Category Archives: Economics

Robert Stark interviews James Howard Kunstler

aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, American Culture, Architecture, Banking, Consumerism, Corporations, Culture, decentralization, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, Environment, Futurism, Globalization, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, James Howard Kunstler, Literature, localism, Mass Transit, Mid-Century Modern, New Urbanism, New York, overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Peak Oil, Rabbit, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Wall Street, Water, Zoning

james-kunstler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Rabbit, and Alex von Goldstein talk to writer and social critic, James Howard Kunstler

Topics include:

The history of suburbia
James’ theory of history that things happen because they seem like a good idea at the time
How our auto oriented petroleum based society is unsustainable
How bad urban planing has negative psychological and cultural implications
The role of zoning laws, and how zoning can both encourage and prevent suburban sprawl
The future of suburbia, how some will be retrofitted into walkalble communities, while others will be abandoned
The New Urbanist Movement
Mass immigration and overpopulation
Why James does not view skyscrapers and hyper density as viable alternatives to suburbia
Robert’s point that tall structures can have aesthetic value, and how James acknowledges that the early wave of skyscrapers(ex. Singer Building, Woolworth Building, Manhattan Municipal Building) were beautiful structures but historical flukes
How European cities provide the ideal model for urbanism
Examples of sustainable American cities include Portland, Oregon, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia
Mass Transit, and why James favors investing in existing rail infrastrusture over new high speed rail
The Streetcar suburb, and how they provide a model for New Urbanism
James’ point that even with alternative energy and technological innovation, we still have to downsize and localize our society and economy
How peak oil will lead to economic and political decentralization
How Peak Oil will make Globalization unsustainable
The future of China and the Arab Gulf States
Pre-War Japan as the best example of an advanced civilization without industrialization
The scarcity of water in the future, and how the inland water system will regain it’s value
Historic Preservation, how the movement was started in the 1960’s in response to the demolition of Pennsylvania Station in NYC, and the debate about what should be preserved
Rabbit makes the case for mid century modern
Capital scarcities in the future, and how mass development is dependent upon the financial system
James’ four book series set in a post economic collapse America, the World Made by Hand


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Robert Stark interviews Scott Jackisch

aesthetics, Architecture, Basic Income, California, capitalism, Cities, Consumerism, Dystopia, Economics, Environment, Futurism, Human Bio Diversity, income inequality, Philosophy, Political Correctness, Politics, Psychology, Rabbit, Realpolitik, Retro Futurism, Robert Heinlein, San Francisco, Science, Science Fiction, Scott Jackisch, Skyscrapers, Social Isolation, Social Justice Warriors, Socialism, Sociopaths, Transhumanism, Urbanism, Utopia, War, Wealth, Zoning

Oakland Futurist

 

 

 

 

Scott Jackisch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit interview Scott Jackisch. Scott is an IT consultant located in Oakland, CA. He blogs at The Oakland Futurist and runs the East Bay Futurists meetup.

Topics include:

Scott’s interest in futurism and science fiction writers including Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and William Gibson
Scott’s futurist meetup and how there is a strong interest in futurism in the San Francisco Bay Area
How in the modern era people are isolated, and how meetups can fill in that void, and create new communities
How the meetup itself is not political, but rather an open discussion on futurism
The different political factions within futurism including liberals, libertarians, and Neoreactionaries
Scott’s critique of Neoreaction, how his main disagreement is over their rejections of progress, but can sympathize with their reaction to extreme political correctness
Rabbit’s point that he got interested in Neoreaction because the idea of people being able to form their own societies appealed to him, but was turned off by the extreme traditional views
Scott’s political views, and how he is basically a Centrist and Pragmatist
Why Scott accepts Realpolitik, which is a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations
Transhumanism
Scott’s series The Robot Lord Scenario, which he plans on turning into a novel
Trends in warfare,  how the invention of the gun leveled the playing field, but that automative weapons will enforce inequality
Daniel Suarez’s novel Kill Decision
Economic automation and it’s implications
Economics, whether capitalism is necessary for innovation, and how a functional economic needs both capitalism and socialism
The Bay Area’s housing crisis, NIMBYism, and where to build new housing
Vertical Living and urban agriculture
Retro Futurism, dystopian and utopian visions of the future
How science fiction writers can provide narratives for engineers to build their visions(ex. Elon Musk and the Culture series)
The role of sociopaths in society, and how power generally gets concentrated by sociopaths
From a realpolitiks perspective how do you take power away from people in power that are causing harm?
Scott’s message for people to listen to each other instead of demonizing the other side


