<![CDATA[The Play Typer Guy: The Play Typer Guy Podcast]]>

<![CDATA[The Play Typer Guy: The Play Typer Guy Podcast]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/s/the-play-typer-guyhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFRL!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e2b655-3d95-40f1-8c45-da26e697f3bd_848x848.pngThe Play Typer Guy: The Play Typer Guy Podcasthttps://www.playtyperguy.com/s/the-play-typer-guySubstackSun, 27 Sep 2026 09:17:04 GMT<![CDATA[Celebrating Judy Gumbo, The Original Yippie Girl]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/celebrating-judy-gumbo-the-originalhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/celebrating-judy-gumbo-the-originalMon, 21 Sep 2026 11:00:31 GMTI was saddened to learn last week that legendary activist Judy Gumbo had passed away. This year continues to devastate us. I was fortunate enough to have interviewed Judy when her memoir, Yippie Girl, came out in 2022 and in her honor, I am posting that interview in full.

Judy was a founding member of the Yippies, the Youth International Party, a 1960s counter culture and satirical anti-war group, along with fellow radicals Anita and Abbie Hoffman, Nancy Kurshan and Jerry Rubin, and her husband Stew Albert.

In 1972, the FBI described Judy as “the most vicious, the most anti-American, the most anti-establishment, and the most dangerous to the internal security of the United States.” She took on the FBI and won — putting an end to illegal wire tapping.

Judy and I discussed the ongoing struggle for freedom and what role activism can play in our current politics. Please like, share, and subscribe.

Buy Yippie Girl at your favorite independent bookstore or at an internet near you.

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]]><![CDATA[Delivering Justice For The People With Author Billy Corriher]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/delivering-justice-for-the-peoplehttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/delivering-justice-for-the-peopleThu, 17 Sep 2026 11:01:44 GMTAuthor Billy Corriher — the first guest on this podcast — returns to discuss his latest book, Justice for the People: The Anita Earls Story. Corriher is the state courts manager for People’s Parity Project and a longtime advocate for fair courts and progressive judges. He worked at the Center for American Progress from 2012 to 2017, and he’s helped fight GOP efforts to pack the courts in his native North Carolina with far-right judges. His work has appeared in Facing South, Governing, ThinkProgress, and other outlets. In 2021, Billy released his book, Usurpers: How Voters Stopped The GOP Takeover Of North Carolina’s Courts.

You can watch or just listen to our discussion here at the newsletter, but I’d also appreciate it if you hopped over to my YouTube Channel to leave a like and subscribe.

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]]><![CDATA[Some Tough Talk With Evan Barker]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/some-tough-talk-with-evan-barkerhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/some-tough-talk-with-evan-barkerThu, 27 Aug 2026 11:03:21 GMTEvan Barker is a former Democratic campaign operative and political strategist, whose new book Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative has not pleased mainstream Democrats or progressives. Evan joins me for a two-part discussion of some topics she covers in the book, which I do recommend reading, even if you’re tempting to find her positions heretical. Nothing is ever gained from shutting off communication. That’s how cults operate.

You can watch or just listen here at the newsletter, but I’d also appreciate it if you hopped over to my YouTube Channel to leave a like and subscribe.

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]]><![CDATA[Why You Shouldn't Listen To Rahm Emmanuel]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-listen-to-rahm-emmanuelhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-listen-to-rahm-emmanuelThu, 20 Aug 2026 11:02:11 GMTThis is Part Two of my discussion with author and activist Maya Contreras about the recent Democratic primary elections in Michigan and Wisconsin, and why some Democrats struggle with a true “big tent.”

Maya lives and works in New York City. She’s just finished a new book, The Language of Theft: How The Wealthy Fund Narratives That Rob America of Our Common Sense, in which she offers a blueprint of strategies Democrats can use to counter destructive, donor-funded right-wing narratives.

You can watch or just listen to our discussion here at the newsletter, but I’d also appreciate it if you hopped over to my YouTube Channel to leave a like and subscribe.

