This is The End: Pop Culture & Collapse

NOTE: This episode was recorded in Dec. of 2022 but I've only gotten around to editing it now. Since then I've become much better acquainted with ChatGPT and so, yes, I know its name (whereas at the time of this recording I still didn't).
LINKS:
Jess Kroll's film reviews  https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
Jess Kroll author page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63
 
'Land of Smiles' by Jess Krollhttps://amzn.to/3JlRIjk
 
LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler time stamps)
 
-----------------------------------
 
WALL-E
5:08 - 5:53 (possible minor spoiler)
8:44 - 9:07 spoiler
13:23 - 13:36 spoiler
15:13 - 15:36 spoiler
17:42 - 18:32 spoiler
DON’T LOOK UP
22:50 - 23:05
26:55 - 27:02 (possible minor spoiler)
29:44 - 29:54 (possible minor spoiler)
30:34 - 31:10 spoiler
32:37 - 36:23 (possible minor spoilers)
37:09 - 38:47 spoiler
40:07 - 41:13 spoiler
44:14 - 45:03 spoiler
46:12 - 48:02 spoiler
53:50 - 54:10 spoiler
1:02:45 - 1:03:00 (possible minor spoiler)
 
THE ROAD
56:43 - 56:53 spoiler
59:25  - 1:03:03 spoiler
 
MENACE II SOCIETY
No Spoilers
 
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
No Spoilers

PopMythology.com film critic and novelist Jess Kroll joins me to have a conversation about 10 different movies that depict collapse in some way. In this episode, Part 1, we discuss the first five. 
Scroll all the way down below to see the titles of the films discussed and during which timestamped moments that spoilers or semi-spoilers of these films are mentioned.
LINKS:
Jess Kroll's film reviews  https://www.popmythology.com/author/jmskroll/
Jess Kroll author page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jesskrollauthor
'The One' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3DaKuuJ
'The Werewolf Council' series by Jess Kroll (as J. Manoa)https://amzn.to/3Xz1u63'Land of Smiles' by Jess Krollhttps://amzn.to/3JlRIjk
 
 
LIST OF FILMS (and spoiler demarcations)
-----------------------------------DONBASS (7:32 - 16:42)  • No spoilers
 
THREADS (16:57 -28:02)  • Spoiler 21:45 - 22:05  • Spoiler 23:36 - 24:18  • Spoiler 26:49 - 27:14
 
CONTAGION (28:02 - 44:13)    • Spoiler 32:38 - 34:16  • Spoiler 35:23 - 35:45  • Spoiler 38:48 - 41:15  • Spoiler 41:29 - 42:23  • Spoiler 42:34 - 44:13 
 
CHILDREN OF MEN (44:13 - 1:01:05)  • Spoiler 51:40 - 52:14  • Spoiler 52:35 - 54:23  • Spoiler 55:21 - 55:46  • Spoiler 56:25 - 57:54  • Spoiler 58:17 - 1:00:14
 
IDIOCRACY (1:01:05 - 1:16:12)  • Spoiler 1:04:40 - 1:05:34  • Spoiler 1:11:23 - 1:12:14

In this episode, I interview political commentator, former congressional candidate, and now regenerative farmer Haven Scott McVarish, author of LAST CHANCE TO SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. Haven talks about his favorite novel, STARK by Ben Elton, a dystopian comedy thriller about how corporations and the wealthy cause a global ecological collapse. Haven also discusses the novel's themes in relation to his own book about the current, ongoing collapse of U.S. democracy. We talk about how to save our imperiled democracy as well as what ordinary people can start doing now to prepare for collapse via local community building and restorative agriculture.  
  
LINKS:    
Last Chance to Save American Democracy by Haven Scott McVarish    https://amzn.to/3eqPxxB  
Stark by Ben Eltonhttps://amzn.to/3wY6dD2
5 Journeys (Haven Scott McVarish's non-profit organization)  https://www.5journeys.org/
 

