1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,159 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Cool People Who Did? Cool Stuff 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Your a weekly podcast that brings you all the cool 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: history and cool people who did I'm I'm your host. 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: I'm tired of saying cool thousand times in every introduction, 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: but that's the way it's going to be. My name 6 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: is Margaret Killjoy and with me this week is none 7 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: other than Andrew t who is the host of the 8 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: also does what it says? It does? You know? Is 9 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: this racist? Yeah? Andrew, how are you doing? Pretty straight up? Yeah, 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: I'm good good. Uh, yeah, We've I've been. I'm I'm 11 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: on a merciful hiatus from my my day job. So um, 12 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: I'm still I'm still at the point in the like 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: like week where I'm like I still wake up at 14 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: six am even though I don't have anywhere to be 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: and things like that. So stare at the wall being 16 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: like you understand that so much to do, but how 17 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: do I do it? I'm just like so tired. But yeah, 18 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: for no good reason, I saw I hung out with 19 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,080 Speaker 1: a friends child and I'm gonna just back to the 20 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: enveloping and say, like a three or four year old 21 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: and I was like sitting on the couch and fell 22 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: asleep while she was talking to me, and apparently she 23 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: like simply did not stop talking the whole time. But yeah, 24 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: I'm I'm at that, just like, why am I so tired? 25 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: I'm just falling asleep? Okay, I will attempt not to 26 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: put you to sleep. No, No, I'm good, I'm I'm awake. 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: I had I had coffee, okay. And so freddyone's listening, 28 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: who doesn't know it? Just I don't know if that's 29 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: any of you. You know, is this racist has been 30 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: around for was it like ten years now or something 31 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: or notthing like that? Oh god? And from my point 32 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: of view, honestly, it did a lot to shape discussions 33 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: about race, at least in the subcultures that I'm part of. 34 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: So thanks for doing that. We used to like grout 35 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: around a not even laptop in our like weird communal 36 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: punk house and like laugh at the tumbler. Good lord, Yeah, 37 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: I I It's been such a like you know, it's 38 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: such a a evolution also of just like how people 39 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: talk about stuff. Um, and you know, I've grown And 40 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: then I had a co host a couple of years ago, 41 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: Tony Newsome, so we've all, like you know, both been 42 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: part of conversations, but also everyone's talking about this stuff 43 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: in a in a smarter way, but also not um 44 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, it's nice. It's nice to just have a 45 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: thing to do that that's a that's you know, more 46 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: or less of my own our own. Uh, and yeah, 47 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: I don't know. And the thing that I've always liked 48 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: about doing yours this racist is as a person of 49 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: color in comedy, I more often than I would like 50 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: wind up in situations where it's like all white folks around, 51 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: and you know, sometimes people expect you to be the 52 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: arbiter of this ship simply by virtue of not being white. 53 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: And now I can, Now I can offload that stuff 54 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: to podcast. I can just you know, I'm not I'm 55 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: not on the clock right now. So yeah, yeah, totally. 56 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,519 Speaker 1: I'm not going to tell you whether's something is racist. 57 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: And I don't want to talk about this ship. Yeah 58 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: that's time. I have a time to do this, and 59 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: it's not right now. Yeah. I hear you have a 60 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: tour coming up, is that true? Uh? Just a few 61 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: tour dates, Yeah, Austin on the August and Brooklyn on 62 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: the tenth of September. I'm realizing the months go seven, eight, 63 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 1: nine and the dates go. So that's weird. Anyway, I'm 64 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: glad now I wish is the numerology. I'm just looking 65 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,839 Speaker 1: at this. Yeah, but yeah, suboptimal pops dot com, suboptimal 66 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: pods is the uh, the little not even network because 67 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: it's just us, I mean my cost Toney Newsome. We 68 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: made a little website and a little little thing for 69 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: when we went independent a couple of years ago. Anyway, 70 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: please come CEUs would be lovely. Hopefully I will be 71 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: entertain you all now enough to make a case for 72 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: to the c CS live. Yeah, and I'm optimistic. We 73 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: also have our producers Sophie Lichtman on the call. How 74 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: are you today, Sophie, I am doing a whole Margaret, 75 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: thank you for asking. Sophie, did you ever have a tumbler? 76 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: I did not. That was like the one that was 77 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: like the one culture thing that I like avoided. I 78 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: really think I'm jealous. Yeah, I mean in retrospect, yes, 79 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: but it does seem like that kind of ship you 80 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: would like. It definitely does. But I, I honestly was, 81 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: did not have access to like computers and stuff that much. 82 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: I was. I was more like an outside kid, more 83 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: of a sports team kid, yeah, doing doing actual ship. Yeah, 84 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: I did get I did get my MySpace scrubbed from 85 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: the internet like a few years back, because there was 86 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: like because it was it was oh man, yeah, but 87 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: you have to like contact them because they because because 88 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: when you go for a while, when you googled me, 89 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: there was just like awkward like ween age photos of 90 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: me on the internet. But yeah, you had I had 91 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: to work really hard to scrub. But you have to 92 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,039 Speaker 1: contact my Space still exists, but you have to contact them, 93 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: and you have to contact them like a lot, and 94 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: then you can get your skate scrub because it was 95 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: y'all keep talking. I'm gonna go ahead and just see 96 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: if my Yeah. I am so grateful for the fact 97 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: that I was an adult before not before the Internet, 98 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 1: but before the like yourself so much back in my 99 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: day the internet. But I was an adult when I 100 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: was on my Space, and so I was posting cringe 101 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: e stuff. But it's like twenty three year old me 102 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: and cringe e stuff or something. A lot of old 103 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: bad bands of mine have like multiple I had multiple 104 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: MySpace profiles for the same band because um, you can 105 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: only have four songs up, and so I just set 106 00:05:55,240 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: the whole. Wo yeah, so enterprising. Yeah, I'm it appears 107 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: as if I am not on my Space, and I'm 108 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: so happy for you because it was. It was a 109 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: mission to remove what was an interesting choice in music. Okay, 110 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: so speaking of things that have cringing moments and really 111 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: beautiful moments, much like Sophie's my Space. I'm sure I 112 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: don't know what order we're going to release the episodes, 113 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: but the last week, last week, we recorded this tear 114 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: jerker of an episode about the Warsaw ghetto uprising and 115 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: people fighting against Nazis, and I cried like a million 116 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: times while I was researching it. So I decided I 117 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,119 Speaker 1: didn't want to do that this week. So this week 118 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: I've got something a little lighter. It doesn't have zero 119 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: people killed by Nazis, but so many fewer, so many, 120 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: all right, And because anywhere there's activists, there's bad stuff 121 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 1: they're fighting against and you just trying to stop them. Right. 122 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: But today we're gonna talking about cool is when people 123 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: share food with each other, because today we're gonna talk 124 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: about a long standing global mutual aid project. Andrew, how 125 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: do you feel about mutual aid? Uh? Yeah, I've been 126 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: I've been trying to get more involved in the one 127 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: that I my friend set up this little little outfit 128 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: on the mostly hand stuff out on skid Row and 129 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: San Pedro for the sweep defenses here in l a Um. 130 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: It's all called solidarity and snacks, which I guess actually, 131 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: if there's another plug the last meeting that I missed, 132 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: apparently we are once again as perpetually we are running 133 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: well on funds. So solidarity and snacks go, go and 134 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: donate if you feel like contribute, because those are two 135 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: good things in one title. Yeah, So today we're gonna 136 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: talk about a story of a mutual aid group that 137 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: has spent a lot of time on the FBI's domestic 138 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: terrorist watch list. It's an international conspiracy. It's present on 139 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: every continent on Earth except an Arctica. It's the present 140 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: in at least sixty countries. It has somewhere around a 141 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: thousand autonomous cells, and daily they commit crime. Since pretty 142 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: much night, thousands of members of this conspiracy have been arrested, 143 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: including fifty four of them in one single rate and 144 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: one of their terror cells in San Francisco. Because today 145 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about food not bombs. Yes, I 146 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: figured we're going to talk about the group of non 147 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: violence activists who cook vegetarian meals out of food that 148 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: would have gone to waste and then feed it to 149 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: for free two people in the park. Yeah. I I 150 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: was in high school. I grew up in Antarbia, Michigan um, 151 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: which is a you know, sort of because of college 152 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: chon vibes, like a big food not bombs kind of joint. Yeah, 153 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:51,199 Speaker 1: it was often like yeah, things like like littering or 154 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: um like you know, serving like unlicensed food prep and 155 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: things like that where they cry, Yeah, yeah, totally, we're 156 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: going to get into how like it's you know, why 157 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,959 Speaker 1: they're choosing to come after people with all that stuff. 