#1710 The past is never dead. It’s not even past. Race, Religion, Culture and the Stories we Tell

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy

Jay Tomlinson

Marx, Political, Feminism, Jacobin, Left, Hightower, Politics, Counterspin, News, News Commentary, Maddow, Hartmann, Democracynow, Antiracism, Marxism, Socialism, Capitalism, Ezra, Liberal, Intercepted, Hayes, Progressive, Intercept, Intersectionality, Wolff

4.6 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 18 May 2025

⏱️ 174 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Air Date 5/18/2025

The full quote from today's title is from one of the most celebrated writers of Southern American literature, William Faulkner, who said, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity.” The new film, Sinners, set in the Jim Crow South, attempts to take on some of the subjects that make up that web of history and consequence. The theme of today's episode is an attempt to dig into many of the subjects of the film.

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Full Show Notes

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Sinners: Director Ryan Coogler on His Latest Hit, Delta Blues, His Mississippi Roots & Vampires Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 2: Sinners and the General State of Things - The Morbid Zoo - Air Date 5-10-25

KP 3: Western Christianity and White Supremacy Part 1 - Meant For This - Air Date 3-23-22

KP 4: How Do You Put A Price On America's Original Sin? - Consider This - Air Date 3-27-23

KP 5: Storm and Stress: Jim Crow America Part 1 - History is US - Air Date 6-5-22

KP 6: Trump's first 100 days, but it's just the racism - Garrison Hayes - Air Date 5-2-25

(48:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On how to talk about the interplay between economics and identity politics

DEEPER DIVES

(57:48) SECTION A: CHRISTIANITY

(1:33:29) SECTION B: RACE

(2:18:56) SECTION C: CULTURE

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Portion of the 1830s painting “Slave Market” (Brazil) depicting two white men discussing the sale of enslaved, black Brazilian men with a church with steeple and cross in the background and the iconography of the Virgin Mary on the wall above.

Credit: “Slave Market” by Johann Moritz Rugendas, New York Public Library Digital Collections | Copyright status undetermined by NYPL | Changes: Cropped with increased contrast and brightness

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast. The full quote of today's title is from one of the most celebrated writers of Southern American literature, William Faulkner, who said,
0:16.0	The Past is Never Dead. It's not even past. All of us labor and webs spun long before we were born.
0:24.6	Webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence of history and eternity.
0:31.1	The new film, The Senters, set in the Jim Pro South, attempts to take on some of the subjects
0:36.6	that make up that web of history
0:39.1	and consequence. The theme of today's episode is an attempt to dig into many of the subjects
0:44.7	from that film. For those looking for a quick overview, the source is providing our top
0:49.5	takes in about 50 minutes today, includes The Morbid Zoo, meant for this, consider this, history is
0:56.5	us and Garrison Hayes, but we start with the director of sinners speaking on democracy now.
1:04.2	Then in the additional deeper dives half of the show, there will be more in three sections,
1:08.4	section A, Christianity, followed by section B, race, and section C, culture.
1:14.7	But first, we continue to be in promotion mode as we launch our new YouTube show,
1:19.5	solved. We really need every hand on deck we can get, so subscribe to the best of the left
1:24.2	YouTube channel to then watch, like, comment, do all of those things.
1:28.8	We're really proud of the show that we're making, and so we want as many people as possible
1:32.7	to see and hear it. And so you checking it out actually helps other people find it as well.
1:38.8	So thanks in advance for your help.
1:51.0	My family is like many families in California. We probably are the second wave of the great migration, meaning that, you know, before
1:56.4	California, my family was in the south, in the Gulf states primarily, but also some of them
2:01.4	were in Mississippi. And it's ironic because with my grandmother and her mom before her and my mom
2:10.3	are known for is their gumball. They cook a style of gumball that comes from Port Arthur, Texas.
2:16.2	And as you know know that the dishes is
	...

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