This is a longer version of a talk I recently gave at San Diego Comic Con 2022 as part of a panel on Marvel's street-level characters (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, etc.) moderated by Dr. Scott Jordan as part of the Comics Arts Conference. Thank you to Dr. Jordan for inviting me onto the panel and to Dr. Shelly Clevenger, my guest from the last episode, who was the speaker originally slated to talk about the Punisher on the panel but was not able to attend. Also a warm thank you to Dr. Michael Kersulov whose encouraging words after the panel resulted in adapting my talk into a podcast episode.     NOTE: This episode contains quotations from fictional works that contain some NSFW language—specifically two instances of the F word. 
 Works discussed in this episode:
Born #1-4 (2003) by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
The Punisher MAX #1-60 (2004) by Garth Ennis and various artists
The Punisher: The End #1 (2004) by Garth Ennis and Richard Corben  
All of the above works are available in these collected volumes:
The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 1https://amzn.to/3zgINsP
The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 2https://amzn.to/3ScJHz2
The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 3https://amzn.to/3OH2yiT
The Punisher Max: Complete Collection Vol. 4https://amzn.to/3vnIdbo
 

We're joined by Dr. Shelly Clevenger, professor of criminology and victim studies, and chair of the Department of Victim Studies at Sam Houston State University, to discuss BITCH PLANET, the feminist dystopian comic book by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro, published by Image Comics. Dr. Clevenger, who is also a gender scholar, discusses crime and criminal justice through the lens of gender and gender identity and answers the question of what all of it has to do with the idea of "collapse." Among the topics covered include Roe vs. Wade, the Texas ban of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, a shocking historical government program to arrest and imprison women suspected of having STDs without due process, and many other issues affecting women - especially working class women, women of color, queer women, and trans women - in an age of increasing dystopia.  
  
***NO SPOILERS for Bitch Planet***  
  
LINKS
Dr. Shelly Clevenger faculty page
https://www.shsu.edu/~icc_www/_inc/dir.php?mode=view&item=467
 
Department of Victim Studies page at Sam Houston State University
http://catalog.shsu.edu/graduate-and-professional/college-departments/criminal-justice/victim-studies/
 
Dr. Shelly Clevenger on Twitter
https://twitter.com/drclevenger
 
Gendering Criminology by Shelly Clevenger and Jordana N. Navarro
https://amzn.to/3Qpi3y8
 
Bitch Planet, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro
https://amzn.to/3QoXlyr
 
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In this episode, I interview Jim Carey, host of ‘The Left is Dead,’ a podcast about news, politics, and culture from a leftist lens. We discuss one of Jim’s favorite works of fiction, the novel LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo, and its relevance to the societal and political turmoil we see today.
 
Jim talks about how the U.S. has basically become an entire nation of Javerts—moral absolutists obsessed with control and punishment—and how a lack of class consciousness,  revolutionary zeal, and a broad coalition with the working class prevents our ability to find real solutions to the biggest problems of our day. He also talks about the moral and political lessons that can be taken away from LES MISERABLES, particularly from the characters of Valjean, Fantine, Marius, and the young revolutionaries whose uprising becomes a failure we can learn from.
 
We also compare the novel and its socio-political objectives with adaptations of it in pop culture such as the Broadway musical and various film and TV adaptations. I spend a fair amount of time praising the PBS miniseries version and ragging on the Broadway musical for failing to cultivate a more meaningful level of class consciousness among its viewers. 
 
The Left is Dead
https://leftisdead.com/   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLeftIsDead
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLeftisDead1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leftisdead/
Outro music by Benny Martin Piano
https://bennymartin.com.au/licensed under a Creative Commons License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bennymartinpianist
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-yPr5SzsB0WHeKcwVONyQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennymartinmusic/
 

UkraineNow.org
StandWithUkraine.how
StandWithUkraine.live
 
Chopin's Polonaise Op. 40 No. 1 in A major ("Polanaise Militaire") performed by Pistos, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.5 Canada License

In this episode I interviewed four amazingly talented songwriters from the U.S., Germany, and Brazil who have written music on the subject of collapse, and who discuss what they feel are the important roles and value of music, and of art in general, amid the current societal turmoil and the many risks of collapse.    
LINKS
 
My “Collapse Challenge” on FAWM
(February Album Writing Month)
https://fawm.org/forums/topic/12288/
 
You can find all of the “Collapse Challenge” songs here:
https://fawm.org/songs/tags/collapsechallenge/
 
Beto (@elesimo on FAWM)
https://fawm.org/fawmers/elesimo/
https://thefishermenandthepriestess.com/
 
