Podcast Summary: "Normalcy feat. Andrew"

Podcast: It Could Happen Here
Host(s): Andrew Sage & James Stout
Date: February 10, 2026
Production: Cool Zone Media / iHeartPodcasts

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the concept of "normalcy" as it relates to the American political system, society's myth of linear progress, and the deep desire—especially among liberals—to return to a pre-Trump "normal." Andrew and James unpack why this conception of normal is both historically contingent and ultimately unsustainable, urging listeners to reject the illusion of past stability and instead focus on building resilient, interconnected communities for a turbulent future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of Normal and Yearning for Pre-Trump Times

• Trump's chaos is framed as a continuation, not a deviation, from longstanding systemic issues.
• “People seem to be yearning for” a return to normal, but Trump is “a product of the normal” (Andrew, 02:47).
• Liberals and progressives often mistakenly view the Trump era as a singular aberration, ignoring the deeper roots of societal problems.

2. The False Narrative of Progress

• The allure of the "myth of progress"—that society moves in a straight line toward justice and improvement—is challenged.
• Malcolm X analogy: “If I stick a knife into you and I only pull it out 3 inches, that’s not progress... Progress would be, you know, removing the knife completely and mending the wound.” (Andrew, 06:03)
• Questioning whether undoing injustices truly counts as progress or simply as returning to a baseline.
• Linking the idea of progress to colonialism, "uplifting" missions, and the white man's burden (James, 08:08).

3. The Historical Anomaly of Postwar Prosperity

• The economic boom of the 1950s-70s is described as an “historical anomaly”—“just this 50 to 70 year fossil fuel binge” (Andrew, 09:47) impossible to sustain.
• Calls out the fantasy that society can recreate these conditions indefinitely, especially in light of ecological and resource limits.

4. Techno-Utopianism and Resource Scarcity

• Dissection of contemporary faith in technological solutions (AI, electric cars, fusion), ignoring physical limits and material dependencies (James & Andrew, 11:00–12:42).
• “We can’t supplement each and every individual person with a car for all of time, you know.” (Andrew, 11:00)
• The pursuit of replacement technologies constantly kicks the can down the road rather than addressing underlying contradictions.

5. Collapse Is Delayed but Inevitable

• Societal collapse is being staved off by exploitative mechanisms: financial rent-seeking, increased surveillance, and environmental theft (Andrew, 12:42).
• When capital-driven growth inevitably ends, "the group project of making the rich richer... has to come to an end.” (Andrew, 14:31)

6. Health, Sanitation, and Growth Are Not a Package Deal

• Improvements like vaccination and sanitation did not require environmental destruction (Andrew & James, 18:04–18:33).
• Example: “All London had to do... was stop dumping their sewage in the Thames.” (Andrew, 18:33)

7. Detachment from the Costs of Consumption

• Modern society is insulated from the human and ecological costs of cheap goods.
• “Why is a barbecue grill $7, you know, who is suffering so that this barbecue grill...” (Andrew, 20:15)
• The supply chains and ecological destruction required are intentionally invisible.

8. Illusion of Coherent, Competent Leadership

• The system is messier and less stable than it appears; political leaders project confidence while lacking control or willingness to admit uncertainty (Andrew, 22:34–23:40).
• Example: Texas grid failure; politics in Flint, Michigan.

9. Denial and Social Responses to Collapse

• Society’s responses span panic, conspiracy, denial, hustle culture, and disengagement. Only a fraction challenge the idea of normal itself (Andrew, 32:25).
• “Many of us like fish in water... can’t really recognize the socioeconomic structure that we are within.” (Andrew, 33:14)

10. Critique of the Self-Sufficiency Fantasy

• Performative homesteading and survivalism are called out as deeply dependent on global systems and supply chains (James, 35:16–38:17).
• Real resilience is rooted in community: “They did so in community... we as a species have survived and succeeded because we are able to share our skills with others...” (Andrew, 38:35–39:11)

11. Mutual Aid and Collective Futures

• Mutual support and integrated interdependence—not atomized self-reliance—offer a path to weathering societal shocks and adapting to collapse (James & Andrew, 39:11–41:00).
• “The community support and the shared resources are going to matter a lot more than your personal purchasing power.” (Andrew, 41:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Trump is not truly exceptional. Rather, he's a product of the normal that people seem to be yearning for.”
— Andrew Sage (02:47)

“If I stick a knife into you... that's not progress. Progress would be... removing the knife completely and mending the wound.”
— Malcolm X, as quoted by Andrew Sage (06:03)

“The normal that people are talking about sometimes is just this 50 to 70 year fossil fuel binge, a binge that we are reaching the end of.”
— Andrew Sage (09:47)

“The pursuit of growth perpetually, like a cancer... the pressures to keep the whole machine running just outweighs any long-term considerations.”
— Andrew Sage (21:04)

“They are pretending or believing that they have this grip on things, that they can anticipate and smooth out the shocks to the system.”
— Andrew Sage (22:34)

“Improvements in literacy [can happen] without literally poisoning our fresh water and bleaching our oceans.”
— Andrew Sage (18:04)

“We get this sense that... this is ... this all powerful Lovecraftian entity that us mere individuals can't really challenge... when there are things that we can do directly.”
— Andrew Sage (24:52)

“Most people think of normal as this default state, but normal is actually kind of weird...”
— Andrew Sage (32:25–33:14)

“If you think you’re independent because you bought that seven dollar grill off Temu... you’re missing the web of relationships that brought that $7 grill to your doorstep and eventually to the landfill.”
— Andrew Sage (34:33)

“The community support and the shared resources are going to matter a lot more than your personal purchasing power.”
— Andrew Sage (41:00)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:26: Trump as not exceptional; the myth of "returning to normal"
• 04:38: The new normal and the myth of progress introduced
• 06:03: Malcolm X analogy on the limits of “progress”
• 09:47: Postwar prosperity as fossil-fueled anomaly
• 11:00–12:42: Tech bubbles, rare earths, sustainability illusions
• 14:31: The end of infinite economic growth
• 18:04–18:33: Health/sanitation vs. environmental destruction
• 20:15: The hidden costs of consumption
• 22:34: The myth of competent leadership and system stability
• 24:35: Flint, Michigan as example of denial and system inertia
• 32:25: Normalcy is a brittle, weird illusion
• 35:16–38:17: Critique of performative self-sufficiency/homesteading
• 39:11–41:00: How real resilience comes through mutual support
• 41:00–42:10: Concluding thoughts on networks, mutual aid, and seeing through the illusion of normal

Conclusion

Andrew and James urge listeners to shed illusions of stability and individual self-sufficiency, recognize the constructed and unsustainable nature of “normal,” and refocus energy on community, mutual aid, and collective action. The exit from “normal” is presented not as a disaster, but as an opportunity to build something more humane, sustainable, and resilient—if we are willing to see clearly and act together.

For source materials and further reading, listeners are directed to episode descriptions as noted by the hosts.

Tone:
Engaged, incisive, and slightly sardonic—matching the conversational, critical style of the hosts.