is a low-stakes existential crisis disguised as a comedy podcast for people quietly losing faith in the script of modern life. Each week, comedian and writer Gavin Stephens dissects the absurd machinery of capitalism and culture — from sitcoms to wealth inequality, Baudrillard to people who talk in the movies — exposing the broken myths, invisible rules, and slow-motion collapse we all pretend isn’t happening.
Presented by The Chonilla Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
is a low-stakes existential crisis disguised as a comedy podcast for people quietly losing faith in the script of modern life. Each week, comedian and writer Gavin Stephens dissects the absurd machinery of capitalism and culture — from sitcoms to wealth inequality, Baudrillard to people who talk in the movies — exposing the broken myths, invisible rules, and slow-motion collapse we all pretend isn’t happening.
Presented by The Chonilla Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Gavin looks at necropolitics — the philosophy of who gets to live, who’s left to die, and how power hides behind empathy.
From Charlie Kirk’s empathy shaming to the way immigrants, women, and Black people are turned into election-season mascots, Park Bench Ontology cuts through the moral theater of politics with dark humor and existential clarity.
💀 Necropolitics: Living Isn’t the Point Anymore — a comedy of collapse for anyone trying to stay human under capitalism.
#PhilosophyPodcast #ComedyPodcast #Necropolitics #BlackAbsurdism #PoliticalPhilosophy #ExistentialComedy #LoFiPhilosophy #CriticalTheory #MarkFisher #PoliticalSatire
🎙 Park Bench Ontology — existential comedy for the end of the world.
🔗 Follow & Support:
🌐 Website: http://gavinstephens.ca
🎧 Podcast: https://pod.link/uncolonized
📷 Instagram: @countgavin
🐦 Bluesky: gavinstephens.substack.com
🎵 TikTok: @ParkBenchOntology
📼 YouTube: http://youtube.com/@parkbenchontology
Also, Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Everyone loves to talk about “freedom” — but what kind?
The freedom we’re sold isn’t liberation; it’s consumption. It’s “freedom” as brand — the right to choose between identical prisons.
In this episode of Park Bench Ontology, I talk about how control got cute — how social media, the market, and even self-help language turned freedom into obedience.
Because under capitalism, the illusion of choice is the control.
Originally uploaded as ‘Necropolitics.’ Correct title: Freedom From Freedom.
🔗 Watch full episodes & support:
🌐 Website: https://gavinstephens.ca
📼 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@parkbenchontology
🎵 TikTok: @parkbenchontology
📷 Instagram:@countgavin
🐦 Bluesky/Twitter: @gavinbstephens.substack.com
🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://pod.link/uncolonized
🎙 Park Bench Ontology — existential comedy for the end of the world.
🔗 Follow & Support:
🌐 Website: http://gavinstephens.ca
🎧 Podcast: https://pod.link/uncolonized
📷 Instagram: @countgavin
🐦 Bluesky: gavinstephens.substack.com
🎵 TikTok: @ParkBenchOntology
📼 YouTube: http://youtube.com/@parkbenchontology
Also, Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Park Bench Ontology, Gavin dives into the strange world of psychopolitics — where control doesn’t come from force anymore, it comes from vibes. From influencer culture to “mental health awareness” campaigns, the systems of power learned how to smile while keeping you compliant.
Why are we all marketing ourselves while pretending it’s freedom? How did surveillance turn into self-expression? And why does every form of rebellion now come with a brand kit?
This episode explores how capitalism evolved past discipline into dopamine — how control got cute, and why that’s the scariest form of power yet.
🎧 Listen if you’ve ever felt like even your thoughts are trying to sell you something.
#Psychopolitics #ParkBenchOntology #CapitalistRealism #ByungChulHan #SurveillanceCulture #DigitalControl #AfroAbsurdism #ComedyPodcast #ExistentialComedy #CriticalTheory #MediaTheory #LoFiOntology #PhilosophyPodcast #CulturalCritique
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The future isn’t coming — it’s being rewritten. In Episode 4 of Park Bench Ontology: Hauntology, I explore how capitalism erases anything that doesn’t produce value, from WWE’s most absurd gimmicks to the mistakes that make life human. We also unpack how older generations insist theirs was the “best era,” when really culture just keeps repeating itself — sanitized, packaged, and sold back to us.
Listen & Subscribe: https://pod.link/uncolonized
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ParkBenchOntology
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s episode of Park Bench Ontology, we dive headfirst into capitalist realism—the idea that capitalism is the only system that feels “real” and inevitable—and what it means when our identities, style, and culture are co-opted by the market. I share my own bizarre experience buying an Old Navy Malcolm X shirt, and why it made me rethink how we consume revolutionary imagery while participating in the very system it critiqued.
