Douglas Rushkoff's Blog, page 12
August 7, 2018
Team Human: Episode 97 w/ Parker Posey plus Live Show August 16th!
“Parker Posey steps outside of the shrunken screen to find magic in the unscripted and the unknown.”
Playing for Team Human today, actress, movie star, visionary of the human-centered future, and — perhaps most importantly – Gracie the Wonderdog’s human partner, Parker Posey.
Parker will be sharing what it’s like to play a supposedly evil character like Doctor Smith on the Netflix series Lost in Space, as well as some of the experiences, insight, and love of life that went into her definitively fabulous new book – You’re On An Airplane.
Today’s show comes to you, ALIVE, from the headquarters of the inspiring charity Gods Love We Deliver in the otherwise too-expensive-for-actual-human-residents island of Manhattan in New York City.
Team Human Patrons and Drip Supporters enjoyed reserved, early access tickets via Drip and Patreon. Go to TeamHuman.fm/support to support the show. There you’ll also find many member exclusives, including a limited time offer for Rushkoff’s forthcoming book, Team Human.
Team Human will return to the live stage next week, August 16th, in NYC. Join Douglas Rushkoff with special guests Molly Crabapple and Jace Clayton (DJ /rupture) for a unique live show and recording at Civic Hall. Details here:
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August 1, 2018
Team Human: Special Guest Bo Burnham + Drip Launch!
Playing for Team Human today is YouTube phenomenon, Netflix comedian, and writer and director of the movie Eighth Grade, Bo Burnham. Bo and Douglas consider the other, positive side of social media — how it still gives young people a way to test and share social strategies and express themselves.
A conversation with many inspired tangents, Douglas and Bo also look at the ways social media pressures us to live our lives like a performance in a movie, the tragedy of becoming trapped in metanarratives, and how to get ahead of a self-satirizing internet.
You can now support Team Human on Kickstarter’s Drip. Become a supporter of Team Human on Kickstarter’s Drip for only $5 a month to receive access to our community forums, live events, and a signed copy of Douglas Rushkoff’s Team Human in January 2019!
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July 25, 2018
Team Human: Live in London Part 2
“Rather than seeing humanity in machines, we now see humanity as machines!”
In July 2018, Team Human partnered with Virtual Futures for an evening of connection and conversation at JuJu’s Bar and Stage in London. Joining Douglas on stage, science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer Pat Cadigan followed by biologist, author, and TED outlaw Rupert Sheldrake.
Presented here in Episode 95 is Part Two of this live event featuring Douglas in conversation with Rupert Sheldrake, followed by a group conversation and audience question and answer session. If you missed part one with Pat Cadigan, find it here.
Douglas and Rupert discuss science, materialism, spiritualism, and how we might break free from the machine metaphor that programs so many of our assumptions about human consciousness. In a unique impromptu treat, Rupert’s wife Jill Purce joins the stage to demonstrate the power of resonance.
Patrons and supporters not only got into this show for free, but have access to the complete, uncut audio on our members’ blog at www.patreon.com/teamhuman
Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University he worked in developmental biology as a Fellow of Clare College. He was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and From 2005 to 2010 was Director of the Perrott-Warrick project, Cambridge.
Rupert’s latest book is Science and Spiritual Practices
This show features a clip from Rupert’s banned TedX talk. Find out more here: https://www.sheldrake.org/reactions/tedx-whitechapel-the-banned-talk
Live photos thanks to Hannah Close. An extra special thanks to Luke Robert Mason for producing and recording this live event.
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July 17, 2018
Team Human: Live in London Part 1
“What if we stopped thinking about the future as a noun and started thinking about it as a verb?”
On July 9th 2018 Team Human partnered with Virtual Futures for an evening of connection and conversation at JuJu’s Bar and Stage in London. Joining Douglas on stage, science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer Pat Cadigan followed by biologist, author, and TED outlaw Rupert Sheldrake.
Presented here is Part One of the program, featuring Douglas in conversation with Pat Cadigan. Pat and Douglas take a winding path through topics including virtual reality, identity, and telling the future. Inspired by Pat’s vivid and clairvoyant imagination Rushkoff asks his audience to use the term “future” as a verb, exclaiming, “We can future together!”
