Episode 99: Right-wing Environmentalism—Interview with Peter Staudenmaier

Brendan and Andrew welcome Peter Staudenmaier, a professor of history at Marquette University and author of Ecology Contested: Environmental Politics between Left and Right. Challenging the presumption that environmentalism is inherently or necessarily progressive, Peter stresses that ecofascism and other forms of right-wing environmentalism have a long history. Present in Nazi Germany and the terrorism and writings of Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber), they continue to attract a following. In the discussion, Peter recounts how his arguments and evidence have been received by environmentalists and historians. He and the cohosts also discuss differences between right-wing and mainstream environmentalism, the relation between right-wing environmentalism and other aspects of right-wing ideology (such as eugenics and “great replacement” thinking), and the extent to which mainstream environmentalism is influenced by the right-wing variant. Rejecting right-wing “solutions” to the ecological crisis, Peter calls for reconstructing all of society from the ground up, and he and the cohosts discuss why a genuine solution to the crisis demands such restructuring.

Plus current-events segment: Zombie Vulgar Materialism—on conservative pundit David Brooks’ recent revival of the myth that “economic distress” explains why Trump’s base continues to support him, and the critiques of Brooks’ musings provided by Zack Beauchamp and by Christina Cauterucci.

Coming soon, Sunday, Sept. 10, 1–3 pm EDT—ChatRFH: Special 100th Episode of Radio Free Humanity. This milestone ep. will feature dialogue between co-hosts and the online audience via the “chat,” and be streamed live as well as recorded. Participation open to all. Check the With Sober Senses article on ChatRFH for information on how to participate, where to watch, and further details. To allow us to get ready for this milestone ep., no new eps. will be released between now and Sept. 10.

Radio Free Humanity is a podcast covering news, politics and philosophy from a Marxist-Humanist perspective. It is co-hosted by Brendan Cooney and Andrew Kliman. We intend to release new episodes every two weeks. Radio Free Humanity is sponsored by MHI, but the views expressed by the co-hosts and guests of Radio Free Humanity are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of MHI.

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Please visit MHI’s online print publication, With Sober Senses, for further news, commentary, and analysis.

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