Podcast Summary:

Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Episode: "First, They Came for The Smithsonian..."
Date: August 24, 2025

Overview

In this satirical, sharply critical monologue, Sasha Stone explores America’s ongoing cultural and political clashes, particularly around the contested terrain of history, identity, and public institutions such as the Smithsonian museums. Using irony, mock-serious narrative, and straw-man argumentation, Stone critiques both left and right, focusing on the perceived overreach and censorship in the effort to “control the narrative.” Central to this episode is the controversy around alleged Trump administration demands to “de-wokeify” Smithsonian content, and the broader question of who gets to define American history and identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Satirical Introduction: America’s ‘Revolution’ in the 2020s

• Stone opens by parodying the left’s ideological control post-2020, referencing mask mandates, pronoun policing, and the shunning of Trump supporters.
• Quote:

  “We erected a high fence around the Capitol. We shunned, destroyed, debanked, fired, bullied, harassed and abused anyone who ever supported Trump... All were in compliance. Movies, fashion, books, the arts, comedy, and yes, museums finally did what they were supposed to do: tell us how to think, what to think and whose side to be on.”

  • (Sasha Stone, 01:00)

2. Mount Rushmore, Trumpism, and Contesting American Identity

• Stone contextualizes Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech and its defense of “Western Civilization” and traditional American values.
• Quote:

  “…Our museums have an obligation to represent what happened in our country over the years, good and bad, but what happened over the years in an accurate way.”

  • (Donald Trump, 08:25)

3. Smithsonian Controversy & ‘De-Wokefication’ of History

• The episode highlights Trump’s administration allegedly pressing for revisions in museums, particularly for “over-focus” on slavery, and rooting out “woke” perspectives.
• The Smithsonian is under scrutiny for “projecting” divisive, race-centered ideologies.
• Quote:

  “President Trump is now ordering a review of the Smithsonian museums, accusing the institutions of focusing too much on, quote, how bad slavery was.”

  • (Narrator, 06:56)

4. The Danger of Revising History & Cultural Orthodoxy

• Stone and guest Jillian Michaels debate charges of whitewashing versus overemphasizing racial narratives.
• Michaels pushes back against erasing uncomfortable chapters while warning about the pendulum swinging toward alt-right revisionism.
• Quote:

  “If we've gotten to a point in history where we think just learning about African Americans and black people is too woke, then I think we're deprogressing in a sense.”

  • (Jillian Michaels, 08:47)
• Quote:

  “My deep concern is that this pendulum does not swing back to the middle. It swings much farther into an alt right direction...which is why it is so important to tell both sides of history...”

  • (Jillian Michaels, 15:23)

5. Identity, Art, and Indoctrination in Museums and Media

• Stone lampoons how identity categories dominate art and exhibits, with sample descriptions of Latino, LGBTQ, and migrant experiences, asserting that identity itself has become synonymous with achievement.
• Critiques examples of art that elevate victims and demonize “oppressors," suggesting a deliberate simplification of history for ideological purposes.
• Quote:

  “It's never about achievement. It's only about identity. Identity is achievement.”

  • (Sasha Stone, 20:04)

6. Slavery, Race, and Revisionist History: Contentious Dialogue

• Michaels and Stone spar over the complexity of slavery, American racial history, and implications for modern identity politics.
• Cites examples where Stone accuses museum narratives of reducing “every exhibit” to “white people bad.”
• Quote:

  “When you make every single exhibit about white imperialism when it isn’t relevant at all, that is a problem.”

  • (Jillian Michaels, 14:09)

7. Satirical Riff on Indoctrination and Narrative Control

• Stone’s persona exaggerates the left’s desire to “control children from infancy,” mandate public schooling, and enforce a single doctrine on history and identity.
• References Orwell’s “who controls the past controls the future,” underscoring fears of cultural authoritarianism.
• Quote:

  “We want them as early as infancy. We want them in preschool. We want everything they see and everything they learn to be our message.”