158 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: But yeah, wherever there's people trying to serve free food, 159 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: there's people trying to stop them. So I mean that's 160 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: that has been the one thing in my short like time, 161 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 1: like really participating regularly intermutualate effort is like, yeah, just 162 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: like the act of not having trying to make people's 163 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: lives slightly less miserable from time to time or like 164 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: dignified slightly more dignified from time and time is like 165 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: an act of violence against the state in a way 166 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: that is like all right, well, this is good. This 167 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: is something like, this is the revolution that my personal 168 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: old body can handle. Also totally we can just help people, 169 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: And that's like kind of a revelation I think for me. Yeah, 170 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: like realizing that it actually Yeah, the fact that they're 171 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: mad and try and stop it is how you like 172 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: realize you're getting something done. You're kind of like, I mean, 173 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: I want to people that rules, but you're like, oh, 174 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: this actually means something more. And you know, because they're 175 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: trying to stop you from doing it, they're really pissed 176 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: about it. Yeah. So so anthropologist David Giles called food 177 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: nut Bombs tongue in cheek. He calls it a mass 178 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,559 Speaker 1: conspiracy to feed people or a network of anarchist soup kitchens. 179 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: And importantly, food nut Bombs tries for a mutual aid 180 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: model rather than a charity model. It's basically attempting to 181 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,959 Speaker 1: create horizontal care rather than something that denies people agency. Right, 182 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: you're trying to increase our collective agency rather than say 183 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: well I've got some stuff and you can have it, 184 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: you peasant or whatever. Yeah, it's a it's a mass, 185 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,559 Speaker 1: leaderless movement of autonomous groups that just share a few 186 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: basic concepts in the name. All you've got to do 187 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,320 Speaker 1: to be food nut Bombs is call yourself food nut 188 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 1: bombs and then go out and do it, get food 189 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 1: donations or just pull stuff out of the trash, and 190 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: then follow three basic principles of the non group. And 191 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: the three principles are the food is a vegan or 192 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: vegetarian and free to everyone without restriction, rich or poor, 193 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: stoned or sober. You can tell this was written a 194 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: couple of decades ago. Food not Bombs has no formal 195 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,160 Speaker 1: leaders or headquarters, and every group is autonomous and makes 196 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: decisions using consensus process. Food not Bombs is dedicated to 197 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: non violent direct action and works for non violent social change. 198 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: Those are the three rules. But even even these three 199 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: rules on the ground, this gets messy, right because not 200 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: everyone follows these three rules right right right, Like theoretically, 201 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: the one that I've run across the most. You know, theoretically, 202 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: a group should not call itself food up bombs if 203 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: it serves meat, for example, And I might get flak 204 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: for suggesting that I have observed people doing otherwise, right, Um, 205 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: you know, usually it's on the side, but you know, 206 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: and then I know another group that just didn't call 207 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 1: itself food not bombs because they were like, well, we're 208 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 1: going to do the exact same thing, but we're gonna 209 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: serve meat. And the reasoning was sound. The reasoning was 210 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: we eat meat. The people who were serving eat meat, 211 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: so let's just serve them meat. Yeah, and you know, 212 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: and they're getting the same donations of of meat from 213 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: the same place they get all the rest of the produce. 214 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:13,320 Speaker 1: Wh fuck it. Yeah yeah, but oh go ahead, Oh no, 215 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: I was just gonna say, yeah, we recently had a 216 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: thing with solidrated stacks where we got yeah, like a 217 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: hot food donation, and it really was a thing where 218 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: it was like, man, you know because our normal thing 219 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: is like packaged like snacks and water and pope and 220 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: stuff like that, and it was just like, al right, 221 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,680 Speaker 1: the transition between like serving plates of is so many 222 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 1: layers more difficult. And then like the vegan thing does 223 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: have a extremely I guess there's practical elements that sort 224 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: of cut both ways. One is like it's a little 225 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: while too. It does feel like, look, if there is 226 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: food that is not vegan that is going to waste, 227 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: it makes sense to get it back out into the community, 228 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: I think. But also it does it creates lays of 229 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:05,439 Speaker 1: food safety that are so many, so many magnitudes more complex. 230 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: I'm just like, you know, the thing with the vegan 231 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: stuff is that it is almost certainly never going to 232 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: go bad, and if it goes bad, it's not going 233 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,440 Speaker 1: to kill someone. That is literally the next sense of 234 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: the script. That is so true. Yeah, in all likely, yeah, 235 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: you know, caveat, but yeah, it really is. I was 236 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: just like, because, yeah, I think the first time I 237 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,839 Speaker 1: came across the vegan thing, I was like, people don't 238 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: necessarily want vegan stuff, but it's so much easier. Yeah. Um, 239 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: I mean I've been vegan for a very long time, right, 240 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,439 Speaker 1: but I I have no problem with the people who 241 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: are like figuring out ways to serve other people meet 242 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: and all that. Um. But one of the reasons I 243 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,439 Speaker 1: stayed vegan for so long was because I ate food 244 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: out of the trash for a very long time, and 245 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: I was like, the worst I'm facing as a stomach ache. 246 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: You know, I'm sure that there's a way that I 247 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: could eat vegan trash and kill myself. I really weren't 248 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: at it, but yeah, you know, like way easier. I 249 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: think it's significantly less likely yeah, I think that that 250 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: truly is like the strongest case for it. Yeah, it 251 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: was a little hilarious. I forgot like at one point 252 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: we were getting um oh, shoot, I feel bad. I 253 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: don't remember the name of the organization, but it was 254 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:22,320 Speaker 1: it was some organization in um south Central had vegan burritos. However, 255 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 1: they were like contributing and it was a little like 256 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: the chickpea curry burrito. It's like such a staple of Mutually. Yeah. 257 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: I was just like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is what's 258 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: going out the door right now. I was like, damn, 259 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: I have I have like held this very burrito in 260 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: my hand across like different decades, like different states, different cities. 261 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 1: It's always the same thing. Yeah, I love food nut bombs, 262 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: but um, I didn't eat eggplant for a very long 263 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: time after eating a lot of food nut bombs because 264 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: I was just it was impossible to cook it well. 265 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: But the truth was random people who don't know how 266 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: to cook yeah, don't cook it well. It is it 267 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: is that, like God, we feel like someone should just 268 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: do like like the updated Mutual Aid cookbook just like 269 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: still Ship that you can get frequently in donations. But 270 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: we really just got to like change the proportions a 271 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: little bit and like figure out some way to or not. 272 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: But I was just like, God, damn it, this fucking 273 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: you know, like p Curry Burrito had it so many times. 274 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: Totally okay. And the other rule that people I think 275 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: break are not break, but it's like complicated to a 276 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: lot of people who said up these groups is the 277 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: third rule, the fact that it has committed to non 278 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: violent direct action. I would say food not bombs itself 279 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: is a non violent direct action, and people get very 280 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: excited about as a non violent direct action. But I 281 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: will say that, um, a lot of the the activist 282 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: world has changed dramatically since the eighties, and the threat 283 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: models that we face have changed dramatically since the eighties. 