Listen Now: Dan Taberski’s Manifesto

Summary

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The Lead — Listen Now: Dan Taberski’s Manifesto

Date: July 13, 2026
Host: Dan Taberski (Audible Originals)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, acclaimed podcaster Dan Taberski introduces his new six-part Audible series Manifesto, sharing a provocative exploration into the power and danger of manifestos throughout history. Taberski seeks to reclaim the idea of the manifesto from its association with violence and extremism, and understand how anger, action, and vision have intertwined to spark movements for change. The episode blends narrative, personal reflection, and historical context—beginning with the notorious case of Christopher Dorner and unpacking what it means, and feels like, to write or encounter a manifesto.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reclaiming the Manifesto

• Purpose: Taberski frames his project as an attempt to "take the Manifesto back for mass shooters and nihilists and return it to its rightful place with the artists and the warriors, the visionaries, the regular folks with just the right amount of crazy who've got something to say and the guts to say it."

  • (A, 00:17)

• Range of Voices: He describes talking with radicals, secessionists, internet trolls, and punk singers—all sharing the drive to change the world, channeled through anger and action.

  • (A, 00:36)

• Central Questions:

  • “Just how cozy can we get with our rage before it takes on a life of its own?”
  • Can we be inspired again without resorting to violence?

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2. The Power and Precariousness of Manifestos

• Taberski introduces the Christopher Dorner case from 2013 as a real-life example of how manifestos can become “dangerous blueprints” rather than “calls to vision.”

2.1 The Dorner Killings

• Timestamp: 01:55–04:08

• A double murder committed by Christopher Dorner, a former LAPD officer, sent shockwaves through Southern California.

• Dorner’s 11-page online 'manifesto' outlined his rage and intent, as he targeted police, sparking fear across the state.

  • “But the number of neighbors who actually heard those 14 shots, zero. So maybe there was a silencer on the gun, which would mean the killer probably isn't new to this, that maybe they're a professional.” (A, 02:42)

• The authorities quickly identified Dorner as the suspect—his police and military training, and his manifesto, making the case chilling.

  • “And this manifesto... is 11 pages long. Trace this manifesto from this suspect who's targeting cops. It's stunning. It is stunning, Shep.” (A, 03:54)
  • “And I tell you, this manifesto, it scares the hell out of me.” (A, 04:08)

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3. Personal Rage and Reflection

• Taberski reflects on his own growing anger—shaped by the barrage of negativity and dysfunction in society.
  • “The world is on fire. I'll spare you the details. We've all got our own faves and I mean, really, what fresh words could be left to describe what fresh hell we're presented with day after day?” (A, 04:40)
• He describes internalizing frustration, despite being a “relatively happy guy,” and struggling to express his anger productively.

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4. Everyday Rebellion: The Shopping Cart Story

• An anecdote illustrates the ordinary person’s small rebellion:

  • Timestamp: 05:34–06:16
  • A guest (D) describes feeling fed up at a supermarket where you must insert a coin to use a shopping cart.
    • “Then all of a sudden, there was that one moment when. When I sat, he said, fuck it, I'm not gonna do this anymore…” (D, 06:01)
  • He jams a coin so no one can play “the stupid shopping cart game.”
    • “And it felt so good. It felt like. Like. It felt like a moment of liberation.” (D, 06:23)

• Taberski’s Take: These small actions, when emotion drives action, are the seeds of manifestos.

  • “That space right there where emotion becomes action—when you're inspired to just do something already. That is the stuff of manifestos.” (A, 06:33)

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5. The Black Panther Manifesto

• Timestamp: 06:51–07:23

• Taberski plays historical audio of Bobby Seale reading the Black Panther Manifesto’s Ten Point Program (1968), demanding an end to police brutality and the release of Black men from unfair incarceration.

  • “Number seven. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people.” (E, 06:51)
  • “They've been tried by all-white juries. And that's just like being tried in Germany, being a Jew.” (E, 07:06)

• Taberski underscores that manifestos are “not just pretty poems,” but can be “a hard packed snowball of grievance and timing and nerve”—sometimes exploding into actual social change.

