Robert Stark and Co-host Pilleater talk to Reactionary Tree.
Topics:
Reactionary Tree’s political background in the Ron Paul movement and Tea Party and how he got involved with the Alt-Right
Why he uses Reactionary in his moniker
Reactionaries as wanting to return to the past as opposed to creating visions for the future and whether he will change his moniker to Futurist Tree Archeofuturism; the need for a futurist aesthetic that channels the romantic heroic visions of the past
Synthwave Artist Xurious and how his music is the essence of archeo-futurism
The Left Wing of the Alt-Right and how becoming an identitarian pushed his views to the left on economics and the environment
Identitarianism; Ethno vs. Civic Nationalism The Left Justifies Political Violence and the concept of Anarcho-Tyranny
The shutdown of the Alt-Right Reddit and Reactionary Tree’s banning from Twitter
Corporate Censorship and whether social media should be nationalized to protect free speech
Rejecting free market orthodoxy
Income inequality and the destruction of the middle class
The necessity of an alliance between the Alt-Right, Alt-Lite Civic Nationalist, and non-SJW Bernie Sanders supporters
The Black Pill vs the White Pill and signs of optimism for the future
Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Charles Marohn. Charles is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Chuck is the Founder and President of Strong Towns. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.
Topics:
How Charles’s background in urban planning exposed him to the problems of sprawl development
Charles’s books Thoughts on Building Strong Towns, Volume 1 & Volume II
The fiscal unsustainability of sprawl development
Charles’ point that the key factor in urbanism is Incremental Development
Charles’s point that cities must be viewed as ecosystems
The “build it they will come” fallacy, and how traditionally massive infrastructure projects were designed to serve existing population centers(ex.Roman Aqueducts)
How pre-automobile cities tend to be the most viable
Nassim Taleb’s Antifragile theory, and how it relates to urbanism The Density Question, Charles point that density should neither be fetishized nor seen as inherently bad, but must take into account incremental development
How cities such as New York and San Francisco have value independent of their economies, while places like the Silicon Valley would become unviable if their industries collapsed
Zoning laws and land use regulations
The movement to Retrofit Suburbia, how it’s a step in the right direction, but has it’s limitations
How cities will contract in the future, with people living in both cities and towns, but that it’s the space in between that’s unviable
Micro Apartments
Political divides, and how when it comes to planning issues on a local level, people tend to be more pragmatic than dogmatic
The Public vs. Private sector role in infrastructure, and how Charles’s point that things that are high risk should be in the private sector, and low risk in the public sector(ex. Wall Street baillouts)
The role of the government in historic preservation and protecting the environment
Housing and affordable family formation
The Hollywood imagery and outsider stereotypes of LA
The history of LA
How LA’s urban core is spread out over a large geographic area from Santa Monica on the Coast to Downtown LA
Robert’s disclaimer that the photos capture the best of LA, but that most of the spaces in between are unappealing due to the cities sprawl
LA’s transit system
South Central LA
West Hollywood, and Rabbit’s experience living there
Downtown LA, the gentrification of the historic core, the grittiness and vintage signage of Broadway, and the Serial Killers Who Haunted The Cecil Hotel
Downtown LA’s architecture including John Portman’s Bonaventure Hotel, and the the 80’s Art Deco revivalHome Savings Building where Charles Lincoln worked
Beverly Hills, the 80’s futurist Rodeo Collection, the “Vaporwave” Roman Fountain , and the the 70 futurist/late modernistRoxbury Plaza Century City, which originally had a 60’s futurist aesthetic, was the the film location of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and the Century City Mall
1980’s Malls including the Beverly Center(Original image), Westside Pavilion, which reminds Pilleater of the game Myst, and the renovation of those malls which ruined their aesthetic
Historic preservation trends starting with demolition of the Art Deco Richfield Tower in Downtown LA, to the lack of preservation for 80’s architecture today
New architecture inspired by past styles including the new Streamline ModerneUnder construction Beverly Hilton tower, 70’s futurist inspired renderings for skyscrapers, and Rabbit’s observation that many apartments are being retrofited in mid-century modern styles
Santa Monica, the waterfront, architecture including the Art Deco Clock Tower, and Santa Monica NIMBY Restriction on heights
The Interactive Cafe, which is one of the last surviving independent businesses in downtown Santa Monica, and Pilleater’s point that it has a Cyberpunk aesthetic
The high cost of housing in LA, even in unappealing areas
The San Fernando Valley, which was traditionally home to LA’s middle class
Demographic trends, the destruction of the white middle class, gentrification of the urban core, and new suburban ghettos in the desert
Rabbit’s point about SWPLs he met in LA who look down on the suburban middle class
The Alt Left dilemma between identifying with SWPL Culture, and urbanist aesthetics, and supporting white middle class identitarianism, which often lacks strong aesthetic visions
Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Anatoly Karlin. He blogs at The Unz Review
Topics include:
Anatoly’s article at the Unz Review about his American Decade
Why Anatoly is leaving the United States and going back to Russia
How the United States is becoming more like Europe
T.R. Reid’s book The United States of Europe, where he argued that the EU was emerging as a superpower rivaling the US, but has latter been disproved
How during the Bush era Americans perceived Europeans as “Cheese Eating Surrender Moneys,” but latter Sarkozy became the architect of the war in Libya, and arming Syrian rebels
Another element of America’s Europeanization is the decline in social conservatism, the surge in support for gay marriage, and drug legalization
Anatoly’s political views, which are fairly socially liberal(except for rejecting political correctness, and radical feminism), economically centrist, and closest to Rabbit’s AltLeft U.S. Millennials More Likely to Support Censoring Offensive Speech, especially among university students who are the future elites
The decline in American fertility rates toward European levels
How American politics now resembles Europe in the sense that there are five distinct blocs: Clinton democrats, Sanders socialists, Rubio/Bush etablishment conservatives, Cruz Bible-bashers, and Trump nationalists.
