This is The End: Pop Culture & Collapse: Recent Episodes

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Part 2 of "10 Films About Societal Collapse."

NOTE: This episode was recorded in Dec. of 2022 but I've only gotten around to editing it now. Since then I've become much better acquainted with ChatGPT and so, yes, I know its name (whereas at the time of this recording I still didn't).

LINKS:

• Jess Kroll's film reviews https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
• Jess Kroll author page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
• 'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
• 'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63
• 'Land of Smiles' by Jess Krollhttps://amzn.to/3JlRIjk

LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler time stamps)

WALL-E

5:08 - 5:53 (possible minor spoiler)

8:44 - 9:07

13:23 - 13:36

15:13 - 15:36

17:42 - 18:32

DON’T LOOK UP

26:55 - 27:02 (possible minor spoiler)

29:44 - 29:54 (possible minor spoiler)

30:34 - 31:10

32:37 - 36:23 (possible minor spoilers)

37:09 - 38:47

40:07 - 41:13

44:14 - 45:03

46:12 - 48:02

1:02:45 - 1:03:00 (possible minor spoiler)

THE ROAD

56:43 - 56:53

59:25 - 1:03:03

MENACE II SOCIETY

No Spoilers

THE GRAPES OF WRATH

No Spoilers

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PopMythology.com film critic and novelist Jess Kroll joins me to have a conversation about 10 different movies that depict collapse in some way. In this episode, Part 1, we discuss the first five.

Scroll all the way down below to see the titles of the films discussed and during which timestamped moments that spoilers or semi-spoilers of these films are mentioned.

LINKS:

• Jess Kroll's film reviews https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
• Jess Kroll author page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
• 'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
• 'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63

LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler demarcations)

-----------------------------------DONBASS (7:32 - 16:42) • No spoilers

THREADS (16:57 -28:02) • Spoiler 21:45 - 22:05 • Spoiler 23:36 - 24:18 • Spoiler 26:49 - 27:14

CONTAGION (28:02 - 44:13) • Spoiler 32:38 - 34:16 • Spoiler 35:23 - 35:45 • Spoiler 38:48 - 41:15 • Spoiler 41:29 - 42:23 • Spoiler 42:34 - 44:13

CHILDREN OF MEN (44:13 - 1:01:05) • Spoiler 51:40 - 52:14 • Spoiler 52:35 - 54:23 • Spoiler 55:21 - 55:46 • Spoiler 56:25 - 57:54 • Spoiler 58:17 - 1:00:14

IDIOCRACY (1:01:05 - 1:16:12) • Spoiler 1:04:40 - 1:05:34 • Spoiler 1:11:23 - 1:12:14

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In this episode, I interview political commentator, former congressional candidate, and now regenerative farmer Haven Scott McVarish, author of LAST CHANCE TO SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. Haven talks about his favorite novel, STARK by Ben Elton, a dystopian comedy thriller about how corporations and the wealthy cause a global ecological collapse. Haven also discusses the novel's themes in relation to his own book about the current, ongoing collapse of U.S. democracy. We talk about how to save our imperiled democracy as well as what ordinary people can start doing now to prepare for collapse via local community building and restorative agriculture.  

LINKS:    

• Last Chance to Save American Democracy by Haven Scott McVarish    https://amzn.to/3eqPxxB
• Stark by Ben Elton https://amzn.to/3wY6dD2
• 5 Journeys (Haven Scott McVarish's non-profit organization)  https://www.5journeys.org/

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This is a longer version of a talk I recently gave at San Diego Comic Con 2022 as part of a panel on Marvel's street-level characters (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, etc.) moderated by Dr. Scott Jordan as part of the Comics Arts Conference. Thank you to Dr. Jordan for inviting me onto the panel and to Dr. Shelly Clevenger, my guest from the last episode, who was the speaker originally slated to talk about the Punisher on the panel but was not able to attend. Also a warm thank you to Dr. Michael Kersulov whose encouraging words after the panel resulted in adapting my talk into a podcast episode.

NOTE: This episode contains quotations from fictional works that contain some NSFW language—specifically two instances of the F word.

