from-the-twilight-zone The other source: https://gamerant.com/twilight-zone-most-controversial-episodes/ And this one: https://en.wikipedia.org...
Mar 07, 2025•9 min
Today we’re talking about Rod Serling’s dealings with censorship and how he turned his frustrations into something profound and timeless. “The writer's role is to menace the public's conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus on the issues of his time.” - Rod Serling Article 1 I referenced: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/early-run-censors-led-rod-serling-twilight-zone-180971837/ Article 2 I referenced...
Mar 06, 2025•9 min
Today we explore who Rod Serling was before he created The Twilight Zone (which became a brilliant example of resilience, social commentary, and rebellion). The Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Serling https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/rod-serling-about-rod-serling/702/ Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.net Donate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-funds GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com ...
Mar 05, 2025•9 min
"...the most important move a frozen person can make is whatever breaks the cycle. When so many people are isolated, community-affirming events are vital. When everything feels like it is simultaneously too much, and not enough, we must recognize the importance of beginning. As Mariame Kaba reminds us, we must strive to reduce the distance between our actions and our values. Whatever brings us closer to other people, whatever allows us to act, rather than simply react, is worthwhile." - Kelly Ha...
Mar 04, 2025•8 min
Most of us feel disconnected and unsure of where to begin. That's by design. We must be willing to redesign our reactions so we can reclaim a bit of agency we've been stripped of. THE BLOG POST BY KELLY HAYES: https://organizingmythoughts.org/how-to-be-a-fighter-when-you-feel-like-a-punching-bag/ Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.net Donate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-funds GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedp...
Mar 03, 2025•11 min
What sources remind you most of your own innate power? What saps you of it? What helps you feel the most "free to act" and how can you curate more of that feeling? How can you lessen the gap between having an idea and acting on it? The "Group Hug" Substack by Elise Granata: https://grouphug.substack.com/p/becoming-a-high-agency-person?r=iw9zm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true&ref=organizingmythoughts.org Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.ne...
Mar 02, 2025•8 min
What sources remind you most of your own innate power? What saps you of it? What helps you feel the most "free to act" and how can you curate more of that feeling? How can you lessen the gap between having an idea and acting on it? The "Group Hug" Substack by Elise Granata: https://grouphug.substack.com/p/becoming-a-high-agency-person?r=iw9zm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true&ref=organizingmythoughts.org Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.ne...
Mar 02, 2025•8 min
Hopepunk is a much needed reaction to decades of dystopian and nihilistic fiction. It explores how goodness, joy, optimism, and collective action can be acts of rebellion. Alexandra Rowland's Tumblr: https://ariaste.tumblr.com/post/163500138919/ariaste-the-opposite-of-grimdark-is-hopepunk Sam's Monologue to Frodo: https://mountebank.org/sams-speech/ A Blogpost on Hopepunk: https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/hopepunk Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund:: www.pcrf.net Donate to Mutual...
Mar 01, 2025•11 min