284 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: And I would say that a lot of people who 285 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: cooked in participating food not bombs on organizational level are 286 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: not themselves committed to non violence resistance. Sure, yeah, I 287 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: mean I think I think rightfully it's a multi art 288 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 1: thing exactly. Yeah, that has been That has been like 289 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: the an interesting thing about more actively participating in something 290 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: like this too, which is like again something not the 291 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: food not bombs, but I mutually more more like regular 292 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: mutual aid thing is like yeah, just like like because 293 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: part of me was like people here seem really paranoid, 294 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: and then like after hanging out with them for a 295 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 1: couple of years, I'm like, I understand what people here 296 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: are because I was like, I don't we I feel 297 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: like we put a lot of secrecy in like you know, 298 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: how many granola bars we're getting this week? And like yeah, 299 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: you know. But I was like, Okay, I'm starting to 300 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: understand what's happening here. Time. This isn't I'm going off script. 301 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: Whoa Okay. So this one time I was in it 302 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: was like two thousand two or two thousand and three, 303 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: and we're having this demonstration in Chicago and I don't 304 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: even remember what we were demonstrating against. These demonstrate against 305 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: a lot of things, and we're meeting up in the 306 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,880 Speaker 1: basement of the Info Shop and we're like everyone's being 307 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 1: really careful and like speaking about anonymous things, and everyone's 308 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,439 Speaker 1: like it's this top secret thing and the city has 309 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 1: spent tens of millions of dollars on the security, and 310 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: we're all like, all right, what are we going to cook? What? What? 311 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 1: What is the food? Not bombs? And I remember because 312 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:35,439 Speaker 1: we had to drive past police lines with our like 313 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: tables strapped to the top of a minivan in order 314 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: to serve food, and and we picked. I was considered 315 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: the most arrestable person. So I was the one who 316 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: carried the knife so that we could cut the cable. 317 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: Why I had nowhere else to be and I wasn't 318 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: out as trans yet you know, um, the most arrestable 319 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:05,479 Speaker 1: person loki a flex. Yeah, I was the one with 320 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: no responsibilities, and so so I carried the knife so 321 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 1: that we could cut the rope to get the table 322 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: off of the top of the minivan so that the 323 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: minivan could get away before they would be like pulled 324 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 1: over and ticketed. And it was like, okay, how are 325 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: we gonna you know? And I just remember I had 326 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: this moment where I was like, they think we're down 327 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: here plotting like murder, you know, and we are definitely 328 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: like how do we go feed people downtown tomorrow? Um? Yeah, 329 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,159 Speaker 1: I mean like the other way to look at it 330 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,640 Speaker 1: though a little bit, I think, and the feeling I've 331 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: been having and this might be a little not like 332 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,439 Speaker 1: self serving and self justifying, is like, you know, like 333 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:56,199 Speaker 1: like any effort, it's it's that like logistical support is 334 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 1: actually like how you running resistance run an army, like 335 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: you know, even just like recently, you know, I'm not 336 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: like a military person, but just watch you know this 337 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: this the ship in Ukraine, Like half of it is 338 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: really just like yeah, you you make it so the 339 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: food trucks take two days longer to get there and 340 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: the army stops. Like it's really like like I think 341 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 1: that that is maybe the other side of it is 342 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,479 Speaker 1: like they realized that like this level of organization and 343 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: like just truly mass logistical support is the thing that 344 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: turns into whatever resistance is most needed at the time, 345 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: or at least can turn into. Those are the pieces 346 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,119 Speaker 1: and it's part of and now I'm cheating. We'll have 347 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: to skip this when I get to it later in 348 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,159 Speaker 1: the script. It's part of um what makes it mutual 349 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 1: aid instead of just a charity organization, right, because you're 350 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: creating the infrastructure by which we can feed ourselves and others. Yeah, 351 00:19:58,200 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: I know, absolutely, it's one of those things because I 352 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,160 Speaker 1: you know, I'm now just like I've just aged into 353 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: I'm too old to throw a brick. Not that I 354 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: ever threw a brick, but I was certainly not at 355 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: least ready ready in theory to throw a brick and 356 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: if I know, absolutely had to. And I was just like, alright, 357 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: my brick throwing days are over. But like I don't 358 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: even remember who this is something I've repeated multiple places, 359 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: and I should look up. But this paraphrase, which is like, 360 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: you know, it's not the sexiest thing, but someone needs 361 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,639 Speaker 1: to wash the dishes during the revolution to like you know, 362 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: that's like just you know, not like just as important maybe, 363 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: but like those things are all like part of you know, 364 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: both an active resistance and an active good society. It's 365 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 1: part of the invisibilized labor to write like yeah, yeah, right, 366 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: I mean it's definitely like I'm sure there's an element 367 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: to it where the reason it's not glorious is because 368 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 1: it's quote unquote with work. Yeah yeah, okay, So the 369 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 1: first time I wrote in some of you know, the 370 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,680 Speaker 1: whole thing isn't just Margaret Nostalgia Hour, but but I 371 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: I wrote in part of this the first time I 372 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: ate food nut bombs. I've been a traveling activist for 373 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: like three days. I had just dropped out of college. 374 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: I'm in Richmond, Virginia, and I'm hanging out by the 375 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,440 Speaker 1: river with these like super scary train riding people with 376 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:21,959 Speaker 1: like there's like a woman with like face tattoos of 377 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: like tiger stripes and stuff. And they're like, all right, 378 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: we're going to food nut Bombs. So I go to 379 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,920 Speaker 1: food nat Bombs and I show up in the park 380 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,360 Speaker 1: and a couple of minivans full of cruss punks, which 381 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: is at the time is a very important distinction between 382 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: the crust punks who live in houses and the crusties 383 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 1: who don't um. All the terminology has changed since then. 384 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: There's no point in me telling anyone this. They come 385 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: out and they have all these trades of food. It's 386 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 1: a three course meal. It's actually the best food nut 387 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: Bombs and me, well, I've ever eaten. They had like 388 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 1: made dessert. They made this like raspberry cobbler, and it 389 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: was hundreds of people in the park from a lot 390 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: not all walks of life, right, but a lot of 391 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 1: different walks of life of people are in this park 392 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: eating this food and it And that was kind of 393 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: when I learned that there was almost this like and 394 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 1: I want to say was because my own my own 395 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: knowledge of food nut Bombs tapers off. My own direct 396 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: involvement in food nut bombs, but at least at the time, 397 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: there was this kind of like network of all of 398 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: the different East Coast cities were kind of competing to 399 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: see who had the the best food, the most food, 400 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 1: the most servings, and to feed the most people. Um 401 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: and it ruled. Like it just you know, that's the 402 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: only competition I'm really excited about is the like super 403 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: friendly competition where we all just get better at everything, 404 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: you know. So yeah, yeah, that that that's sort of 405 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: like exactly the best version of this sort of thing. 406 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: I guess. It's also like having not as close but 407 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: witnessed sort of these things. Also, like it is remarkable 408 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: how that what should be friendly competition can then also 409 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: turn into like Boker's hierarchical pulsion, which just like come 410 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:04,160 Speaker 1: on totally by any power, I guess, is always dangerous. Okay, 411 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: So the history of food not Bombs so started as 412 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: a bit of it was a prank, kind of a 413 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: bit of street theater. And one of the problems doing 414 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: the history of food not Bombs, we mostly have one 415 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: guy's word for it. The guy is still around, is 416 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 1: still cooks food not bombs, mostly in Santa Cruz. His 417 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: name is Keith McHenry, and I don't agree with most 418 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: of his takes on current events. Um he's kind of 419 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: gone anti vax but um, but we mostly have his word. 420 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,439 Speaker 1: We also have a word from our sponsors. Yeah. So 421 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: one of the things that's very important to know about 422 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: Cool People did Cool Stuff is that we are only 423 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 1: sponsored by very positive things and also things that you 424 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 1: can't buy. So, for example, we are perpetual and longest 425 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 1: running sponsor is the concept of potatoes. No individual potato 426 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: vendor or even style, but just the concept of potatoes. 