Two-hour conversation with Benjamin Boyce, on growing up in closet aristocracy, Fabian society, champagne socialists, anti-establishment establishment values, neoliberalism, malevolence and rhetoric, generational hypocrisy, Northern Foods, intelligence community and Fabianism, Marx in London, permeators, a cryptocratic rule, Bertrand Russell, the death of Sebastian Horsley, Jasun’s pilgrimage, from Morocco to Canada, a socialist life, liminality, cultural commentary & close reading, Benjamin’s Evergreen experience, infantile activism at Evergreen, the student takeover, addressing the administration, acculturation in pre-school, anti-oppression’s need for oppression, scapegoating Brett Weinstein, a call to anti-authoritarian authority, engineering opposition, kowtowing to progressivism, study of narratives, how consciousness operates through narratives, emerging into social consciousness, teaching two-year-olds, the emergence of an I, rudimentary theory of mind, morality & do unto others, the arrested development of the narcissistic ego, identity politics & the collective, a story of victim & victors, epic story culture swallowing up local heroes, Homer and the mythic template, cultural stereotypes, Asian culture, the myth of intersectionality, mandatory orientations of privilege, vilification of white man, Victor Turner and status reversal, decoupling power from competency, seeking first generational privilege, abusive child-rearing practices throughout history, Lloyd de Mause, seeking to oppress the oppressors, how to deal with trauma, revenge drama, the ritual reversal of high and low, black day at Evergreen, the ultimate evil of white supremacy, mapping an end-game scenario, the oppression of privilege, the model of running a thrift store, over-complexification, the idea of religion as social cohesion, the postmodern project, an Iliad of heritages, seeking an overarching narrative, warring mind viruses, cultural Marxism, the religious perspective and humility, surrendering the presumption of judgment, a transcendent principal, casting stones to prove purity, in God’s image, through the glass darkly, appropriating marginalities, a vicious circle of outrage, an opportunity for equanimity, the compassionate critic, getting past the surface, relating to categories, the value and problem of emoting, back to diaper-land, the emotional appeal of protest, becoming algorithmic, child defense filters, normalization of pathology & pathologization of normalcy, amping the volume, the values of radical activism, the marginality of courage, thriving on opposition, the need for articulation, creating a space for self-expression, going out on a limb, risking ostracization, creative criticism, the foundation of human community.

Benjamin’s YouTube Channel

Songs: “Slouching Towards Bremen” by Geoff Berner; “Let Your Hammer Ring” by
Monkey Warhol; “The Ear of the Happy Sailor” by We Is Shore Dedicated; Марина by POVALISHIN DIVISION; “These Words Are Yours,” by Hazelwood Motel