Episodes
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Join a live recording of the podcast Barely Gettin’ By as host Emma Shortis and special guests Jeff Sparrow and Mittul Vahanvati discuss the necessity of imagining different futures, local activism, action-based research and governments’ roles.
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Be part of the audience for a live recording of the podcast Barely Gettin’ By, hosted by Emma Shortis and featuring special guests: James Blackwell, Mittul Vahanvati and Jeff Sparrow. Forming part of Barely Getting By’s fourth season, “Up in Flames”, this event will examine climate policy as a global modern imperative.
Tue 10 May - 6pm – 7pmThe Capitol – RMIT113 Swanston Street Melbourne 3000
Tickets are free and available here: https://www.eventopia.co/event/MKW-Barely-Gettin-By-Radical-Hope/475617 -
Missing episodes?
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Barely Gettin' By might be on a lockdown hiatus, but the climate news keeps coming. In the lead up to the all-important COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, this special episode examines the historic relationship between Australia and the United States when it comes to climate change. Emma reads an extract from her book, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia’s Fatal Alliance with the United States, and asks what that relationship might mean for Glasgow, and the future.
ReadingEmma Shortis, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia’s Fatal Alliance with the United States (Hardie Grant, 2021), https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/our-exceptional-friend-by-emma-shortis/9781743797839
Climate Council Australia, From Paris to Glasgow: A World on the Move, 21 October 2021, https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/paris-glasgow-world-move/
Wesley Morgan, “What is COP26 and why does the fate of Earth, and Australia’s prosperity, depend on it?” The Conversation, 14 October 2021, https://theconversation.com/what-is-cop26-and-why-does-the-fate-of-earth-and-australias-prosperity-depend-on-it-169648
Angela Dewan, “Australia is shaping up to be the villain of COP26 climate talks,” CNN, 13 September 2021, https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/12/australia/australia-climate-cop26-cmd-intl/index.html
Michael Slezak and Penny Timms, ‘Climate change report from IPCC a 'code red for humanity', United Nations chief warns’ ABC News Online, 9 August 2021, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-09/coal-climate-change-global-warming-ipcc-report-released/100355952 -
With Melbourne in the midst of Lockdown 5.0, we will be taking a short break until we can get back in to the studio again.
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Donald Trump is gone, the pandemic is getting under control (in some places, maybe?), and all is well. Not.
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After a long 2020 (and a very long January 2021) Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on the morning Thursday, 21 January (Australian time). What does a Presidential Inauguration look like when it’s overshadowed by a pandemic and threat of insurrectionist violence? Chloe and Emma talk about what what we can expect on Thursday, how Australia’s relationship with the USA will change after Donald Trump, what the violence on 6 January means, and what the Inauguration may tell us about the coming Biden Presidency.
Emma’s editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald https://www.smh.com.au/national/there-s-a-lot-of-blame-to-go-around-for-the-chaos-in-the-capitol-but-some-belongs-to-australia-20210107-p56sfg.html
The Wall Street Journal put together a guide to events on the dayhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/inauguration-guide-schedule-of-events-performances-and-how-to-watch-11610730674
“Scott Morrison says 'Chinese Government should be totally ashamed' of 'repugnant' tweet”, ABC, 30 November 2020, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-30/china-fake-image-australian-war-crimes-afghanistan-tensions/12934538 -
In the last episode of the season, Emma and Chloe reflect on Joe Biden’s victory and Trump’s refusal to concede. They look at how institutions and people are responding to Trump, and whether Fox News has finally seen the light. They ask if Trump is in fact attempting a coup, whether it will be successful, and whether fascism has to be successful in order to be called “fascism”. They then turn to the levers of power, looking at what will happen in Georgia and what that says about the future of American democracy.
LinksSamuel Moyn, “How Trump Won,” New York Review of Books, 9 November 2020, https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/11/09/how-trump-won/Joe Guinan and Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, “After Trump, before Biden: What’s next for the American left?” Renewal, 10 November 2020, https://renewal.org.uk/after-trump-before-biden-whats-next-for-the-american-left/And don’t forget to subscribe to the Barely Getting By newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/3B47D9547CCBBA3E2540EF23F30FEDED -
A very tired Emma and Chloe regroup, two days after polls closed to discuss the election. Were the polls wrong? What does Georgia say about American democracy? What next for the Democratic Party? A lot of things are still uncertain—and will remain so for the coming days and weeks—but one thing is clear: Donald Trump’s vote isn’t going away, even if he leaves the White House.
