Month: October 2024

With special guest Longinus the boys drink and review a “cold IPA” by Jailbreak Brewing, then discuss a short novella.

Crowhill starts with a brief bio of the author, then the boys review the structure and plot of Animal Farm by George Orwell.

The book was written at a time when large numbers of the so-called intellectual elites were enamoured of communism.

The novel starts on Mr. Jones’ farm. He’s not the best or kindest of farmers, and the animals decide to rebel. They take over the farm with some high ideals.

All animals are equal, and they don’t serve humans.

One of the big themes in the book is the appeal to “equality,” but that doesn’t last. (It never does.) The pigs quickly take over leadership and become “more equal than others.”

The pigs go on to break all the original commandments of the commune, but they maintain their authority.

It’s an interesting allegory for the Soviet Union and other communist states, which pretend to believe in equality, but never practice it.

The boys drink and review an IPA from Cigar City, then discuss the communist manifesto.

With special guest Longinus, Pigweed and Crowhill review the famous manifesto, starting with a brief bio of Marx and Engels.

In order to understand Marx and Engels, you have to think about the context — the industrial revolution and the horrible circumstances of workers in those days.

The boys start with giving the manifesto an honest shot. What does it say, and what does it mean?

Marx says that all of history is the story of class struggle: the oppressor vs. the oppressed. There are two groups: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. There is no bond between men but naked self interest. Capitalism is about profit at any cost.

After giving the document the fairest reading they can, the boys move into criticism.

Longinus and Pigweed have a few points they want to defend. Crowhill despises the whole thing.

The boys work through the main premises of the manifesto and tear them to shreds.

P&C drink and review an English pale ale from Guilford Brewing, then discuss Matt Walsh’s new comedy, “Am I Racist?”

The movie is a combination of a documentary and a comedy — if you consider Walsh’s incredibly dry humor funny. It’s often Office-style cringe humor. Walsh has a gift for allowing situations to get incredibly awkward and letting them play out.

Here’s the premise: Walsh goes on a journey to discover if he’s as racist as the race experts claim. In the process he gets certified as a DEI expert!

He also sneaks his way into a “Race to Dinner” event, where “DEI experts” help white women deal with their racism.

Walsh has several interviews with leading DEI “experts,” exposing the wackiness of the whole race-hustling, DEI-grifter, “anti-racist” perspective.

After talking to the DEI “experts,” he asks some ordinary folk about race. The responses are quite illuminating.

The movie is definitely worth seeing. Don’t expect too much humor, but it does a very good job at deflating the whole racist, race-hustling industry. You’ll never think of “DEI” the same way again.

The boys drink and review one of Pigweed’s homebrews then discuss censorship (starting about 4:25).

There seems to be an increase in censorship around the world.

We seem to have lost our understanding of why free speech is important. P&C review.

– In the sciences, if people can’t bring up new ideas, you get stuck. You need a free marketplace of ideas.

– Free speech acts as a restraint on government power.

The governor of California recently signed a bill outlawing “deep fake” videos that “misinform.” Since when do we trust the government to decide what is true and false information?

In the UK, Scotland Yard is going after citizens (maybe even American citizens!) who say things the government doesn’t like.

The censorship industrial complex has evolved to the extend that they now have new words for us. Misinformation. Disinformation. Malinformation.

Some legislation wants to stop the spread of “hate.” But who defines what hate is?

What has happened to make censorship such an issue today?

– Technology allows it to spread faster.
– Government has access to new tools.

P&C review all the issues and come to some clear conclusions. Take a listen.