  • “But when it happens, when a manifesto catches fire, it can change our world. It can rewrite our future.” (A, 07:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My latest adventure, Dan Taberski's Manifesto. This project is my attempt to take the Manifesto back for mass shooters and nihilists and return it to its rightful place…” — Dan Taberski (A, 00:17)
• “Just how cozy can we get with our rage before it takes on a life of its own?” — Dan Taberski (A, 00:47)
• “I'm not an angry person. I am a relatively happy guy, but I find myself seething underneath all the time. My patience has become strained, my temper too short, my ability to hear anyone—has.” — Dan Taberski (A, 05:09)
• “And it felt so good. It felt like... like a moment of liberation.” — Guest, on jamming the supermarket cart (D, 06:23)
• “Manifestos aren’t just pretty poems. They are, in a sense, a threat. A hard packed snowball of grievance and timing and nerve and real impact…” — Dan Taberski (A, 07:12)
• “But when it happens, when a manifesto catches fire, it can change our world. It can rewrite our future. But there's a hitch.” — Dan Taberski (A, 07:23)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–00:54: Taberski’s introduction to the concept and intent behind the Manifesto series.
• 01:55–04:08: Story of Christopher Dorner and his manifesto.
• 04:40–05:34: Taberski’s personal reflections on anger and frustration.
• 05:34–06:32: Everyday rebellion and the shopping cart anecdote.
• 06:51–07:23: Black Panther Manifesto excerpt and the historical role of manifestos.

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Overall Tone & Style

The narration is sharp, direct, and self-deprecating. Taberski skillfully blends personal confession with cultural history and journalistic reporting. There’s a sense of curiosity and urgency, as he asks big questions about anger, power, and the desire for change. The inclusion of raw, unfiltered moments—like the supermarket story or Bobby Seale’s reading—adds vitality and emotional depth to the discussion.

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Summary

Dan Taberski launches Manifesto as part of Audible Originals with an exploration into the complex legacy of manifestos—from moments of revolution to moments of tragedy. Through vivid stories (the Dorner case), personal insight, and archival audio (Black Panther manifesto), he investigates how anger becomes action and when that crosses the line into danger. The episode promises a probing look at how manifestos have shaped—and still threaten to reshape—America and the world.

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, Dan Taburski here. You might know me from podcasts like Hysterical or Missing Richard Simmons. And now my latest adventure, Dan Taburski's Manifesto. This project is my attempt to take the Manifesto back for mass shooters and nihilists and return it to its rightful place with the artists and the warriors, the visionaries, the regular folks with just the right amount of crazy who've got something to say and the guts to say it. I compare notes with radicals, secessionists and Internet trolls out for a laugh and punk singers screaming their guts out, all trying to turn their anger into the world that they want to see. And along the way I write my own manifesto about manifestos. But the question that rises up pretty quickly Just how cozy can we get with our rage before it takes on a life of its own? From Audible Originals and Please and Thanks Productions, this six part series explores the power and precariousness of the Manifesto and asks can we get inspired again and can we do it without a bullet? I'm about to play a clip from Manifesto. You can listen to Manifesto wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Manifesto ad free right now. Start your Audible subscription on the Audible app or on Apple Podcasts. February 2013 Venice, California. It's my last few months in Los Angeles before I move back east. I'm in my late 30s, living by the beach, learning to surf the crumbly waves on my longboard. My skin smells like the ocean all the time. I feel amazing. I look amazing. I look amazing. But I'm not taking you back in my time machine because of how good I looked. Which was very it's because of what happened next in Southern California that cut through that dreamy scene and swapped it out with harsh reality.

[B]

Police in Irvine, California are investigating the double murder of a young couple in the parking lot of their apartment complex.

[A]

Reports of a homicide in Neighboring Orange County.

[B]

27 year old Keith Lawrence and his fiance, 28 year old Monica Kwan, were found shot to death in Lawrence's car late Sunday night.

[A]

Two young people, a couple, recently engaged. The guy was a public safety officer at USC and she was an assistant basketball coach at a local university, murdered while parked in their white Kia Optima.