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]]><![CDATA[The Politics Of Fear]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/the-politics-of-fearhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/the-politics-of-fearThu, 13 Aug 2026 11:03:28 GMTAuthor and activist Maya Contreras joins me to discuss the recent Democratic primary elections in Michigan and Wisconsin, and why some Democrats struggle with a true “big tent.”

Maya lives and works in New York City. She’s just finished a new book, The Language of Theft: How The Wealthy Fund Narratives That Rob America of Our Common Sense, in which she offers a blueprint of strategies Democrats can use to counter destructive, donor-funded right-wing narratives.

This is Part One of our discussion. Look for Part Two next week.

You can watch or just listen to our discussion here at the newsletter, but I’d also appreciate it if you hopped over to my YouTube Channel to leave a like and subscribe.

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]]><![CDATA[Noah Berlatsky On Graham Platner, Abdul El-Sayed, Zohran Mamdani, And More!]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/noah-berlatksy-on-graham-platnerhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/noah-berlatksy-on-graham-platnerThu, 23 Jul 2026 11:02:37 GMTMy friend from the Everything is Horrible newsletter joins me to discuss, well, everything mentioned in the subject line, plus some related bonus topics. He also has choice words about the New York Times’ latest regularly scheduled column that suggests Democrats become West Wing Republicans so they can win elections.

Hope you enjoy and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

Everything Is Horrible

Graham Platner Is Not Going to Be Senator

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post in which I argued that, while I found Graham Platner an appealing candidate for Senate in Maine, his lack of experience made me cautious…

a year ago · 290 likes · 23 comments · Noah Berlatsky

Everything Is Horrible

Platner vs. Stratton

Both the Maine Democratic Senate primary and the Illinois Democratic Senate primary feature a progressive running against a centrist. If you read progressive media or social media, though, it’s likely that you’re read one or more profiles of Maine progressive candidate…

7 months ago · 52 likes · 7 comments · Noah Berlatsky

Everything Is Horrible

Jews Like Mamdani

Progressives are often suspicious of polls. They don’t like polls which show that people trust Trump on immigration (though those numbers have fallen); they don’t like polls that suggest that people like cops; they don’t like polls that suggest that Joe Manchin was in fact the only Democrat who could have won West Virginia b…

a year ago · 107 likes · 4 comments · Noah Berlatsky

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]]><![CDATA['Angels In America,' Lindsey Graham, And 'Clout']]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/angels-in-america-lindsey-grahamhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/angels-in-america-lindsey-grahamTue, 21 Jul 2026 11:03:17 GMTThis is the final act of my Angels in America discussion with from the Certain Thoughts Substack. Tony Kushner’s Roy Cohn has a lot in common with politicians whose animating philosophy is the pursuit of power. The late Lindsey Graham is a sobering example, despite the curious tributes to him by Democrats who should know better. Of course, as Belize says about the dead Cohn: “He was a terrible person. He died a hard death. So maybe . . . A queen can forgive her vanquished foe. It isn’t easy, it doesn’t count if it’s easy, it’s the hardest thing. Forgiveness. Which is maybe where love and justice finally meet. Peace, at least.”

Yet, forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. The latter is an insult to the injured. After Louis and Ethel Rosenberg’s ghost deliver a Kaddish over Cohn’s body, they say with justified disgust, “You son of a bitch.” I would’ve supported any Graham tribute that ended similarly.

Hope you enjoy my conversation with Evan. Don’t forget to like, share, and all the goodies.

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]]><![CDATA[Why 'Angels In America' Remains Shockingly Relevant]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-angels-in-america-remains-shockinglyhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-angels-in-america-remains-shockinglyThu, 16 Jul 2026 11:02:30 GMT from the Certain Thoughts Substack joins me to discuss my favorite play, Angels in America. Evan just saw the 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner’s masterwork, and we discuss how a play written in 1991 and set in the 1980s is both simultaneously a snapshot of the period while also offering a shocking preview of modern politics. In so many ways, Angels in America feels as if it could’ve been written today.

Please watch/listen to part one of our discussion. Part two will run next week.

Now enjoy some clips from productions of Angels in America.

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Roy Cohn is perhaps the rare role that both Al Pacino and Nathan Lane could play convincingly — although Lane as Michael Corleone or Richard Roma would be fun to watch.