Works discussed in this episode: * Born #1-4 (2003) by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson * The Punisher MAX #1-60 (2004) by Garth Ennis and various artists * The Punisher: The End #1 (2004) by Garth Ennis and Richard Corben

All of the above works are available in these collected volumes: * The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 1 https://amzn.to/3zgINsP * The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 2 https://amzn.to/3ScJHz2 * The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 3 https://amzn.to/3OH2yiT * The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 4 https://amzn.to/3vnIdbo

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We're joined by Dr. Shelly Clevenger, professor of criminology and victim studies, and chair of the Department of Victim Studies at Sam Houston State University, to discuss BITCH PLANET, the feminist dystopian comic book by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro, published by Image Comics. Dr. Clevenger, who is also a gender scholar, discusses crime and criminal justice through the lens of gender and gender identity and answers the question of what all of it has to do with the idea of "collapse." Among the topics covered include Roe vs. Wade, the Texas ban of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, a shocking historical government program to arrest and imprison women suspected of having STDs without due process, and many other issues affecting women - especially working class women, women of color, queer women, and trans women - in an age of increasing dystopia.

NO SPOILERS for Bitch Planet

LINKS

• Dr. Shelly Clevenger faculty page

https://www.shsu.edu/~icc_www/_inc/dir.php?mode=view&item=467

• Department of Victim Studies page at Sam Houston State University

http://catalog.shsu.edu/graduate-and-professional/college-departments/criminal-justice/victim-studies/

• Dr. Shelly Clevenger on Twitter

https://twitter.com/drclevenger

Gendering Criminology by Shelly Clevenger and Jordana N. Navarro

https://amzn.to/3Qpi3y8

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro

https://amzn.to/3QoXlyr

Enjoying the podcast? Please give us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It really helps!!!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-the-end-pop-culture-collapse/id1593793050

https://open.spotify.com/show/416cLdU3lYZNzpvk2FVPoX?si=wzL_0j3wQfmM0oXA7zKecQ&utm_source=copy-link

Really, really enjoying the podcast? Consider leaving a tip on Ko-Fi!

https://ko-fi.com/popmythology

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In this episode, I interview Jim Carey, host of ‘The Left is Dead,’ a podcast about news, politics, and culture from a leftist lens. We discuss one of Jim’s favorite works of fiction, the novel LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo, and its relevance to the societal and political turmoil we see today.

Jim talks about how the U.S. has basically become an entire nation of Javerts—moral absolutists obsessed with control and punishment—and how a lack of class consciousness, revolutionary zeal, and a broad coalition with the working class prevents our ability to find real solutions to the biggest problems of our day. He also talks about the moral and political lessons that can be taken away from LES MISERABLES, particularly from the characters of Valjean, Fantine, Marius, and the young revolutionaries whose uprising becomes a failure we can learn from.

We also compare the novel and its socio-political objectives with adaptations of it in pop culture such as the Broadway musical and various film and TV adaptations. I spend a fair amount of time praising the PBS miniseries version and ragging on the Broadway musical for failing to cultivate a more meaningful level of class consciousness among its viewers.

The Left is Dead

https://leftisdead.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLeftIsDead

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLeftisDead1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leftisdead/

Outro music by Benny Martin Piano

https://bennymartin.com.au/ licensed under a Creative Commons License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bennymartinpianist

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-yPr5SzsB0WHeKcwVONyQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennymartinmusic/

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UkraineNow.org

StandWithUkraine.how

StandWithUkraine.live

Chopin's Polonaise Op. 40 No. 1 in A major ("Polanaise Militaire") performed by Pistos, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.5 Canada License

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In this episode I interviewed four amazingly talented songwriters from the U.S., Germany, and Brazil who have written music on the subject of collapse, and who discuss what they feel are the important roles and value of music, and of art in general, amid the current societal turmoil and the many risks of collapse.

