Shows / This Is Hell!
Episodes
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Corruption Ball - FIFA's Bribery Scandals / Patrick Bond
Chuck is out sick this week, so the producers run the show in Limbo Mode. Sebastian presents a 2015 interview with South African political economist Patrick…
This Is Hell!Democracy in Iran / Nojang Khatami
We speak with political science scholar, Nojang Khatami who is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Justitita Center for Advanced Studies at Goethe University…
This Is Hell!The Elite Academic Experts Propagating the Police State / Alec Karakatsanis
Alec Karakatsanis joins Chuck Mertz to discuss his piece "Warning to Journalists About Elite Academia" published at https://equalityalec.substack.com/ . Alec…
This Is Hell!The Road to Partisan Violence in America / Lilliana Mason
Chuck interviews political scientist Lilliana Mason on her books on partisan violence in the United States. We also introduce this week's Question from Hell!…
This Is Hell!Staff Picks: John Perkins, 2007-8
Board Operator Dan spins some golden oldies; two classic interviews with John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Regular shows resume next…
This Is Hell!Staff Picks: Jenny Odell, 2019
Lindsey replays an interview with Jenny Odell from May 18th, 2019. Odell is an artist and author of the books How to Do Nothing and the forthcoming, Saving…
This Is Hell!Staff Picks: Michael Parenti, 2005
We revisit an interview with Michael Parenti from November 2005. Chuck is back next week.
This Is Hell!Suburbia's Bad Bargain for American Immigrants / Sudip Bhattacharya
Sudip Bhattacharya talks about his article at HardCrackers.com, "Socialism or Suburbia." Sudip is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at Rutgers…
This Is Hell!Power, Corruption, and Lies in Brazil's Presidential Election / Brian Mier
Correspondent Brian Mier connects with host Chuck Mertz to discuss the upcoming run-off 2022 Brazilian presidential election between Jair Bolsenaro and Luiz…
This Is Hell!Florida Will Try To Kill You / CD Davidson-Hiers and Jeff VanderMeer
CD Davidson-Hiers and Jeff Vandermeer speak with Chuck about their article "Is Florida Becoming a Failed State?" published October 11th, 2022 by The Nation…
This Is Hell!The Legacy of Harold Washington / Joe Winston
We have filmmaker Joe Winston on to discuss his new movie, ‘Punch 9 for Harold Washington, “The story of Harold Washington, elected in 1983 as Chicago's first…
This Is Hell!A Tradition of Violence: Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy Gangs / Cerise Castle
Los Angeles, California-based freelance journalist Cerise Castle speaks with host Chuck Mertz about her research and reporting published on Knock LA: “A…
This Is Hell!Whither the Left? / Jodi Dean
We have on Jodi Dean, author of, "Socialist Reconstruction, A Better Future for the United States."
This Is Hell!The War on the Poor / Liz Theoharis
Theologian, ordained minister, and anti-poverty activist Liz Theoharis is on to discuss her TomDispatch article, "No More Sacrifices: Mercy Makes Good Policy."…
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The Disappearing Art of Maintanence / Alex Vuocolo
Reporter Alex Vuocolo speaks with host Chuck Mertz about his NOEMA Magazine article "The Disappearing Art Of Maintenance" published September 22nd, 2022. This…
This Is Hell!Collapse in Afghanistan / Elyas Nawandish
Elyas Nawandish is on to talk about his article at The Intercept, “I Watched the Afghan Government Collapse Under the Weight of Its Own Greed: Our leaders…
This Is Hell!The Surveillance State and Muslim America / Fatema Ahmad
We speak with Fatema Ahmad, co-author, along with Azadeh Shahshahani, of a new article at The Progressive, “The Surveillance State Can’t Solve White Supremacy…
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Abolish the Family / Sophie Lewis
Sophie Lewis returns to This Is Hell on Tuesday, October 4th to speak with host Chuck Mertz about her new book, Abolish the Family, out on Verso, October 2022…
This Is Hell!How to Steal a Forest / Lyndsie Bourgon
It's Chuck's Birthday! Jubilations all around! We welcome writer, researcher, and oral historian Lyndsie Bourgon to talk about her book "Tree Thieves - Crime…
This Is Hell!Reparations In Evanston / Kari Lydersen
Journalist Kari Lydersen is an author and assistant professor of journalism at Northwestern University. She's on to discuss her article at The New Republic…
This Is Hell!The Inflation Gun Aimed At Labor Power's Head / Hadas Thier
Hadas Thier returns to This is Hell! to discuss her In These Times Article "A Left Answer to Inflation." Producer Alex returns for one show. We have new…
This Is Hell!To Degrow or Not to Degrow? / Andrea Vetter & Matthias Schmelzer
Chuck talks to cultural anthropologist Andrea Vetter and economic historian Matthias Schmelzer about their new book "The Future is Degrowth - A Guide to a…
This Is Hell!Epidemiology and the Poultry Industry / Boyce Upholt
Investigative journalist Boyce Upholt wrote The New Republic article, "Will the Next Pandemic Start With Chickens?: This spring, a virulent strain of bird flu…
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Carbon Footprints vs. Carbon Bootprints: Climate Change Class War / Matthew Huber