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Robert Stark interviews Laura Foote Clark of Grow SF

aesthetics, Architecture, California, Cities, Economics, Environment, Grow SF, Historic Preservation, income inequality, Krishan Madan, Laura Foote Clark, Mass Transit, Millennials, New Urbanism, Rabbit, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Zoning

laura-foote-clark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark joined with Rabbit and Krishan Madan interview Laura Foote Clark. Laura is the president of GrowSF, which advocates for affordable and market rate housing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Topics include:

The Bay Area’s lack of affordable housing
How the housing crisis particularly effects millennials
How integrated public transit provides better access to affordable housing
The severity of the housing crisis, and how a massive increase in housing is needed just to sustain current demands
The miss conception that there is no space to grow in San Francisco, and the twitter series wasteOfUrbanSpace
Mega Developments in the Bay Area, and Laura’s point that focusing on specific projects can distract from the overall housing shortage
Where to build new housing
SF grants density bonuses to affordable housing developments
Micro Apartments
What Silicon Valley Would Look Like if Tech Companies Built Themselves Cities
Laura’s point that if the Silicon Valley became a more urban environment it would ease the demand for housing in San Francisco
The role that suburbs play in the Bay Area’s housing shortage
How the lack of new housing in cities encourages suburban sprawl
The trend in preference for urban over suburban living among millennials
How Environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club are divided on the housing issue
Bay Area’s Greenbelt Alliance and New Urbanism
California Proposition 13
Proposition C: San Francisco Affordable Housing
Rent Control
Why Laura would like to see a unified zoning plan for the Bay Area
Whether there is a limit on how many people the Bay Area can accommodate
How the housing issue is the main political divide in the Bay Area
Krishan’s point that tax cuts effect the rich, welfare the poor, but housing can be the political issue of the middle class
The importance of getting involved in local politics


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Robert Stark interviews Keith Preston about Thinkers Against Modernity

Alain de Benoist, Aleister Crowley, Alex von Goldstein, Alternative Right, American Exceptionalism, capitalism, Carl Schmitt, Christianity, Classical Liberalism, Consumerism, democracy, Distributism, Economics, Enlightenment, Environment, G.K. Chesterton, Immigration, Imperialism, Keith Preston, Leftism, Liberalism, Marxism, Mass Democracy, Morality, Nationalism, Nietzsche, Nihilism, Political Correctness, Politics, The Enlightenment, the New Right, Thinkers Against Modernity, Third Position, Third Way Economics, Traditionalism

thinkers-against-modernity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Alex von Goldstein interview Keith Preston about his book Thinkers Against Modernity

Topics include:

How the book is an examination of thinkers critical of modernity from a value neutral perspective
How Keith is influenced by the intellectual tradition of the enlightenment, yet finds value in traditionalist critiques of modernity
Julius Evola as the purest critique of modernity
How the Right tends to have a pessimistic view of the present and idealizes a particular era of the past(ex. Julius Evola the 8th Century BC, Nietzsche the Sophist era in Ancient Greece,  Traditional Catholics the Middle Ages, and mainstream conservatives the 1950’s or Reagan Era)
Defining characteristic of the Right include rejection of social change, egalitarianism, and universalism, and a fixed view of human nature
Nietzsche’s point that ideologies become new religions, and how the modern politically correct left is a new moralistic religion rather than genuine liberalism or Marxism
Aleister Crowley’s aristocratic individualism, and his view that capitalism and mass democracy degraded a genuine cultural elitism
The Distributist G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc, their views on the distribution of capital, and their critic of capitalism as degrading traditional values
Carl Schmidt’s view that democracy was incompatible with liberal individualism
How Carl Schmidt subscribed to the realist school of though and viewed the United States as having an ideologically driven foreign policy
The United States as a nation founded on Classical Liberalism and the Enlightenment
The European New Right, how it was founded in the late 1960’s as a counter to the New Left, fusing aspects of the New Left with the conservative revolution of the interwar period
How the New Right tried to appeal to the left on issues such as anti-globalization, anti-consumerism, anti-imperialism, and environmentalism
The New Right’s critique of political correctness, feminism, and mass immigration as being products of capitalism
Noam Chomsky on capitalism and anti-racism
The American Alternative Right, how it is influenced by the European New Right, and how it is different
Guillaume Faye’s Archeo-Futurism and futurist thought on the right


