Public education is a universal part of the American experience. Every one of us interacts with our system of education whether directly or through taxation. Since the nation's founding, a commitment to universal education has been a pillar of our society. More recently, however, public education has come under attack from several places. Some of the criticism is fair. But some of the sharpest attacks have been coordinated by far right extremists determined to break the system and replace it wit...
Jan 07, 2023•2 hr 13 min
In this very special Show Notes, Max and 99 are joined in-person by the one and only Manny Faces! They cover some Unf*cker feedback from the last two episodes, reflect on what was covered in 2022, and tease what’s to come in 2023. Listen to The Black & Jewish Divide in America. Listen to Quickie 14: How New York F*cked the Country. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:07:02 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:05:38 Instagram Shout Outs: 01:07:5 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:09:17 Reviews: 0...
Jan 04, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Welcome to a very special edition of Phone a Friend, where we reach out to experts, authors and intellectuals who know way more shit about certain subjects than I will ever know. Now this one is a real home game and should prove to be both informative and a lot of fun. He is a Mohawk broadcaster hiding out on Seneca territory in Western New York. John Kane has been the face and voice of resistance and advocacy for decades. He's the host of a podcast called Let's Talk Native, which we've covered ...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 2 min
From failing to run opposition research on the most fraudulent candidate ever to colluding with Republicans on key judgeships, the NY Democratic Party is rife with mediocre careerists more interested in the status quo than winning elections. In this Quickie we offer three stories that demonstrate just how incompetent the NY Dems are and how they’re basically responsible for losing control of the House. Chapters Intro: 00:00:18 1. Malfeasance: The Talented Mr. Santos: 00:03:09 2. Malpractice: Abs...
Dec 23, 2022•19 min
Fascism, Nazism and antisemitism are back in the headlines. Conservative media and the New Right are relaxing with popcorn and settling in to watch as tensions between the Black and Jewish communities increase once again. Today’s episode traces the legacy of conflict between Black and Jewish people in the United States from the so-called “Grand Alliance” of the Civil Rights era, the Black Power and Consciousness movements and the emergence of Zionism in the U.S. to the recent explosion in pop cu...
Dec 18, 2022•1 hr 28 min
In today's unusually quick Show Notes, Max and 99 review feedback from the final installment of the Education series and read out some 5 star reviews! Listen to Public Education (Part Three): Criticize, Demonize, Then Privatize. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:03:06 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:19:39 Reviews: 00:22:56 Outro: 00:23:42 Resources Dan G’s UNFTR Art Unf*cker-Led Facebook Group -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on...
Dec 16, 2022•25 min
This is it. The moment about seven of you have been waiting for. The dramatic conclusion to the three part series on public education that no one asked for. Oh, and it’s long. In sparing our beloved Unf*ckers a fourth part, we jammed 50 years of education policy into one hot mess of learning. To quote the estimable Manny Faces, “This iz EP last of smart edumaction.” In Parts One and Two we explored the history of education and the legal fight to ensure equality. Part Three reveals the master pla...
Dec 10, 2022•1 hr 44 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 review feedback from Education Part Two, talk about some language nuances and 99 is a wee bit cranky. Enjoy, Unf*ckers! Listen to Public Education (Part Two): Expansion, Reconstruction & Desegregation. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:06:36 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:39:42 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:46:03 Outro: 01:02:08 Resources Wolves of Glendale: Olivia Psychology Today: The Illusory Theory of Multiple Intelligences The Ezra Klein Show:...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Today is the great professor and renowned linguist Noam Chomsky's birthday. December 7th. A day that lives in infamy to this pod, because we love us some Uncle Noam. So in honor of this great public intellectual we wanted to reshare our Chomsky tribute episode. We've got show notes to follow tomorrow and part three of our education series dropping on Saturday, so enjoy this appetizer while we prepare the rest of the meal. Access the accompanying essay/transcript . Resources New York Times: QAnon...
Dec 07, 2022•56 min
Today we continue our three-part series by examining three of the four major eras of public education in the United States: Expansion, Reconstruction and Desegregation. This episode looks at the legal and constitutional framework that protects education in all 50 states and some of the fundamental flaws that have contributed to a gross inequity in the system. This sets the stage for the conclusion of the series, which focuses on the current era of Privatization. Chapters Intro: 00:00:35 Chapter ...
