Podcast Summary: Behind the Bastards – It Could Happen Here Weekly 209

Date: November 22, 2025
Hosts/Contributors: Mia Wong, Garrison Davis, Robert Evans, James Stout, Alma Avaye, Donna Al Kurd, Shireen Sekari

Episode Overview

This episode is a compilation of the week’s most compelling segments from “It Could Happen Here”, focusing on key sociopolitical challenges in the U.S. and globally. The show traverses several themes:

• The structural challenges facing left-wing governance at the city level
• Sexual politics and the bizarre influence of extremist internet personalities
• The crisis facing media workers and the corporate crackdown on unionism and minority voices
• The suppression of Palestinian academic spaces and freedom of knowledge
• A chaotic news segment covering high-profile stories such as the Jeffrey Epstein files, AI/tech bubble fears, immigration, and anti-fascist terorrism designations

The tone throughout is irreverent but incisive, blending detailed analysis with the show’s characteristic gallows humor.

Segment 1: The Limits of Local Governance on the Left

(03:03–27:15 — Mia Wong, Robert Evans)

Key Points

• Structural Constraints:
  Newly elected socialist mayor Zoran Mamdani faces daunting obstacles:
  • Unlike the federal government, cities cannot print money; they must rely on the bond market to fund major projects.
  • Wall Street has power over city progress—if investors reject city bonds, essential services collapse, as in the 1975 NYC crisis.
  • Even increased city taxes often flow directly to debt service, not public spending.
• Political Hurdles:
  • Dependence on state and federal government funding, often blocked by conservative leaders (e.g., NY Governor Hochul slow-walking or opposing progressive reforms, Trumpian federal antagonism).
  • Local governments must navigate antagonism from conservative and centrist Democrats.
• Class and Economic Growth:
  • Mayors of major cities inevitably also become stewards of capitalist growth, leading to tension between the interests of capital (profit) and labor (redistribution).
  • Example: The Chicago Teachers Union elected their candidate, but cuts persisted due to bond market pressures.
• Policing as a Structural Threat:
  • The police are described as a politically autonomous, right-wing force consistently acting against reformist mayors.
  • Historical examples of direct police opposition (e.g., 1992 NYPD riot; de Blasio's daughter).
• Organizing as Solution:
  • None of the above challenges are insurmountable, but they require ongoing, intensive community organizing.

Notable Quotes

• “Electing one person does not immediately make everything better…if you actually want to see the things that you organized to happen…you have to organize even harder once they are in power.” — Mia Wong (04:22)
• “Banks and investors can simply not buy your bonds if they don’t like what you're trying to do.” — Mia Wong (05:42)
• “Your power depends on the loyalty of a bunch of Nazis. And these people will riot if you attempt to do oversight of them.” — Mia Wong (21:45)
• “Instead of demobilizing now and going, oh, our jobs are done. It's no, no, no, no, no. Our jobs have just begun.” — Mia Wong (26:54)

Timestamps:

• Bond market discussion: 04:21–10:00
• State and federal hurdles: 14:00–18:00
• Capitalist contradictions: 18:00–20:30
• Policing: 21:45–25:00
• Conclusion & call to organize: 25:00–27:15

Segment 2: Nick Fuentes, Porn, and Incel Sexual Politics

(30:00–69:29 — Garrison Davis, Robert Evans, Mia Wong, James Stout)

Key Points

• Nick Fuentes & Tucker Carlson Interview:
  • Covers the section in which Fuentes rails about pornography, blaming it for men’s sexual dysfunction, failed relationships, and even “making people gay and trans.”
  • Discussion reveals obsessive, contradictory right-wing sexual anxieties, and deep incel undertones/paranoias.
• Homophobia, Transphobia, and Projection:
  • Fuentes and Carlson assert bizarre causal links between porn consumption and LGBT identity, frequently projecting their own fascinations and fixations.
  • The segment highlights the right’s fixation on OnlyFans and sexual content as a national threat eclipsing “Iran.”
• Women, Marriage, and “Hoeflation”:
  • Fuentes blames declining marriage rates on women being too liberal, abortion rights, divorce laws, and “hoeflation” (a derogatory term about women’s self-worth).
  • Carlson pushes back—unusually more forcefully than on Fuentes’ antisemitism—but Fuentes remains mired in his sexual conspiracy worldview.
• Broader Context:
  • The hosts warn against ignoring or under-reporting how weird, misogynistic, and incel-focused this rising Gen Z right really is.