“How Does it Feel?”
https://fawm.org/songs/126378/
 
Deirdre (@wylddandelyon on FAWM)
https://fawm.org/fawmers/wylddandelyon/
https://www.patreon.com/Wyld_Dandelyon
https://www.patreon.com/posts/62265129
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5199620.Deirdre_M_Murphy
 
“Steel Skeletons of the Past”
https://fawm.org/songs/127560/
Mike (@mikeskliar on FAWM)
https://fawm.org/fawmers/mikeskliar/
https://mikeskliar.bandcamp.com/
 
“Interesting Times”
https://fawm.org/songs/125354/
 
Robert (@ampersandman on FAWM)
https://fawm.org/fawmers/ampersandman/
https://soundcloud.com/ampersandman
https://ampersandman-de.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jaariberlin
 
“The Lie”
https://fawm.org/songs/128187/
 
 
Opening quote courtesy of:
 
Sunfire Carl B (@sunfire on FAWM)
https://fawm.org/fawmers/sunfire/
 
“The Collapse”
https://fawm.org/songs/129537/
Outro courtesy of:
 
The Jelly Factory (@cts on FAWM)  
https://fawm.org/fawmers/cts/
 
“Star Ark”
(co-written w/ the Pop Mythologist) 
https://fawm.org/songs/130000/
 

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Sørina Higgins, a professor of English literature at Signum University. We discuss how speculative fiction can teach us to take care of our planet, both ecologically and societally.Authors and works discussed include: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, Octavia Butler's Kindred, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, and superhero fiction. (**NO SPOILERS** for any works.)Real world topics discussed include: climate change, racial and economic justice, terraforming, space colonization, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and small scale activism.Dr. Higgins also tells us about TexMoot 2022, a speculative fiction conference that is currently seeking submissions for papers and round table discussion prompts from the general public (not just academics). Check the link below!    LINKS:
TexMoot 2022: Call for Submissionshttp://texmoot.org/call-for-papers  
  
TexMoot 2022 general infohttps://signumuniversity.org/event/texmoot-2022/  
  Register for TexMoot 2022:https://registration.signumuniversity.org/events/texmoot-2022/  
  Signum Universityhttps://signumuniversity.org/  SorinaHiggins.comhttps://sorinahiggins.wordpress.com/  Daily Choiceshttps://sorinahiggins.wordpress.com/daily-choices/
  Sørina Higgins' author pagehttps://amzn.to/3rEDrEY      Sørina Higgins on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/SorinaHiggins
  
Signum University on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/SignumU
  
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**No spoilers** for any of the works discussed in this episode.
 
LINKS:
Breaking Down: Collapse "Episode 70 - Pop Culture & Collapse"https://collapsepod.buzzsprout.com/1403161/9909499
 
"Climate science meets a stubborn obstacle: Students"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/04/us/education-climate-change-science-class-students.html
 
"Before and after 'The Day After Tomorrow': A U.S. study of climate change risk perception."https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/before-and-after-the-day-after-tomorrow/
 
"Cli-fi (climate fiction) on the big screen changes minds about real climate change"https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/world/climate-change-movies-eprise/index.html
 
"Michael Crichton on science and storytelling"https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2019/02/13/michael-crichton-on-science-and-storytelling/
 
"Sci-fi and Jurassic Park have driven research, scientists say"https://theconversation.com/sci-fi-and-jurassic-park-have-driven-research-scientists-say-42864
 
"Many paleontologists today are part of the 'Jurassic Park' generation"https://www.npr.org/2018/07/10/627782777/many-paleontologists-today-are-part-of-the-jurassic-park-generation
"The death of Bill Paxton reminds us that 'Twister' changed meteorology"https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2017/02/26/the-death-of-bill-paxton-reminds-us-that-twister-changed-meteorology/?sh=8d2d28e6b7e0
 
"25-Year Anniversary of Twister and Its Far-Reaching Impacts"https://okcfox.com/weather/fox-25-weather-wise/25-year-anniversary-of-twister-its-far-reaching-impacts#:~:text=Meteorology%20majors%20increased%20by%2010,and%20her%20team%20chase%20tornadoes
 
"How 'Twister' made metereology cool in Oklahoma and beyond"https://www.oklahoman.com/article/5499438/how-twister-made-meteorology-cool-in-oklahoma-and-beyond
 
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