Dec 03, 2022•48 min
They’re baaaack! In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 review feedback from Public Education Part One and discuss what’s to come throughout education series. Listen to Public Education (Part One): Scaffolding. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:10:58 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:00:03 Instagram Shout Outs: 01:05:09 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:11:07 Outro: 01:16:49 Resources Have You Heard Podcast Center For Progressive Reform: Protecting Workers by Prosecuting Wage Theft as a Crime @MoPa...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Today is the first in a three-part series on public education in the United States. The focus is on compulsory K-12 education. We begin the series by educating ourselves on the business of education and stripping away the hysteria surrounding mask mandates, CRT, school prayer and kitty litter in bathrooms. Along the way we identify key stakeholders, look at outcomes and measurements, offer a primer on how schools are funded and examine the ongoing mass exodus from the profession of teaching. Wit...
Nov 18, 2022•42 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss some midterm updates and work through some T***p 2024 feelings. Plus 99 gets all boomer on some Unf*ckers, lovingly. Listen to BONUS: Midterm Recap. Resources Variety: Candace Cameron Bure Says Great American Family Will Not Feature Gay Couples, Focus on ‘Traditional Marriage’ Instead Unf*cker Facebook Group Jesse Jackson's David and Goliath speech -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us ...
Nov 18, 2022•49 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 unwind from the Midterms Recap, reflect back on the “Tough on Crime” Republicans episode, and read the smart fuckin' write-ins from the Unf*ckers. Listen to “Tough on Crime” Republicans. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:00:41 Social: 00:23:16 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:28:35 Outro: 00:35:59 Resources Binyamin Appelbaum: The Economists' Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society NYT Opinion: Liberal Hypocrisy is Fueling Am...
Nov 12, 2022•38 min
Max, Manny and 99 slice and dice the midterm election and highlight several key outcomes that portend good things for Progressives. Also, 99 stayed up the latest but it was to watch the Parent Trap. So there's that. -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com . Join the Unf*cker-run Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565 Buy yourself some Unf...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 40 min
The midterms are upon us and the Republicans have pinned their hopes on a tried and true fear tactic: Crime. It’s a winning narrative. Always has been. The data paint another picture entirely, however. While in no way excusing criminal activity or minimizing its impact upon individuals, families and society, we need to have an honest discussion about fear mongering and scapegoating. So let’s take a bite out of crime. Visit the episode's accompanying site page. Chapters Intro: 00:00:04 Chapter On...
Nov 05, 2022•38 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 catch up on some big news stories of the last few weeks like midterms, Twitter, antisemitism, and Lula. They also read some Unf*cker topic requests and review “PC” insult suggestions. Listen to Strange Bedfellows: Chester A. Arthur and Julia Sand. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Current Events Roundup: 00:04:13 Emails: 00:59:15 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:30:33 Outro: 01:36:19 Resources UNFTR Episode: The Problem with Conscious Capitalism Podcast Outrag...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 38 min
The world is more fucked than the United States. And we’re pretty fucked, so that’s saying a lot. Perhaps there’s a way to mitigate this mess by playing upon our worst instincts as a nation and the competitiveness that drives the world. Today we take an alternative view of our response to climate change through the lens of the most dispassionate and powerful observer in the world: The U.S. Military. It’s known for decades that the planet is fucked. And they’ve been preparing in plain sight. Visi...
Oct 29, 2022•57 min
As Max grinds away at a more in-depth Unf*cking, we offer our dear listeners a new palate cleanser. Strange Bedfellows examines fascinating relationships and wonders how these duos might have altered the course of history. Our first installment tells the story of President Chester Arthur and a pen-pal named Julia Sand. Visit the episode's accompanying site page. Chapters Intro: 00:00:31 A Nation Adrift: 00:02:33 Arthur Is Now President: 00:07:17 Letters: 00:07:40 Outro: 00:19:41 Resources Samuel...
Oct 22, 2022•20 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss some Thiel feedback, review episode suggestions from Unf*ckers, and discuss what’s up next for UNFTR episodes. Tune in! Listen to Episode 77: What’s the deal with Peter Thiel? Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:04:36 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:26:23 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:40:07 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:41:14 Outro: 00:45:32 Resources UNFTR Episode: Immigration Nation. Climate Action 2030 UNFTR Episode: Building the Climate Industrial Co...