Notable Quotes

• “Porn is ruining men’s ability to get into relationships…it’s impossible for a real woman to compete with the availability and novelty of pornography.” — Nick Fuentes (32:39)
• “Is Iran a bigger threat or is OnlyFans? Iran’s not turning my daughter to prostitution.” — Tucker Carlson (48:57)
• “Their sense of their own looks and sexual value is very inflated. I think people call it hoeflation.” — Nick Fuentes (54:45)
• “Women are really simple. Have you ever lived with one? No.” — Nick Fuentes (60:50)
• “The wife is the villain. I agree with Ayn Rand about this. She said…the wife’s role is like hero worship. The guy is the hero.” — Nick Fuentes (63:33)

Timestamps:

• Porn/sexual dysfunction discussion: 32:00–40:00
• OnlyFans as national threat: 48:10–49:10
• “Hoeflation” and misogyny: 53:54–55:00
• Carlson’s pushback/interview hit moments: 60:20–65:00

Segment 3: Media Layoffs, Union Retaliation, and the Attack on Queer/Minority Voices

(73:03–115:24 — Mia Wong, Alma Avaye)

Key Points

• Teen Vogue Gutted, Media Retaliation:
  • Conde Nast slashed most of Teen Vogue’s staff, especially those doing progressive, trans, or anti-Trump political coverage, folding remaining staff into mainstream Vogue.
  • Simultaneous layoffs hit video and copy-editing teams, undermining media operations.
• Union Activity and Crackdown:
  • Workers staged a routine, peaceful “march on the boss” to demand accountability and information.
  • Four key union organizers (notably trans/PoC) were fired with no severance or due process, in what the hosts and guests call illegal retaliation and an “historic escalation”.
• Broader Implications:
  • The guests highlight a trend of “resegregation” across corporate media under pressure from right-wing governments and newly emboldened owners (e.g. Bari Weiss at CBS).
  • Media is becoming both more precarious in business terms and more hostile to minority/union voices.
• Worker Co-ops as Solution:
  • Discussion turns to worker co-ops and unions as the only way forward for sustainable, democratic, progressive journalism.

Notable Quotes

• “It’s a massive escalation on the company side in terms of retaliation… one of the most egregious examples in our union’s history.” — Alma Avaye (86:01)
• “Media unions are maybe one of the only things that will keep the media, at least as it currently exists, alive.” — Alma Avaye (97:27)
• “All the resources are being sucked out by… venture capitalist dipshits at the top and middle management bureaucrats who do nothing.” — Mia Wong (98:38)
• “Workplace democracy… is the model that's going to keep the media afloat.” — Alma Avaye (99:19)
• “You have sown the wind, now you’ll reap the whirlwind.” — Mia Wong (113:36, referencing worker response)

Timestamps:

• Teen Vogue layoffs & union action: 73:03–81:59
• Company anti-union retaliation: 81:59–87:00
• Industry-wide implications: 92:50–98:38
• Co-ops/union as future: 98:48–104:39

Segment 4: Palestine, Knowledge, and Academic Suppression

(118:46–148:45 — Donna Al Kurd, Shireen Sekari)

Key Points

• Journal of Palestine Studies & History of Erasure:
  • The Journal has, since 1971, provided a space for rigorous Palestinian academic work denied legitimacy elsewhere (“a form of resistance to erasure”).
• Longstanding Academic Surveillance and Harassment:
  • Palestinian scholars face continual monitoring, harassment, and barriers to entry, needing to approach work with legal rigor and emotional resilience.
  • The expansion of Title VI “antisemitism” complaints is noted as a tool for suppressing Palestinian and critical academic speech; most such complaints are found meritless.
• Wider Political Context:
  • Palestine is not just a foreign policy or anthropological topic, but a paradigm for understanding class, race, and the repressive turn of Western institutions.
• Advice for Listeners:
  • The best resistance to erasure is to “study, read, and learn”—acquiring the tools to defend and understand one’s community is essential.

