Ep. 428: The Age of Trump is an Extreme Moral, Ethical, and Spiritual Crisis

There are two guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Dr. Justin Frank is a former professor of psychiatry at George Washington University. He is the author of several books including Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President.

Dr. Frank returns to the podcast and explains the importance of listening to and trusting our feelings and emotions in this time of fear, exhaustion, and collective trauma. Dr. Frank also interprets some of the common dreams that people experience during times of great stress and anxiety. He also shares his expert advice about how to be a good listener who gives useful advice to those who reach out to us for help.

Rev. Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community.

He explains how the Age of Trump is an extreme moral, political, and spiritual crisis. Rev. Taylor warns that the Christian right-wing is now implementing a decades-long plan to remake the country into a Christofascist theocracy and that Trump’s rise to power has made that possible. Rev. Taylor also shares the importance of spiritual discipline and how it can empower collective action in what will be a long struggle to renew and defend American freedom and social democracy in this time of darkness.

Chauncey DeVega explains  the German concept of Gleichschaltung (“synchronization”) and how it applies to Trumpism and the larger American neofascist revolutionary project to remake all aspects of the country’s politics, culture and life.

Chauncey struggles with his love of professional wrestling and great excitement about how John Cena has finally, after 25 years, turned “heel” versus the reality that the WWE has many connections with the Trump administration and this time of horribleness.  

And Chauncey DeVega also shares some stories about the everyday heroes he recently encountered in his neighborhood and travels.

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