Fresh Air

Silicon Valley billionaires’ war on democracy

My book is about a cult of Silicon Valley billionaires who believe that in the 21st century, technology will make democracy obsolete.

The Prof G Pod

"There Needs to Be a Reckoning" — Heather Cox Richardson

I think in this moment we have a cabal a group of people in power who no longer have any faith in democracy and are really actively trying to destroy it and to destroy the the uh post-World War II uh rules-based international order in part so they can carve up the globe again in a way that looks very much like that late 19th, early 20th 20th century period.

TED

You Have More Power Than You Realize | Idea Knock Down | TED

Somebody once told me that a democracy is working if we're actively disagreeing with each other. And uh and that really hit home, right? If if we're all agreeing, we're probably not in a democracy.

The Prof G Pod

Is America Sliding Toward Authoritarianism? — with Julia Angwin & Ami Fields-Meyer

This is the slow hollowing out of institutions. It happens gradually. And so I actually think even if to folks like us it was clear that there was a political crisis, it wasn't clear exactly what to do about it because the threat looks different now.

TED

Why Democracy Requires Renewal | Michael Dimock | TED

The founders didn't hand us a finished product. They handed us an ongoing project that requires engagement and creativity from one generation to the next.

Throughline

The story of July 4th is messier than you remember

The second sentence is a mission statement for our nation a nation in which the governor comes not from the divine right of kings or the sword of conquerors, but by a social contract that's signaled in the very first word of the sentence.

Idea Knock Down

Should There Be a Wealth Limit for Politicians? | Idea Knock Down | TED

Authoritarianism is uh flaring up around the globe. Not because of anything authoritarianism is doing right, but because of what democracy is getting wrong and in particular that democracy is not delivering like real tangible improvements in people's lives, in particular financial improvements and there is a massive correlation between countries that have extreme uh income inequality and see erosions of democracy, which is understandable because like why would you vote for a system that isn't working for you?

Pivot

Kara Swisher: Elon Musk Is “Losing It On The Stand” | Pivot

I think we've become complacent. I think we've taken a lot of our our norms and our rights for granted and that people I think people are complacent and I I'd like to think that the midterms will show maybe that they're not.