Host Chuck Mertz speaks with with Geographer Matthew Huber to discuss how individualized focus on the purification of consumer choices divides the working…
This Is Hell!Guilty Until Further Notice / Daniel Medwed
Legal scholar Daniel Medwed talks about his book "Barred: Why the Innocent Can't Get Out of Prison." We present your Hangover Cure, talk about the weekend's…
This Is Hell!Big Alcohol vs. Working Class Joy / James Wilt
Today we have on James Wilt, author of, “Drinking Up the Revolution: How to Smash Big Alcohol and Reclaim Working-Class Joy.” James is a writer and PhD…
This Is Hell!Family Policing Punishes Poor Families and Protects White Supremacy / Dorothy Roberts
Dorothy Roberts is an award-winning author and expert on the interplay of gender, race, and class in legal issues concerning reproduction, bioethics, and child…
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SCOTUS v. Democracy / Steve Fraser
Historian Steve Fraser talks about his Tom Dispatch article "The Trump Supreme Court is Nothing New," about how the Supreme Court has over time been used to…
This Is Hell!The Supreme Court - Guardrail against Excessive Democracy / Steve Fraser
Steve Fraser talks about his Tom Dispatch article "The Trump Supreme Court is Nothing New." Chuck complains about the hell of a week he's had. Seb presents…
This Is Hell!Naturally Noxious: Misplaced Faith in Appalachian Natural Gas Industry / Sean O'Leary
Chuck Mertz talks with Sean O'Leary about his writing for the Ohio River Valley Institute on the impact of the natural gas industry on Appalachian Americans…
This Is Hell!The History of Personhood in the Abortion Debate / Brianna Muir
Brianna Muir wrote the Sapiens article, "An Archaeology of Personhood and Abortion: Opinions about fetal personhood and abortion have fluctuated enormously…
This Is Hell!Leaving the Ivy League / William Deresiewicz
William Deresiewicz is a writer and former professor of English at Yale University. William discusses his article "Why I Left Academia (Since You're…
This Is Hell!Flooding in Eastern Kentucky / Tarence Ray
We have on Tarence Ray from the Trillbilly Worker's Party podcast to discuss the devastating effects of recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky and how the…
This Is Hell!How Bad is Inflation? / Dean Baker
The return of economist Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research. Dean is on to discuss his most recent writing, including…
This Is Hell!Lessons From the Cold War / Penny M. Von Eschen
Penny M. Von Eschen is author of the new book, “Paradoxes of Nostalgia: Cold War Triumphalism and Global Disorder since 1989.” Penny is the William R. Kenan…
This Is Hell!Disability is Everybody's Problem / Laura Mauldin
Sociologist Laura Mauldin talks about her Baffler article "Care Tactics: Hacking an Ableist World," we introduce this week's Question from Hell!, and bring you…
This Is Hell!Heather Berg / The Stripper in the Coal Mine: Sex Work and Labor Rights
Gender and Sexuality studies scholar Heather Berg talks about her Boston Review article "Freedom, Not Benefits Sex workers are labor’s vanguard. The left…
This Is Hell!Jobs Disparity, Mass Incarceration, and Crypto in Black America / Algernon Austin
Algernon Austin, Director for Race and Economic Jusice at the Center for Economic and Policy research discusses his recent writing including, "Black People…
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Dispatches from the Viral Underclass / Steven Thrasher
Chuck is back from his vacation! Today he talked to journalist Steven Thrasher about his book "The Viral Underclass The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: The Enduring Siege of Gaza / Norman Finkelstein
Producer Dan introduces two interviews with activist and scholar Norman Finkelstein, talking about the Israeli siege of Gaza. We also crown this week's winning…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Disease and Capitalist Labor / Tamara Fernando
Producer Lindsey presents a 2020 interview with Labor historian Tamara Fernando on disease and East Indian pearl fisheries, and what those early capitalist…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Growing to Extinction / Ashley Dawson
Producer Seb introduces a 2016 interview with postcolonial studies scholar Ashley Dawson on capitalism powered extinction events around the globe. He also has…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Toxic Capitalism Makes Us Sick / Elizabeth Grossman & Valerie Brown
Producer Lindsey plays a 2015 interview with science journalists Elizabeth Grossman and Valerie Brown on the failure of government regulatory agency and…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Kurdish Freedom Movements and Alternatives to Capitalism / Dilar Dirik
Producer Dan introduces two interviews with Kurdish activist Dilar Dirik, talking about the movement for Kurdish liberation and how that movement's politics…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: The U.S. Wars and the Rise of ISIS / Robert Fisk, Patrick Cockburn
Producer Dan plays two interviews from the vault that deal with the U.S. war in Iraq, and the subsequent rise of ISIS in the region.
