July 30

Ep. 0071: The Calusa Indians

The Calusa were a fascinating Native American people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida.  Despite having no real agriculture, they developed a dense, sedentary, complex society, with all the good & bad that entails.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • The origins of the Calusa
  • Their physical description
  • Their society, hierarchy, and religion
  • The relationship of the Calusa to their environment, a highly productive estuary which they used to efficiently procure nourishment and materiel
  • The fate of the Calusa
  • CJ’s thoughts on lessons we might learn from them

Please consider signing up as a Dangerous History Podcast patron on CJ’s Patreon account!

Category: American History, Podcasts | 3 Comments on Ep. 0071: The Calusa Indians
July 25

Ep. 0070: DHP Villains: Sargon of Akkad

Often described as the world’s first empire-builder, Sargon of Akkad may not entirely deserve that title.  But he’s the earliest empire-builder to achieve lasting notoriety.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • A brief excerpt from “The Legend of Sargon”
  • The historical context of ancient Mesopotamia and the Sumerians who peopled most of the southern part of the region which Sargon later conquered
  • Sargon’s rise from obscurity to the throne of Kish
  • His subsequent conquest of virtually all of Mesopotamia into one empire
  • The efforts of Sargon & his heirs to centralize their rule over this empire, with partial success
  • Sargon’s death, and a little bit about some of his successors, including Naram-Sin
  • Some thoughts about the degree to which Sargon was a prototype for many of the “great” rulers and conquerors who came later, and whether conventional notions of “greatness” might in fact have a tinge of psychopathy that serves the rulers’ interests

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Category: Ancient History, DHP Villains, Podcasts | 1 Comment on Ep. 0070: DHP Villains: Sargon of Akkad
July 16

Ep. 0069: Listener Emails #1

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • Surprisingly subversive themes in fiction and cinema (Note: I recorded my response to this prior to doing my film review of 71, which is why that review wasn’t mentioned.)
  • Whether an anarchistic society could have security from external threats
  • How to design a history curriculum for school-age youths that would really educate them about the facts of history and how to think for themselves
  • Possible similarities between George Washington and “the Donald”?
  • CJ shares a Facebook post he wrote about flags & slavery

Thanks to listeners Ben, Justin, Ray, & Max for their emails!

External Links

[“Flag of Key West, Florida” by Jmckean – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Key_West,_Florida.svg#/media/File:Flag_of_Key_West,_Florida.svg]

Category: Listener Emails, Podcasts | 19 Comments on Ep. 0069: Listener Emails #1
July 14

Ep. 0068: 71: A Dangerous History Movie Review

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • A basic outline of the movies historical context — ie, the Northern Irish “Troubles” which occurred from the 1960s through the 1990s
  • A basic synopsis summary (without much detail on the second half of the movie, in an effort to avoid too much plot spoilage)
  • CJ’s assessment of the film and discussion of some of its major themes that are related to Dangerous History

External Links

Category: Movie Reviews, Podcasts | 2 Comments on Ep. 0068: 71: A Dangerous History Movie Review
July 9

Ep. 0067: The New Counterculture?

Is there a New Counterculture movement?  If so, what is it?  Can we define it, or at least describe it?  Might you be a part of it, even if in a small way, even if you don’t realize it?

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • Why cultural, artistic, and/or intellectual movements are often hard to identify without hindsight (either after they’ve fizzled out entirely, or at least jumped the shark)
  • What the Old Counterculture was, and its problems
  • Defining what the New Counterculture is (as CJ sees it) by describing a nonexistent, archetypal New Counterculturalist individual in terms of his or her age, religiosity, career, political views, lifestyle, etc.
  • CJ’s take on the degree to which he himself (at least somewhat) fits the mold
  • Reasons why the New Counterculture has more potential to achieve lasting, positive change

(image Revolt Submit Switch Stock Photo courtesy Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net)

Category: Concepts and Theories, Podcasts | 25 Comments on Ep. 0067: The New Counterculture?
July 1

Ep. 0066: Revolutionary Aftershocks Part II: The Whiskey Rebellion

Today we cover the last blow in the American Revolution’s Thermidor:  the Whiskey Rebellion of the early 1790s.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • Raising more questions about what history really is and what most historians really do, using Bentley Little’s short story “The Washingtonians” (which was also adapted into an episode of the TV series Masters of Horror), a story that CJ thinks has direct relevance to the Dangerous History Podcast in general, and to this episode in particular
  • The long history of anti-excise sentiment in the Anglo-American world
  • The origin of Alexander Hamilton’s excise tax on whiskey
  • The grievances that many Westerners had regarding this tax, and a variety of other issues
  • Anger on the part of many Westerners (especially the poor), culminating in rebellion
  • The crackdown in Western Pennsylvania
  • The troubling & somewhat ambiguous aftermath & legacy of this rebellion, and how it fits into the Revolution/Thermidor framework outlined last episode

Internal Links

External Links

 

Category: American History, Podcasts | 8 Comments on Ep. 0066: Revolutionary Aftershocks Part II: The Whiskey Rebellion