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Part One:
We chat with Henry Grabar, staff writer for Slate, about the Amazon/New York fiasco — the latest example of a large corporation extracting lucrative concessions from local cities and states, before they agree to bring their business to town. Cities once worshipped the “promise” of job creation, despite the cost to ordinary residents. This time, however, working people and state legislators realized that the “promises” were unlikely to be met, and that the city’s working families would be harmed by the expected rise in the cost of basic necessities, like housing.
Part Two:
We speak with Bryant Welch, a clinical psychologist and lawyer, about his new book: “State of Confusion: Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American mind.” We discuss “gaslighting,” whereby right-wing politicians and “news” outlets psychologically manipulate their victims’ minds: By creating a false sense of fear, sexual perplexity/ insecurity, and envy, they undermine their victims’ mental stability. Finally, we explore strategies for protecting people from this psychological manipulation. The first step is raising one’s own awareness that these techniques are being perpetrated upon them, and then exploring the difference between the reality and the “gaslighted” perspective that’s being foisted upon them.