Belize (played wonderfully on stage and screen by Jeffrey Wright) is the moral center of the play.

Here’s a young Tony Kushner, discussing Angels in America, in his first live TV appearance on Charlie Rose.

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]]><![CDATA[Superman’s enduring liberalism ]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/supermans-enduring-liberalism-9e7https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/supermans-enduring-liberalism-9e7Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:03:57 GMTThe new Supergirl movie comes out this week, and my son is excited to see it because he likes Jason Momoa and he’s not an unhinged incel. The free world is under assault by power-mad billionaires — or trillionaires in Elon Musk’s case, and we could use a powerful beacon of justice who uses their power to help people not satisfy grudges against marginalized groups. Last year, prior to the release of James Gunn’s Superman, my friend joined me to discuss the progressive champion who happens to come from another planet.

Edited excerpts from our discussion:

SER: What are your thoughts on the Superman origin … the idea that he’s somehow not an illegal alien — even though alien, that term is obviously dehumanizing, but he is literally an alien.

MICHAEL: In every version [of Superman’s origin], the Kents or whoever finds him law entirely to save this baby that they don’t know where he comes from. In one version, they think he might be Russian. You know, instead of sending a dog or a monkey they put a baby in the ship, which says a lot about what we thought about the Russians at that point when we thought it was normal behavior that they would put an infant child in a rocket to test it.

Yeah, in every version, he crashes on Earth and then the Kents forge the [adoption] documents or I think in the John Byrne version, he crashes on Earth but then there's a fortuitous long winter in Kansas that allows them to pretend that Martha Kent was pregnant before the winter started and she gave birth at the house, and after the winter, when hey were able to get back to civilization, they then claim the child is theirs through a natural birth

SER: Objectively, the dumbest version of the origin.

It became this question with the Byrne version where if Superman doesn’t care about his heritage. He’s only an American. Why isn’t he just a mutant? It doesn’t matter. You’ve no longer given any reason for him to be from Krypton. It doesn't define him. Earlier, you were talking about the current Absolute Superman series, which I think has done a good job of asking the questions of why Krypton and showing how [his heritage] influences him.

Neighborhood Comics

Re-Discovering Superman in 2025 with Stephen Robinson

Our Guest: Stephen Robinson…

a year ago · 1 like · Lee @NBRHDComics and Stephen Robinson

On a previous podcast, my friend Lee Heidel from Neighborhood Comics and I were talking about with Lex Luthor. I mentioned one of the biggest problems I found with the Byrne version of Luthor … Obviously, I'm not going to say that billionaires can't be corrupt. We know that’s certainly true. But with Batman, the mob running Gotham is shown as bad, and here's how Batman is going to clean it up.

Byrne never really shows how is the world suffering because Lex Luthor is the richest man in the world? He wants to destroy Superman because he is more powerful than he is.

I thought Smallville did a good job showing that LuthorCorp was this corporation that came in and hurt the town, the community, and the Kents didn't like the Luthors as a result. But Byrne didn’t actually show in the Smallville scenes any evidence that Luthor even existed. So what makes him villainous? What makes him a problem?

And that kind of comes up with the modern politics we're seeing now in the world, because if billionaire Lex Luthor hates Superman, that means in our reality now, half the world hates Superman, right? He becomes a 50, 50 proposition.

Luthor would definitely own some sort of media platform that constantly smears Superman. “He’s an alien. We can’t trust him.”

MICHAEL: The writers in the ‘80s and even in the ‘90s who were writing Superman couldn't imagine that you could be outwardly villainous and outwardly just selfish and mean, and it would actually work with the general public.

Now we realize that if they had just written them that way, it would make perfect sense … between [Donald] Trump and [Elon] Musk and even Jeff Bezos who ironically looks closest to Lex Luthor than anybody. They don’t care what the public image is. In fact, they’re too powerful to mostly care about it. They care what the image of their companies are to a certain degree because it affects their stock prices.

But Jeff Bezos doesn’t really care if you think he’s a douche.He just cares if you think Amazon is a terrible company or you think his products are terrible.

As long as you keep consuming, buying your stuff off of Amazon or buying the newspaper, even though [the Washington Post] is kind of like a loss leader for him.