427 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: And I'm wondering if you have anything particularly positive that 428 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: you would like Sophie to do the word to get 429 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: to sponsor this particular episode. Previous sponsors have been the 430 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 1: concept of tap water, the concept of me I see, well, yeah, 431 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: just a little. The dogs. I'm using a toothpick to 432 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: point to the dogs. Dogs like a sleepy dog, A 433 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: sleepy dog. My. My absolute worst thing that I've done 434 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: in the last two years is I have trained the 435 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: dogs uh to go into the crate by saying go 436 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: to jail, and they go. They hop right in the crate. 437 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: And it's funny to me, but not awesome. I that 438 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: my friend had a head or dog trained to to 439 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: put his paws on the wall. If he said cops, 440 00:24:53,040 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 1: he would go up. And that's amazing. Yeah, it's really 441 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: you know, your relationship with your dogs is interesting. Yeah, 442 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,679 Speaker 1: let's give give it off for these little for the 443 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,640 Speaker 1: snooze and dogs sleeping dogs and whatever. Whoever else paid 444 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: us the money and put ads on the show. Okay, 445 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: and we are back from those excellent advertisements about sleeping dogs. 446 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: If there were any other advertisements at all, please complain 447 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: to Sophie. Um. You should find her on Twitter at 448 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:38,399 Speaker 1: I right, okay, And so Keith mckenry one of the 449 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: founders of food nut bombs and the primary historian of 450 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: food nut bombs. And I'm I uh, I don't. I 451 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,120 Speaker 1: don't think he has any particular reason to lie about 452 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:47,520 Speaker 1: any of this, but it's just sort of frustrating that 453 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:53,720 Speaker 1: I can't check against other things very effecially. Any sometimes 454 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: centers himself a little bit in the history. But um, 455 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 1: but maybe it's completely accurate. I don't know. So he 456 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: seems to be the one who runs the food up 457 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: bombs website. Anyway, I like food nut bombs as a 458 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: mass movement is what I'm trying to say, and no 459 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,679 Speaker 1: offense to this particular person who I disagree with on 460 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: some stuff. So it grows out of the anti nuclear movement. 461 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: On on MA, there's this big civil disobedience protest at 462 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: a nuclear power plant construction site in New Hampshire. And 463 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: I know that nuclear power is kind of more of 464 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: a complex issue in the current context of global warming 465 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:28,199 Speaker 1: and as we try and figure out what the how 466 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: we're going to do, But at the time, nuclear power 467 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: especially was understood as a pretty clear danger, right, the 468 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: anti nuke movement spent its time drawing attention to that 469 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 1: danger and especially nuclear disarmament and the fact that they 470 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: were all expecting to die in a hall like a 471 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: you know, nuclear war at any given moment. And they 472 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: were also did all this six years before Chernobyl, so 473 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: they clearly weren't entirely wrong about the dangers of nuclear 474 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,880 Speaker 1: power plants. Um. So they decided to try and stop 475 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 1: this place from being built, and they do it through 476 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: mass civil disobedience, and the way they go about it 477 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,199 Speaker 1: it's really fucking cool. Uh. Four thousand people show up 478 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: and that's not huge for a protest, but it's really 479 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: big for direct action. Four thousand people with construction helmets 480 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: and d I Y padded armor and grapp lan hooks 481 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 1: and ships show up, uh and they are all set 482 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: to tear down the fence, storm the place, and put 483 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,399 Speaker 1: their bodies in front of bulldozers in non violence of 484 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 1: it dis obedience form the government, though the government doesn't 485 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: actually want them to do this for some odd reason. 486 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't able to find the government's reasoning for stopping them, 487 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: But they go about working trying to stop them. The 488 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 1: National Guards shows up. They wade in with batons to 489 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: beat the ship out of everyone. They pepper spray everyone. 490 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: Helicopters dropped tear gas on them from helicopters. I guess 491 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: the helicopters are the helicopters and the spokesperson for the 492 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:49,160 Speaker 1: protesters a guy named Brian Feigenbaum. May or may not 493 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: have hit a cop with a grapp lane hook. That 494 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 1: is what he got arrested for anyhow, and I would 495 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: argue that he deserves support even if he didn't do it. 496 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:04,919 Speaker 1: So so his support team. Thanks thanks for laughing at 497 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: my joke, appreciate it. It took me a second. I 498 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 1: was like, I got yeah, yeah, I wrote it, and 499 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 1: I was like, this is this is gonna work? I 500 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: don't know anyway. Um, So his support team goes about 501 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,680 Speaker 1: trying to raise money for his legal defense, and so 502 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,479 Speaker 1: they're like, all right, it's nineteen eighty and you'r how 503 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: how would what's the first non crime method that you 504 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 1: would use to try and raise money. I'm I'm curious. 505 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: Uh in the god, I don't know. Ah, it's okay, 506 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: there's got to be some some like securities. So I said, noncrime, 507 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: noncrime crime. I think those most of those guys were 508 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: not charged with anything, alright, I like mine dance a thon? Yeah, 509 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: there it is, and the world will be a very 510 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: different place if they had would dancer fum. They did 511 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,600 Speaker 1: not know. They went with for a bake sale. Cute, 512 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: and a bake sale is a very cute way to 513 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,320 Speaker 1: have people have muffins and brownies, but it is not 514 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: a particularly effective way to raise money on the scale 515 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: that they're tempting to raise money. So it doesn't work 516 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: very well. And so they're like, okay, you know that cliche. 517 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: It'll be a great day when our schools get all 518 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: the money they need and the air forces to hold 519 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 1: a bake sale to buy a b one bomber. Okay, 520 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: So my theory is that in the eighties, everyone in 521 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: the United States was a mailed a poster that says this, 522 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: and that's how it became a cliche, much like how 523 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: I believe it was two thousand five where the government 524 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: mailed everyone a Coexist sticker so that they could put 525 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: it on their car. Yeah, so they look I mean, 526 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: I feel like, I having grown up in like a 527 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: kind of hippie college tone, I'm just like, I feel 528 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: like I know the exact person who probably had to 529 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: be making this coexisting Yeah, totally. Yeah, they're also anti VAXX. Yeah, hippies, hippies. 530 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,959 Speaker 1: Why anti boomers hit these way? I guess it's just 531 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: like we don't trust the government because I'm like I 532 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: don't either, but I trust scientists sometimes. Yeah. Well, it's 533 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 1: also like, I mean, obviously we don't need to, you know, 534 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: go go down this road. But it's like that's not 535 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 1: how the government is going to fund you. It's so weird. 536 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: It's like they're gonna suck you by not giving you 537 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: a vaccine your lunatic or charging your money for him. 538 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: If you think they have goddamn terminator style nanobots. Then 539 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 1: like it's over. It's over at that point. The vaccine, Yeah, 540 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: the vaccine is by far the least of your words. 541 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 1: Bill Gates can't even get you to buy a fucking telephone. 542 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: You think you could control people's minds. Maybe he did. 543 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: It would just be through advertising, and like, yeah, they 544 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 1: are control your mind in a different way, so dumb, Sorry, 545 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: they would be buying advertising. This is listically radical shows. 546 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 1: Oh no, this is like level of discourse. I apologize 547 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 1: for being so far behind it, all right, I live 548 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,000 Speaker 1: under a rock. So okay. So they look at this poster. 549 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: They have a copy. They apparently they got one because 550 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 1: they were like they also had like a moving company. 551 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: They just had a bunch of different odd jobs and 552 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: someone like gave them a poster and they look at 553 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: the poster and like, oh, that's a good idea. So 554 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: they have another bake sale, but this time they dress 555 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: up like generals and they just say we're here to 556 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: raise money to buy a bomber. And this once again 557 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: does not raise much money for their friend. But what 558 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: it does is it shows them that street theater is 559 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 1: a very effective means to to communicate with people and 560 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: talk to people, because the first bake sales is kind 561 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: of a wash. Second bake sale they don't make any money, 562 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: but they talk to people and people get are like, oh, 563 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 1: what's this about. And they get to like talk about 564 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 1: all their politics and stuff with passers by, and people 565 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:02,360 Speaker 1: are into it. So they're like, all right, street theater, 566 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: that's the thing. And so the next thing they do, 567 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: they're not even trying to raise money anymore. They just 568 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: want to protest some banks that are funding nuclear nonsense. 