Opening the show, Rushkoff digs deeper into his recent, now viral essay, “Survival of the Richest.” Rather than succumb to the notion that the future is something we must insulate ourselves from, what if we both imagined and committed to building a future that amplifies connection and mutual aid?
Pat Cadigan is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer, three-time winner of the Locus Award, twice-winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, one-time winner of the Hugo Award. Recovering American living in North London with her husband, the Original Chris Fowler, and their cats, Gentleman Jynx and the Angel Castiel.
Learn more about Pat at https://patcadigan.wordpress.com/
Patrons have immediate access to the complete, uninterrupted show with Pat, Rupert, and an audience Q&A.
Visit https://www.patreon.com/teamhuman to support the show.
A special thanks to Luke Robert Mason for producing this live event. The music you hear is thanks to Dischord Records and Fugazi, R.U.Sirius, and Mike Watt.
Live image thanks to Hannah Close.
Trading card thanks to Bobby Campbell.
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July 11, 2018
Team Human: Ep. 93 “Who’s Gonna Care?” Next Live show July 19th
A reminder that the next Team Human Live Event is July 19th in NYC. Douglas will be in conversation with actress and author Parker Posey, celebrating the release of her new book, You’re on an Airplane. There are limited tickets still available to Team Human Patreon supporters. Go to https://www.patreon.com/teamhuman to support the show and get access to this Team Human live event as well as future shows.
This week: Palak Shah of the National Domestic Workers Alliance explains how the work of caring for others brings us face to face with the deepest things that make us human. Audio and Details below.
Playing for Team Human today is Palak Shah, Social Innovations Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). Palak will be enlightening us about America’s hidden labor force, the value they create, and how we can support her efforts to give them the voice and dignity they deserve.
While domestic work has long been viewed as something less than “real work,” Palak explains how this invisible labor is actually the backbone of both our society and the economy. Together, Palak and Douglas look at how our perceptions of domestic work are so deeply influenced by biases of gender, race, and class. Shah also looks at how the legacy of slavery and decades of immigration policy continue to influence domestic work in today’s economy. As the economy goes digital and the labor force increasingly moves online to platforms and apps, Shah and the NDWA are working to shape the way technology and the on-demand economy intersects with care work. It’s a conversation that brings us back to fundamental Team Human questions – Who is going to care for our children, our sick, and our elderly? Who’s going to care for our caregivers?
In this episode, Palak mentions a specific innovation for “portable benefits” called Alia. This week Alia is featured in Wired magazine. Read about it here: How an App Could Give Some Workers a Safety Net
Also mentioned is the Fair Care Pledge and the Good Work Code.
This episode features a recording of Palak Shah’s speech before a live audience at the 2015 Persona Democracy Forum. Visit the PDF website for details and the complete presentation.
Rushkoff opens the show with a monologue about the recent Facebook campaign to restore its image as a friend and partner in building a safe space on the internet. On the “big scary internet,” who are our true friends?
Today’s show start and ends with music thanks to Dischord Records and Fugazi. Also featured are originals by Josh Sitron and the Team Human Band and Episode 31 guest, R.U. Sirius.
You can sustain this show via Patreon. And please leave us a review on iTunes.
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July 5, 2018
June 26, 2018
Team Human: Moon Over Matter
Recorded live on June 21st at the Alchemist’s Kitchen NYC in collaboration with Evolver, this evening of conversation focuses on the non-generic quality of time, the way each week of the lunar cycle favors a particular neurotransmitter, and how to leverage this knowledge for better productivity, emotional stability, and social harmony. Rushkoff opens the show offering a new perspective on his ever more relevant Present Shock manifesto.
Joining Douglas on stage and playing for Team Human is Dr. Mark Filippi. Mark has practiced behavioral chiropractic therapy for the last 25 years, and worked as a frequently published clinical researcher and post-graduate instructor. His research has contributed significant new findings to the fields of somatics, memetics, and nonlinear dynamics. Most famous for identifying “the four domains” or human perspectives on the world, Filippi has dedicated himself to uncovering the biological roots of our collective social nervous system. In his practice, writings, and recordings, he helps people relieve their social stress, achieve coherence, and become better acquainted with their inner selves.