Articles
https://slate.com/culture/2020/11/election-2020-haruspex-model-sheep-entrails-deformed-fetuses-biden-trump-florida-democracy-in-action.html -
In this bonus, pre-election episode, Chloe and Emma speak to Matt Bevan, ABC Radio journalist and host of the America, If You’re Listening Podcast, about the past four years of the Trump Presidency, the relationship between journalism and history, and whether it’s possible—or desirable—to predict an outcome in the 2020 Presidential Election. Chloe and Emma then pick up their conversation about contingency in history and why caring about the election is part of, not a distraction from, analysing what’s happening in America.
LinksABC Radio: America, If You’re Listening https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/russia-if-youre-listening/Chloe and Emma on the long crisis of American Democracy in the Sydney Morning Herald https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/it-s-up-to-people-power-to-overcome-a-system-that-trump-has-trashed-20201029-p569m6.htmlThe Vanity Fair article that made Chloe cry https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/becoming-aoc-cover-story-2020 -
In this episode, Chloe and Emma welcome a very special guest - Dr Elizabeth Ingelson, Henry Chauncey Jr. ’57 Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University. Joining them from New Haven, Connecticut, Lizzie discusses what it is like to live in Trump’s America. They cover how the United States is responding to pandemic, Lizzie’s experience in rural Pennsylvania, and the volatile state of American politics.
They then turn to Lizzie’s expertise—the history of the United States and China. Lizzie brings extraordinary complexity and understanding to what is an otherwise impoverished conversation both in the US and here at home. She explains why ‘strategic competition’ is dangerous, Trump’s connections to the history the relationship, and why climate change overshadows everything.Links
Dr Elizabeth Ingleson - https://www.elizabethingleson.com/ or on Twitter: lizingleson
For some of Lizzie’s writing, see https://www.elizabethingleson.com/opinion
Carol Anderson, One Person, No Vote - How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy, Bloomsbury, 2018. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/one-person-no-vote-9781635571387/
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In this episode, Chloe and Emma talk about how Joe Biden has linked the personal and the political throughout a long and successful career. But could the 2020 election force the two apart? They also speak to special guest, press gallery legend Barrie Cassidy, about past presidencies, this year’s election, and what it all means for Australia. Finally, Emma answers a question that still worries us: Despite Biden’s seemingly secure position in polls, what if Donald Trump refuses to leave office?
Links
Fintan O’Toole, ‘The Designated Mourner’, New York Review of Books, 16 January 2020, https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/01/16/joe-biden-designated-mourner/
Siva Vaidhyanathan, ‘The Hunter Biden story was a test for tech platforms. They barely passed’, Guardian, 20 October 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/19/hunter-biden-story-big-tech-facebook-twitter
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This week, Chloe and Emma try (and fail) to lighten things up with a discussion of the young, progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, shoes … and fracking. They also talk about the first ‘television president’ and why JFK’s Presidency might be a weird mirror for Donald Trump’s. And, in a week where polls seem to show Joe Biden set for victory, they discuss the history and the so-called “science” of polling, where pollsters went wrong in 2016 and whether they can redeem themselves in 2020.
Links‘Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wore the Most Divisive Version of These Already-Controversial Comfy Shoes’, https://www.instyle.com/look-of-the-day/2020-09-14‘The Electoral College is also a Climate Problem’ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/electoral-college-also-climate-problem/616347/ -
This week, we can’t not talk about the President of the United States contracting coronavirus. But instead of speculating about Trump’s illness and what it might mean, Emma and Chloe discuss what it reveals about American healthcare. They also take a look at the Senate, and how some previously safe seats like Lindsay Graham’s in South Carolina have some Republicans worried this election cycle.
They also take a look at the role of the media in US politics, and the legacy of the Watergate scandal of the 1970s. Watergate reshaped the relationship between the White House and journalism; journalists became focused on accountability, but also on glamourous, ‘gotcha’ moments, helping to create a journalistic tradition removed from the public interest.
Finally, Emma and Chloe take a look at why Americans do and don’t vote, explaining just how different our own compulsory voting system is to a voluntary system mired by racist voter suppression.