Oct 20, 2022•46 min
I’m not a doctor. But even I can certainly see that Peter Thiel is a sick, sick person. Bright, awkward and successful, Peter Thiel has risen to prominence in American society on the gamble that he can break it. A product of the Ivy League system who wants to take it down. A gay man who backs candidates that would degrade his civil rights. A hedge fund tech investor who thinks Silicon Valley hasn’t done anything innovative in 50 years. A Trump backer and advisor who walked away when he got what ...
Oct 15, 2022•46 min
In today's Show Notes, Max is cranky about the Mets, we close out feedback from the FCC series and happy cry over real-world Unf*cker meet ups. Listen to Episode 76: The FCC (Part Two). On the death of competition. Chapters Intro: 00:00:25 Newbie Unf*cker Introduction: 00:06:12 Emails: 00:07:58 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:35:29 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:45:44 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:48:12 Outro: 00:51:25 Resources Summer Lee Mandela Barnes Hazen Pingree Wikipedia The David McWillia...
Oct 12, 2022•53 min
In our first installment of the two-part FCC series we discussed the origins of the Federal Communications Commission, the reason it came into existence and the tension between its charge and the First Amendment. Our story resumes with a nod to the Chicago School, the one-two punch of the Reagan and Clinton administrations to deliver a death blow to media competition in the United States and the recent history of net neutrality. Let’s fucking go. Chapters Intro: 00:01:56 Chapter One: The Coase T...
Oct 08, 2022•57 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 share some show scheduling updates, discuss a potential recurring 99 segment and trade New York stories. Plus, they review a few Unf*cker emails regarding supply chain, healthcare and native issues. Listen to Quickie 13: One nation divided? What bipartisanship says about America. Chapters Intro: 00:00:25 Housekeeping: 00:03:40 Emails: 00:07:44 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:48:57 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:50:55 Reviews: 00:54:26 Outro: 01:02:44 Resourc...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 4 min
We’ve all heard of the great divide. The most dysfunctional Congress ever. The end of civility! There’s an impression that nothing passes Congress with bipartisan support anymore. That every piece of legislation has to pass along party lines, setting us up for bloodsport events each and every fucking election cycle. There’s a lot of truth to this. And yet, each year thousands of bills and resolutions are introduced and hundreds are eventually signed into law. We define ourselves along partisan l...
Oct 01, 2022•38 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 talk about the FCC, bagpipes and parkways. And nothing else. (Okay, obviously a lie. But tune in to find out what else is discussed!) Listen to Episode 75: The FCC. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Housekeeping: 00:30:00 Emails: 00:15:25 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:13:12 Substack Shout Outs: 01:19:20 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:25:33 Reviews: 01:28:07 Outro: 01:28:34 Resources Summer Lee Mandela Barnes The Rewatchables: Boogie Nights Last Podcast On The Left:...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 34 min
This week we finally heed the call to Unf*ck the Federal Communications Commission (FCC.) We don’t get all the way there (it’s been around since 1934) but we manage to tackle the fairness doctrine, which was intended to provide balance and equal time in broadcasting and was repealed in 1987. Many credit this Reagan-era move as the beginning of the end of civility, leading to the divide in the nation today. But, of course, the story behind the doctrine is far more nuanced. We review a history of ...
Sep 24, 2022•52 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 talk about the future of the enablers “series,” how people like Larry Fink of BlackRock fit into the overall UNFTR ecosystem and how that relates to ESGs + the billionaire class. Plus, there’s some irrelevant movie talk, and reminders to support the Fall Raisers: Friends, Funds and Hell. Listen to Episode 74: BlackRock: The Devil's Banker. Do as I say, not as I do. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Housekeeping: 00:02:00 Emails: 00:07:43 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:35:45 Twi...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 24 min
Larry Fink is one of the most influential people on the planet. His firm BlackRock mints money. Billions of dollars a year. Their risk management platform handles more than $10 trillion a year. He helped guide the country out of the financial crisis in 2009 and positioned his company to grow unfettered by the very regulatory authorities he advised at the time. He’s by all accounts funny, affable, competitive and compassionate. BlackRock is at the center of a storm in conservative media for pushi...
Sep 17, 2022•1 hr 12 min
In today's Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss the conclusion of the three part Healthcare series, share plans to support two progressive candidates in the upcoming election, and get hyped for the Fall Raisers: Friend, Fund, and Hell. Listen to Episode 73: Hospitals and Healthcare: From Sanatoriums for the Indigent to Citadels of the Elite. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Housekeeping: 00:07:54 Emails: 00:18:57 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:41:06 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:41:19 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Membership...
Sep 15, 2022•56 min