569 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:16,080 Speaker 1: And so there's a big stockholder meeting it's March, and 570 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: the activists decided to stay just okay, this part is 571 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: actually really cringeing. Um. They decided to stage a soup 572 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: kitchen in front, which is okay, and they're like, these 573 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: policies are what led us to the Great Depression. We 574 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: don't want to go back. I'm like, okay, I'm with you. 575 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: And then they're like, so let's dress up like homeless people. 576 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,959 Speaker 1: I'm no longer with them. And then they're like, and 577 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: let's go to a homeless shelter of the night before 578 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: and recruit people to come be extras in our street 579 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: theater at this protest by telling them that will give 580 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: them some soup if they come. And I don't want 581 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 1: to like deny the people who came their agency, but 582 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: like I don't know, I don't yeah, I mean any 583 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: anything conditional is all. It's like yeah, yeah, you sort 584 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 1: of like see exactly like the origins of this, um yeah, 585 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: that's like kind of type of movement in your way, 586 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 1: You're like, okay, well, but that is actually why it's 587 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: nice that um you know, there's I think the emphasis 588 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 1: on a non hierarchical kind of thing. At least it's 589 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 1: like good, there's no there's no gods, there's no founding 590 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,320 Speaker 1: fathers that we have to give a shit about. You 591 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: get in this mutual eight yeah exactly, which is like 592 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: so yeah yeah, and and you know, and I could 593 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: be like super grateful that you know what they what 594 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 1: they set up and like, and so they staged this protest. 595 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 1: They set up a soup kitchen, and like fifty people 596 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: from the shelter come and they show up for lunch 597 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: and everyone was happy and everything was good based on 598 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,520 Speaker 1: what we know of it, and and the fifty folks 599 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: were like, there's no one really feeding people downtown is Boston? 600 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,720 Speaker 1: No one really feeding downtown. You should do this every 601 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: day and um, and I would argue that these fifty 602 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 1: anonymous people are the true founders of food, not bombs, 603 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: but that's just my own um yeah yeah, And and 604 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: they're like, okay, we're actually onto something here. So all 605 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,640 Speaker 1: these activists, they're like food matters, Food brings people together. 606 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: People also need food. People seem to be addicted to 607 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,879 Speaker 1: it for some odd reason. And so they all quit 608 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,239 Speaker 1: their jobs. And depending on who you ask, they either 609 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 1: rented a house or squatted a house. And now I 610 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:26,200 Speaker 1: would argue, quit your job and rent a house is 611 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: a sort of contradictory statement. So my money is on 612 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: squat a house, um, you know, or you know, or 613 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 1: one of them had a bunch of money from somewhere, 614 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,520 Speaker 1: which is totally fine, and if so, they just if so, 615 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: they use their parents money incredibly well, but my money 616 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 1: is on squat at a house. And they just go 617 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,399 Speaker 1: about doing this, and they start soliciting donations of food 618 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: that would be going to waste from from bakeries and 619 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:50,839 Speaker 1: food co ops. One of them worked at a food 620 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: co op and was like used to throwing away all 621 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,720 Speaker 1: this food and was like this sucks, you know, and 622 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:57,239 Speaker 1: they start cooking all this food and they start bringing 623 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:00,120 Speaker 1: it to shelters, to rehabs, to immigrant support center to 624 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: housing projects. Basically, they're like, anywhere someone needs food, we're 625 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 1: showing up with food. We're good at finding food, and 626 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: we will bring it to people. And then with the 627 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:10,520 Speaker 1: like kind of leftovers, they start having this feed in 628 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,240 Speaker 1: Harvard Square and they set up food for all commers 629 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:17,320 Speaker 1: and these feeds turn into events and people are bringing 630 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:19,720 Speaker 1: puppets and drums and all that ship that eighties activists 631 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 1: were super into, and people are sharing radical literature, and 632 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,960 Speaker 1: then they're running around graffiti and everything with like peace graffiti. 633 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,160 Speaker 1: I've totally met this kind of person before, and I 634 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:30,799 Speaker 1: love them, even though I'm not one of them, you know. 635 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: And one of the slogans that they use in their 636 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,080 Speaker 1: their tag is money for food not bombs, And eventually 637 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: this gets shortened to food not bombs, and that's how 638 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:43,440 Speaker 1: the the Whole Project gets its name, or Keith Henry 639 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:47,759 Speaker 1: coined it depends on who you ask, and I'm gonna 640 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:50,280 Speaker 1: take one more swife at this particular weird history stuff. 641 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 1: Soon they had a logo to which is a purple 642 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: fist holding a carrot that's the food not Bombs logo, 643 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,359 Speaker 1: and Keith mckenry drew that, but um, the food co 644 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,840 Speaker 1: Op movement had been using as totally in a carrot 645 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:06,280 Speaker 1: as a logo since the nineteen seventies. So anyway, whatever, 646 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:10,240 Speaker 1: Like I actually kind of don't care, like, but go ahead. Yeah, 647 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 1: it's that era, Yeah totally. Yeah, it's just sort of 648 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,920 Speaker 1: that era and that type of folks. And there's a 649 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,920 Speaker 1: kind of limit to how much different graphic design. That's 650 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: a good point, yeah, totally. And so culturally this group 651 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,600 Speaker 1: grows out of the anti nuke movement, which was a 652 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:27,879 Speaker 1: kind of a fun mix of anarchists and Quaker who 653 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 1: are both friends of the pod. They seem to show 654 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: up constantly. Well, the anarchists because I'm I'm one, so 655 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:34,880 Speaker 1: I keep throwing them in, But the Quakers. No idea 656 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,560 Speaker 1: when I started this podcast how fucking radical the Quakers 657 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:41,440 Speaker 1: are throughout everything in history. And then also radical Catholics 658 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:44,360 Speaker 1: are part of the anti nuke movement, and and I 659 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,280 Speaker 1: know some of the founders of the Fun Bombs are anarchists. 660 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if all of them were. It's possible 661 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,239 Speaker 1: because they like they seem to practice a lot of 662 00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 1: the cultural norms of like anarchist activism throughout this time. 663 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: But it's also possible that they just set those norms. 664 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,799 Speaker 1: So I don't know. But the Anti New movement it's 665 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:03,279 Speaker 1: drawing from these three sources. And as far as I 666 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: can tell, you get direct action, protest, and youthful vigor 667 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,880 Speaker 1: from the anarchists. You get consensus decision making from the Quakers, 668 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,319 Speaker 1: and from the Catholics, you get this um you do 669 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 1: what is right, whether it's safe or not. And then 670 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,239 Speaker 1: you also get this idea that I had no idea about, 671 00:37:18,239 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: but I got kind of excited about when I learned 672 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:26,399 Speaker 1: about this idea called personalism, this theological concept, and this 673 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 1: segues us into me explaining the different ways that people 674 00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: talk and look at homelessness. So I want to do that. Yeah, 675 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 1: all right, wait, are you to go into personal But 676 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:38,719 Speaker 1: it's gonna come back around. Do you want to know 677 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:42,960 Speaker 1: about personalism? Because if so, no, no, no, yea, just 678 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,239 Speaker 1: like okay, no, it's gonna come back around to it. 679 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,799 Speaker 1: So okay, So this I'm gonna contrast two theories about 680 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:52,320 Speaker 1: homelessness and extreme poverty as a name by sociologist Teresa Gowin, 681 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,479 Speaker 1: and I hate a good I hate a good versus 682 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:56,800 Speaker 1: bad dichotomy. But this is a good versus bad dichotomy 683 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,840 Speaker 1: because one of these ideas is good and one of 684 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:03,040 Speaker 1: these ideas is bad. Um. The first theory Gowin calls 685 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,840 Speaker 1: sick talk, and this theory claims that people are homeless 686 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,440 Speaker 1: because of mental health, addiction, and criminality. Do you want 687 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:11,239 Speaker 1: to guess whether this is the good theory or the 688 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:18,440 Speaker 1: bad theory? By my standard, I'm comfortable saying yes. Surprise, 689 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,399 Speaker 1: I love this one. Obvious kidding. So sick talk goes 690 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,000 Speaker 1: back centuries. Everyone always wants to blame individuals for social problems. 691 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,520 Speaker 1: I don't know if you've run across this before. Yes. 692 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,400 Speaker 1: In contrast, you've got system talk, and I think that 693 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,080 Speaker 1: they use these terms to be like the way people 694 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:35,879 Speaker 1: talk about it. Right. Um, So you can either talk 695 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 1: about people as sick or you can talk about systems. 696 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:40,960 Speaker 1: And during the Great Depression, future friends of the pod 697 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:43,879 Speaker 1: industrial workers of the world, the Wobblies, they push this 698 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,279 Speaker 1: sort of theory. This theory is basically that homelessness is 699 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: driven by the boom and bus cycles of capitalism and 700 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:54,200 Speaker 1: the economy's need for a huge reserve of workers and 701 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: and for a good forty years or so after the depression. 