No, Luthor wouldn’t have to put on this benevolent face nowadays.

In the late ‘90s, when they had the storyline of President Luthor, it was seen as too fantastical. Now we essentially have President Luthor, but if he didn’t have the actual intelligence of Luthor.

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]]><![CDATA[Author Cassandra Neyenesch On The Stories We Need To Hear]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/author-cassandra-neyenesch-on-thehttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/author-cassandra-neyenesch-on-theMon, 22 Jun 2026 11:00:52 GMTMy friend Cassandra Neyenesch, a Brooklyn-based writer, released her debut novel A Little Bit Bad in May. She joined me on the podcast recently to discuss the book and its inspirations.

Cassandra is also the founding director of Abortion Stories, an organization that provides safe, supportive spaces for people to tell their abortion stories in the context of art and performance

Cassandra’s work has appeared in The Guardian, Brooklyn Rail, the Huffington Post, Public Books, The International Herald Tribune, and Art in America.

A Little Bit Bad is available at your preferred bookseller.

Highlights from our conversation:

How one woman murdered a man, got away with it, and lived on without any apparent regret.

No matter how many anti-abortion laws are passed, people of privilege will still have access to abortions if needed. These laws are thus intended to further marginalize the most vulnerable women.

Cassandra has done some amazing work with Abortion Stories.

We discuss the 1994 indie film Go Fish, and Cassandra’s piece about watching the movie with her daughter is worth a read.

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]]><![CDATA[Finding Southern Comfort In A Good Book With Meg Reid]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/finding-southern-comfort-in-a-goodhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/finding-southern-comfort-in-a-goodWed, 17 Jun 2026 11:03:23 GMTJoining me on the podcast today is Meg Reid, the executive director of the Hub City Writers Project in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the publisher of Hub City Press, where she finds and champions new and overlooked voices from the American South, including Carter Sickels, Drew Lanham, Ashley M. Jones, and Anjali Enjeti.

An editor and book designer, Meg’s essays have appeared online in outlets like DIAGRAM, the Oxford American, and The Rumpus. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she served as Assistant Editor of the literary magazine, Ecotone, and worked for the literary imprint Lookout Books. She was a Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2021 Honoree.

Some highlights from our conversation

Meg discussed how corporate publishing tends to look for just one type of story from the South, which ignores the diversity of lived experience.

She explains how Hub City Press elevates voices from every group that represents the South.

Why we should let books be books, and not just part of a pipeline.

Meg shares how Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg has built a community brought creative methods.

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]]><![CDATA[Third Annual Tony Award Special With Raven Snook]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/third-annual-tony-award-special-with-966https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/third-annual-tony-award-special-with-966Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:02:14 GMTMy friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the editor in chief for TDF Stages and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York. She joins me once again to discuss this year’s Tony Awards.

This is part two of our kibbitz session, and we discuss Death of a Salesman, the musical flop Queen of Versailles, and The Jellicle Ball, an actually good version of Cats.

Raven’s work has also appeared in New York Magazine, Yahoo Parenting, the New York Post, The Village Voice, Bon Appétit, Better Homes & Gardens and Parents.com, among others.

Enjoy and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.

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Some Highlights From Our Discussion

Raven raves about The Jellicle Ball. You don’t need a hypnotist to convince you it’s much better than Cats.

Raven explains why The Lost Boys musical doesn’t quite work.

I was in New York when the original Ragtime production opened, so I was interested to hear Raven’s thoughts about the revival. If The Jellicle Ball beats out Ragtime for the Tony, it will prove a catty footnote to The Lion King winning the top aware over the original Ragtime.

Raven believes Liberation should win the Tony for Best Play but she thinks it might have serious competition from Giant and The Balusters.

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]]><![CDATA[Third Annual Tony Award Special With Raven Snook]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/third-annual-tony-award-special-withhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/third-annual-tony-award-special-withThu, 21 May 2026 11:03:37 GMTMy friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the editor in chief for TDF Stages and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York. She joins me once again to discuss this year’s Tony Awards, but first, we chat about Rocky Horror, Chicago, and the current state of musicals. (This was recorded before the sad announcement that my beloved Death Becomes Her is closing at the end of June.)

