Laura Flanders and Friends: Talks with forward-thinking activists, artists, & changemakers building a more just, equitable, and democratic world.

Full Uncut Conversation- Naomi Klein: Tackling the “Doppelganger”, Disinformation & Lies

Episode Summary

The following full uncut conversation is from our recent episode featuring Naomi Klein. It is made available here as a podcast thanks to the generous contributions from listeners like you. Thank you. Become a member today and you'll receive an invite to a 'Ask Laura Anything" event, October 4th 8pm Eastern Time, goto https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Episode Summary: In her new book, "Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World”, award-winning journalist Naomi Klein describes being confused with Naomi Wolf, a conspiracy-minded anti-vaxxer. In this conversation, Klein describes researching doppelgangers and listening to conspiracist Steve Bannon's podcasts, in order to uncover why we have shadow selves, and how disinformation and conspiracy theories gain power. “[I think that] the pressure we're putting on the self . . . is part of why we're seeing so many people crack. I don't think the self can support the amount that we are putting on it: It's our income. It's our retirement. It's our safety. It's our lifeboat . . . And it's an illusion because we cannot protect ourselves from the forces that we're up against . . . Our only hope of protection is through collective work and collective movement building.” - Naomi Klein “Very often we think that the solution is deplatforming . . . What I've seen is that it's actually kind of supercharged the movement. People wear it as a badge of honor . . . I am less interested in how we control speech and much more interested in how we drain conspiracy culture of its energy, of its power.” - Naomi Klein Guest: Naomi Klein: Journalist & Best-Selling Author, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, The Shock Doctrine, No Logo, This Changes Everything & On Fire

Episode Notes

The following full uncut conversation is from our recent episode featuring Naomi Klein.  It is made available here as a podcast thanks to the generous contributions from listeners like you.  Thank you.  Become a member today and you'll receive an invite to a 'Ask Laura Anything" event, October 4th 8pm Eastern Time, goto https://LauraFlanders.org/donate

 

Full Episode Description:  Politics abhors a vacuum. Without credible explanations for the things that bewilder and exasperate us, people become susceptible to extremist conspiracy theories, hate and lies. So how does truth survive? In her brand new book, "Doppelgänger: A Trip into the Mirror World”, award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, (author of No Logo, The Shock Doctrine, et al), describes being confused with Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth, as Wolf morphed into a conspiracy-minded anti-vaxxer during the Covid pandemic. In an era of all important "personal brands", Klein became absorbed in the deep fake, double worlds surrounding and sometimes coming to represent her online. Right-wing conspiracies feed off Left-wing silences, she concludes. In this far-ranging interview from her home in British Columbia, Canada, Klein describes listening to hours and hours of conspiracist Steve Bannon's podcasts, and researching doppelgängers in history and literature, in order to uncover why we have shadow selves, and how disinformation and conspiracy theories gain power. Join Laura Flanders for this charming conversation as Naomi Klein challenges us to overcome divide-and-conquer individualism if we are ever to tackle our real-life, systemic crises. And Laura shares a few thoughts on learning from our elders about the pre-digital age.

“[I think that] the pressure we're putting on the self . . . is part of why we're seeing so many people crack. I don't think the self can support the amount that we are putting on it: It's our income. It's our retirement. It's our safety. It's our lifeboat . . . And it's an illusion because we cannot protect ourselves from the forces that we're up against . . . Our only hope of protection is through collective work and collective movement building.” - Naomi Klein

“Very often we think that the solution is deplatforming . . . What I've seen is that it's actually kind of supercharged the movement. People wear it as a badge of honor . . . I am less interested in how we control speech and much more interested in how we drain conspiracy culture of its energy, of its power.” - Naomi Klein

Guest:  Naomi Klein Naomi Klein is the award-winning author of international bestsellers including This Changes Everything, The Shock Doctrine, No Logo, No Is Not Enough, and On Fire, which have been published in more than thirty-five languages. She is an associate professor in the department of geography at the University of British Columbia, the founding co-director of UBC’s Centre for Climate Justice, and an honorary professor of Media and Climate at Rutgers University. Her writing has appeared in leading publications around the world, and she is a columnist for The Guardian.

 

Full Episode Notes are located HERE.  They include related episodes, articles, and more.

Music Included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear.  Also included are excerpts taken from the 'Book Trailer' for Naomi Klein's "Doppelgänger: A Trip into the Mirror World”

 

The Laura Flanders Show Crew:  Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller and Jeannie Hopper

 

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