702 00:38:56,640 --> 00:39:00,160 Speaker 1: Even the US government is on system talk. Oh, kind 703 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,240 Speaker 1: of a watered down one compared to what the labor 704 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:04,840 Speaker 1: unions want, but and it, and this is where you 705 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 1: get like the New Deal and all that shipped from UM, 706 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,919 Speaker 1: which is like trying to moderate out the worst bad 707 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,600 Speaker 1: stuff about capitalism UM in a lot of ways as 708 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,799 Speaker 1: far as I understand, basically to be like, well, we 709 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,239 Speaker 1: either do this or people start thinking that the USSRS 710 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:22,359 Speaker 1: looks like a good idea. You know. Then Reagan came 711 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 1: in and dismantled all that ship in the eighties with 712 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:27,320 Speaker 1: this free market bullshit, which caused a spike in homelessness, 713 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:30,760 Speaker 1: which then got blamed on people getting out of mental institutions, 714 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:35,760 Speaker 1: right even though actually the people there are more people 715 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: going into mental institutions, not the other way around. But 716 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,279 Speaker 1: sick talk isn't a totally fuckum approach. It's not just 717 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: a like I don't care to let them die in 718 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:49,160 Speaker 1: the streets. Instead, it's like like system talk is like, well, 719 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:51,799 Speaker 1: let's provide everyone what they need, or at least let's 720 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: set up like work programs and help everyone deal with ship. 721 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: Where sick talk solutions are like, oh no, everyone who's 722 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,759 Speaker 1: homeless is sick and needs eatment, and they treat homelessness 723 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:06,480 Speaker 1: as this individual problem. Yeah, well it's also that you know, 724 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:10,919 Speaker 1: that's the thing, the charity versus mutually a thing as 725 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,160 Speaker 1: you talked about earlier, which is like which is also 726 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:18,719 Speaker 1: a vocabulary I'm like not good at. But yeah, this 727 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:21,919 Speaker 1: idea that it's like like sick sick talk as as 728 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,000 Speaker 1: we were, as you were, is sort of like leads 729 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 1: to this like pity, So you do this out of pity, um, 730 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:32,040 Speaker 1: which is not like, I mean, you see the ways 731 00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:35,560 Speaker 1: that it's totally No, that's such a good point. And 732 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:38,400 Speaker 1: so even though it's Reagan who brings all this stuff up, 733 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:42,240 Speaker 1: uh is bipartisan, Bill Clinton is entirely on this page, 734 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,600 Speaker 1: and everyone since then has pretty much been on this page. 735 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:48,160 Speaker 1: Because if we can see homelessness as a personal failure 736 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:51,799 Speaker 1: instead of an economic crisis, then we can avoid pain 737 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:54,480 Speaker 1: essentially the economic crisis, although I would argue that we 738 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:56,760 Speaker 1: will not be able to avoid talking about the economic 739 00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:03,799 Speaker 1: crisis much longer. But um know so, so I don't 740 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 1: like sick talk very much. I like system talk. But 741 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:07,680 Speaker 1: what does this have to do with Food Not Bombs 742 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,040 Speaker 1: and Catholics and personalism you ask, Glad you asked. So 743 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,880 Speaker 1: these problems they have to get addressed on a system 744 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,799 Speaker 1: wide level, but that doesn't mean there aren't individuals who 745 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,200 Speaker 1: are suffering from it. And so I want to quote 746 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 1: the author Shaun Parson, who wrote a book called Cooking 747 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 1: Up a Revolution about Food not Bombs. What makes the 748 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,440 Speaker 1: radical homelessness politics of groups like Food Not Bombs and 749 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:34,000 Speaker 1: the Catholic Workers unique is not that they embrace a 750 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:36,600 Speaker 1: systems talk, but that the few systems talk with a 751 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:40,719 Speaker 1: radical personalism, personalism which has its roots in Catholic theology 752 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:43,040 Speaker 1: and the writings of Thorou and Tolstoy. Front of the 753 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:46,879 Speaker 1: Pod Tolstoy and every fucking episode along incredible. I did 754 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: not think we were getting at in this one. Wow, 755 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:56,760 Speaker 1: No unbelievable. Uh is a European religious ethical philosophy developed 756 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: by Emmanuel Monier. I think humane eash and every person 757 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 1: and was modeled in the image of God and therefore 758 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:05,399 Speaker 1: was uniquely beautiful and valuable. Therefore, no person is worth 759 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:09,439 Speaker 1: more than another, and no person is expendable. And so 760 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,920 Speaker 1: I'm no is no longer quote. Personalism is really interesting 761 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:17,680 Speaker 1: to me. Um, it springs up in the early twentieth century, 762 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:20,400 Speaker 1: and then it influences this interwar movement in France. I 763 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:21,840 Speaker 1: love falling down these rabbit holes is one of my 764 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:26,000 Speaker 1: favorite parts about this podcast. So there's this this interwar 765 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:30,319 Speaker 1: movement in France called the nonconformists, who do what a 766 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,719 Speaker 1: lot of my favorite people do. They like, um, they're 767 00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:35,719 Speaker 1: influenced by a bunch of French socialists, including prudal and 768 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:40,640 Speaker 1: the anarchist. And they hate capitalism because reasonably obvious why. 769 00:42:40,719 --> 00:42:43,960 Speaker 1: And they hate fascism because it's even more obvious why. Um. 770 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:49,040 Speaker 1: And they hate the uss ARE because reasonably obvious why um. 771 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:50,520 Speaker 1: And Actually one of the reasons that they hate the 772 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:54,239 Speaker 1: USSR though, is that they're mostly religious and they are 773 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:58,719 Speaker 1: not materialists. They believe in spirituality, and so they're like 774 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:00,760 Speaker 1: left with, like, well, what the hell do we believe 775 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:02,920 Speaker 1: if we come up with this like spiritual socialism and 776 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 1: it's very heavily influenced by personalism and um And I 777 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: don't know a ton about these folks yet, I'm just 778 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 1: like kind of starting to learn about them. Also, they 779 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 1: kind of didn't get a chance to do anything cool 780 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 1: because then World War two happened, and then like half 781 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:18,719 Speaker 1: of them became collaborationists with the Nazis and the other 782 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,520 Speaker 1: half joined the French resistance. Um, I think right, So, 783 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:25,960 Speaker 1: which I guess that makes sense. It's sort of yeah, 784 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:28,640 Speaker 1: those are sort of the two sides. I just even 785 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: as you're talking that. The interesting thing is, like, I mean, 786 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:37,160 Speaker 1: like any philosophy, obviously like there anything could be used 787 00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:40,760 Speaker 1: in a different way, but I hadn't really like heard 788 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:44,759 Speaker 1: this phrase or this concept personalism. But that also is 789 00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,320 Speaker 1: the direct line too. If you truly believe that a 790 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:53,920 Speaker 1: fucking embryo as a person, then why why is you know, 791 00:43:53,960 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 1: a real person more valuable than these cells? Like oh yep, 792 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:07,520 Speaker 1: and you know what else is more valuable than some cells? Advertisements? Yes, 793 00:44:08,719 --> 00:44:15,920 Speaker 1: once again debatable, Yeah, fair enough. Unfortunately, based on the 794 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:21,200 Speaker 1: aforementioned economic system that we live under, we are sponsored 795 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:25,399 Speaker 1: by advertisers and you can listen to them if you want, 796 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: or you get fast forward. I don't care, neither do I. 797 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:38,279 Speaker 1: And we are back and we're talking about personalism and 798 00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,719 Speaker 1: all that stuff. And and one of the reasons I 799 00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:44,320 Speaker 1: like how it ties into uh taking care of people 800 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:47,600 Speaker 1: is that it's kind of this exploding brain meme. Right. Um, 801 00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:50,279 Speaker 1: you get the smallest brain is the sick talk, where 802 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,719 Speaker 1: it's like homelessness as an individual person's fault, and then 803 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:55,000 Speaker 1: you get systems talk, which is like, actually, there's alt 804 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,040 Speaker 1: of systems that needs to be addressed on a systemic level. 805 00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:59,399 Speaker 1: And then you get the big exploding brain thing where 806 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:02,440 Speaker 1: it's like, yeah, it's totally the system's fault and needs 807 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:05,080 Speaker 1: to be addressed on systemic level, But this also affects 808 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,240 Speaker 1: individuals and we need to address it on an individual 809 00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:09,680 Speaker 1: level as well. Even though the blame isn't on the individual, 810 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:14,719 Speaker 1: the care also needs to happen on an individual level. Um, 811 00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:18,359 Speaker 1: so I like it as what I'm trying to say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, 812 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:22,279 Speaker 1: I think that's probably right. I mean it's it's it's 813 00:45:22,320 --> 00:45:23,880 Speaker 1: the two sides of that, which is like it's a 814 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:28,279 Speaker 1: systemic problem, but systems are just groups of people doing 815 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:31,680 Speaker 1: shipped to other groups of people. And like one way 816 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:36,239 Speaker 1: to help fix that of as an individual is to 817 00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:41,320 Speaker 1: just try to undo some of that totally. And like 818 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:42,880 Speaker 1: like I don't know, if you like walk into your 819 00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,080 Speaker 1: house and it's trashed totally, wasn't you? I swear? And 820 00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:50,840 Speaker 1: like you just gotta start cleaning. You know, it's like, 821 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: all right, just pick up one thing, and then the 822 00:45:53,160 --> 00:45:55,560 Speaker 1: next thing and then the next thing. Yeah exactly. Um, 823 00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:57,719 Speaker 1: you know, and then you also have to figure out 824 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:04,600 Speaker 1: the stems that were allowing your yeah exactly. So anyway, 825 00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:07,360 Speaker 1: the anti nuke movement, all these things coming together. I 826 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:10,879 Speaker 1: really like when different different groups with different ideologies get 827 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:13,480 Speaker 1: together and figure out what they can do together and 828 00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:16,560 Speaker 1: where their strength overlap. And so that's and and how 829 00:46:16,719 --> 00:46:20,120 Speaker 1: you get food not bombs, this global movement out of 830 00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:26,960 Speaker 1: this melting pot or you know whatever, chemical pit, mortar 831 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,400 Speaker 1: and puzzle. I'm not very good at alchemy. Um. I 832 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:34,520 Speaker 1: have not successfully turned lead into stone, lead into gold. 833 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: I don't even know what I'm supposed to turn lead into. 834 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:39,279 Speaker 1: I'm gonna continue with the script gold. Yes, that's it. 835 00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:45,200 Speaker 1: You don't need that lead, um, oh my god. Okay, 836 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:49,120 Speaker 1: but when we start our work around AMMO Factory and 837 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:51,959 Speaker 1: we use it to fund food for everyone, we can 838 00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:56,480 Speaker 1: have the slogan turning lead into gold because we make money. Yeah, 839 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:58,280 Speaker 1: I thought you were going the other way. We're turning 840 00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:02,640 Speaker 1: gold into lead. Both points. Okay, that's actually a better direction. 