Links:Felipe De La Hoz in the New Republic on the vast inequalities of American healthcare: https://newrepublic.com/article/159550/covid-symptoms-outlast-insuranceSlate covers the South Carolina Senate race: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/09/lindsey-graham-jaime-harrison-south-carolina-senate.htmlAnd don’t forget to subscribe to the Barely Getting By newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/3B47D9547CCBBA3E2540EF23F30FEDED -
Chloe and Emma discuss how Aaron Sorkin’s the West Wing went from an alternate-world liberal consolation prize in the early 2000s, to playbook for the Obama White House, and now back again in the age of Trump.They also talk through what might happen if (when?) Trump contests the 2020 election, and how the Republican Party took advantage of an unclear result in 2000, leading to George W. Bush’s victory in the Supreme Court.
They also explore the Electoral College, and its origins in 19th century mistrust of the voting public and the oldest American institution—slavery.
Links:Aaron Sorkin writes the script for election night, 2020 https://variety.com/2020/film/festivals/aaron-sorkin-the-trial-of-the-chicago-7-san-sebastian-1234781014/Corey Robin on ‘the Obamanauts’ https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-obamanautsBarton Gellman on the interregnum: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/what-if-trump-refuses-concede/616424/
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Barely Getting By newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/3B47D9547CCBBA3E2540EF23F30FEDED -
In the first episode of Season 3, This American Carnage, Emma looks at the way climate change and the West Coast fires are covered by the New York Times, while Chloe looks at vaccine nationalism and the politics of Big Pharma. They discuss the much-mythologized New Deal and whether President Joe Biden would be the new Franklin Roosevelt. And finally, they explain the powers the President holds and their limits.
This time around, Emma and Chloe are adding something new: a weekly newsletter covering the history behind the major events of this election cycle, plus some recommended readings to guide you through the overwhelming onslaught of news, think-pieces and hot takes. You can subscribe here: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/3B47D9547CCBBA3E2540EF23F30FEDED
StoriesChristopher Flavelle, “How California became ground zero for climate change,” New York Times, 30 September 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/climate/california-climate-change-fires.html
Adam Tooze, “The World Is Winning—and Losing—the Vaccine Race,” Foreign Policy, 19 September 2020 https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/19/the-world-is-losing-the-vaccine-race/
Joe Biden on the New Yorker Radio Hour https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/id1050430296?i=1000488913623 -
In the year 2020 where everything seems to have gone wrong, your often confused, occasionally insightful and (sometimes) optimistic hosts Emma and Chloe are once again making sense of the present by looking at the past.
In season three our historical experts go back four years, to when the world turned on its head when Donald Trump won the US Presidential election and set the stage for the now tumultuous present the United States finds itself in.
This season, Shortis and Ward are using history to navigate and make sense of what is undoubtedly a turning point in the United States’ future. Across eight episodes they’ll break down key moments in the 2020 campaign, campaigns past, and the inner workings of American democracy.
Why does a Green New Deal need to be much more ambitious than its much-mythologised predecessor, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s?How did Watergate shape the fourth estate’s relationship with the White House to this day, and why did America’s pundit class insist on taking the wrong lessons from the scandal?
And for those of us increasingly confused by the ins and outs of the Electoral College, which has determined the fate of so many would-be presidents, learn how the origins of the system can be traced to America’s oldest and most maligned tradition of all – slavery.
Barely Getting' By Season 3 launches Thursday 24 September – and this time around, Emma and Chloe are adding something new: a weekly newsletter covering the history behind the major events of this election cycle, plus some recommended readings to guide you through the overwhelming onslaught.
Subscribe to the newsletter here https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/3B47D9547CCBBA3E2540EF23F30FEDED -
11.1 Battle for Seattle11.2 the Algebra of Infinite Justice11.3 Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
In this final episode, Chloe and Emma look at two, possible end dates for the 1990s: the 1999 Battle for Seattle, and 9/11. They then explore how Francis Fukuyama’s ‘End of History’ was replaced by a ‘Clash of Civilisations’, what other stories they could have told about the 1990s, and try to answer the question of whether the long 1990s ever ended?