This Is Hell!Black Hawk Frown - U.S. Military Returns to Somalia / Amanda Sperber
We welcome investigative journalist Amanda Sperber back to the program to talk about her recent Baffler article "Prelude to a Redeployment - Listening for…
This Is Hell!Not Funny: Racist Humor and White Supremacy / Raul Perez
Sociologist Raul Perez talks about his book "The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy," we have this week in Rotten History, and read…
This Is Hell!Texas, and the Origins of American Fascism / Gerald Horne
We welcome Gerald Horne back to the show to talk about most recent book "The Counter-Revolution of 1836 - Texas Slavery & Jim Crow and the Roots of U.S…
This Is Hell!Rearming the Constitution / William E. Forbath
We welcome legal scholar and lawyer William E. Forbath to the program to talk about his book "The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution." Chuck muses about 26 years of…
This Is Hell!Not a Riot: Race Massacres & Capitalism / Dre Cummings & Kalvin Graham
We welcome law scholars Dre Cummings and Kalvin Graham to talk about their work published in Tulsa Law Review about the relationship between race massacres and…
This Is Hell!Profit Uber Alles - The Uber Files / Dean Starkman
We welcome Dean Starkman of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to talk about the coverage of the Uber Files, detailing the misdealings…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Mushrooms for Hope / Anna Tsing
Producer Lindsey introduces a 2015 interview with anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Jeff Dorchen delivers another Moment of (Super)Truth on a flashforward…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Blackness as Anarchism / Willam C. Anderson & Zoe Samudzi
Producer Dan Hill presents a 2017 interview with writer and medical sociologist Zoe Samudzi and activist William C. Anderson on their piece "The Anarchism of…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Fascist Cages of Capitalism / Richard Hunsinger
Producer Seb hijacks the studio for a soapbox-y episode while Chuck recuperates from surgery. Seb gets on his soapbox to question what, if anything, the Nazis…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Cooperation Jackson / Ajamu Nangwaya & Kali Akuno
Producer Dan presents an October 2017 interview with Ajamu Nangwaya and Kali Akuno from Cooperation Jackson, talking about retaking democracy for the people…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: The (Il-)logic of Misogyny / Kate Manne
Chuck is out, preparing for surgery, so cross your fingers and send good vibes. Inspired by the preceding episode's new interview with Kate Manne, producer…
This Is Hell!When Pregnancy Becomes Crime / Kate Manne
We welcome writer and philosophy scholar at Cornell University, Kate Manne. Kate talks about her Substack article "Criminalizing Pregnant People: A Brief…
This Is Hell!Second Amendment Fraud / Jon Schwarz
Jon Schwarz talks about his Intercept article "Right-Wing Supreme Court Continues Its “Great Fraud” About the Second Amendment." We also hear from Jeff Dorchen…
This Is Hell!Radical Human Rights / Zachery Manfredi
We welcome political theorist and legal scholar Zachari Manfredi to talk about his Boston Review article "Radicalizing Human Rights." Then we have more of your…
This Is Hell!Corruption, Capitalism, and Wolf Extinction / Spencer Roberts
Chuck welcomes Spencer Roberts, science writer and contributor to Jacobin Magazine, the Intercept, Wired, and others to the program to talk about his research…