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Robert Stark interviews Richard Wolstencroft

aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, Alternative Right, Australia, Boyd Rice, capitalism, censorship, Cinema, Coen Brothers, Cultural Marxism, Culture, Donald Trump, Economics, Environment, Erotica, Fascism, Film, Futurism, Globalization, Homosexuality, horror, horror films, Immigration, Islam, Leftism, Marquis de Sade, Nationalism, Oligarchy, Overpopulation, Pearls Before Swine, Philosophy, Political Parties, Politics, Pornography, Psychology, Radical Center, Richard Wolstencroft, Sadism, sadomasochism, Salò, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Social Darwinism, Socialism, Sociopaths, Transgender, Wealth

Richard Wolstencroft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert stark and co-host Alex von Goldstein interview Richard Wolstencroft. Richard is a filmmaker, writer, events promoter, and founder and festival Director of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Check out his articles at Alternative Right

Topics include:

Richard’s film Pearls Before Swine(Watch here)
The actor and musician Boyd Rice who stars in Pearls Before Swine
The theme of fascism, power, and sadomasochism in the film
Influences on the film include A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, and Salò, which also deals with the themes of fascism and sadomasochism, and was temporarily banned in Australia
Richard’s horror film Bloodlust
Censorship and Film in Australia
The BDSM Hellfire Club which Richard owned
The psychology and philosophy of sadomasochism, and how it relates to politics(Master–slave dialectic)
Social Darwinism
How culture is a more effective way to be subversive than through politics
Richards Theory of Transcendental Fascism
Richard’s political views, and his interest in the Alternative Right and Nationalism
Richard’s point that the left and right should unite against the globalist 1%(ex. the left should agree to be more anti-immigration, and the right more socialist)
The theory that psychopaths evolve through evolution to deal with overpopulation
The film HIGH-RISE based on the book by British writer J.G. Ballard
The film “HAIL, CAESAR!” BY THE COEN BROTHERS
Aesthetics in Film
Richard’s new film The Second Coming
Richard’s porn documentary THE LAST DAYS OF JOE BLOW

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Robert Stark, Rabbit, & Alex von Goldstein talk about Future Trends & Scenarios

"1984", aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, American Culture, Basic Income, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Crime, Culture, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, Environment, Eugenics, Film, Futurism, Hipsters, Immigration, income inequality, James Howard Kunstler, Negative Income Tax, New Urbanism, Oligarchy, overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Peak Oil, Police State, Politics, Prison, Rabbit, Radical Center, Science Fiction, Soft Totalitarianism, Suburbia, Traditionalism, Transhumanism, Urbanism, US Prison System, Utopia, Wealth, welfare state

Future Trends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics include:

