A Conversation with David Roth

One of my favorite writers for awhile now has been David Roth, who is an editor, writer, and employee-owner of one of the last essential websites, Defector.com. In addition to covering sports and culture, Roth has become an unparalleled observer and commenter on politics, including one banger of a column after another that leads readers into the minds and continually warped and warpening world being shaped by feckless and cruel billionaires.

I asked David to join me and we had a wide-ranging conversation about the second Trump Administration, what it means to have unserious and dangerous people like Pete Hegseth in control of major functions of government, how his experiences in the world of journalism informed his understanding of our capitalist environment and the continued assault on everything, and where we see signs and opportunities for something better building in the future.

I certainly enjoyed this conversation, and I think you will, too.

Below is a growing list of resources regarding what’s happening politically and opportunities for organizing and forming an actual resistance. As always, if this work and this project resonate with you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Dispatches From A Collapsing State.

Resources

* What the Hell is Going On: Here is an explainer regarding our present circumstances for anyone who has had a feeling that the traditional Democrat / Republican / Red / Blue narrative was hiding something. Here, we go through the problems in the United States and how the wealth class has effectively put itself in a position to totally takeover our government.

* The Oligarchical Order: A primer on how to give up conventional and failed political understandings in favor of seeing how capitalism directs the course of events and where it is leading and what to expect.

* Authoritarianism and the Crisis of Meaning: Here we get into how consumerism represents an addictive drug that has hollowed out our sense of purpose, leaving us to take this as a moment of self-reflection, recognize that we have effectively been made to hate and doubt ourselves, thereby keeping us from realizing we deserve better.

* A Thoroughly Confused Country: Americans have little in the way of class consciousness, which was an intentional state desired by the wealth class. This primer gets into the class makeup of the United States, including contradictions and motivations, that will be crucial in understanding as we do our work.

* Authoritarianism as Clarity: As authoritarians take power, the world becomes a lot clearer. We can see who we can trust and who we shouldn’t. This episode gets into the history of Vichy France and the lessons we can learn on how to operate as individuals within an authoritarian environment.

* Fostering Hope in Hard Times: Some thoughts on how to maintain hope as authoritarianism sweeps in.

* Understanding the Enemy: A guide through the evolution of capitalism from free markets to its current evolving form - oligarchical authoritarianism, as well as insights into how our politics has made this change happen and moments in which the evolution has been curbed.

* Get Ready: Preparing for the incoming ICE / federal immigration raids with resources for immigrants and allies.

* They're Trying to Crush You: I discuss the emotional toll of the beginning onslaught of the Trump Administration and how it is a strategy for demoralizing us before we can begin resisting.

* A Coup in Plain Sight: An explainer detailing what is happening with Musk, DOGE, and the takeover of the government.

* The Birth of a Monster: A history of how the oligarchical class came to be and what their ideology reveals about what a future under their control would entail.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jaredyatessexton.substack.com/subscribe