Raven’s work has also appeared in New York Magazine, Yahoo Parenting, the New York Post, The Village Voice, Bon Appétit, Better Homes & Gardens and Parents.com, among others.

We’ll be back next week for part two of our kibbitz session.

Some Highlights From Our Discussion

The Rocky Horror Show revival might have benefitted from a not-so-great season for musicals.

We discuss Rocky Horror’s origins and how glam rock inspired Dr. Frank N Furter.

Plays with huge stars have performed better than musicals lately, but this season, celebrity appeal didn’t always fill theatres.

My beloved Chicago musical revival turns 30 this year, and it’s endured thanks in part to clever stunt casting. Pamela Anderson as Roxie Hart is obviously not Gwen Vernon or Ann Reinking but Raven explains how her casting fit the show’s overall theme.

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]]><![CDATA[Reality Checking The Bulwark With Steward Beckham And Evan Stern]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/reality-checking-the-bulwark-withhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/reality-checking-the-bulwark-withThu, 23 Apr 2026 11:03:31 GMTReality Checking the Bulwark is the ongoing project by and . As Steward says, “We believe that institutions matter, but when institutions fail, democracy falters. And institutions that are built to counter Trump should not repeat the same mistakes that laid the groundwork for Trump. We respect and value the The Bulwark, but when it becomes a central pillar of our pro-democracy movement, it also needs to be interrogated for narrating our political stories in the same frames that may have produced the problem and also may not be the medicine for that problem. So that’s why we want to identify its failures in the best faith possible.”

Steward and Evan return for Part Two of our discussion about The Bulwark, the Never Trump movement, and who controls the Democratic Party narrative. Enjoy! And go check out Steward and Evan’s substacks, and .

Certain Thoughts

Reality Checking the Bulwark – Episode 5

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, The Bulwark matters. We value and respect their prominent position in the pro-democracy movement. Yet despite their success, the Bulwark advises on politics from a point of view so ideologically blinkered that it puts the entire movement at risk…

6 months ago · 16 likes · 6 comments · Evan Stern and Steward Beckham

Certain Thoughts

Reality Checking the Bulwark – Episode 7

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, The Bulwark matters. We value and respect their prominent position in the pro-democracy movement. Yet despite their success, the Bulwark advises on politics from a point of view so ideologically blinkered that it puts the entire movement at risk…

6 months ago · 16 likes · Evan Stern and Steward Beckham

Some Highlights From Our Conversation

Why Democrats shouldn’t choose political expediency over useful action.

Steward explains why conceding right-wing narratives and framing, especially regarding U.S. cities, is part of a broken Democratic Party playbook.

Evan discusses the now almost decade-long smear campaign against Rep. Ilhan Omar.

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]]><![CDATA[Reality Checking The Bulwark With Steward Beckham And Evan Stern]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/reality-checking-the-bulwarkhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/reality-checking-the-bulwarkTue, 14 Apr 2026 11:02:26 GMTI’ve enjoyed Reality Checking the Bulwark, an ongoing project by and . As Steward says, “We believe that institutions matter, but when institutions fail, democracy falters. And institutions that are built to counter Trump should not repeat the same mistakes that laid the groundwork for Trump. We respect and value the The Bulwark, but when it becomes a central pillar of our pro-democracy movement, it also needs to be interrogated for narrating our political stories in the same frames that may have produced the problem and also may not be the medicine for that problem. So that’s why we want to identify its failures in the best faith possible.”

I was fortunate enough to speak about this in depth with Steward and Evan. Watch and/or listen to Part One here, and come back next week for Part Two. Also, go check out Steward and Evan’s substacks, and .

Certain Thoughts

Hasan Piker & The Bulwark: Fissures in the Democratic Coalition

The Bulwark Publisher Sarah Longwell has somehow managed to make herself the main character of the story: she’s the villain…

6 months ago · 8 likes · Evan Stern and Steward Beckham

Certain Thoughts

Reality Checking the Bulwark – Episode 4

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, The Bulwark matters. We value and respect their prominent position in the pro-democracy movement. Yet despite their success, the Bulwark advises on politics from a point of view so ideologically blinkered that it puts the entire movement at risk…

7 months ago · 22 likes · 8 comments · Evan Stern and Steward Beckham

Some Highlights From Our Conversation

Evan warns about political “analysis” that simply launders bigotry.

