Does it feel like some people are just living in different realities, and they can't see what's going on? You're right, they do. They're living in different pseudo-realities constructed by the media they consume. And with media that only serves money and power, that can lead to... well, to the world we live in now. And to good people voting for horrible leaders.

Literature mentioned in this episode:

- Ethics from the media by William L. Rivers and Cleve Mathews

- Public Opinion by David Lippmann

- Memorandum on freedom of expression and media freedom in Hungary

- One-dimensional Man by Herbert Marcus

- Cultish by Amanda Montell

- Research made by The Alan Turing Institute

More like this on my Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkbowl

You can also follow me on Bluesky: @thinkbowl.bsky.social

or Mastodon: @thinkbowl.mastodon.social

I'd like to believe that most people gravitate toward fascism not because they're evil but because it must feel amazing. In this episode, I rely heavily on Jason Stanley's How Fascism Works - The Politics of Us and Them to explore why an authoritarian system can help people cope with uncertainties and why it's an easy way out compared to living a more realistic life. The short answer is nostalgia. The long answer is in the podcast.

Another book I quote in this episode is Amanda Montell's Cultish.

More like this on my Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkbowl

You can also follow me on Bluesky: @thinkbowl.bsky.social

or Mastodon: @thinkbowl.mastodon.social

This podcast (and the adjacent Substack) is my experiment to try to understand why alt-right governments and movements are taking hold of the Western world. And maybe find some answers to reverse it, like it's a political climate change.