Why Fear-Based Democracies Aren't Free (with Jason Pargin)

Freedom sucks...and that is why we have to defend it. Because our democracy involves doing a lot of stuff that takes energy, takes time, and lacks that Michael Bay Quality that only a surprise missile launch can provide. So on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt and special guest Jason Pargin (who writes for Cracked as David Wong) are exploring the ways being afraid of everything (an easy action) can stop us from being free. Discover the decades-long tradition of some Americans wanting to give up everything in exchange for not needing to think, the centuries-long tradition of people inciting fake panics, and the extremely reasonable ways you can help change things for the better.

Footnotes:

pre-order links for Jason's upcoming novel Zoey Punches The Future In The Dick: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

Freedom Sucks (And That's Why We Have To Defend It) by Jason Pargin (Cracked)

What Fascist Italy Reveals About Modern America (The Cracked Podcast)

Religious Right Self-Victimization In Full Force At Values Voter Summit: Fear Of Christian Concentration Camps, Bishops In Jail (RightWingWatch)

How The Suburbs Went From Republican to Reliably Democrat (The Daily Herald)

Obergefell v. Hodges (SCOTUSblog)

14 Polls That Explain America (And Raise Huge New Questions) (The Cracked Podcast)

Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2004 case legalizing gay marriage in Massachusetts)

On this day 10 years ago, an Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalized gay marriage in the state (Des Moines Register)

2 Groups Of Americans Who Want To Abandon The Rest Of Us (The Cracked Podcast)

2018 November General Election Turnout Rates (US Elections Project.org)

Americans just set a turnout record for the midterms, voting at the highest rate since 1914. This explains why. (The Washington Post)

Voter turnout surges in Kentucky, signals increased political interest ahead of 2020 (CNN)

Turnout Up In 2019 Legislative Elections (Virginia Public Access Project)

quote-tweet exchange between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donald Trump, Nov. 24th 2019

Google Books page for "Do-Nothing Congress" in Truman by David McCullough -- key stuff on page 842

Majority of Americans Want to Scrap First Amendment, Polling Finds (Campaign for Free Speech)

Torture Debate Once Again Hinges on a 'Ticking Time Bomb' (TIME)