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When The Bupkes came across Subschtick, we knew we had to do an interview together. Lucky us, the Oxford DPhil behind it just put out a book that we wanted to know more about. Even luckier us, she turned up in Brussels, which meant we got the rare treat of doing an episode IRL.
In Don’t Talk About Politics, Sarah Stein Lubrano puts the political together with the sociological together with the psychological to try to figure out why lofty liberal ideals like debate, reason, and persuasion don’t seem to be working anymore — at least in places that really love their liberalism (or claim to), like the United States and the United Kingdom.
And that’s happening all the while economic and technological developments are pushing people into ever deeper isolation. That’s been taking a nasty toll on how we relate to each other as citizens in a shared society.
What could go wrong?
If that sounds grim, and also familiar, it is! Fortunately, Sarah is the talmudic type: If you don’t like what you’re seeing, try looking at it a little differently. She has a few suggestions for how people might act politically in the world just a little bit more effectively.
But who are we to tell you how to act? Take it or leave it, but first of all have a listen to it.
Many thanks to Full Circle for helping make this interview possible.
Music by The Bupkes’ own Chief Goy Liaison Officer, Wiliam Succumbs. Let us know what you think of it!
NB: Transcript and captions are auto-generated, so errors — spelling and otherwise — are to be expected. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