Anatoly’s pre election prediction article US Elections 2016: Let’s MAGA, Not War, and Trump’s support in the rust belt
Trump’s economic policies as a hybrid of supply side economics, and economic nationalism, and the similarities to Putin’s economic policies in Russia
The GINI index of income inequality
The pros and cons of economic automation, and the basic income
Transhumanism, Zoltan Istvan, and his book The Transhumanist Wager
The Bay Area where Anatoly spent most of his time in the US, and how it’s pretty much ideal, but also the most expensive macro-region of the US
California is also home to Ron Unz, Steve Sailer, as well as the “Alt Left” movement(the tiny group of thinkers combining leftist economics with HBD, sane views on gender relations, and a penchant for futurism )
The futurist scene in the Bay Area including Scott Jackisch’s Bay Area Futurists meetup, Health Extensions Salons, Mike Johnson’s Qualia Research Institute, Effective Altruism, and the “techno” faction of NRx
Mass Transit, Bay Area Rapid Transit, how older cities tend to have more integrated transit systems, and why conservatives oppose mass transit
Global Warming, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius who discovered climate change, debunking climate change deniers, and whether it will benefit arctic regions such as Russia
Observations on other American cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Pittsburgh
Anatoly’s experience ridding across the nation on Amtrak
Architecture: Skyscrapers, Brutalism, architect John Portman’s 70’s Neofuturism, and Rabbit’s ideal city based on the film Logan’s run
America’s great wilderness and National Park System
How the polls were inaccurate
The shy Trump voter affect in the polls
Trump’s election as a referendum against globalism, political correctness, and the establishment
Trump as a repudiation of Conservatism INC
Trump’s success winning blue states in the rust belt by appealing to working class white voters
How despite media hysteria of racism, Trump’s share of Minority voters was slightly higher than past Republicans
How working class whites have been economically marginalized by both parties, and culturally marginalized by the left
The new Alt Left Meme “Class Cuck”
The relationship between class and race, as middle class whites are being pushed down to the economic level of non-whites
The importance of holding Trump’s feet to the fire
Bay Area Guy’s article Election Musings
Rabbit’s article Last Minute Reflections On a Dime Store Election
Ryan Englund’s article Triumph of the Iron Heel, about how Hillary is the candidate of war, SJW culture, and neoliberal economics
How despite Trump’s flawed support for tax cuts for the 1%, he is addressing immigration and outsourcing which are major causes for income inequality Bernie Sanders Statement on Trump, where he states he is willing to work with Trump on issues that help working families
Trump’s non-interventionist statements, and whether he will pick Neocon John Bolton as Secretary of State
European Nationalist adopting left positions on economics and social issues, and how Trump is adopting that strategy to a degree
Ticket splitting voters who supported Trump as well as progressive ballot measures, such as raising the minimum wage, and legalizing marijuana
Thanks to Trump The Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead
How unlike the Alt Right, the Alt Left is divided over the election, with some supporting Trump, some Jill Stein, and some Hillary Clinton
How the main battle in the future will be Nationalism vs. Globalism
Aristocratic Radicalism is the notion that Society and Civilization exists to enable and empower great individuals and minds
The Nietzschean origins of Aristocratic Radicalism
Hugo Duchon’s book Nietzsche’s Great Politics
Besides Nietzsche, Richard’s philosophical influences include Ernst Junger, Carl Schmitt, Martin Heidigger, Ezra Pound, TS Elliot, and the Italian Futurist
Nietzsche’s justification of Slavery and other forms of oppression of the masses
In contrast to hereditary aristocracies, great minds and spirits can emerge from the slave class, and must still be enabled
Why a social safety net is necessary to enable great thinkers and creative types to arise Aleister Crowley, his belief in an Aristocracy of the creative class, and how he saw capitalism as degrading genuine cultural elitism
Richard’s exposure to occultism through filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who was a student of Crowley
Richard’s concept of Transcendental Fascism, which is a new and more peaceful form of fascism, that is based on implementing Aristocratic Radicalism
