Quality Political Analysis Resources Mega-Thread

[Leo Gura]

Post here links to YT channels, podcasts, & websites which offer high quality political analysis.

High quality political analysis is:

• Systemic, complex, nuanced
• Holistic
• Questions the status quo, calls out corruption, speaks truth to power
• Non-blaming, non-demonizing, non-conspiratorial
• Grounded in facts & evidence
• Grounded in historical understanding
• Grounded in solid non-partisan journalism
• Attempts to be fair to the other side, avoids strawmanning the other side
• Non-dogmatic, open-minded, willing to change its mind on issues
• Not overly focused on culture war issues
• Shows empathy for all humans and living beings, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, etc.
• Advocates for non-violence as much as possible
• Doesn't fear-monger
• Doesn't scapegoat gays, non-whites, communists, globalists, Jews, feminists, academics, etc.
• Appreciates cultural diversity and different POVs
• In-depth rather than merely sound bites
• Cares about environmental issues
• Appreciates the importance of balance
• Understands the dangers of false equivalency and "neutrality"
• Interested in unearthing root causes of problems

Yes! These can be tough subjective calls to make. Self-bias is always a distorting factor.

[Leo Gura]

Rational National:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo9oQdIk1MfcnzypG3UnURA

Secular Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SecularTalk

TYT:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks

The Majority Report:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SamSeder

The Michael Brooks Show:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh2UY1hxlMr4_7Az_iQ82HQ

The Humanist Report:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MikeAnthonyTV

Kim Iverson:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoJTOwZxbvq8Al8Qat2zgTA

The Hill:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPWXiRWZ29zrxPFIQT7eHSA

The Intercept:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv002AUCZaPNwiADqwchijg

Democracy Now:
https://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow

Beau Of The Fifth Column:
https://www.youtube.com/user/unvoicedproject

Democracy At Work:

https://www.youtube.com/user/democracyatwrk

Vox:

https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom

Vice News:

https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews

Rebel Wisdom:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFQ6Gptuq-sLflbJ4YY3Umw

Integral Life:

https://www.youtube.com/user/IntegralNaked/

Joe Rogan:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PowerfulJRE

[ValiantSalvatore]

Justice Democrates
(not sure if they will post anything in the future)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5KuItQubgNaAiWoZXypuiw/videos
Example video:

The Guardian:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGuardian/videos



(DW Documenatries)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW39zufHfsuGgpLviKh297Q/videos
Example video:

NowThisNews
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn4sPeUomNGIr26bElVdDYg
Example video;

(Bloomberg I hope I did not pick the most capitalist one here)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMZ7gohGI9HcU9VNsr2FJQ
Example video:

WashingtonPost I am subbed to the newspaper, yet it's very liberal.
Newspaper site: https://www.washingtonpost.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/WashingtonPost/videos
Example:

Not sure what else could be included, I am subbed to a lot of channels Leo already posted. 

Edited August 13, 2019 by ValiantSalvatore

[Joel3102]

https://m.youtube.com/user/destiny/featured

I think Twitch streamer/YouTuber Destiny is pretty good. Whilst there’s a bit of nonsense on his channel there’s some really great long form discussions about specific policy issues 

[Zizzero]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

TYT:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks

Don't the Young Turks call Trump supporters "deplorables"?
Also, people like Sam Seder or Michael Brooks? Seriously? What do any of these have to do with values like spirituality, open-mindedness, and above all: LOVE? How do they pass just a single one of the criteria for what makes a political analysis "high quality"?

This is getting ridiculous. Honestly Leo, at this point it would be more honest if you were to drop labels like "high quality political analysis" and "conscious politics". These are just marketing tools to sell your opinions. Things sell better when you say that your political analysis is not just a normal political analysis; they are a conscious one. What is your goal here, Leo? You clearly hold people to different standards based on where they are on the political spectrum. You either have massive blind spots when it comes to politics or you aren't honest about your intentions. There's some scary "the end justifies the means" vibe in here.

[Leo Gura]

@Zizzero Many of these sources certainly have a bias.

You have to appreciate that Tier 2 political sources basically don't exist. We live in the real world, where stage Green politics and news is about as advanced as it gets (for now).

TYT is leading an effort to get money out of politics. Show me one other source which is doing that? Show me one right-wing commentator or channel which is vocally advocating for removing all money from politics or passing a Constitutional Amendment to remove money from politics.

Like I told you before, both sides are not equal.

You have to be able to watch these sources while at the same time being aware of their their biases (and your biases).