The conservative concept of self sufficiency( ex.working for a corporation, driving a car, and owning a home, in the suburbs) vs. the traditionalist one(ex.growing your own food), and the futurist one
The traditionalist Larpy goal of a society where everyone grows their own food, and how local agriculture should be encouraged, but it is unrealistic for everyone to be involved in it
The growth of the suburbs, from the original Railroad suburbs of the 19th Century, to the post war car oriented suburban sprawl
How small towns that have access to both urbanism and wilderness are the ideal place to live for those who can afford them(ex. Marin County, Palo Alto, and East Bay Hills in the SF Bay Area, and parts of  North Jersey)
New Urbanism, which seeks to re-create walkable communities out of car oriented suburbs
James Howard Kunstler‘s theory that Peak oil will lead to the death of suburbia and re-creation of localized communities
Future predictions that Peak Oil will lead to a Mad Max style collapse
Conspiracy Theories, the theory that the elites want chaos vs the frog in the boiling pan theory, and Alex’s comment that the elite’s have a short time frame
A Futurist Utopian model that’s ecologically sustainable, where robots do all the work, and that has a Basic income
How a basic income could create a utopia if implemented the right way, but could also be abused by the elites
How the key problem with society is that the elites control to much of the wealth, and the underclass control a large share of the population, and how to remedy that
Mike Judge’s Idiocracy
Transhumanism
The Nineteen Eighty-Four Police State Scenario
The US Prison System, and how inhumane condition only make people more dangerous
How we have open border combined with a surveillance state
How terrorism, “hate speech”, and the underage sex hysteria have been used to justify complete surveillance of the internet
How every political ideology is tied to a cultural aesthetic
Our upcoming show on Retrofuturism, and how Retrofuturism is the perfect aesthetic for Radical Centrism, because they are both based on fusionism


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Robert Stark interviews Adam Hengels about Market Urbanism

Adam Hengels, aesthetics, Architecture, Chicago, Cities, Economics, education, Environment, Historic Preservation, income inequality, Los Angeles, Market Urbanism, Mass Transit, New Urbanism, New York, Phoenix, Rabbit, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Zoning

Adam Hengels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit talk to Adam Hengels.

Adam is SVP and Director of Development of PAD, a real estate development start-up that builds communities for young professionals.  PAD’s developments will feature micro-apartments and other product innovations.

From Mega-Projects to Micro-Apartments, Adam has brought his development expertise to several high profile projects such as the $5B Barclays Center Arena and Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, New York .  Adam earned his Masters in Real Estate Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has a BS and MS in Structural Engineering.

Adam is passionate about urbanism, and is known as a pioneer in the Market Urbanism movement.  His mission is to improve the urban experience, and overcoming obstacles that prevent aspiring city dwellers from living where they want.  He considers the conventional apartment layout to be stale.  Product innovations such as micro-apartments are a key part of the next wave in urbanism.

Topics include:

Why Adam advocates for the liberalization of zoning laws
The debate between absolute private property rights vs. the argument that regulations are necessary to prevent landowners from harming their communities
Zoning laws that contribute to suburban sprawl(ex. parking requirements, limits on density in suburbs, and government subsidies of roads and highways)
Retrofitting Suburbia
How demographic and economic changes are leading to the decline of suburbia
How to attract middle class families back to cities by improving education and increasing housing supply
New Urbanism
How zoning laws can prevent bad developments, but can also lead to increases in costs of living
Whether zoning laws are necessary to preserve the aesthetic and historic character of cities
How original mixed use communities declined due to zoning regulation and the rise of the automobile
Robert Stark’s point that even though he supports historic preservation and wilderness conservation, he acknowledges that many zoning laws have negative affects on cities and encourage sprawl
How the Lack of New Housing On The Westside of LA Is Causing Gentrification Of East And South LA
Height limit restrictions in cities
Minimum lot size requirements, and how they stifle creativity in urbanism
Whether highrises can provide housing for the middle class, and Adam’s point that new highrises are expensive but over time they decline in cost and eases the overall demand for housing
Whether mass transit can function in a free market, and how New York City’s Subway System started out as private, and Tokyo’s Subway System is semi private
Transit-oriented development
Adam’s development of micro apartments and how they can address the housing crisis for young people
How zoning laws make it difficult to create micro apartments
The role that Zoning and Urban planning plays in income inequality

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Transcript of interview:

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Robert Stark interviews Peter Brimelow

Alex von Goldstein, Alternative Right, censorship, Conservatives, Diversity, Economics, England, Environment, Europe, Free Trade, Immigration, journalism, Kevin MacDonald, Nationalism, Neoconservatism, Oligarchy, Overpopulation, Paleoconservatism, Peter Brimelow, Political Correctness, Politics, Race Relations, Republican Party, Vdare, Wealth, welfare state