LINKS

My “Collapse Challenge” on FAWM

(February Album Writing Month)

https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12288/

You can find all of the “Collapse Challenge” songs here:

https://fawm.org/songs/tags/collapsechallenge/

Beto (@elesimo on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/elesimo/

https://thefishermenandthepriestess.com/

“How Does it Feel?”

https://fawm.org/songs/126378/

Deirdre (@wylddandelyon on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/wylddandelyon/

https://www.patreon.com/Wyld_Dandelyon

https://www.patreon.com/posts/62265129

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5199620.Deirdre_M_Murphy

“Steel Skeletons of the Past”

https://fawm.org/songs/127560/

Mike (@mikeskliar on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/mikeskliar/

https://mikeskliar.bandcamp.com/

“Interesting Times”

https://fawm.org/songs/125354/

Robert (@ampersandman on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/ampersandman/

https://soundcloud.com/ampersandman

https://ampersandman-de.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jaariberlin

“The Lie”

https://fawm.org/songs/128187/

Opening quote courtesy of:

Sunfire Carl B (@sunfire on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/sunfire/

“The Collapse”

https://fawm.org/songs/129537/

Outro courtesy of:

The Jelly Factory (@cts on FAWM)

https://fawm.org/fawmers/cts/

“Star Ark”

(co-written w/ the Pop Mythologist)

https://fawm.org/songs/130000/

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In this episode, I talk to Dr. Sørina Higgins, a professor of English literature at Signum University. We discuss how speculative fiction can teach us to take care of our planet, both ecologically and societally.

Authors and works discussed include: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, Octavia Butler's Kindred, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, and superhero fiction. (NO SPOILERS for any works.)

Real world topics discussed include: climate change, racial and economic justice, terraforming, space colonization, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and small scale activism.

Dr. Higgins also tells us about TexMoot 2022, a speculative fiction conference that is currently seeking submissions for papers and round table discussion prompts from the general public (not just academics). Check the link below!

LINKS:

TexMoot 2022: Call for Submissions http://texmoot.org/call-for-papers

TexMoot 2022 general info https://signumuniversity.org/event/texmoot-2022/

Register for TexMoot 2022: https://registration.signumuniversity.org/events/texmoot-2022/

Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/

SorinaHiggins.com https://sorinahiggins.wordpress.com/

Daily Choices https://sorinahiggins.wordpress.com/daily-choices/

Sørina Higgins' author page https://amzn.to/3rEDrEY

Sørina Higgins on Twitter https://twitter.com/SorinaHiggins

Signum University on Twitter https://twitter.com/SignumU

ENJOY THIS PODCAST?

• Tip us on Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/popmythology
• Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

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No spoilers for any of the works discussed in this episode.

LINKS:

• Breaking Down: Collapse "Episode 70 - Pop Culture & Collapse" https://collapsepod.buzzsprout.com/1403161/9909499

• "Climate science meets a stubborn obstacle: Students" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/us/education-climate-change-science-class-students.html

• "Before and after 'The Day After Tomorrow': A U.S. study of climate change risk perception." https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/before-and-after-the-day-after-tomorrow/

• "Cli-fi (climate fiction) on the big screen changes minds about real climate change" https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/world/climate-change-movies-eprise/index.html

• "Michael Crichton on science and storytelling" https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2019/02/13/michael-crichton-on-science-and-storytelling/

• "Sci-fi and Jurassic Park have driven research, scientists say" https://theconversation.com/sci-fi-and-jurassic-park-have-driven-research-scientists-say-42864

• "Many paleontologists today are part of the 'Jurassic Park' generation" https://www.npr.org/2018/07/10/627782777/many-paleontologists-today-are-part-of-the-jurassic-park-generation

• "The death of Bill Paxton reminds us that 'Twister' changed meteorology" https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2017/02/26/the-death-of-bill-paxton-reminds-us-that-twister-changed-meteorology/?sh=8d2d28e6b7e0

• "25-Year Anniversary of Twister and Its Far-Reaching Impacts" https://okcfox.com/weather/fox-25-weather-wise/25-year-anniversary-of-twister-its-far-reaching-impacts#:~:text=Meteorology%20majors%20increased%20by%2010,and%20her%20team%20chase%20tornadoes

• "How 'Twister' made metereology cool in Oklahoma and beyond" https://www.oklahoman.com/article/5499438/how-twister-made-meteorology-cool-in-oklahoma-and-beyond

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

• Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/popmythology
• Patreon https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

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Since the very day of its release, Don’t Look Up has been spurring intense discussion and debate about its symbolic depiction of climate change as an existential threat, and the struggle of climate activists to get governments and people to mobilize and take action against it. In this episode, I explain why it is so difficult for people to understand the urgency of the threat, and what we must do to rectify this before it’s too late.