And you always have to consider: what's the alternative? You gonna watch CNN? Fox News? What? You gonna stick your head in the sand and do nothing? All those alternatives are worse.

Despite whatever biases they have, TYT is serving a very important function in promoting uncorrupted democrats who take no corporate PAC money or big dollar donors. Nothing like that exists anywhere else right now. If you can't appreciate the value of that, that's your bias clouding your vision.

TYT elected one of the most conscious, empathetic, and uncorrupted congresswomen ever: AOC.

TYT is actually the cutting edge of politics in America.

[Zizzero]

Calling Trump supporters deplorables is not green; that's blue. I'm all for stage green sources, but calling blue high quality - nope

[Emerald]

Contrapoints gives some really solid socio-political analysis. And it's very entertaining as well...

Here's my favorite, as it gives a snap-shot of the "alt-right", how to recognize it, and its influence on mainstream political opinions...

On a similar note, Innuendo Studios does some great informative videos on the "Alt-Right" and breaks down their strategies for gaining a foothold in mainstream discourse. 

 

[Leo Gura]

17 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

Calling Trump supporters deplorables is not green; that's blue.

Actually, that's part of Green. Green sees Blue & Orange as evil sometimes.

To stop seeing Blue & Orange as evil requires Tier 2 Yellow perspective, which of course Green lacks.

Besides which, Trump supporters are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Have you watched some videos of Trump rallies? Of Trump supporters being interviewed? It's beyond deplorable:

 

The ignorance is astounding.

[Saville]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectuals_and_Society

https://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?id=812

 

 

 

Hi Leo,

First time here, just joined forum. Over the past 6 years I have listened to every one of your videos. I enjoyed your series on Government,  and your Specific Policy Proposals Conscious Politics - Part 4, which I discussed with my son, who sent me the book above and then the Government and Big Business by Peter Klein video. I am interested to know if you have read Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell? Like to know your thoughts.

[Zizzero]

It's tribalism and absolutism. They are blue/green to be more precise. But there is definitely an "us against them" mentality and black and white thinking - that is stage blue. They are, ironically, stage blue about stage green topics.

[Forestluv]

30 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

Calling Trump supporters deplorables is not green; that's blue. I'm all for stage green sources, but calling blue high quality - nope

Not true. A key point in SD is that ALL stages in Tier1 demonize each other to various degrees. It is not until Tier2 that the demonization dissolves.

As well, Green frames things as left vs right along a horizontal continuum (as well as moderates on the continuum). Yet there is also a vertical axis of consciousness in Tier1. Fox News is just not on the same level as Majority report. If you can’t see this, you don’t understand SD. However, they are not yellow-centered. Watch the recent interview with Sam Seder and Tom Scocca. They discussed aspects of racism and journalistic integrity that is two full conscious levels higher than FoxNews and a full conscious level higher than mainstream news like CNN. It was much more nuanced. Of course, they also poked fun of Trump supporters and low consciousness tweets of Ben Shapiro - often in condescending ways. As well, they often framed the racism issue in terms of political strategy to win votes and the election. Yet that is par for the course green. I would love to see a tier2 discussion on racism, I just haven’t come across any.

I would love to see some tier2 level political videos. Please post some if you have some. That is the whole point of the thread - to post the highest conscious resources and videos. If you don’t think green is high enough, please post some yellow level - rather than complaining about green.

And you can’t place binary Us vs Them squarely on the shoulders of the above sources. That is the prevailing construct in America right now. And the above sources often go beyond binary constructs. For example, the above sources are not limited to a simple binary construct. They have a designated category for Orange level corporate democrats as well as categories for moderates, evangelical conservatives, white nationals etc. They have a continuum - they are not restricted to blue level binary.

[Leo Gura]

17 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

It's tribalism and absolutism. They are blue/green to be more precise. But there is definitely an "us against them" mentality and black and white thinking - that is stage blue. They are, ironically, stage blue about stage green topics.

No, you misunderstand Green.

Green is precisely tribalistic against oppressors. Green does not embrace those who are intolerant, like racists or authoritarians. Which is why Green dislikes Trump so much. They cannot stomach his bullying of people and his divisiveness.

Green is a collectivist stage which comes with some group-think and dogmas. This doesn't make it Blue. Green dogma is quite different from Blue dogma. Overall, Green is much better at dealing with multiculturalism. Green is not nationalist or racist. Blue is.

Green is not so evolved that it will be understanding of racism. That requires Yellow and above.