Links
Harry Cheadle, How Seattle Police in 1999 Set the Terrible Example Others Have Followed Ever Since, Daily Beast, 14 June 2020 https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-seattle-police-in-1999-set-the-terrible-example-others-have-followed-since
Mark Engler, The Legacy of “Anti-Globalization”, Dissent, 19 September 2011,https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/the-legacy-of-anti-globalization
Feyzi Ismael, Protest has helped define the first two decades of the 21st century – here’s what’s next, The Conversation, 30 December 2019, https://theconversation.com/protest-has-helped-define-the-first-two-decades-of-the-21st-century-heres-whats-next-128745
Dara Lind, Everyone's heard of the Patriot Act. Here's what it actually does, Vox, 2 June 2015, https://www.vox.com/2015/6/2/8701499/patriot-act-explain
Max Fisher, Lessons of the Oklahoma City Bombing, The Atlantic, 19 April 2010, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/04/lessons-of-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/345921/
Jamelle Bouie, The March of White Supremacy, From Oklahoma City to Christchurch, 18 March 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/opinion/mcveigh-new-zealand-white-supremacy.html
J.M. Berger, The Strategy of Violent White Supremacy is Evolving, The Atlantic, 7 August 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/the-new-strategy-of-violent-white-supremacy/595648/
Annika Neklason, The Columbine Blueprint, The Atlantic, 19 April 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/columbines-20th-anniversary-mass-media-shooting/587359/
Rachel Tresiman, Poll: Number Of Americans Who Favor Stricter Gun Laws Continues ToGrow, NPR, 20 October 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/10/20/771278167/poll-number-of-americans-who-favor-stricter-gun-laws-continues-to-grow
Arundhati Roy, My Seditious Heart (particularly “the Algebra of Infinite Justice”), Penguin 2019https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations
Arundhati Roy, ‘Things Can’t Go On Like This’, National Herald, 20 July 2020, https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/things-cant-go-on-like-this-author-activist-arundhati-roy-writes-to-jailed-friend-prof-saibaba
Credits
Battle in Seattle, 1999 - AP ArchivesGeorge W. Bush Excerpts, Sept. & Nov. 2001 - George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum -
11.1 Battle for Seattle11.2 the Algebra of Infinite Justice11.3 Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
In this final episode, Chloe and Emma look at two, possible end dates for the 1990s: the 1999 Battle for Seattle, and 9/11. They then explore how Francis Fukuyama’s ‘End of History’ was replaced by a ‘Clash of Civilisations’, what other stories they could have told about the 1990s, and try to answer the question of whether the long 1990s ever ended?
Links
Harry Cheadle, How Seattle Police in 1999 Set the Terrible Example Others Have Followed Ever Since, Daily Beast, 14 June 2020 https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-seattle-police-in-1999-set-the-terrible-example-others-have-followed-since
Mark Engler, The Legacy of “Anti-Globalization”, Dissent, 19 September 2011,https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/the-legacy-of-anti-globalization
Feyzi Ismael, Protest has helped define the first two decades of the 21st century – here’s what’s next, The Conversation, 30 December 2019, https://theconversation.com/protest-has-helped-define-the-first-two-decades-of-the-21st-century-heres-whats-next-128745
Dara Lind, Everyone's heard of the Patriot Act. Here's what it actually does, Vox, 2 June 2015, https://www.vox.com/2015/6/2/8701499/patriot-act-explain
Max Fisher, Lessons of the Oklahoma City Bombing, The Atlantic, 19 April 2010, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/04/lessons-of-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/345921/
Jamelle Bouie, The March of White Supremacy, From Oklahoma City to Christchurch, 18 March 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/opinion/mcveigh-new-zealand-white-supremacy.html
J.M. Berger, The Strategy of Violent White Supremacy is Evolving, The Atlantic, 7 August 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/the-new-strategy-of-violent-white-supremacy/595648/
Annika Neklason, The Columbine Blueprint, The Atlantic, 19 April 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/columbines-20th-anniversary-mass-media-shooting/587359/
Rachel Tresiman, Poll: Number Of Americans Who Favor Stricter Gun Laws Continues ToGrow, NPR, 20 October 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/10/20/771278167/poll-number-of-americans-who-favor-stricter-gun-laws-continues-to-grow
Arundhati Roy, My Seditious Heart (particularly “the Algebra of Infinite Justice”), Penguin 2019https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations
Arundhati Roy, ‘Things Can’t Go On Like This’, National Herald, 20 July 2020, https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/things-cant-go-on-like-this-author-activist-arundhati-roy-writes-to-jailed-friend-prof-saibaba
Credits
Battle in Seattle, 1999 - AP ArchivesGeorge W. Bush Excerpts, Sept. & Nov. 2001 - George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum -
11.1 Battle for Seattle11.2 the Algebra of Infinite Justice11.3 Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
In this final episode, Chloe and Emma look at two, possible end dates for the 1990s: the 1999 Battle for Seattle, and 9/11. They then explore how Francis Fukuyama’s ‘End of History’ was replaced by a ‘Clash of Civilisations’, what other stories they could have told about the 1990s, and try to answer the question of whether the long 1990s ever ended?
