Can we separate the art from the artist? Do the misdeeds of our political and cultural icons diminish their accomplishments? “Cancel Culture” has cast a shadow over the discourse in the United States. Conservatives are twisting every talking point into a culture war issue in an effort to undermine genuine attempts to elevate our language and our behavior. One common thread that runs through narratives across the spectrum is legacy patriarchal thinking that infects our politics, personal interact...
May 06, 2023•1 hr 15 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max intentionally fucked up 99's audio in an attempt to assert his dominance. (Yell at him, Unf*ckers.) Other than that, they discuss some salacious headlines—Epstein and Chomsky, anyone? Plus, they cover feedback from Max’s grandiose essay. Enjoy! Listen to Dismantling the Oligarchy: The Political Class is Intellectually Bankrupt. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:05:08 Emails: 00:18:43 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:29:29 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 00:44:10 Re...
May 04, 2023•51 min
This episode explores both the majesty of our democracy and its failures. No matter the issue that motivates you as a voter and citizen, there is an artificial barrier that exists between our desire for change and ability to manifest it. The whims of an increasingly wealthy donor class ensures that each of the major parties play their respective roles in maintaining the status quo. Well intentioned political figures inevitably cave to the pressures of the donor class and unrelenting requirements...
Apr 29, 2023•19 min
Max is back for today's Show Notes and there's plenty to review! Him and 99 cover important headlines (Tucker's departure, Biden's re-election, etc.), Updated Tax Evasion Figures feedback and discuss the prosperity doctrine. Listen to Updated Tax Evasion Figures: Lifestyles of the Rich and Fraudulent. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:09:21 Emails: 00:44:37 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:55:58 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:57:52 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:08:07 Reviews: 01:11:14 Outro: 0...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 15 min
An explosive new report from the Bureau of Economic Research just landed, and it seems that no one in the media or political class cares. The report pulls together findings from new domestic regulations related to offshore banking and revelations from a treasure trove of documents leaked in the Pandora Papers. The Bureau estimates that billionaires are now holding nearly $4 trillion in assets in offshore accounts, an increase of nearly $1 trillion since the last estimate was published. And it’s ...
Apr 21, 2023•37 min
In today’s Show Notes, 99 flies solo while Max is on vacation. She covers affirmative action feedback, some housekeeping and YouTube comments. Plus, we get some bonus punch ins from Manny Faces! Listen to The End of Affirmative Action: Civil rights advocates brace for the worst. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:01:35 Emails: 00:09:17 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:17:55 Reviews: 00:23:51 Outro: 00:24:46 Resources Subscribe to the UNFTR Newsletter Shop Unf*cking The Republic and UNFTR Merch Bettina...
Apr 12, 2023•26 min
Affirmative action has a long history in the United States, beginning with the labor movement in the 1930s. But over time, the country and the courts developed a far more narrow definition with respect to the college and university admissions process. Today, the vestiges of affirmative action are once again under attack and likely to fall apart completely under the conservative Trump court. In this episode, we review the history of affirmative action, how it came to be settled law and why it’s l...
Apr 08, 2023•50 min
In today's Show Notes Max and 99 cover headlines ranging from oil to Trump's Indictment, discuss MMT and review some Unf*cker updates. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:04:24 Emails: 00:16:46 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:34:34 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:37:51 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:56:03 Outro: 01:07:56t Resources Manny Faces Online , Facebook , Twitter and Instagram Will Watkins on Instagram Headlines Forever Wars: The 'Indispensable Nation' Learns It Might Not Be Great-Power-...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min
NYS Governor Kathy Hochul is once again under scrutiny for vetoing a bill that would have protected unmarked graves of Native People. It’s another in a litany of demonic insults to Native tribes in New York. But this one comes with a kicker. In defending her administration’s policies toward Native territories in NY, she mentions the return of 1,000 acres to the Onondaga Nation. But there’s a whole lot more to that story. Chapters Intro: 00:00:05 Section One: 00:01:08 Section Two: 00:03:57 Sectio...
Apr 01, 2023•16 min
99 is back in today's Show Notes! She and Max talk Creative Destruction, YouTube production, and something else that rhymes. Enjoy, Unf*ckers! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:04:41 Emails: 00:15:20 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:37:06 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:51:30 Outro: 00:55:50 Resources Sign up for the UNFTR Newsletter Headlines The New York Times: After Doling Out Huge Loans, China Is Now Bailing Out Countries The New York Times: Clash Over Building Atop Native Burial S...