To learn more about Dr. Mark’s work, visit http://www.somaspace.org/
You can sustain this show via Patreon where you’ll find the full, uncut 95 minute conversation. And please leave us a review on iTunes.
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June 20, 2018
Team Human: Don’t have to look like a refugee
Whenever you’re confused by something Trump is doing, remember: he’s less a politician than a propagandist. Don’t look to the policy for the logic driving his actions — look at the pictures.
This week, progressives are confused and outraged by the imagery coming out of Texas showing immigrant children being separated from their parents and held in detention centers. Babies crying, chain-link fence, mothers restrained by ICE agents, teens warehoused in decommissioned Walmarts. Surely this is enough to bring down the Trump administration, or lead evangelicals and others to appreciate the hard-heartedness of his treatment of the huddled masses.
But despite the outrage, despite the round-the-clock coverage, despite the YouTube videos, and despite the rush of the horrified, truth-based media to the scene of the Mexican border — or even because of it — Trump’s propaganda is coming through loud and clear: America is being invaded by something less than human beings.
On the surface level, at least to those already sympathetic to Trump, the immigrant children are not victims of the US Department of Homeland Security but victims of their own parents. Smuggle your kid over an international border into a country where you’re not welcome, and guess what? You’re going to risk being separated from your kid. Like driving drunk, or leaving your kid in the parking lot while you do grocery shopping, illegal immigration puts one’s children at risk.
The images of weeping children are meant as warnings to those thinking of setting out tomorrow or next week or next month for a stealthy border crossing into America: the risks are greater. And Trump manages to generate all this fear and deterrence without shooting or electrocuting anybody. Better yet, he can blame the democrats for not having made a deal with him on the Dream Act. You want this horror show to stop? Accept my terms for a wall.
But to understand the longterm propaganda strategy, we have to focus less on the words than the pictures.
It’s not about who is to blame for what. It’s about recasting the immigrants as refugees, and refugees as animals, prisoners, vermin, and potential terrorists. Photos of teen boys in detention centers, sectioned off by chainlink fence, are meant to evoke reform schools or prison cells. These are the would-be members of the notorious MS-13 gang. Pictures of children of color, huddled together under rescue blankets, recall those of Syrian refugees fleeing war for the relative safety of Europe.
As if to make these comparisons explicit, Trump proclaims that “the United States will not be a migrant camp. It will not be a refugee holding facility. You see what’s going on in Europe and around the world and it’s not going to happen here. Not on my watch.”
He’s not just calling them “poisonous snakes” or “animals,” but creating a situation that — however painful to watch — slowly recontextualizes human beings from America’s south as animals. With enough time, our brains reconcile the images with an imaginary reality: if these people are in cages like animals, then they must be animals. It’s the same strategy used to undermine the humanity of immigrants for ages, whether it’s the media treatment of Albanians fleeing to Italy in the 1990’s, made to appear like an invading army of rodents, or the Biblical Pharaoh framing his Israelite slaves as fast-replicating insects. It plays to the darkest, fear-based construction of our primitive psyche: us or them.
Forget the reality — that Mexicans are actually emigrating from the US back to Mexico: there’s a net decrease. That more immigrants come from China and India than the south. The only way to understand the Trump administration’s proposed wall is as a safety play for global warming. Instead of admitting there’s an environmental crisis underway and reducing carbon emissions, just accept the inevitable climate crisis, and barricade the nation from the inevitable flow of refugees from the south. Whatever we’re doing now is simply priming the American public for the inhumanity to come.
The one thing this photographic strategy doesn’t take into account is the sound. Photography emphasizes distance and objectivity. It’s evidence. Human faces shrunk down to the size of thumbprints, frozen in time. The sounds of the crying children reach a different part of our psyche. The cries resonate in our bodies as surely as if the suffering children were in the same room. Sound is intimate. That’s why I do radio and podcast: the sound connects us, retrieving a pre-internet, pre-printing press, pre-scribal sense of community.