LINKS:

Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change, by George Marshall

https://amzn.to/3GaZqbJ

“At the End of the World, It’s Hyperobjects All the Way Down.”

https://www.wired.com/story/timothy-morton-hyperobjects-all-the-way-down/

Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World, by Timothy Morton

https://amzn.to/3teUyPf

Being Ecological, by Timothy Morton

https://amzn.to/3r1p38w

Please support this podcast to help make it sustainable:

• Patreon https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

• Ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/popmythology

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We interview Dr. Althea Rizzo, Geological Hazards Program Coordinator, of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM), about WITHOUT WARNING! WILDFIRE, a comic book produced in partnership between OEM and Dark Horse Comics with the objective to help kids and teens get informed about, and prepared for, wildfires (and other hazards).

WITHOUT WARNING! WILDFIRE is available for free at Dark Horse Digital, the website for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, and on iOS and Android apps. It’s also available on Kindle, Comixology, Google Play and Apple Books.

The first two comics in the series, Without Warning! Earthquake and Without Warning! Tsunami are available online from the same sources as well.

Support this podcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/popmythology

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In this episode, we talk to Muncie Central High School English teacher Katey O'Connor about teaching V FOR VENDETTA and how her students practiced civil disobedience when their class projects, which drew parallels between the book and real-life issues, were censored. We also discuss the wave of book banning and the hysteria over race, gender, and sexuality that's sweeping schools across the U.S.

NOTE: In our opinion, there are no spoilers for 'V for Vendetta' in this episode. But out of an abundance of caution, here are 3 time marks where something is mentioned that might be perceived as micro-spoilers:

• 9:56 - 10:06
• 10:21 - 10:30
• 10:50 - 10:56

Even if you have only seen the 2005 film, there are absolutely no new spoilers for the book (or vice versa).

LINKS:

"School removes student project about fascism after cops complain"

https://www.vice.com/en/article/3abqp8/muncie-school-removes-student-project-about-fascism-after-cops-complain

"Police in schools continue to target Black, Brown, and Indigenous students with disabilities. The Trump administration has data that's likely to prove it."

https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/police-in-schools-continue-to-target-black-brown-and-indigenous-students-with-disabilities-the-trump-administration-has-data-thats-likely-to-prove-it/

"Conservatives are just openly endorsing book burning now"

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/virginia-school-board-book-burning

"Texas House committee to investigate school districts' books on race and sexuality"

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/26/texas-school-books-race-sexuality/

"Let's talk about Muncie Central High and V for Vendetta..." by Beau of the Fifth Column (YouTube video mentioned by Katey O'Connor)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrHxTU-k47M&t=229s

Leah Moore's tweet about Alan Moore's statement

https://twitter.com/leahmoore/status/1462425010816040963

Student Voices (Muncie Central High School student activism page) https://www.facebook.com/MuncieStudentVoices/

Muncie students' BLM t-shirt fundraiser on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1617898138587004&id=100011005005621

Muncie students' BLM t-shirt fundraiser on Twitter

https://twitter.com/MrsBoudreau/status/1462645762404323329

(Or make a donation to Elayna Justice on Venmo at @elaynajustice )

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

http://cbldf.org/

"I understood the assignment" TikTok compilation (mentioned by Katey O'Connor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Gy6yA1bvI

Katey O'Connor on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/katey.oconnor.3

Katey O'Connor on Twitter https://twitter.com/OConnorKatey

Support our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

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Content Warnings: Extreme climate change, Ecological/societal collapse, Natural disasters, Hurricanes (loss of shelter, power), Past personal crises

