Added: Nov 1, 2023
In this podcast episode, the guest, Matt Taibbi, discusses various topics including his early career in journalism and professional basketball, his time in the USSR, his coverage of the subprime mortgage bubble, and the state of the world today.Matt Taibbi begins by talking about his experience playing for the Uzbek national baseball team while he was trying to be a freelance reporter in Uzbekistan. He also shares a funny story about the ground rules they had during their games, such as hitting a sheep being a triple and hitting a cow being a double.
He then explains that his original career plan was to be a writer, not a reporter, and he moved to the middle of nowhere in Uzbekistan to wait for something to happen so that he could get a byline. He also talks about his time in Mongolia, where he played basketball for the Mongolian Basketball Association.
The conversation then shifts to Matt Taibbi's time at the Leningrad Polytechnic, where he studied Russian. He explains that he fell in love with Russian literature and wanted to learn the language to read his favorite authors in their original language. He also talks about his experience working at a newspaper in Moscow called the Moscow Times and later co-founding his own newspaper called the Exile, which was a satirical nightlife guide.
The discussion then moves to the current state of the world, particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Matt Taibbi acknowledges that the situation is complicated and that there is a long backstory to the conflict. He criticizes the lack of understanding and historical context in the media coverage of the conflict. He also questions the expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders and the lack of efforts to bring about peace talks.
Matt Taibbi then shares his thoughts on the US military-industrial complex and the motivations behind the conflict with Russia. He suggests that some people in Washington may have an endgame of regime change in Russia, which he believes is a naive and dangerous idea. He emphasizes the importance of understanding Russian history and the cultural differences between Russia and the West.
The conversation then turns to Matt Taibbi's return to the United States and his work as a campaign reporter for Rolling Stone. He discusses the differences he observed between American politics and post-communist Russian politics. He expresses frustration with the predictability and lack of substance in American political speeches and the control exerted by donors, journalists, and political parties in determining legitimate candidates.
Matt Taibbi continues by highlighting the decline of the anti-war movement in the United States and the lack of a genuine anti-war coalition. He criticizes the lack of attention paid to the factual aspect of journalism and the focus on biased narratives. He also discusses the importance of alternative news sources and the need for a more nuanced understanding of complex issues.
Taibbi continues by talking about the 2016 election and how Donald Trump disrupted the traditional pattern of the nomination process. He believes that journalists, donors, and political parties were so used to controlling the nomination process that they didn't know how to respond to Trump's campaign. They saw him as a threat and tried to portray him as a scary villain, but Taibbi argues that Trump was simply running against the system.
He also discusses Hillary Clinton's campaign and how she lost the election due to a lack of trust from the American working class. Taibbi believes that Clinton's decision to sacrifice the working class for her own moral virtue was a foolish and hubristic move. He argues that Trump's appeal to working class people was due to his ability to speak directly to them and his recognition of their capabilities and importance.
They then move on to discuss Taibbi's time working for Rolling Stone magazine. He talks about how the magazine had its heyday in the late 60s and 70s, publishing groundbreaking journalism and music journalism. Taibbi worked for Rolling Stone in the early 2000s and was given the opportunity to cover a wide range of topics, including the financial collapse of 2008. He wrote a book called "Griftopia" about the collapse and the fraudulent practices that led to it.
Taibbi explains that the financial collapse was initially a result of a technological revolution in the financial industry. The creation of mortgage-backed securities and the ability to sell high-risk mortgages to pension funds led to a boom in the housing market. However, fraudulent practices and a lack of regulation eventually caused the collapse. Taibbi argues that there should have been more prosecutions and accountability for those responsible.
They also discuss the rise of woke capitalism and how corporations use social justice issues as a way to appear virtuous while avoiding real moral reevaluation. Taibbi believes that this is a form of false contrition and that it ultimately backfires when the market remains dominant and honest capitalists are not willing to let dishonest actors game the system.
Taibbi continues by discussing the media landscape and how it has changed with the advent of the internet. He argues that the traditional media model, which aimed to reach a broad audience, has been replaced by a more fragmented and polarized approach. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, media outlets now target specific demographics, leading to a divided and partisan media landscape.
The conversation then shifts to the topic of populism and its role in politics. Taibbi explains that populism is often fueled by resentment and grievances, and politicians like Donald Trump have capitalized on this sentiment to gain support. He acknowledges that while some of Trump's criticisms were valid, there is a danger in fostering and exploiting resentment for political gain.
The guest also discusses his book "Hate Inc." which explores the influence of the media in shaping public opinion. He argues that the internet has changed the game significantly, and media organizations now prioritize audience optimization over objective reporting. This has led to a fractured media landscape where different outlets cater to specific ideological leanings, further polarizing society.
The conversation then turns to the release of the "Twitter files," a series of leaked documents that revealed collusion between government agencies and social media platforms to suppress certain content. Taibbi explains that the documents showed a coordinated effort to control the flow of information and manipulate public opinion. He argues that this is a threat to free speech and calls for a public debate on how to regulate the internet.
Towards the end of the podcast, Taibbi discusses his experience participating in the Monk Debates, where he and Douglas Murray debated against Michelle Goldberg and Malcolm Gladwell. He highlights the importance of free speech and the need for a robust and trustworthy media. He also criticizes the smug and superior attitude displayed by some participants during the debate.
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