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Media Cyphers is a weekly radio show out of Kalamazoo, MI where we discuss local issues, analyze and critique local and national media, cover important organizing in the SW Michigan region, and call out the establishment on its B.S. Listen to us live every Tuesday from 12PM-2PM on 89.1 WIDR or online at widrfm.org.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
We start our episode interviewing the head of the recently established Union of Kalamazoo Public Library Aides and Custodial Hourlies Mazalyn Raaymakers and union member Joseph Veld about their struggle for better wages and full-time employment at the Kalamazoo Public Library. We talk about how they came about establishing their union, their relationship with an outwardly "progressive" library system that is being more on the regressive side when it comes to a living wage, and the importance of the KPL walking the walk when it comes to "equity and inclusion" for their employees.
We are then joined by co-host Lawrence to give our thoughts on several important topics.
We begin by looking at the situation in Ukraine and what much of the mainstream media isn't talking about- including NATO (and America's) role in antagonizing Putin and the Russian government, the very real Nazi problem in Ukraine, and the financial motivations behind much of it that are putting innocent Ukranians in the cross hairs. We also critique a Western media that has established a very dubious double standard when it comes to Ukraine and how differently it frames refugees when they are white, Christian, and European.
We look at a story from Ann Arbor and their repeal of a racist housing covenant still on their books. From there we start a deeper discussion of the role of these covenants historically in Michigan and Kalamazoo and the impact they still have on our neighborhoods today.
We close out the show talking about the shenanigans at CPAC- from a former progressive icon going all in on reactionary politics, to a conservatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene palling around with overt fascists.
We close out the show by giving our thoughts on the recent State of the Union address.
0:00- 29:30 Interview w/ Union of KPL Aides & Custodial Hourlies On Their Struggle For Higher Wages30:00- 1:06:35 Thoughts on Ukraine
1:08:00- 1:23:10 Racist Housing Covenant Repealed in Ann Arbor (and Discussion of the History of Racist Housing Covenants in Michigan AND Kalamazoo)
1:23:40- 1:41:10 CPAC
1:41:10- 2:02:40 State of the Union
"Newly unionized Kalamazoo Public Library aides and custodians protest contract impasse"
"Media Cyphers: Ukraine 101"
https://www.facebook.com/hoodratstrategist/posts/253424310312090
"Ann Arbor subdivision becomes 1st in Michigan to repeal racist property covenant"
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
In this bonus podcast we feature a recording of a teach-in from Media Cyphers host Andy Argo for the Socialist Party of Michigan.
We look at George Jackson's classic and extremely relevant revolutionary text and talk about the modern parallels and still existing social issues Jackson critiqued in his book published some 50 years ago. We deep dive into Jackson's analysis of the prison-industrial complex, Socialist organizing, and the process of fascism.
"George Jackson’s ‘Blood in My Eye’ is a collection of writings on prison life, racism, and revolutionary politics from a Marxist point of view, completed only days before the author was killed at the hands of San Quentin prison guards.
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
In this episode of our podcast we spend the hour talking with Jacob Pinney-Johnson about the history of black lead community organizing in Kalamazoo, how it interweaves with the history of his family, and some of the issues the black community in Kalamazoo has had to confront throughout the years. We also talk about how current organizers in the city- and generations coming up- can take lessons from the past to organize better for the future.
Jacob Pinney-Johnson is a lifelong Kalamazoo resident and prolific community organizer who has worked with organizations such as Uplift, Urban Alliance, Project X, and more.
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Friday Feb 11, 2022
In this episode of the podcast we look at an article from NowKalamazoo that reports on a recent Kalamazoo GOP meeting out in Portage that had guests flinging around false information about the 2020 election. We bring the facts, some important context about recent ballot initiatives and our state's bipartisan consensus (among regular working class folk) about voting access, and how things like "the big lie" and the Republican Party in general prey upon people's inate- and reasonable- distrust of the system to paint plutocrats like Donald Trump as cheated victims of election malfeasance.