[Zizzero]

Green is not tribalistic. A green left-winger would not demonize Trump supporters, he would rather perceive them like children; as someone who needs help and guidance. Green builds bridges, it does not divide. If I'd call you deplorable, I would not be building a bridge between the two of us. Green is relativistic and humble, not combative and absolutist; that's blue. TYT is a perfect example of green ideas regressing into blue and being held as absolut truths.

[Forestluv]

25 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

Green is not tribalistic. A green left-winger would not demonize Trump supporters, he would rather perceive them like children; as someone who needs help and guidance. Green builds bridges, it does not divide. If I'd call you deplorable, I would not be building a bridge between the two of us. Green is relativistic and humble, not combative and absolutist; that's blue. TYT is a perfect example of green ideas regressing into blue and being held as absolut truths.

That does not characterize green. Those features can be found in Green, yet they do not characterize Green.

Importantly, EVERY stage in Tier1 demonizes and blames other stages to varying degrees. That is a core component of SD and you cannot remove it for convenience. Green will blame corporate Orange and blue level tribalism/racism/misogynists for the countries ills. That is part of SD. In particular, Green will rally against who they see as oppressors of equality and inclusion. The whole bit about being Unconditionally loving Green parents to Blue oppressor children is complete nonsense and not within SD theory for Tier1. 

As well, Green has a basic understanding of cultural relativism. They do not have a broad nor deep understanding of relativism. That is yellow. 

[Leo Gura]

12 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

A green left-winger would not demonize Trump supporters, he would rather perceive them like children; as someone who needs help and guidance. Green builds bridges

No. That is incorrect. You need to study the Spiral Dynamics theory more. Go read the SD book or the works of Ken Wilber.

Ken Wilber wrote an entire book about the "Mean Green Meme". Green precisely demonizes Orange and lower stages.

https://www.amazon.com/Boomeritis-Novel-That-Will-Free/dp/1590300084

[Zizzero]

Just now, Serotoninluv said:

Importantly, EVERY stage in Tier1 demonizes and blames other stages to varying degrees. That is a core component of SD and you cannot remove it for convenience. Green will blame corporate Orange and blue level tribalism for the countries ills. That is part of SD. In particular, Green will rally against who they see as oppressors of equality and inclusion. 

Yes. But green does not demonize people; it demonizes stages and ideas. Blue is "you are part of the others, so you're evil and I wont even talk and I will definitely not listen to you". Green is "you are part of the others, but we are in this world together. We are all the same species."

[Leo Gura]

4 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

Green is "you are part of the others, but we are in this world together. We are all the same species."

That only holds true for Green IF the other side is tolerant and non-oppressive.

Green does not tolerate oppressive versions of stage Blue or Orange.

Green will often viciously demonize capitalism or Wall Street, for example. Green can even be violent against oppression, as in the case of eco-terrorism, PETA, GreenPeace, and Antifa.

Please educate yourself.

[Zizzero]

2 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

No. That is incorrect. You need to study the Spiral Dynamics theory more. Go read the SD book or the works of Ken Wilber.

Ken Wilber wrote an entire book about the "Mean Green Meme". Green precisely demonizes Orange and lower stages.

Wilber actually agrees with me that a portion of green regressed to blue. 

 

[Forestluv]

19 minutes ago, Zizzero said:

Yes. But green does not demonize people; it demonizes stages and ideas. Blue is "you are part of the others, so you're evil and I wont even talk and I will definitely not listen to you". Green is "you are part of the others, but we are in this world together. We are all the same species."

Wilber actually agrees with me that a portion of green regressed to blue.

Again, every stage in Tier1 personalizes, demonizes and blames other stages to varying degrees. Stage red and blue will do it more often and intensely than orange and green. Yet they all do it. That is a core feature of Tier1. 

And unhealthy Green can resemble blue at times. Just as unhealthy Orange resembles red at times.

Green highly values inequality and inclusion, except for those that oppress equality and inclusion. Green can treat those they see as authoritarian and oppressors in unhealthy ways and healthy ways. An example of a healthy way is AOCs short speech reaching out to white supremicists. She acknowledged their pain and invited them back home be loved. As well, some Green initiatives want to fund organizations that help council and de-radicalize white supremicists. These are healthy expressions. Other somewhat healthy expressions include boycotting businesses that have contributed to white supremicists, de-platforming white supremicist groups and putting in white supremicist laws into statute to empower law enforcement to take pre-emptive action. There are also unhealthy expressions, yet the unhealthy expressions pale in comparison to red/blue level unhealthy expression.

As well, individuals are mixtures of stages along multiple developmental lines. Every one of the above hosts is a mosaic of different stages along different lines. For simplicity and convenience, we say that they are green-centered.