Steward: The Bulwark has grown from just being a niche conservative publication where you have a bunch of conservative exiles, essentially debating over whether Trump is true conservatism, what they missed or what they couldn’t see when they were supporting conservative campaigns or reiterating conservative talking points on TV, which they still kind of do. And it has grown into one of the integral narrative forces within the larger Democratic Party machinery and the pro-democracy movement representing this kind of mythical middle voter or this reformed Republican or ex-Republican who wants to vote for Democrats but gets a little bit too scared by the Starbucks barista talking about trans rights and talking about Black Lives Matter.

Steward explains how Republicans co-opted patriotism and how this messaging continues to caricture liberals as inherently “anti-American.”

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]]><![CDATA[Why The Disinformation Soup Is So Poisonous]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-the-disinformation-soup-is-sohttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-the-disinformation-soup-is-soThu, 12 Mar 2026 11:01:32 GMTClinical psychologist Julie Hotard joins me to discuss the ongoing right-wing disinformation campaign, and how even well-meaning Democrats are poisoning themselves on a steady diet of the disinformation “soup.” We delve into the causes — a fossilized leadership plus an equally out-of-touch consultant class.

Please check out Julie’s work over at Medium and follow her on Bluesky.

You can watch and listen here on Substack or over on YouTube, where I hope you’ll subscribe to my channel.

Some Highlights From Our Conversation

Julie explains how effective propaganda turns lies into a twisted form of “truth.”

Fox News isn’t just a shameless propaganda outlet. It openly controls the Republican Party.

Julie shares my position that Democrats shouldn’t go on Fox News, where they serve as controlled opposition. As detailed in the book The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News--and Divided a Country, Rupert Murdoch tasked Roger Ailes with creating Fox News for the sole purpose of making more people vote Republican, and no Democrat should delude themselves that they can “beat the house.”

Fox News already has a pervasive influence in society. We shouldn’t normalize it.

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]]><![CDATA[How The Search For Self Became The Performance Of Self: A Discussion With Author Patricia Martin]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/how-the-search-for-self-became-thehttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/how-the-search-for-self-became-theWed, 04 Mar 2026 12:02:37 GMTAuthor Patricia Martin joins me to discuss her new book, Will the Future Like You? Reflections on the Age of Hyper-reinvention. Martin has written four books, and her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Psyche Magazine.

She holds an MFA in non-fiction from Bennington College, with post-graduate work in medical narrative at Duke University. She holds workshops in Jungian theory at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago and hosts the podcast Jung in the World.

Some highlights from our conversation.

“How other people see us is how we see ourselves,” Patricia observes about our social media culture. “We have given the algorithm permission to define us.”

Our consciousness is for sale, and social media is the supply chain.

Patricia raises the idea that modern society is in the grips of what Freud termed a cultural “death drive.”

Will the Future Like You?: Reflections on the Age of Hyper-Reinvention is available on March 5 wherever you purchase books.

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]]><![CDATA[What's Happening In Texas With Special Guest Sara Spector]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/whats-happening-in-texas-with-specialhttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/whats-happening-in-texas-with-specialMon, 02 Mar 2026 12:00:21 GMTThe Texas Democratic and Republican primaries are March 3. It looks like normal terrible Republican John Cornyn will lose his job because he was almost respectable — at least on gun safety. The only thing standing in the way of Ken Paxton becoming a U.S. senator — a terrifying thought — is either House Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Rep. James Talarico.

Both Democrats are sane and rational, so we should rally behind whoever wins. Unfortunately, the primary has become somewhat of a fractious slap fight. Some of Crockett’s supporters have outright accused Talarico of racism — and this isn’t limited to very online liberals but includes former Senate nominee Colin Allred. If Crockett wins, does she accept the endorsement of someone she not-so-subtly accused of racism? And if Talarico wins, does Crockett endorse someone she just reported to HR?