  • (Sasha Stone, 31:17)

8. Crime, Policing, and 'Anti-Fascism'

• The podcast lampoons leftist narratives around crime, policing, and homelessness, arguing that attempts to quell disorder are demonized as fascist.
• Quote:

  “Anyone who supports making the streets safer is a fascist. All of the good white liberals agree.”

  • (Sasha Stone, 24:44)

9. Lawfare, Retribution, and Public Perception of Fascism

• Stone satirizes political prosecutions, ‘raids’ on political enemies, and the left’s use of the term ‘fascism.’
• Quotes mainstream figures (Terry Moran) and critics (Dave Marcus) on the use and misuse of the word ‘fascism’.
• Quote:

  “If this happened in any other country, we would know what to call it. The autocrat taking revenge on a man who angers him.”

  • (Terry Moran tweet, 27:02)

10. Finale: Controlling the Story, Controlling the Future

• Concludes with a warning: whichever group controls the narrative will shape the country’s future—emphasizing the danger of historical revisionism and ideological capture of public institutions.
• Quote:

  “Was it Orwell who said, who controls the past controls the future? Who controls the present controls the past. That is our fight now. Who controls the present?”

  • (Sasha Stone, 32:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sardonic Recap of 2020s Revolution
  Sasha Stone at 1:00: “All were in compliance… museums finally did what they were supposed to do: tell us how to think, what to think and whose side to be on.”

• Trump Defending Historical Complexity
  Donald Trump at 8:25: “We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner… Our museums have an obligation… to represent what happened… in an accurate way.”

• Debate on Identity Politics and Evidence
  Jillian Michaels at 13:16: “There's one called change your game… does that… gender testing in sports… It's basic science. That's untrue. It's XX chromosome, X, Y chromosome.”

• Lampooning of DEI and Indoctrination
  Sasha Stone at 31:17: “We want them as early as infancy... everything they see and everything they learn to be our message.”

• Cynical ‘Future Historians’
  Narrator/Commentator at 26:43: “Historians will say this is a very dark time in American history. They won’t say it publicly… They’ll whisper it to each other…”

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 02:20: Satirical monologue on post-2020 America and cultural compliance
• 02:20 – 05:17: Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech excerpted and discussed
• 06:54 – 08:25: Discussion of Trump administration’s review of Smithsonian for “woke” content
• 11:24 – 14:56: Heated dialogue between Stone and Michaels on race, revisionism, and museum content
• 15:23 – 17:05: Jillian Michaels' warning about backlash and the perils of only telling “one side” of history
• 19:28 – 21:54: Critique of art and identity politics in museum exhibits
• 23:50 – 25:51: Segment on crime, “anti-fascism,” and the demonization of policing
• 26:43 – 27:02: Commentary on lawfare, historical revisionism, and what future historians might say
• 28:48 – 30:42: Fear of authoritarian control, revisionist future, and demise of democracy
• 31:17 – 33:25: Satirical call for total educational indoctrination and final warning about control of the narrative

Tone and Style

The episode is performed with a satirical, biting, and ironic tone, frequently exaggerating the concerns and language of both political extremes. Stone adopts the persona of a censorious, doctrinaire progressive to lampoon what she sees as excesses in cultural and historical revisionism, while also critiquing the right’s inclination to “whitewash” history. The language is sharp, often hyperbolic, with moments of deadpan humor and rhetorical excess.

Takeaways

• The ownership of “narrative”—especially around history, identity, and culture—is a critical battleground in American politics.
• Stone is deeply skeptical of institutional overreach, whether from the left (censorship, identity politics) or the right (erasure of uncomfortable history).
• The Smithsonian dustup is a microcosm for a much broader culture war around truth, education, and power.
• The episode warns that whoever controls public memory—via schools, museums, or media—will define the country’s direction in the coming decades.

For more essays and commentary from Sasha Stone, visit sashastone.com