Links
Harry Cheadle, How Seattle Police in 1999 Set the Terrible Example Others Have Followed Ever Since, Daily Beast, 14 June 2020 https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-seattle-police-in-1999-set-the-terrible-example-others-have-followed-since
Mark Engler, The Legacy of “Anti-Globalization”, Dissent, 19 September 2011,https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/the-legacy-of-anti-globalization
Feyzi Ismael, Protest has helped define the first two decades of the 21st century – here’s what’s next, The Conversation, 30 December 2019, https://theconversation.com/protest-has-helped-define-the-first-two-decades-of-the-21st-century-heres-whats-next-128745
Dara Lind, Everyone's heard of the Patriot Act. Here's what it actually does, Vox, 2 June 2015, https://www.vox.com/2015/6/2/8701499/patriot-act-explain
Max Fisher, Lessons of the Oklahoma City Bombing, The Atlantic, 19 April 2010, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/04/lessons-of-the-oklahoma-city-bombing/345921/
Jamelle Bouie, The March of White Supremacy, From Oklahoma City to Christchurch, 18 March 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/opinion/mcveigh-new-zealand-white-supremacy.html
J.M. Berger, The Strategy of Violent White Supremacy is Evolving, The Atlantic, 7 August 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/the-new-strategy-of-violent-white-supremacy/595648/
Annika Neklason, The Columbine Blueprint, The Atlantic, 19 April 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/04/columbines-20th-anniversary-mass-media-shooting/587359/
Rachel Tresiman, Poll: Number Of Americans Who Favor Stricter Gun Laws Continues ToGrow, NPR, 20 October 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/10/20/771278167/poll-number-of-americans-who-favor-stricter-gun-laws-continues-to-grow
Arundhati Roy, My Seditious Heart (particularly “the Algebra of Infinite Justice”), Penguin 2019https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations
Arundhati Roy, ‘Things Can’t Go On Like This’, National Herald, 20 July 2020, https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/things-cant-go-on-like-this-author-activist-arundhati-roy-writes-to-jailed-friend-prof-saibaba
Credits
Battle in Seattle, 1999 - AP ArchivesGeorge W. Bush Excerpts, Sept. & Nov. 2001 - George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum -
Episode 10: The Palace Letters
It’s a historical emergency! With the release of the ‘Palace Letters’ this week historians and journalists are promising answers to decades of questions about the 1975 Dismissal of the Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. Chloe and Emma aren’t so sure. In this episode, they explain why the Palace Letters are important, how the media got the story wrong, and how historians can approach this new information.
LinksJenny Hocking, ‘The big reveal: Jenny Hocking on what the ‘palace letters’ may tell us, finally, about The Dismissal’, The Conversation, 14 July 2020, https://theconversation.com/the-big-reveal-jenny-hocking-on-what-the-palace-letters-may-tell-us-finally-about-the-dismissal-142473
Guy Rundle’s series on the ‘Whitlam coup’, Crikey, 2015, https://www.crikey.com.au/topic/whitlam-coup/
... And Guy Rundle’s first go at reading the Palace Letters https://www.crikey.com.au/2020/07/15/if-you-cant-see-the-palace-played-politics-youre-fooling-yourself-or-trying-to-fool-others-%ef%bb%bf/?utm_campaign=Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
The ElecnMark Mazower, ‘Clear, Inclusive, and Lasting’, New York Review of Books, 23 July 2020, https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/07/23/eric-hobsbawm-clear-inclusive-lasting/
Gough Whitlam dismissal speech excerpt - 1975, ABC News - Show more