We then become the one billionth podcast to talk about the recent Joe Rogan controversy- hopefully in a way that is not dreadfully repetitive. We look at how many leftists seem to be conflating the boycott of artists like Neil Young with censorship, and bring you some important data for those who might be trying to re-litigate the legitimacy of Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.
We spend the third part of the episode reading from John Nichols' latest book "Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis"- in particular the role of Kalamazoo's own Pfizer corporation in engaging in vaccine profiteering and prioritizing wealthy countries and their own profit over fighting the pandemic.
0:00- 18:30 Kalamazoo GOP Platforms "the Big Lie" and Other False Election Info
20:00- 37:30 Thoughts on Joe Rogan and Data on Ivermectin
38:00- 1:17:00 Michigan's Own "Coronavirus Criminals:" Pfizer's Pandemic Profiteering
"Falsehoods fuel fear underscoring Kalamazoo GOP’s election strategy"
https://nowkalamazoo.com/2022/02/falsehoods-fuel-fear-underscoring-kalamazoo-gops-election-strategy/?fbclid=IwAR1AV0gf5sJUU6MY_ySISIbxe3gvsxXt8zsX0vhpsyQ8OiI5lWj3O9R_WAY
Ivermectin Data
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ProvidedDocs/09/NCT04646109/Prot_000.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5929173/
"Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers
Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis"
By John Nichols
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678763/coronavirus-criminals-and-pandemic-profiteers-by-john-nichols/
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Welcome to our first installment of BOOK CLUB! In Book Club we are joined by a local community organizer, activist, or otherwise knowledgeable community member to discuss a particular book.
In this episode we are joined by Rev. Nathan Dannison to talk about "Jesus and John Wayne: How Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation" by Kristen Kobes Du Mez. In our sweeping discussion we look at the overall themes of the book- how decades of fostering toxic masculinity, American christian nationalism, and patriarchy fostered a environment that lead to the reactionary character of much of mainline American christianity, how it laid the conditions for Trump, contrasting it with the legacy of liberation theology, and the underlying issues of class and Christian consumer and media culture that have been fostered in the U.S.
THE BOOK
https://kristindumez.com/books/jesus-and-john-wayne/
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
In this episode hosts Andy and Lawrence do a deep dive into the first year of the Biden administration. We talk about the structural incentives that lead the Democrats to uphold capitalist interests over the people, the promises broken and kept, and how the mainstream media largely gives a pass to Biden's failings and fails to inform the public about the important historical context around congressional deadlock.
We also spend time looking at the real legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as an anti-capitalist and radical historical figure, police brutality story emerging from Kansas, and spend some time on some other interesting updates.
0:00- 1:03:10 Biden Year One
1:06:20- 1:20:00 Martin Luther King Jr.
1:20:20- 1:32:00 What's the Matter With Kansas? Police Brutality
1:32:00- 1:39:00 Other Stories
"The Democrats Aren't Bad At Politics, Their Politics Are Bad"
leftvoice.org
Afghanistan Faces "Tsunami of Hunger" as U.S. Sanctions Crash Country's Economy
from Democracy Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCP-2YAspuc
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
In this shorter installment we take a deep-dive into a story popping up in the Vine Neighborhood at the beginning of 2022.
On January 14th a slate of "incelcore" bands were slated to perform at local house venue Lucky 38. We give you some pertinent history and education on what an "involuntary celibate" is, pertinent facts about the bands including their participation at the alt-right "virginfest" and its parading of fashy iconography, and how the community rallied to get the Nazi Punks to F Off and successfully urged Lucky 38 to cancel their show.
Listen in for an important anti-fascist update that hits particularly close to home.
SOURCES
DIT Kalamazoo
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=219691143685407&set=pcb.219691527018702
"Incel Punks Fuck Off: When a Far-Right Internet Subculture Comes to Town"
https://dirtysouthrightwatch.org/2021/virginfest-incelcore/
"Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse" (BOOK)
-p.125 Contested Space
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
It's that time of year again where we celebrate rampant consumer capitalism- though next to the Media Cyphers hearth we're out here celebrating solidarity and calling truth to power.