841 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:06,200 Speaker 1: All right, you should be in charge of that figuring 842 00:47:06,239 --> 00:47:13,120 Speaker 1: out what we're doing. Okay, so yeah, I can see 843 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:17,759 Speaker 1: other stuff to do. Okay, I wouldn't be good. You 844 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:22,440 Speaker 1: don't want me, alright, alright, fine, we'll find someone else, Sophie. 845 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 1: All right, Anderson. Maybe Sophie kick in my head person. 846 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,879 Speaker 1: I mean, she doesn't have thumbs, but she would give 847 00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:39,840 Speaker 1: it her best. Ever. Well, that's our Our logo is 848 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:47,240 Speaker 1: just Anderson's face. Anderson is a dog. For anyone who's listening. 849 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:50,040 Speaker 1: She just gave me the best side eye a dog 850 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:53,919 Speaker 1: could give. Like, I was like, is that true? That's 851 00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:57,040 Speaker 1: what you're doing on your free time? And she was like, 852 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:04,120 Speaker 1: uh huh, so I guess it's true. All right. So 853 00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:11,440 Speaker 1: back to honestly, back in the early eighties, Food not 854 00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:14,880 Speaker 1: Bombs is at every protest, including anti nuclear activism, against 855 00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:17,440 Speaker 1: the war on drugs. They're working against all the factory 856 00:48:17,520 --> 00:48:20,160 Speaker 1: that the US is getting up to in Central America. Basically, 857 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:22,200 Speaker 1: they're part of every movement that anyone who is paying 858 00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:26,799 Speaker 1: attention in the nineteen eighties would be part of. And 859 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:29,040 Speaker 1: and this part is important to write that they fed protests. 860 00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:30,680 Speaker 1: You know, we talked about this a bit before, right that, 861 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:35,680 Speaker 1: like it's mutualate is this act of solidarity, um, because 862 00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:38,239 Speaker 1: it's it's sharing things, because sharing things is good, because 863 00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:40,360 Speaker 1: we should take care of each other. And there's like 864 00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:43,200 Speaker 1: this reciprocity implied in mutual aid. And actually a lot 865 00:48:43,239 --> 00:48:45,439 Speaker 1: of the older definitions of mutual aid are actually um 866 00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:47,879 Speaker 1: like mutual aid societies where everyone like pools their money 867 00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:49,880 Speaker 1: and take care of each other. It's actually where like 868 00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:54,000 Speaker 1: modern insurance comes from, and all this ship um like yeah, 869 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,560 Speaker 1: basically like you you join a society, yeah, yeah, but 870 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,000 Speaker 1: but this mutual late it's it doesn't certainly imply a 871 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:02,880 Speaker 1: one to one. It's not I scratch your back and 872 00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:05,320 Speaker 1: you scratch mine. And so the mutual aated food not bombs. 873 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:07,440 Speaker 1: Is I'm human, your human. Let's take care of each other. 874 00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:09,680 Speaker 1: I got all those extra food. I cooked it up 875 00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:12,880 Speaker 1: for me and my friends. You can come to you know, 876 00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:15,560 Speaker 1: um and a lot of the people, more than other 877 00:49:15,719 --> 00:49:19,120 Speaker 1: organizations that I've seen that do this. It's not perfect 878 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:21,920 Speaker 1: or utopian. Then it's never always right, but it's like 879 00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:23,319 Speaker 1: a lot of the people who come to eat end 880 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:26,280 Speaker 1: up winding wind up cooking and organizing as well, because 881 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:30,719 Speaker 1: it's so participatory and they've done two things intertwined for 882 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:34,120 Speaker 1: forty plus years. First it feeds hungry people, and second 883 00:49:34,120 --> 00:49:39,160 Speaker 1: it's better movement and just basically allows these social movements 884 00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:42,080 Speaker 1: to exist. You know, like when when I was a 885 00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:43,960 Speaker 1: full time activist, when I was sick, I would go 886 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:46,840 Speaker 1: to activist doctors. When I needed shelter, I would squat buildings, 887 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,960 Speaker 1: or I would stay in people's backyards or basements or 888 00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:52,840 Speaker 1: wherever people could find shelter for me while it's in 889 00:49:52,880 --> 00:49:55,040 Speaker 1: town for a protest or whatever. And and when we 890 00:49:55,080 --> 00:49:58,799 Speaker 1: needed food, there's food, not bombs. Uh. Sometimes in some 891 00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:00,600 Speaker 1: cities there be four or five of days a week 892 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:02,560 Speaker 1: that you could go to food nut bombs and get 893 00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:05,760 Speaker 1: a hot meal and groceries to take home, and anyone 894 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:08,040 Speaker 1: who comes you're treated like a person instead of like 895 00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:12,080 Speaker 1: sort of like lots of other groups feed and that's cool, 896 00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:15,840 Speaker 1: but there's like a scale of how inclusive it feels. 897 00:50:15,880 --> 00:50:17,920 Speaker 1: Like when you show up and they're like, here's your number. 898 00:50:19,080 --> 00:50:21,640 Speaker 1: Make sure you sit at least thirty feet away from me, 899 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:28,440 Speaker 1: because I don't like looking at you. You know. Yeah, yeah, 900 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:31,919 Speaker 1: that's like, oh God, I mean that's such like it's 901 00:50:32,120 --> 00:50:35,759 Speaker 1: so like I just I can't even figure out, like 902 00:50:35,840 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 1: the what I'm saying, but it is just the thing 903 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:42,480 Speaker 1: where you're like, yeah, you see that, and yeah, maybe 904 00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:45,759 Speaker 1: this is again me me now having spent more time 905 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:48,320 Speaker 1: on Skin Road than I had, you know, prior in 906 00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:50,839 Speaker 1: the last like two years. But it is like, and 907 00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:56,839 Speaker 1: I'm sure every every bit of like you know, I roll, 908 00:50:56,960 --> 00:50:59,640 Speaker 1: I feel like watching some other groups, I'm like I 909 00:50:59,719 --> 00:51:02,359 Speaker 1: have in that person. So I'm trying not to just 910 00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:06,319 Speaker 1: be like like you know, Kate keeping or a dick 911 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:09,759 Speaker 1: about it at all. It is so you're just like, 912 00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,520 Speaker 1: oh my god, yeah, all those things that you see, 913 00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:16,479 Speaker 1: it's like almost and not always without malice, but often 914 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:18,880 Speaker 1: it's like not even with malice, it's just like, you know, 915 00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:21,960 Speaker 1: you don't know how to if you're not sort of 916 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:25,759 Speaker 1: comfortable or fluent in in what folks need and want, 917 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:29,200 Speaker 1: and you know, you know, there's and there's elements too 918 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:32,120 Speaker 1: of just like what I'm giving you something you know 919 00:51:32,200 --> 00:51:34,480 Speaker 1: that I think you see, like you should be greatful 920 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:38,040 Speaker 1: that is like so like yeah, yeah, and it's like 921 00:51:38,120 --> 00:51:40,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes it sucks, right, Like you give someone something 922 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:43,040 Speaker 1: and they're like, well, I want another one, and I'm like, 923 00:51:43,719 --> 00:51:46,560 Speaker 1: I wish you appreciated that I had made this for you, 924 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:48,759 Speaker 1: you know, and like because like sometimes it's like, well, 925 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 1: you also want to be seen as human and now 926 00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:52,839 Speaker 1: I walked through my life and I'm seeing as human 927 00:51:52,840 --> 00:51:56,160 Speaker 1: on a fairly regular basis as compared to the person 928 00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:58,520 Speaker 1: who I'm offering this thing too. But yeah, like it 929 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:01,640 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, it's it's it's all a scale and 930 00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:03,759 Speaker 1: like I'm not trying to knock people who, you know. 931 00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:06,280 Speaker 1: It's like and even the like, the line between charity 932 00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:10,040 Speaker 1: and mutual aid is not this like impassable gulf with 933 00:52:10,160 --> 00:52:12,839 Speaker 1: two completely different ideas on each side. It's like it's 934 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: a spectrum and like we should all look at trying 935 00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:21,359 Speaker 1: to increase other people's agencies and create mutual aid, you know. 936 00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:24,040 Speaker 1: But it's like but also just like fucking go out 937 00:52:24,040 --> 00:52:27,680 Speaker 1: there and try and help people have better lives and 938 00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:32,320 Speaker 1: then figure it out, I don't know, like whatever, Yeah, yeah, 939 00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:34,840 Speaker 1: I think hopefully the good version of this is people 940 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:39,040 Speaker 1: get there no matter what. And then another another thing 941 00:52:39,080 --> 00:52:41,279 Speaker 1: that sort of ties into this like movement building version 942 00:52:41,320 --> 00:52:44,759 Speaker 1: of mutual aid really quickly that I is not really 943 00:52:44,760 --> 00:52:47,280 Speaker 1: included in this episode, will have his own episode, i'm sure, 944 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,160 Speaker 1: is the Black Panther's Breakfast Program, that they did, you know, 945 00:52:51,239 --> 00:52:53,759 Speaker 1: And there's this famous thing that the Black Panthers. One 946 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:55,440 Speaker 1: of the most radical things they did, and actually one 947 00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:57,360 Speaker 1: of the things that, if I believe, even the FBI 948 00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:01,040 Speaker 1: said was one of the most dangerous things they did, 949 00:53:01,719 --> 00:53:05,319 Speaker 1: was that they fed people. They fed kids before they 950 00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:09,960 Speaker 1: went to school, and like, and that's a movement feeding itself, 951 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:11,560 Speaker 1: you know, even though it's like, I mean, the kids 952 00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:14,440 Speaker 1: aren't the activists, but like whatever, Like, I don't know. 953 00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:18,600 Speaker 1: So this is what they're doing in Boston at this point. 954 00:53:18,640 --> 00:53:21,600 Speaker 1: This is not spread yet. And there's one little tiny 955 00:53:21,600 --> 00:53:23,640 Speaker 1: anecdote that I think is just like cute and funny 956 00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:26,520 Speaker 1: about them. Okay, So this is the Pepsi challenge, right, 957 00:53:26,680 --> 00:53:28,320 Speaker 1: and I think this is this thing that only exists 958 00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:30,080 Speaker 1: in the eighties, but I was like looking it up 959 00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:34,879 Speaker 1: for this episode. Apparently it's like still ongoing. I don't know. Um, Okay, 960 00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:37,360 Speaker 1: So there's a Pepsi challenge where you're like supposed to 961 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:40,200 Speaker 1: drink pepsi versus coke and a blind taste test. Sophie's 962 00:53:40,239 --> 00:53:43,399 Speaker 1: looking at the scripting like where is this ship going? Yeah, 963 00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:45,919 Speaker 1: because this is a thing again. This is a thing again. 