Spoiler Warning: FOUNDATION S1 E1, “The Emperor’s Peace” (No spoilers before the 2:00 time mark and after the 6:00 time mark)

LINKS

Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos (the best single source to understand Deep Adaptation)

https://amzn.to/3qEJidu

"Deep adaptation: A map for navigating climate tragedy" (the paper mentioned in this episode)

https://www.lifeworth.com/deepadaptation.pdf

Article criticizing the Deep Adaptation paper & movement

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/faulty-science-doomism-and-flawed-conclusions-deep-adaptation/

Professor Jem Bendell’s response to the article above

https://jembendell.com/2020/07/15/letter-to-deep-adaptation-advocate-volunteers-about-misrepresentations-of-the-agenda-and-movement/

“To criticize Deep Adaptation, start here”

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/criticise-deep-adaptation-start-here/

Prof. Bendell’s general response to overall criticism

https://jembendell.com/2020/02/27/the-worst-argument-to-try-to-win-response-to-criticism-of-the-climate-science-in-deep-adaptation/

How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference, by Dr. Rebecca Huntley

https://amzn.to/3cuCo2i

"Does hope inspire more action on climate action than fear? We don't know"

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/12/5/16732772/emotion-climate-change-communication

“Does anticipating the possibility of collapse motivate prosocial behaviors?”

http://iflas.blogspot.com/2020/06/does-anticipating-societal-collapse.html

“Climate science and collapse: Warnings lost in the wind”

https://jembendell.com/2020/06/15/climate-science-and-collapse-warnings-lost-in-the-wind/

International Scholars Warning on Societal Disruption & Collapse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0frHoqXLB0&list=WL&index=93

Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet by Dr. Tom Murphy

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9js5291m

Do the Math (Dr. Tom Murphy’s blog)

https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/

"Society could collapse in a decade, predicts math historian" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/peter-turchin-cliodynamics-society-collapse_n_586f1e22e4b02b5f85882988

Ages of Discord: A Structural-Demographic Analysis of American History, by Dr. Peter Turchin

https://amzn.to/3HFODre

Curated playlist of all podcasts/interviews mentioned in episode

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1c8KrxJi9hTDLzWHPdyvlF?si=a111ffcd6d7546a0

Support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

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In this episode, we use DUNE to springboard into a discussion about the growing crisis of water scarcity in the face of climate change and what we can do about it. 

LINKS:

• All of Earth's water in a single sphere https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere
• Mapping the strain on our water https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/08/06/mapping-strain-our-water/
• 10 violent water conflicts https://reliefweb.int/report/world/editor-s-pick-10-violent-water-conflicts
• Interstate water wars are heating up with the climate https://theconversation.com/interstate-water-wars-are-heating-up-along-with-the-climate-159092
• Collapse by Jared Diamond https://amzn.to/3bUlREz
• This Mayan city died out after poisoning its own water. Our cities could be next. https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-death-knell-for-mayan-city-inadvertently-poisoned-its-own-water-supply-1.8953324
• The End of Abundance by David Zetland https://amzn.to/3C06aGr
• What About Water? with Jay Famiglietti https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-about-water-with-jay-famiglietti/id1485919205
• Curated podcast playlist re: water scarcity & water conflict https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Mstq0W7Lq6Weob2xH01qT?si=c2b4e45253204e71&nd=1

Support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popmythology

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This "episode zero" describes what this podcast will be about and its origin story. It also clarifies certain terminology and concepts that are often used vaguely and misunderstood.

LINKS:

• How do you know when a society is about to fall apart? - NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/magazine/societal-collapse.html

• Are we on the road to civilization collapse? - BBC https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190218-are-we-on-the-road-to-civilisation-collapse

• Society is right on track for a global collapse, new study of 1970s report finds - Live Science https://www.livescience.com/collapse-human-society-limits-to-growth.html

• Are we witnessing the fall of the United States? - The Week https://theweek.com/articles/958509/are-witnessing-fall-united-states
• Interview with John Michael Greer - Breaking Down: Collapse (podcast) https://collapsepod.buzzsprout.com/1403161/7916929-episode-22-interview-with-john-michael-greer

Support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/popmythology