Mar 30, 2023•57 min
Silicon Valley is in a slump. For all the talk about innovation, there’s a real question as to whether the U.S. tech sector is really all that innovative. Today’s episode digs into this question through the lens of a concept called “Creative Destruction,” a term coined by famed economist Joseph Schumpeter. Chapters Intro: 00:00:04 Chapter One: What is Creative Destruction? 00:05:37 Chapter Two: Innovation or Iteration? 00:11:59 Chapter Three: The so-called disruptors. 00:17:45 Bring it home, Max...
Mar 25, 2023•39 min
In today's Show Notes Max flies solo as 99 is 'Down With Disease.' He covers the new Times piece regarding Carter, makes some Book Love suggestions and responds to YouTube comments. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:02:33 Emails: 00:7:40 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:16:26 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:17:09 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:22:31 Outro: 00:023:39 Resources The New York Times: An Untold Story Behind Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Defeat DRILLED Podcast New Season Adam Jentleson: ...
Mar 23, 2023•26 min
This is the audio version of the fourth installment of our “Dumb Right Wing Tropes” series on YouTube that looks at the word “woke” and how it has been increasingly used by the right to belittle and dehumanize groups on the Left. We look at the origin of the term, the meaning behind it and why being woke is so much better than the alternative. Chapters Intro: 00:00:07 Section One: 00:01:20 Fuck Florida: 00:03:31 Section Two: 00:04:00 Section Three: 00:07:05 Outro: 00:07:43 Resources NAACP Legal ...
Mar 23, 2023•8 min
What goes up, must come down. Unless you’re a banker. In which case it’s up, up and away with bailouts and low interest loans! Today’s episode is an accessible explainer of the unfolding banking crisis. It explains the basics of banking business models, where certain banks have exposure, the regulatory environment and some predictions as to what happens next. Hopefully, you walk away with slightly more insight into the current crisis, why it’s happening and what’s at stake. Chapters : Intro: 00:...
Mar 18, 2023•32 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max and 99 lightly cover bank failures, and Project Willow. Plus a discussion on prison abolition and some closing thoughts on the Federal Reserve. Enjoy, Unf*ckers! Listen to The Fed and Inflation: The stories we tell. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:01:19 Emails: 00:14:07 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:51:41 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:54:07 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:00:08 Reviews: 01:06:15 Outro: 01:07:08 Resources Al Jazeera: Willow oil drilling project in...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Today, we’re talking about the stories we tell. Narratives that take root and stubbornly refuse to die. The economic version of urban legends. Today’s culprit is the Federal Reserve. I watched the two-hour testimony of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, so you don’t have to. And it was a masterclass in euphemisms intended to cover the Fed’s desire to put more people out of work. Two million of you, to be exact. So let’s talk about stories and legends. Chapters Intro: 00:01:05 Chapter One: In G...
Mar 11, 2023•49 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max and 99 round out the Carter series; cover more Headlines (the TN drag bill, Nord Stream 2 and Chris Hedges), and read some Facebook and YouTube comments. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:03:52 Social Feedback: 00:37:47 YouTube Feedback: 00:45:22 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:59:30 Show Notes: 01:09:41 Resources NPR: The anti-drag bills sweeping the U.S. are straight from history's playbook The New York Times: Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Grou...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 11 min
President Carter ran out his final year in office from the confines of the Oval Office as he worked night and day to free the hostages in Iran. After 444 days, they were released on the day his successor was inaugurated. It was a bittersweet and undeserving end for an all-too-brief tenure. The final installment of our series examines the events of 1980 and offers some final reflections on Jimmy Carter the man, and his legacy. Chapters Chapter Nine: 00:00:01 Epilogue: 00:11:08 Outro: 00:17:39 Res...
Mar 04, 2023•20 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max and 99 talk even more about Carter; continue with the Headlines segment (covering a vegan news story, student debt and a rebuttal to Seymour Hersh), and hear from some all star Unf*ckers! Enjoy. Listen to James Earl Carter (Part Three) . Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:15:02 Emails: 00:41:48 Social Shout Outs: 00:47:59 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:53:47 Reviews: 00:53:47 Outro: 01:09:09 Resources New Unf*cking the Republic and UNFTR Merch UNFTR Yo...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Somehow, we’re still talking about spy balloons. Long-forgotten are the revelations of Edward Snowden, who uncovered mass surveillance programs under the NSA and other U.S. agencies. Since that time, we’ve come to learn more and more about the capabilities of multiple U.S. agencies to surveil its own citizens. The spy balloon narrative overshadows the steady erosion of civil liberties in our own backyard. Resources James Fallows: What the Hell is Happening in the Sky? The Soldiers Project: How M...