We talk symbolic violence, brand culture, and the absurdity of resistance in a consumerist world—and I unpack how capitalism doesn’t just sell products, it sells identity.
🔑 Topics covered:
If you’ve ever wondered why your rebellion looks suspiciously like a mall display, this episode is for you.
Listen & Subscribe: https://pod.link/uncolonized
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOStPFwaNyn895S43bUk9HoaZdFEIXlQc
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Some guy once told me he was proud to be white. But “whiteness” was never a culture — it was manufactured as a team sport by the people in power. In this episode of Park Bench Ontology, I break down how the invention of whiteness became a tool of control, division, and identity politics that still shapes our world.
This is existential comedy for the collapse: part history, part philosophy, part absurd truth-telling.
🎧 Listen, share, and subscribe to Park Bench Ontology for more deep dives into identity, culture, and capitalism.
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tony Soprano’s panic attacks aren’t just mob stress — they’re existential dread. In this episode of Park Bench Ontology, we dive into Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death and how it explains Tony’s breakdowns, projection, and the absurd ways people cope with mortality.
🔗 Follow & Support:
🌐 Website: http://gavinstephens.ca
🎙️ Podcast: https://podbio.me/parkbenchontology
📷 Instagram: countgavin
🐦 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gavinbstephens.substack.com
📼 YouTube: https://youtube.com/parkbenchontology
#sopranos, #sopranos #existentialism #analysis, #denialofdeath, #ernestbecker, #philosophy, #podcast, #park, #bench, #ontology, #mortality, #psychology, #popculture, #philosophy, #lo-fi philosophy, #comedy #podcast, #death #anxiety, #comedypodcast
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Uncolonized is Evolving…
New Season. New Ontology.
From Uncolonized → Park Bench Ontology
For years, Uncolonized has been our space to challenge culture, identity, and power. That work isn’t ending — it’s mutating.
We’re evolving into Park Bench Ontology: a lo-fi philosophy podcast about collapse, comedy, and the strange theatre of being human. Think zine-brained philosophy meets Adult Swim absurdity — sitting on the park bench, staring at capitalism’s weird machinery, and laughing so we don’t scream.
The first episode drops 22/09/25. It’s called Everyday Gltich and it dives into “The cognitive dissonance of everyday” or “the algorithms of dread”.
Same feed. New lens.
If Uncolonized was about breaking the empire’s script, Park Bench Ontology is about what comes after the script falls apart.
Stick around. Things are about to get weird.
Visit our website: gavinstephens.ca
Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation
Follow us on instagram: @countgavin
Follow us on BlueSky: GavinBStephens
Subscribe and leave a review!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on the Uncolonized Podcast, Gavin and Daniel tackle the cinematic and cultural complexities of the film Sinners and the hit series Andor. Join us as we explore the narratives, themes, and the surrounding discourse that movies like these always seem to attract.
In our bonus Patreon episode, we dive into the bizarre incident involving a woman who used a racial slur against a five-year-old and the concept of "vice signalling."
http://pateron.com/theuncolonized
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode of Uncolonized, we dive deep into the recent Canadian federal election outcomes with special guest Derek Forgie from @Partiesoverproject. Join us as we discuss the implications of the election results, the shifting political landscape, and what it means for Canadians moving forward. This insightful conversation, recorded live on Instagram, offers a fresh perspective on the political climate in Canada. Tune in to gain valuable insights and engage with our community!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this solo episode, Gavin unpacks his firsthand experience working at a Canadian federal election polling station—and why it left him more convinced than ever that capitalism and democracy are fundamentally incompatible. From authoritarian micro-behaviors to racial dynamics at play, this episode dives deep into the cracks in the illusion of “free and fair” elections.
In the bonus episode on Patreon, Gavin discusses the 2022 film Sinners, exploring themes of guilt, power, and collective moral failure.
👉 Support us and hear the bonus ep: patreon.com/theuncolonized
🎧 Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Uncolonized, Daniel and Gavin tear into the Royal Ontario Museum, where one of the board’s chairpersons is connected to a company making money off deportations from the U.S. Spoiler: colonial institutions don’t really change — they just rebrand. We also get into Martin Heidegger’s idea of enframing, and how museums, despite all their shiny updates, are still running on the same colonial operating system.
On our Patreon bonus episode patreon.com/theuncolonzed, we break down how the Peterborough mayor thought it was a good idea to use the N-word at a college event — and how boomers are still fumbling around the internet like it's a damn Rubik's Cube.
If you want critical, unapologetic takes on colonialism, racism, and the slow-moving trainwreck of old power structures trying to survive the internet age — hit play.