[B]

Investigators do not yet have a suspect

[A]

description or motive and immediately the details of the crime begin to add up to something bigger than a one time thing, like when their bodies are found by the police. The victim's necklace is still on her neck. Her new engagement ring is still firmly on her finger. Which means this isn't a Robbery. Also, investigators find evidence of 14 shots having been fired. That's a lot of bullets for just two people cornered in their car. But the number of neighbors who actually heard those 14 shots, zero. So maybe there was a silencer on the gun, which would mean the killer probably isn't new to this, that maybe they're a professional.

[C]

Irvine detectives have been working day and night since this tragedy.

[A]

The Irvine police chief takes to the podium to tell the people of Southern California that they are going to have to buckle up for a ride today.

[C]

We have identified Christopher Dorner as a suspect in this double homicide because the

[A]

suspect, Christopher Dorner, is no ordinary suspect.

[C]

Dorner was an LAPD officer through 2009 and a reservist for the United States Navy.

[A]

Dorner is a former LAPD cop and he's still out there. And there's reason to believe that he's going to kill again, that maybe he already has. And we know this because Christopher Dorner left something behind.

[C]

A particular interest at this point in the investigation is a multi page manifesto in which the suspect has implicated himself in the slings.

[A]

And this manifesto on Facebook is 11 pages long. Trace this manifesto from this suspect who's targeting cops. It's stunning. It is stunning, Shep.

[C]

And it says he's been very well trained. You know, lapd, some of the best trained officers in the country. And I tell you, this manifesto, it

[A]

scares the hell out of me. I'm Dan Tabursky from Audible Originals and please and thanks Productions. This is Manifesto Episode 1 2America. Subject Last Resort. I am in the market for a manifesto. I have been for a while now, to be honest. The world is on fire. I'll spare you the details. We've all got our own faves and I mean, really, what fresh words could be left to describe what fresh hell we're presented with day after day? But even more concerning for me, even more surprising, has been my own reaction to it and how difficult it's been to get a handle on how angry it has all made me. I'm not an angry person. I am a relatively happy guy, but I find myself seething underneath all the time. My patience has become strained, my temper too short, my ability to hear anyone has. It happens at, of all places, a supermarket where the whole economic order is reduced down to cans on a shelf where you can buy two of crap you don't need for the price of one.

[D]

And this feeling of discontent that I've had in shopping at supermarkets, you know, for years and years before that, and being dissatisfied with the whole feeling of walking in there and having the choices that they're giving me and the way that I. It just felt like something that I don't want to do. But I kept on doing it.

[A]

He goes to grab a shopping cart. Only it's one of those setups where you got to insert a coin to get the cart, and you only get the coin back if you return the shopping cart. As if none of us can be trusted.

[D]

You know, basically, they asked me to sort of use the shopping cart, put the coin in and take the coin back and put it back to where it belongs. Then all of a sudden, there was that one moment when. When I sat, he said, fuck it, I'm not gonna do this anymore, and I'm not gonna stop other people from doing it as well.

[A]

So he takes a coin and he jams it into the slot so it won't come out. So now no one's playing the stupid shopping cart game, are they?

[D]

And it felt so good. It felt like. Like. It felt like a moment of liberation.

[B]

That.

[A]

That space right there where emotion becomes action when you're inspired to just do something already. That is the stuff of manifestos. Individuals, groups, entire swathes of society use it as the funnel to focus their erupting rage.

[E]

Number seven. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people.

[A]

This is activist Bobby Seale reading the Black Panther Manifesto in 1968. They called it the Ten Point Program.

[E]

We want all black men held in counties, states, federal jails and prisons to be released because they have not had a fair trial, because they've been tried by all white juries. And that's just like being tried in Germany, being a Jew.

[A]

Manifestos aren't just pretty poems. They are, in a sense, a threat. A hard packed snowball of grievance and timing and nerve and real impact, a sparking of real, honest to God, change is the longest of long shots. But when it happens, when a manifesto catches fire, it can change our world. It can rewrite our future. But there's a hitch. Binge all episodes of Dan Taburski's manifesto ad free right now on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple Podcasts.