In this special holiday bonus episode we look at some of the top stories of 2021 and some of the critical stories that dropped at the end of the year.
We are first joined by Rev. Nathan Dannison to talk about his suit with the City of Kalamazoo, the OIR report that dropped about the city's handling of the Proud Boys' fascist march through Kalamazoo in 2020, and reflections on lessons we can learn from the event.
Then Andy and Lawrence have a discussion about what they considered the top stories of the year, as well as some critical events that happened near the end of 2021.
2:30- 46:00 Discussion w/ Rev. Nathan Dannison about Suit, OIR Report, and Looking Back at Kzoo's Response to the Proud Boys
47:00- 1:07:00 Kelloggs and the 2021 Strike Wave
1:07:00- 1:14:10 White Supremacy on Trial: A Look at 3 Big Cases in 2021
1:14:30- 1:19:10 STONKS
1:19:10- 1:28:10 The Men Behind the Curtain: What 2021 Shows Us About Kalamazoo's Unelected Power Structure
1:28:10- 1:37:00 Houselessness in Kalamazoo 2021
1:38:10- 1:50:30 Journalism and Online Censorship
1:50:30- 2:00:53 The Extradition of Julian Assange
HOODRAT STRATEGIST STREAM FROM 8/19/2020 (First Episode After Proud Boys Incident)
https://www.facebook.com/hoodratstrategist/videos/638920450061870
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
In today's episode we are joined with theatre director Connar Klock to discuss an upcoming play going up at Doormouse Theater- "Before the Shooting," an adaptation of a poetry collection by local artist Denise Miller about the American mass shooter. We talk about how the project came together, the importance of art in addressing such a difficult subjects, and more.
In the second half of the episode we give a partial history of the origins of the American anti-abortion movement- how evangelicals were very deliberately lead into a regressive voting block based on something that was not always a particularly controversial issue in American christian circles. We also look at an article from Jacobin that parses out in detail the many ways the Democratic Party COULD be protecting abortion rights- but are not.
0:00- 23:30 Interview w/ Director Connar Klock about "Before the Shooting" a Local Play About the American Mass Shooter
24:20- 49:42 The Anti-Abortion Movement: It's Origins and the Democrats' Lack of Will to Protect Abortion Rights
SOURCES
"The Real Origins of the Religious Right"
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/
"We Need a Left Strategy For Confronting the Anti-Abortion Movement"
"Congressional Dems Are Failing to Secure Abortion Rights"
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Friday Dec 03, 2021
In this episode we take a closer look at the nesting doll of corporate ownership that now controls Bells Brewery. Up at the top, what sort of history does Mitsubishi Corp (the overall parent company here) have when it comes to things like workers rights? Are there any particularly ghoulish crimes against humanity hiding in their closet? (SPOILER: Yes)
We are then joined by long-time co-host Lawrence for a sprawling discussion about the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. We look at how the media have covered the trial, what important facts they have omitted, compare and contrast with the Ahmed Arbery case and a self-defense situation that happened in Oregon last year, and think through the implications of what the verdict means for Kalamazoo and the rest of the country.
We touch on the tragedy at Astroworld and how the pursuit of profits can cut into the need for safety, and examine the line being put out by a lot of outlets providing a false narrative for the root causes of inflation and basically carrying water for (thoroughly discredited) neoliberal talking points.
0:00-16:50 The Global Conglomerate that Just Bought Bells
19:10- 55:35 The Ritt(enhouse) Hits the Fan & the Ahmaud Arbery Case
57:50- 1:05:40 QAnon Shamen, Capitol Rioters and Consequences
1:05:40- 1:13:55 Astroworld Tragedy
1:13:55- 1:15:55 Thoughts on Graphic Packaging Pollution
1:15:55- 1:22:55 The "Inflation Scare" Swindle- Price Gouging and Blaming the Working Class