Want the real unfiltered shit? Subscribe to our Patreon for bonus episodes that pull no punches: patreon.com/theuncolonzed"
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Uncolonized, Gavin Stephens and Daniel Grant dive into the media’s favorite zombie narrative: the “silent majority.” Every election cycle, pundits and pollsters act like it’s a shocking new revelation—but this trope is as old as Nixon. We unpack the latest reincarnation of it, featuring the supposed shift of white male Gen Z voters to the right, particularly towards Trump. Are they really shifting—or just revealing who they’ve always been?
Plus, in our Patreon-exclusive episode, we get into a viral story about a woman who dated a string of far-right men. What she discovered about their views, emotional development, and how they perform masculinity says a lot about the culture we’re in.
👉 Watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92iotrec96g
👉 Get the full uncensored conversation on Patreon: patreon.com/theuncolonized
Topics covered include:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Daniel and Gavin dissect Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, using Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital to examine who gets to be seen as an “auteur” in the public imagination — and who doesn’t. We explore how race, class, and symbolic capital shape legitimacy in the film world, questioning why specific creators are celebrated as geniuses while others are sidelined, regardless of the quality of their work.
Through Bourdieu’s lens, we look at the cinematic “field” as a battleground, where recognition isn’t just about talent — it’s about access to networks, education, prestige, and whiteness as an unspoken default. Mickey 17 becomes a springboard for unpacking how cultural power is produced and maintained in the West and how directors like Bong Joon Ho disrupt those norms — even while subtly reabsorbed into them.
🎬 Mickey 17 (2025) – Film Details
Director & Writer: Bong Joon Ho
Based on: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Cast:
Robert Pattinson
Naomi Ackie
Mark Ruffalo
Toni Collette
Steven Yeun
(Full cast list available above or on IMDb)
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Plan B Entertainment
Runtime: 137 minutes
Budget: $118 million
Box Office Gross: $127.3 million
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Uncolonized - Episode 19: You Can’t Take It With You
This week on Uncolonized, Gavin Stephens talks about losing his stuff in a fire—and not in a metaphorical, "finding yourself" way. Like, literally. Gone. Every DVD, vinyl, collectible—poof. So now I'm living in the future: a full-on subscription-based model for everything I used to own. Yay capitalism.
I get into what it means to live in a consumer-based society where we don’t own anything anymore—except debt, anxiety, and maybe a Spotify playlist. I also explore the deeper truth that none of this stuff really goes with us when it’s all said and done. Death: the ultimate unsubscribe.
It’s capitalism, it’s comedy, it’s mildly traumatic—but hey, at least it’s ad-free... sort of.
🔗 Support us on Patreon (because podcasts don’t burn): patreon.com/theuncolonized
📸 Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes stuff (that still exists): instagram.com/uncolonizedpodcast
📚 Join our book club and pretend we’re intellectuals together: fable.co/club/uncolonized-podcast-with-gavin-stephens-493127919001
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, it's just me, Gavin Stephens, diving into a bizarre but growing phenomenon—Canadians who actually want the U.S. to annex Canada. I break down the authoritarian mindset behind this and why some Canadians are in complete denial about Trump’s influence (inspired by this article).
This is just Part 1—get the full conversation by joining our Patreon. Plus, if you’re into deep dives on decolonial thought, politics, and society, join our book club on Fable.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Uncolonized, I sit down with comedian, activist, and host Derek Forgie (MTV, Just For Laughs, CBC) to discuss his new project, Parties Over. His podcast and show explore what it takes to bridge the growing divide between left and right in politics. Can real dialogue exist beyond the echo chambers? What does true common ground even look like? Derek and I break it all down in real-time.
Follow Derek and Parties Over:
🔹 TikTok
Support Uncolonized:
💰 Join our Patreon for exclusive content: patreon.com/theuncolonized
📲 Follow us on Instagram: @uncolonizedpod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Uncolonized, Gavin and Daniel break down the results of the 2025 Ontario election. What do the numbers say? What does it mean for the future of the province? And most importantly—how does this impact the people living here? From campaign promises to political fallout, we dive into the winners, the losers, and the bigger picture.
This is just Part 1! Catch the full conversation, including Part 2, exclusively on our Patreon. Join us at patreon.com/theuncolonized to support the show and get access to bonus content.
🎙️ Tune in for sharp analysis, unfiltered opinions, and a conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this solo episode, Gavin breaks down the latest political spectacle—Trump letting his mask slip and Zelenskyy failing to navigate the game of politics. Under late-stage capitalism, the pretension is gone, exposing the raw mechanics of power, media manipulation, and imperialism. What happens when the illusion of leadership crumbles? Gavin unpacks it all with his signature insight and humour.
Catch the full unfiltered discussion in Part 2 on Patreon: patreon.com/theuncolonized
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