The net has encouraged us to use our eyes to understand the world. Pictures and text. Memes. That may be great to promote ridicule and provoke fear. But it’s time to get beyond the images we’re fed before we accept the fake news they’re trying to disseminate. If it takes the sounds of crying children to wake us up from this nightmare of nativist superiority, so be it.
This has been adapted from today’s monologue on Douglas Rushkoff’s podcast, Team Human .
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May 28, 2018
Team Human: New Episodes and Live Show!
Did you catch last week’s Team Human conversation with author, occcult scholar, and wizard Jason Louv?
Jason helps us to see how the intentions we bring into the world of artificial intelligence could set something in motion from which it is hard to return. Jason’s latest book John Dee and the Empire of Angels: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of Empire digs deep into the untold and often ignored occult history of Western thinking and empire. On today’s show Jason and Douglas bridge the gap from the Elizabethan esoteric imaginary to the modern day alchemical thinking driving our technologies.
Plus a new Rushkoff monologue: Blockchain can transactionalize our every action. Is that the future we want? All human activity put on the books?
And previously, Douglas talked with Juho Makkonen of Sharetribe. Juho offers real sharing economy solutions beyond the typical extractive “sharing” models that have come to dominate the tech economy landscape.
Episode 86 opens with a thought provoking monologue. Do we need a new myth? Or should we just crash mythology itself?
Team Human Live:
Tickets are now available for the first Team Human live event in New York, June 21st at the Alchemist’s Kitchen in the East Village. Click here for details and tickets : https://humanteamlive.splashthat.com/
Details:
Autonomous technologies, runaway markets and weaponized media seem to have overturned civil society, paralyzing our ability to think constructively, connect meaningfully, or act purposefully. Being human is a team sport, and Douglas Rushkoff’s Team Human Podcast has been the voice of human intervention in the machine. 
Join the party, find the others, throw off the yoke of surveillance and manipulation and celebrate the quirky, anomalous behaviors and approaches that make real people so much more than robots, algorithms, or consumer profiles. This is where the conscious beats the automatic – an opportunity to redesign reality on our own terms.
Come find out what, if anything, makes people different than machines, and how we can fight back against the stultifying effects of digital capitalism run amok.
This evening of conversation will focus on the non-generic quality of time, the way each week of the lunar cycle favors a particular neurotransmitter, and how to leverage this knowledge for better productivity, emotional stability, and social harmony. Come experience, live, how time is not generic.
This is the first New York Team Human event and has been produced in partnership with Evolver and Alchemist’s Kitchen.
Playing for Team Human
Dr. Mark Filippi has practiced behavioral chiropractic for the last 20 years, and worked as frequently published clinical researcher and post-graduate instructor. His research has contributed significant new findings to the fields of somatics, memetics, and nonlinear dynamics. Most famous for identifying “the four domains” or human perspectives on the world, Filippi has dedicated himself to uncovering the biological roots of our collective social nervous system. In his practice, writings, and recordings, he helps bring people relieve their social stress, achieve coherence, and become better acquainted with their inner selves.
$10 advance
$15 at the door
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May 14, 2018
Team Human: Stupid Smart Cities and the Real Economy
Start your week off with two great Team Human conversations.
This week we featured the brilliant technology and society researcher Molly Sauter.
Molly helps us to see how stupid some “smart city” visions really are. Molly and Douglas discuss the extractive, “mining ethos” of the tech investment swarm, and how this mentality does harm to communities from Silicon Valley to Toronto, Canada. Is your city the next VC Guinea pig in the technocratic experiment to “grow” cities and extract their value?
Plus Rushkoff opens with a monologue on why futurists suck!
This episode pairs well with Ep. 84. Check out this conversations with outsider economist Charles Hugh Smith. How might we rethink economy in terms of universal basic assets, distributism, and the promotion of community over alienation.
In this episode monologue, Douglas considers the “Art of the Deal.” Perhaps a truly artful deal is one that engages us in relationships of collaboration rather than self-interest.
Check teamhuman.fm for info on upcoming live shows, including June 21st at the Alchemist’s Kitchen in NYC. Details forthcoming.
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