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Ep. 168: How Faux Folksy "Real World" Advice is Employed to Limit Political Possibility and Punch Left

Added 2022-09-28 14:42:46 +0000 UTC

"Increasing Numbers of US Students Look for a ‘Real’ World," read a 1965 headline from the magazine Moderator. "Academics: Get Real!," the Harvard Business Review implored in 2009. "‘Defund the police’ runs into reality," the Washington Post warned in 2021. "As Latin America Shifts Left, Leaders Face a Short Honeymoon," the New York Times declared in 2022.

We're often reminded that anyone who espouses some degree of left-wing politics – whether a student, activist, political leader, or anyone in between – is at odds with the "real world." Academics, especially those in the humanities, sit in their ivory towers. Organizers and demonstrators against state violence have their heads in the clouds. Elected leaders campaigning on elevating living standards don’t know what they're in for.

But who's in charge of determining what’s ‘realistic’? Or what "the real world" is exactly? Why is studying theory, fighting for better healthcare, or working toward poverty reduction any less ‘real’ than plugging away at a spreadsheet for a weapons manufacturer or venture capital firm? And how did this pat and folksy concept of the "real world" emerge as a go-to dunk on eggheads and activists?

On this episode, we seek to answer these questions, as we examine the canard that anyone to the left of a Goldman Sachs executive isn't living in or contributing to the "real world."

Our guest is Street Fight Radio's Bryan Quinby.

Guest

Bryan Quinby (@MurderXBryan) is the host of Street Fight Radio.

Show Notes

Nobody Defunded The Police: A Study

Andy Friedman and Mason Youngblood | April 18, 2022 | The Real News Network

Defund the police’ runs into reality

Marc Thiessen | December 16, 2021 | The Washington Post

‘Oakland’s sad reality’ result of defunding police, POA union says

Amy Larson | November 8, 2021 | KRON4

'Defund the police' is a slogan that doesn't help real people who need safe neighborhoods

I. Daneek Mille | August 18, 2020 | NBC News

A Warning From The '60s

John Judis | January 21, 2020 | The Washington Post Magazine

A really bad case of ‘reality’

Rosa Brooks | July 20, 2007 | The Los Angeles Times

Battle Over the Chicago Schools: The Superintendency of William McAndrew

Arthur Norman Tarvardian | May 1992 | Loyola University Chicago

Joe Biden Lives In The Real World. Bernie Sanders? Not So Much

Joanna Weiss | March 16, 2020 | WBUR

If You Are Not a Liberal at 25, You Have No Heart. If You Are Not a Conservative at 35 You Have No Brain

Quote Investigator | February 24, 2014

As Latin America Shifts Left, Leaders Face a Short Honeymoon

Julie Turkewitz, Mitra Taj and John Bartlett | July 31, 2022 | The New York Times

Twitter returns Chavez to Venezuela's reality

Enrique Andres Pretel | June 2, 2010 | Reuters

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Transcript

For a full transcript of this episode, go here.

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