Notable Quotes

• “There is way more of us now than ever before. Ten years ago people like you and me wouldn’t have jobs in the academy.” — Shireen Sekari (129:41)
• “It’s a real policing of speech, a real weaponization of the charge of antisemitism.” — Shireen Sekari (139:15)
• “The main problem we face is the way certain people are more susceptible to being excluded from the category of the human.” — Shireen Sekari (145:05)
• “Study, read, learn. Those are the tools that will allow you to defend yourself in a world intent on making you stupid.” — Shireen Sekari (147:13)

Timestamps:

• Academic erasure/surveillance: 125:03–129:41
• Crisis post-Oct 7 and Title VI cases: 137:46–139:39
• Palestinian voices and resistance: 143:53–148:45

Segment 5: Executive Disorder – The Week in News

(149:20–end — Garrison Davis, Robert Evans, Mia Wong, James Stout)

Top Stories

1. Epstein Files and Elite Panic

   • The release of Epstein’s emails reveals deep, bipartisan connections among powerful elites.
   • The panel jokingly references outlandish content in the emails, but notes a “historical unity of the ruling class.”
   • There’s widespread fear and obfuscation among political leaders regarding what might come out.
   • Trump and Congress overwhelmingly support file release, but with sufficient loopholes for redaction (“to protect national security”).

2. Trump Shooter, Media Distraction, and Right-Wing Conspiracy

   • The failed Trump assassin is the subject of a New York Post report fixating on supposed “transgender” and “furry” connection—narratives quickly weaponized by rightwing influencers despite lacking substance.
   • The segment ridicules these attempts to create culture war distractions.

3. Tech Bubble and AI Bubble Warnings

   • Most current GDP growth in the US is driven almost entirely by data center construction, not broader economic strength.
   • Panel predicts the AI bubble is global capitalism’s “worst allocation of capital in history”—with parallels to the 2008 crash, but worse as its asset base is entirely abstract (compute, not houses).
   • Notable lines on the fleeting economic benefits and impending collapse.

4. Anti-Fascist and Muslim Organizations Labeled Terrorists

   • The State Department and Texas attempt to designate European anarchist/leftist and American Muslim organizations as terrorist entities, in line with Trump's crackdown rhetoric.
   • The hosts outline the legal and political absurdity, noting a drift towards McCarthyism and open Islamophobia.

5. Immigration & Policing

   • Discussion touches on new waves of ICE enforcement in North Carolina, Texan GOP’s attempts to criminalize advocacy organizations (CAIR), and local incidents of ICE agent vigilantism.

Notable Quotes

• “The only thing I can compare it to…is the worst allocation of capital in history…because there’s not even physical assets left.” — Mia Wong (188:27)
• “Trump ordered Bondi to launch investigations looking into connection between Epstein and prominent Democratic politicians and donors.” — Garrison Davis (168:21)
• “None of them [AI start-ups] equal a trillion dollars, which is the minimum that they need to be profitable.” — Robert Evans (187:56)
• “Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni Islamist organization... CARE is a civil rights–focused, liberal civil rights organization. The inclusion of CARE is absolutely outrageous.” — James Stout (204:14)

Timestamps:

• Epstein news: 149:48–161:19
• Trump/“trans furry shooter” coverage: 171:07–179:55
• Tech/AI bubble: 180:22–194:32
• Terrorism designations: 194:52–204:49
• Immigration issues: 205:42–213:34

Memorable/Notable Moments

• Mia Wong: “Your power depends on the loyalty of a bunch of Nazis.” (21:45)
• Tucker & Nick Fuentes’ “Is Iran a bigger threat, or is OnlyFans?” exchange (48:57)
• Robert Evans: “Instead of demobilizing now…it’s no, no, no, no, no. Our jobs have just begun.” (26:54)
• Alma Avaye: “This is one of the most egregious examples of retaliation our union has seen in history.” (86:01)
• Shireen Sekari: “Study, read, learn. Those are the critical tools that you gain that will allow you to defend yourself in a world intent on making you stupid.” (147:13)

Conclusion

This episode of “It Could Happen Here” delivers a whirlwind, multi-hour survey of deep-rooted structural problems and bizarre social panics roiling contemporary America—from the financial straitjacket suffocating progressive city politics, to the cultural obsession with sex and gender among far-right influencers, to existential threats facing journalists, unionists, and academics. Despite grim contexts, the recurring message is that mass organizing, solidarity, and truth-telling can still halt the long march of reaction and rot—if the work continues, and people keep fighting.

For Further Listening/Action

• Read David I. Backer’s piece in The Baffler on muni finance and the bond market (as recommended by Mia Wong)
• Follow the Conde Nast Union’s Action Network petition in support of wrongfully terminated employees
• Journal of Palestine Studies fundraising campaign
• Borderlands Relief Collective’s Amazon wish list (help Southern CA migrants)
• Explore “It Could Happen Here” and “Behind the Bastards” archives at Cool Zone Media

End of Summary