Peter Brimelow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Alex von Goldstein talk to VDARE editor Peter Brimelow. Prior to creating VDARE, Peter was also a writer and editor at Forbes, the Financial Post, and National Review

Topics include:

Peter’s background in financial journalism
Peter’s experience with the conservative movement
How Peter and other writers such as John Derbyshire were purged from National Review
The history of VDARE
Peter’s 1996 book Alien Nation
The economic and cultural factors behind mass immigration
The Immigration act of 1965 and how it discriminates against Europeans
How Mass immigration is a redistribution of wealth from the working and middle classes to the immigrants themselves and the economic elite
How the key issue with immigration is the numbers
A Progressive case against mass immigration
The European Migrant Crisis
How Brexit sparked a political realignment, and whether Donald Trump can do the same
How if elected, Donald Trump can make a major impact through executive orders and enforcing existing immigration laws
Defining conservatism and whether the label has become obsolete

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Robert Stark, Rabbit, & Alex von Goldstein talk about Radical Centrism, Cultural Elitism, & Gore Vidal

Alex von Goldstein, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, American Culture, Ancient Greece, Basic Income, capitalism, Class, Conservatives, Culture, decentralization, Donald Trump, Economics, Environment, Globalization, Gore Vidal, Homosexuality, Immigration, Leftism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Literature, Rabbit, Radical Center, Roman Empire, Secessionism

Stark Truth Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics include:

Rabbit’s Alt Left and how it’s similar to Radical Centrism
How Radical Centrism relates to the Alt Right, which is a big tent movement for people who oppose political correctness and mass immigration, but includes people with more left and Center views
How Radical Centrism can adopt the issues abandoned by the left in favor of globalism and open borders(ex. civil liberties, the environment, workers rights, and anti-war)
How the left opposed the Brexit which strips the world’s 400 richest people of $127 billion
The Horseshoe theory, and how the radical center is the part of the horseshoe drifting in nothingness
Implementing Radical Centrism politically, and which demographic groups it could appeal to
Where Radical Centrism overlaps with the left, right, and libertarianism
What is the role of Government vs. Individual Liberty
Capitalism and how it can produce innovation, but is disruptive when unfettered without zoning laws, environmental protection, protectionism, and financial regulation
White liberal utopia’s such as Portland, Oregon and Boulder, Colorado, how they relate to the Alt Left, and how they contrast with “conservative” run regions such as Texas
Pan Secessionism and how it can offer every ideology and group self determination
Gore Vidal as a Radical Center/Alt Left Icon
Gore Vidal’s controversial statements on issues including immigration, race, WWII, Roman Polanski, Ruby Ridge, and how he corresponded with Timothy McVeigh
Gore Vidal’s Cultural Elitism
Gore Vidal’s novels
Homosexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
The importance of cultural elitism
How our society has a hierarchy based on wealth and celebrity status  rather than cultural elitism


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Robert Stark interviews Zoltan Istvan about his Campaign for President

Basic Income, Economics, Elections, Futurism, Healthcare, Immigration, income inequality, Political Parties, Politics, Rabbit, Science, Science Fiction, Third Political Parties, Transhumanism, Zoltan Istvan

Zoltan Istvan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit talk to Zoltan Istvan. Zoltan is a trans-humanist and futurist writer, philosopher, and journalist. He has written for Vice, Newsweek the Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and was a reporter for the National Geographic Channel, and is the author of The Transhumanist Wager. Visit his official campaign site Zoltan Istvan for US President 2016

Topics include:

Why Zoltan is running primarily to raise awareness about Trans-humanism
The importance of investing in science and technology
Addressing the ethical reservations about Trans-humanism and whether it could lead to dangerous outcomes
The Trans-humanist goal of life extension
The Trans-humanist goal to eliminate human flaws and whether that could lead to a boring existence
Trans-humanist breackthroughs in healthcare
How to make Trans-humanism affordable and accessible to the public
Psychologist Timothy Leary as a precursor to Trans-humanism and his work to expand human consciousness
Zoltan’s support for a basic income, how it will become necessary due to automation, and how to implement it
The ideological divides within the Trans-humanist movement and how Zoltan considers himself fairly Centrist
The Transhumanist Bill of Rights

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