Greetings, Comrades!
Sorry for posting another PDRP show on this feed again – but I want to popularise that show, and you know, you actually might be interested – as Eastern Border listeners asked for this subject. And it’s great. Also, PDRP is also on iTunes now, so follow us there too – pdrp.lv or https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/peoples-democratic-republic/id1130661646.
In this episode I managed to grab Darryl Cooper from Martyr Made, and we discussed Brexit, identity politics, USA, western world NATO, Putin and what you should do to make your community better. We probably piss of a lot of people here, but hey – embrace controversy. And learn about what you disagree with. Oh, and the 1990 episode is coming out soon too, and we’re working on a fundraiser one.
This was fantastic. Politically, I am a libertarian and don’t agree with everything you guys advocate, but listening to you guys express your point of view and share your knowledge was riveting. Please do more of this.
It’s not about agreeing – it’s about thinking for yourself and being wise in your judgement. 🙂 And thank you!
Great show! I’m just half-way through it, but I wanted to comment about Darryl’s comments regarding U.S. identity.
Americans generally don’t share much of a family/tribal heritage, like Europeans (and most of the rest of the world) do. There’s nothing especially unique about Americans in that regard. Indeed, Americans essentially ARE everybody else from “the rest of the world.” Rather than tribal family and shared personal roots, then, the unifying factor has been an idea, as embodied in our founding and ruling documents. That idea has to do with the notions of individual liberty, the rule of law and a representational republic: essentially an implementation of the ideals of the Enlightenment.
Americans are also very generous with regard to charity and charitable works, but we’re also very individualistic about what charity activity we’re exercising, and in behalf of whom. That’s largely why so many charities proliferate in this country, and why many philosophically resist the Government as the source, conduit and determining agent of social care-taking, even while those same people may be privately very generous.
This is not to be critical at all of anything you fellows are thinking about and articulating in this very interesting show. I just wanted to say that some in American do have a notion of what “us” means.
Keep up the good work! Great show and great series.
At about 1hr 10 min into the show you talk about ResPublica and people needing to care about politics and I agree that the smaller the place/ country the easier it should be to achieve the democratic process. And then I wondered on the other hand why you favor EU… Since you understand that EU is a huge bureaucracy, which makes it extremely difficult for people to follow the politics that happenS in EU. And Brussels and it’s politics is so far removed from people in Latvia and other countries that it becomes anti-democratic because we as people have no say or are extremely removed from what is happening in EU. Great show though and I’m glad something like this exists in Latvia!
Great conversation with big implications about how to live your life. I would offer this thought to you Kristaps, the EU is much better as a confederation because the member nations still have the option to leave. It is benficial for Latvia today to be a part of the EU, but someday the situation will inevitably change. If your country is in a federation, leaving will be much more difficult and will probably end in war.
I wish the US was still operated as a confederation. It means the community that you talk about in this podcast is much for able to rule itself and the people are much more likely to have influence on the direction of your nation.
Although I don’t agree a lot of what Daryl had to say (but I agreed w/ some), I emphatically agree w/ his closing statement, as I also volunteer locally. Thanks for having him.
My other statement would be, tribalism is for the weak minded. Yes, life experience informs our subjective viewpoints, but if you let others divide you by a flag or a number, then such identities become problematic. As Groucho Marx said, ” I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”, As an American by accident of birth (well, a few centuries of my family being born here), I strive to make my nation better, but w/o losing the big picture of the rest of planet.
Now, that I smell like patchouli, I need to get rid of the hippieness, and listen to Ramstein’s “Amerika” (I know Krystaps [sp?] knows this song!)
It’s spelled Kristaps. But pronounced with the latin version of “i” – an thank you!