Mar 02, 2023•11 min
On the heels of multiple domestic and foreign policy successes, the Carter Administration headed into 1979 brimming with hope and optimism. And the American people were mostly supportive of their humble president who helped return some dignity and sanity to the Oval Office. But trouble was brewing from within the Democratic ranks, the global economy and several bad actors abroad that would coalesce seemingly overnight to challenge the president. Chapters Intro: 00:00:25 Chapter Six: Carter on th...
Feb 27, 2023•42 min
In today’s Show Notes, Max and 99 discuss the recent Jimmy Carter news, review Carter Part Two feedback, and introduce a new recurring segment for Show Notes. Listen to James Earl Carter (Part Two) . Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:01:23 Emails: 00:27:28 Social Shout Outs: 00:35:24 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:39:26 Reviews: 00:42:43 Outro: 00:44:19 Resources The Lever: Driving The Narrative Seymour Hersh on Substack: How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline Seymour M....
Feb 24, 2023•46 min
In Part One of our series, we discussed the persistent attempts on the right to draw parallels between the Carter and Biden administrations. We looked at the rise of James Earl Carter from humble beginnings on a farm, to the Naval Academy and into the governor’s office in Georgia. Each step of his early journey offers insight into the development of his worldview and governing style. In Part Two, we do a deep dive into the first half of the White House years to understand the challenges that fac...
Feb 18, 2023•53 min
In today's Show Notes, 99 returns! And her audio is a little fucky (sorry). Max and 99 review Carter feedback, Max has plenty of aggressive diatribes, and they discuss what's to come on YouTube and the main feed. Listen to James Earl Carter (Part One) . Chapters Intro: 00:00:23 Emails: 00:04:34 YouTube: 00:35:24 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:46:35 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:49:13 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:51:59 Outro: 00:56:16 Resources Code Switch Podcast Pod Save The People CounterSp...
Feb 16, 2023•57 min
The debt ceiling crisis is a completely manufactured, self-inflicted wound that only the GOP sees fit to weaponize when it suits them. Forget the fact that it has been raised 78 times since 1960, 49 of which were under a Republican president—the House Republicans are determined to derail Biden’s economic gains any way they can. Today’s Topical Cream breaks down the fallacy of the debate and puts our budget in context with our debt. Visit the episode's accompanying site page . Chapters Intro: 00:...
Feb 14, 2023•13 min
Today we begin our look back at the brief but remarkable tenure of President Jimmy Carter. The late 70s is a fascinating period on a number of levels. Civil Rights groups had fractured into several pieces, the Vietnam era had come to a disgraceful close and the economy was beginning to falter after more than two decades of astounding post-war growth for the middle class in particular. The GOP’s grip on Washington was tenuous after Nixon’s resignation and the country wasn’t sure whether Ford was ...
Feb 11, 2023•31 min
GDP growth was stronger than expected. Unemployment remains historically low. Supply chain issues continue to work themselves out. China is entering a period of strong projected growth. The Fed has even signaled that it will slow the pace of interest rate increases. And yet, the tech sector is laying people off like you read about? What’s behind the doom and gloom in Silicon Valley and some areas on Wall Street? We look into the recent spate of mass layoffs and try to square the tech industry na...
Feb 04, 2023•20 min
Max is left to (mainly) fend for himself in this 99-less episode of Show Notes, as she takes a well deserved break. While her presence is missed, it's always worth hearing Max read listener feedback from Unf*ckers who disagree with him. This ep covers the Who to Trust in Media episode and the Airline Crisis Topical Cream (ew). Listen to Who To Trust In Media Listen to Airline Crisis: Why Is the FAA Failing Under Buttigieg? Chapters Intro 00:00:20 Housekeeping: 00:05:07 Emails: 00:09:35 Outro: 00...
Jan 26, 2023•46 min
Pete Buttigieg is in the news a lot for a Transportation Secretary. Either he’s a media darling the democratic establishment is keen to keep in the public eye, or he’s really bad at his job. Methinks it’s both. Today’s Topical Cream examines Mayor Pete’s borderline catastrophic run as head of the agency and the fallout from the multiple airline crises that have plagued his tenure. There’s no doubt this guy wants to be POTUS, but what exactly is he qualified to do other than burn progressives? Ch...
Jan 21, 2023•16 min
We’re gearing up and doubling down in 2023. Today, Max makes a couple of big announcements (big to us, at least) before musing on the state of the media. The balance of the show is dedicated to highlighting other great work that we admire and follow. We are all the sum of our experiences. These experiences help cultivate our individual biases. As consumers of UNFTR—and in light of one of our announcements—we thought it appropriate to reveal the media sources we trust. We’re anxious to hear your ...
Jan 18, 2023•58 min