Texas was always a reach for Democrats, even in a terrible year for Republicans. However, the Democratic primary has also become a proxy fight for the direction the party takes in 2028: Will Democrats only nominate straight white male Christians — although there are a few of them in the United States — or will they only run base-driven campaigns without any appeals to the center? I wouldn’t necessarily blame them, considering Republicans attempted a coup when Joe Biden was elected. His platform was “unity” and “forgiveness,” and a MAGA mob stormed the Capitol. I think Democrats won’t forget that, and with Donald Trump starting illegal wars abroad and committing war crimes at home against Americans who dare live in states that voted against him, primary voters might side with the candidate who comes ready to fight, not reach across the aisle (where the vultures gather).

For now, though, let’s focus on this specific primary in Texas. Joining me for a deep dive is Midland County criminal defense attorney and political pundit Sara Spector.

Some highlights from our conversation

Why outreach is key for Democrats in Texas.

Talarico had some success with an unlikely audience in right-wing Midland.

I’m not pleased with the mudslinging in this race. It doesn’t help anyone.

If you’re a Texas Democrat, please vote tomorrow and remember to come back in November, regardless of the outcome. Oh, and I should clarify that if no one clears 50 percent in the Democratic or Republican primaries, the “party” continues until the May 26 runoff.

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]]><![CDATA[Baffled By The BAFTAs ]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/baffled-by-the-baftashttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/baffled-by-the-baftasThu, 26 Feb 2026 13:55:17 GMTMy friend Lynne Streeter Childress answered the Bat signal for an emergency session about what the hell just happened at the BAFTA awards.

John Davidson, the Scottish Tourette’s syndrome activist and the inspiration for the film I Swear, shouted the “n-word” — the full Tarantino — at presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. That was unsettling but even worse was the BAFTA response.

The usual suspects also emerged to argue that Jordan and Lindo having the “n-word” shouted at them is no big deal because they appeared in Sinners, where the word is used. It’s as if people who support Donald Trump don’t understand how consent works.

Someone on Threads even posted in my feed that white people learned the n-word from “our” music. It’s a pathetic argument. Besides, if we’re talking about “my” music, I don’t think the “n-word” comes up much in Candide or Jesus Christ Superstar.

Some highlights from our conversation

The BAFTA aftermath has shown that too many people don’t seem to grasp how apologies work. You apologize when you cause someone harm, regardless of your intent. Your intent determines whether someone is inclined to accept your apology and forgive you. I don’t demand that Davidson atone for his outburst, as it was it wasn’t intentional, just acknowledge the painful impact without making it about himself.

Too many people also struggle to empathize with Black pain and the legacy of racism.

Apologizing when you cause harm — even if unintentional — is not about accepting undue blame but expressing empathy.

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]]><![CDATA[Why We Should Welcome Anyone Late To The 'Trump's A Fascist Loon' Party]]>https://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-we-should-welcome-anyone-latehttps://www.playtyperguy.com/p/why-we-should-welcome-anyone-lateThu, 26 Feb 2026 12:02:55 GMTThe Wall Street Journal article reported recently that some young voters are starting to regret their vote for Donald Trump, who set the world on fire and didn’t even lower the price of eggs. A new poll finds 58 percent of voters under 30 disapprove of his job performance.

This is actually good news, if you’re up for Democrats winning elections. I know many liberals insist that Trump won because he’s a racist, sexist bigoted fool rather than in spite of those obvious character flaws. However, if all 2024 Trump voters wanted him to Make American Antebellum Again, he’d enjoy much higher approval. I don’t need to like former Trump voters to accept them in a winning coalition. It’s like Buffy teaming up with Spike in that epic Season 2 finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike’s motivations were self-centered and hardly noble, but ultimately, he still helped her save the world. (Watch below.)

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Friend of the podcast Cliston Brown joins me to discuss the Wall Street Journal’s findings and more in a lively chat that’s well worth your time. Here endeth the lesson.

Some highlights from our conversation

We discuss whether online shaming might feel good but isn’t the most effective persuasion tactic.

Why Democrats too often fall victim to “silver bullet” thinking.

Why John Fetterman’s curious Senate career likely ends after one term.

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