Transcendental Fascism is an attempt to create a fascism that reinvents itself along dialectical lines toward the absolute, but also hopes to transcend some of the negative sides and effects of past fascism Richard’s debate with Jim Goad about capping wealth
How it’s necessary to cap income on billionaires, because their excess wealth is used to corrupt the political system, and put into savings rather than invested in the economy
How despite Richard’s support for some degree of socialism, there must still be economic incentives for innovation and success
The Genealogy and Genesis of the Alt-Right, and Richard’s point that Boyd Rice, Jim Goad, Adam Parfrey of Feral House Books, Michael Moyniham, and Douglas P were the godfathers of the Alt-Right Boyd Rice’s song People, which deals with themes of misanthophy, nihilism, and fascism
Richard’s article Why The Globalist Elite Should Drop Hillary And Support Trump
Richard is sympathetic to the Alt Left Richard Spencer 2011 NPI Conference speech, where he showed stock footage from the UK in the 1970’s, of hippies protesting against mass immigration
Richard’s friend musician David Thrussell, who is a leftist but agrees with Richard most of the time
Richard’s documentary Heart of Lightness about the war in Uganda
David Lynch, his interested in transcendental meditation, dark themes in his films, and his politics
Paul Schrader
Richard’s upcoming film the Debt Collector, which is a revenge genre film with political themes
Trump’s controversial and crude style in the GOP primary debates
Trump’s recent meeting in Mexico, where he came off as more refined and presidential
Predictions about the debate, and how Trump’s performance combined both of those styles
How the debate was framed to benefit Clinton
How Trump started out strong, but allowed Clinton to hijack the debate by questioning him about his personal issues
How Clinton was well prepared and scripted, and took low blows against Trump
How despite that, Trump did get his chances to grill Clinton on her political positions and personal scandals
Clinton plays the race card against Trump
How Trump is a Civil Nationalist, but growing white ethnic sentiment is a strong factor behind his support
How most people have already made up their mind on ideological grounds, and the main purpose of the debate’s are to demonstrate who is more competent and presidential
Donald Trump’s strong appeal to working class whites, and how he is the first major candidate to tackle that demographic
The new political realignment including working class white democrats backing Trump, and wealthy establishment republicans backing Clinton
The media narrative that certain voices are legitimate while other illegitimate
Over sensationalism from the alternative media(ex. Alex Jones on Clinton’s Health)
How Trump is not the most articulate speaker, but is able to create an overall message that is effective
How most people are stupid and respond to platitudes and moral arguments, and think in a short time preference
Clinton’s economic speech which touched upon important themes such as income inequality, but did not have any substance
Clinton calls out Trump’s tax cuts for the top 1% which was a valid point
How Trump missed an opportunity when Clinton blamed Republicans for the financial crisis, to support reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, and pointing out Bill Clinton’s repeal of it
Trump’s Child Care Plan, the Natalist appeal to the Alt-Right, benefits for the ultra wealthy, and appealing to women voters
Trump calls out Janet Yellen and the Federal Reserve
How Trump’s economic policies are a hybrid of supply side economics and economic nationalism
How when Trump is attacked on racial grounds, he has to reply with the law and order rhetoric to appeal to his base
Trump goes after Clinton on the Trans Pacific Partnership and NAFTA
How there was very little discussion of immigration, which is Trump’s key issue
Trump mentions how the DNC screwed over Bernie Sanders, and how some Sanders supporters’ are supporting Trump
The perfect storm for Trump, including the Black Lives Matter Rioting, Islamic Terrorism, and the European Migrant Crisis
How there is a backlash against political correctness among the youth
Clinton grills Trump on the Iraq War for a wishy washy Howard Stern interview prior to the invasion, while he ended up opposing the the war which she voted for
NATO and Russia
How Clinton will likely be more of war hawk than either Trump or Obama if elected
Alex’s point that the conformist masses fall into either the liberal globalist SJW camp, or the free market, police state, patriotard camp
Now that Clinton has attacked Trump personally, that gives him free range to attack her in the next debates
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
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