964 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:48,800 Speaker 1: It's all over you would that you would not know this, Margaret, 965 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:50,799 Speaker 1: because it is very pop cultrue. But it's a whole 966 00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:55,799 Speaker 1: thing right now where there's a bunch of people and 967 00:53:55,840 --> 00:53:59,200 Speaker 1: they take, you know, diet coke, diet pepsi coke, pepsi 968 00:53:59,320 --> 00:54:02,480 Speaker 1: cokes are all the things, and they put it, they 969 00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:05,640 Speaker 1: put all the cans or whatever, and then the person 970 00:54:05,719 --> 00:54:07,720 Speaker 1: drinking it can't take it, and people are like trying 971 00:54:07,760 --> 00:54:10,360 Speaker 1: to be like, no, I know what the real one is, 972 00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:12,359 Speaker 1: and like most of the time they get it wrong. Yeah, 973 00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:15,400 Speaker 1: so it's yeah, no, that's like a viral trend right now, 974 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:20,000 Speaker 1: and on trend by accident, for some reason, I get those, 975 00:54:20,080 --> 00:54:24,600 Speaker 1: which is like, why, okay, apparently that's something I'm super 976 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:27,160 Speaker 1: into and now we're talking about it on Cool. People 977 00:54:27,239 --> 00:54:34,200 Speaker 1: did question maybe maybe the algorithm wrote this episode. Maybe 978 00:54:34,239 --> 00:54:38,480 Speaker 1: I'm the algorithm, I'm the machine. Are you the algorithm? Machine? 979 00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:42,319 Speaker 1: I knew it. Yeah, that's where you're so angry against me. 980 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:45,239 Speaker 1: It's a raging against joke. That's a band I've heard of, 981 00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:49,560 Speaker 1: even though the pop culture I'm joking. I'm okay. So 982 00:54:50,480 --> 00:54:53,080 Speaker 1: the pepsi challenge has been going on since the seventies. 983 00:54:53,320 --> 00:54:55,319 Speaker 1: The least important thing that's ever happened in the history 984 00:54:55,320 --> 00:54:58,640 Speaker 1: of the universe. You got the cola Wars between coke 985 00:54:58,680 --> 00:55:01,719 Speaker 1: and pepsi. So Pepsi is setting up tents and doing 986 00:55:01,719 --> 00:55:04,880 Speaker 1: this blind taste test and they probably there's like different 987 00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:08,160 Speaker 1: ideas of how they like make it so that they 988 00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:12,640 Speaker 1: win all the time, um, you know. And one one 989 00:55:12,719 --> 00:55:15,120 Speaker 1: claim is that they basically put out like fizzy pepsi 990 00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:18,400 Speaker 1: and flat coke and they set up right next to 991 00:55:18,400 --> 00:55:23,080 Speaker 1: the Food Not Bombs tent in Harvard Square and so 992 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:25,800 Speaker 1: and they keep doing this and the food Nut Bombs 993 00:55:25,920 --> 00:55:27,439 Speaker 1: is like, oh my god, we hate this so much. 994 00:55:27,520 --> 00:55:30,920 Speaker 1: This is the nineteen eighties, Like anti corporate branding is 995 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:35,600 Speaker 1: like their thing, right and um, and so they hate 996 00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:37,040 Speaker 1: this so much. So what they do is they go 997 00:55:37,080 --> 00:55:38,440 Speaker 1: home and then they come back and they have the 998 00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:44,440 Speaker 1: Tofu Challenge where they make smoothies with tofu in them, 999 00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:50,759 Speaker 1: and they offer people free smoothies with tofu in them. 1000 00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:53,440 Speaker 1: And I hope they made them taste okay, because you 1001 00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:57,280 Speaker 1: can have a tasty tofu smoothie. It's just that sounds 1002 00:55:57,320 --> 00:56:00,319 Speaker 1: like some ship. So my my brother has was like 1003 00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:04,800 Speaker 1: plant based for about ten years. When he started medical school, 1004 00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:06,359 Speaker 1: he stopp being it because I'm just air it out 1005 00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:09,319 Speaker 1: his life. He stopped being able to digest meat. He 1006 00:56:09,360 --> 00:56:12,319 Speaker 1: can digest meat again. He kept trying to trick me 1007 00:56:12,440 --> 00:56:16,840 Speaker 1: into eating tofu, Like he would be like, isn't that delicious? 1008 00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:19,200 Speaker 1: And then and then and like his good he'd be like, 1009 00:56:19,440 --> 00:56:21,960 Speaker 1: it's tofu, and like I wouldn't know. So I had 1010 00:56:22,000 --> 00:56:26,799 Speaker 1: like major like trust issues vegans for a minute because 1011 00:56:26,840 --> 00:56:30,600 Speaker 1: he'd be like, isn't that delicious? It's not actually cheese. 1012 00:56:31,239 --> 00:56:36,120 Speaker 1: It's like, yeah, I I know you sprinkled it from 1013 00:56:36,160 --> 00:56:39,359 Speaker 1: like a little container. Like I'm a very aware that 1014 00:56:39,360 --> 00:56:44,279 Speaker 1: that is not cheese on the thing you're calling pizza anyways, 1015 00:56:44,320 --> 00:56:48,719 Speaker 1: But yeah, tofu smoothie, delicious, hot. I'm not believing, not 1016 00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:52,160 Speaker 1: believing you. Here's my pitch. Half a block of tofu, 1017 00:56:52,280 --> 00:56:55,560 Speaker 1: a tablespoon or two of cocoa, some protein powder if 1018 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:58,239 Speaker 1: you feel like you want protein powder, and then a 1019 00:56:58,239 --> 00:57:01,920 Speaker 1: bunch of maple syrup and so some almond milk if 1020 00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:03,640 Speaker 1: you need to. You kind of just gotta make it. 1021 00:57:03,760 --> 00:57:08,000 Speaker 1: Make it. Yeah, it's like for texture. Still Now all right, well, 1022 00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:13,160 Speaker 1: everyone don't believe you will try it. I'll try it 1023 00:57:13,239 --> 00:57:15,759 Speaker 1: because you're telling me what it is before giving it 1024 00:57:15,800 --> 00:57:19,720 Speaker 1: to me, and they're not going hot tofu or whatever 1025 00:57:19,760 --> 00:57:23,720 Speaker 1: the but yeah, so it's a smoothie with no fruit. 1026 00:57:23,880 --> 00:57:26,280 Speaker 1: What's happening. So it's actually more like like the first 1027 00:57:26,280 --> 00:57:30,600 Speaker 1: time I did it, it's like chocolate. It's actually if 1028 00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:33,760 Speaker 1: you have if you have a food processor and I don't, 1029 00:57:33,800 --> 00:57:35,400 Speaker 1: you don't have to add the almond milk and then 1030 00:57:35,440 --> 00:57:38,000 Speaker 1: it's like a moose texture, um, and you just have 1031 00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,640 Speaker 1: to add enough sugar so it tastes good because the 1032 00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:43,480 Speaker 1: texture is fine. Um, mine are a little bit more smooth. 1033 00:57:43,520 --> 00:57:46,840 Speaker 1: You can also, I mean it's just that I think 1034 00:57:46,880 --> 00:57:49,920 Speaker 1: you might be thinking of a different tofu, Sophie. It's 1035 00:57:50,000 --> 00:57:53,400 Speaker 1: it's more like that very silk and stuff, a B 1036 00:57:53,600 --> 00:57:57,680 Speaker 1: C D type place. So once you that's fair, well, 1037 00:57:58,000 --> 00:58:02,320 Speaker 1: well you can go like with the smooth just you know, 1038 00:58:02,400 --> 00:58:05,520 Speaker 1: tricked and eating tofu won too many times. I didn't 1039 00:58:05,560 --> 00:58:07,560 Speaker 1: eat tofu for the first like two years I was 1040 00:58:07,680 --> 00:58:10,200 Speaker 1: vegan because when I was a teenager, I went to 1041 00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:12,280 Speaker 1: a salad bar and was like, I will try tofu 1042 00:58:12,360 --> 00:58:14,560 Speaker 1: and it was just a block of unseasoned tofu. Yeah, 1043 00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:16,280 Speaker 1: it's horrible. It was one of the worst things I've ever, 1044 00:58:17,120 --> 00:58:20,240 Speaker 1: if you don't know how to take tofu, and that's 1045 00:58:20,280 --> 00:58:22,840 Speaker 1: how that's what you think tofu? Is it tastes horrible? 1046 00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:26,960 Speaker 1: But cooked tofu done correctly and marinated and seasoned, and 1047 00:58:27,440 --> 00:58:31,000 Speaker 1: you know, actually it's delightful, especially in a soup or stew. 1048 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:34,720 Speaker 1: And so what I wonder and I think the most 1049 00:58:34,760 --> 00:58:37,240 Speaker 1: important decision before we can decide whether the Fun Bombs 1050 00:58:37,520 --> 00:58:39,960 Speaker 1: original crew was good or bad, it was whether or 1051 00:58:39,960 --> 00:58:41,919 Speaker 1: not they made good tofu and fed it to people, 1052 00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:44,120 Speaker 1: or whether they made bad tofu and fed it to people, 1053 00:58:44,240 --> 00:58:48,200 Speaker 1: because they could go either way. Yeah, it was definitely. 1054 00:58:48,200 --> 00:58:51,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna say that I would find it 1055 00:58:51,120 --> 00:58:53,880 Speaker 1: bad pretty confident. I think you're probably right, especially when 1056 00:58:53,880 --> 00:58:56,640 Speaker 1: you're right next to fucking Like. I don't drink some 1057 00:58:56,760 --> 00:58:58,520 Speaker 1: of this isn't like purity thing. I do all kinds 1058 00:58:58,560 --> 00:59:01,600 Speaker 1: of bad things for my body. But like, but if 1059 00:59:01,920 --> 00:59:03,920 Speaker 1: if someone was like, does this taste better? Is this 1060 00:59:03,960 --> 00:59:06,160 Speaker 1: taste better? And one of them is soda, and one 1061 00:59:06,240 --> 00:59:10,040 Speaker 1: of them is like random tofu smoothie, I bet my 1062 00:59:10,080 --> 00:59:14,400 Speaker 1: money is on the soda. There's no Yeah, it's pretty unlikely, 1063 00:59:15,120 --> 00:59:19,480 Speaker 1: but they scared away the pepsi people, and I suspect 1064 00:59:19,880 --> 00:59:21,560 Speaker 1: it was more to do with the fact that they 1065 00:59:21,560 --> 00:59:23,880 Speaker 1: were probably like cussing Outam and yelling at them all 1066 00:59:23,920 --> 00:59:29,760 Speaker 1: the time than the tofu. That's yeah, that's I mean, 1067 00:59:29,840 --> 00:59:32,680 Speaker 1: that's like kind of a nice victory. Yeah, And that's 1068 00:59:32,720 --> 00:59:37,080 Speaker 1: what I'm going to end today's today's episode where we 1069 00:59:37,120 --> 00:59:39,440 Speaker 1: can you know, there's hippies feeding Boston healthy food and 1070 00:59:39,480 --> 00:59:42,840 Speaker 1: I hope it's tasty, but who knows. And you know, 1071 00:59:43,360 --> 00:59:46,280 Speaker 1: they get more and more interesting to me as they spread. Um, 1072 00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:48,520 Speaker 1: And that's what we're gonna talk about next time. The 1073 00:59:49,080 --> 00:59:51,680 Speaker 1: and the massive and sort of unfammable repression that they 1074 00:59:51,680 --> 00:59:56,920 Speaker 1: faced for giving out free food all takers. That's yeah. 1075 00:59:56,960 --> 01:00:00,000 Speaker 1: This is a good a good place to put up 1076 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:04,000 Speaker 1: os and then hear the other side, Sophy. Do you 1077 01:00:04,040 --> 01:00:08,200 Speaker 1: have any plugs? Uh? Yeah, listen to Okay, listen to 1078 01:00:08,400 --> 01:00:12,800 Speaker 1: Hood Politics with Prop on the Cool Zone Media network 1079 01:00:13,120 --> 01:00:16,440 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. That's that's the podcast of 1080 01:00:16,480 --> 01:00:19,160 Speaker 1: my choice to plug right now, and just like follow 1081 01:00:19,240 --> 01:00:21,800 Speaker 1: Prop in general because he's the best at prop hit pop. 1082 01:00:22,360 --> 01:00:25,160 Speaker 1: That is all I would like to plug at this time. Andrew, 1083 01:00:26,880 --> 01:00:29,520 Speaker 1: oh god, I mean, you know, if you've enjoyed even 1084 01:00:29,560 --> 01:00:36,680 Speaker 1: this amount come out UM Austin August and Brooklyn September ten. 1085 01:00:37,560 --> 01:00:40,600 Speaker 1: UM doing that with the oss racist me and Tanny Knew. 1086 01:00:40,600 --> 01:00:42,720 Speaker 1: So we're gonna be there. So far, we just did 1087 01:00:42,720 --> 01:00:46,240 Speaker 1: one show in Boston and I ate a lobster roll 1088 01:00:46,320 --> 01:00:50,480 Speaker 1: on stage in uh Many people in the audience said 1089 01:00:50,520 --> 01:00:52,400 Speaker 1: it was one of the worst things they've ever seen, 1090 01:00:52,520 --> 01:01:02,640 Speaker 1: So challenge. You just sold that for me. The way 1091 01:01:02,680 --> 01:01:04,520 Speaker 1: I did it was Margeret, you have a book coming out, 1092 01:01:04,560 --> 01:01:07,120 Speaker 1: don't you. I do on September twenty, my book of 1093 01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:10,840 Speaker 1: short fiction. Cool people who did? That's my podcast Live 1094 01:01:10,920 --> 01:01:14,160 Speaker 1: like that. That's the other podcast. We won't be here tomorrow. 1095 01:01:14,760 --> 01:01:17,360 Speaker 1: There it is. We'll be out from a K Press 1096 01:01:17,400 --> 01:01:19,320 Speaker 1: on September twenty, and you can pre order it now 1097 01:01:19,320 --> 01:01:22,280 Speaker 1: and if you pre order through different independent bookstores. If 1098 01:01:22,320 --> 01:01:24,560 Speaker 1: you just google we won't be here tomorrow, Market Hilder 1099 01:01:24,720 --> 01:01:27,439 Speaker 1: pre order or whatever. You probably don't need that many words. 1100 01:01:27,480 --> 01:01:29,760 Speaker 1: It'll come up if you order it through UM different 1101 01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:33,080 Speaker 1: independent bookstores, including several cooperatives. So this wasn't an episode 1102 01:01:33,080 --> 01:01:35,760 Speaker 1: about cooperatives, but they're cool anyway. You will get an 1103 01:01:35,840 --> 01:01:40,479 Speaker 1: art print from the book, which is also cool. That's 1104 01:01:40,520 --> 01:01:44,440 Speaker 1: the end. Yea, see you see We'll be back. We 1105 01:01:44,480 --> 01:01:47,480 Speaker 1: won't see you, but we'll be back on Wednesday with 1106 01:01:47,520 --> 01:01:51,919 Speaker 1: another episode and ship. This is an audio medium. Get 1107 01:01:51,920 --> 01:01:58,400 Speaker 1: it Together Okay, Bye bye. Cool People Who Did Cool 1108 01:01:58,400 --> 01:02:01,760 Speaker 1: Stuff is a production of Cool Media. More podcasts on 1109 01:02:01,840 --> 01:02:05,240 Speaker 1: cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zone media dot com, 1110 01:02:05,320 --> 01:02:07,479 Speaker 1: or check us out on the I Heart Radio app, 1111 01:02:07,520 --> 01:02:10,360 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.