Welcome to Doomscroll. This week, my guest is Ezra Klein, an opinion columnist at the New York Times, the host of The Ezra Klein Show, and a co-founder of Vox Media. Klein is a co-author, along with Derek Thompson, of a new book titled Abundance.
Since we launched the show, just over 6 months ago, we've managed to bring these topics of niche internet culture and online politics to a broad audience. In a vast sea of content, Doomscroll is one of the few, high quality, independent programs out there. If you like this series and care about the topics we discuss — you can help to continue the conversation by becoming a paid subscriber:
Doomscroll is a podcast about online culture and the end of history. In this episode, we explore our unique political era and the end of the neoliberal consensus. Whatever new period may follow still remains unclear. In Abundance, Klein and Thompson advocate for a Promethean, energy rich and environmentally sustainable society. We discuss:
Elon Musk, DOGE, the rise of the tech-right and techno-optimism. Can progressives offer a positive vision for the future?
Green vs gray environmentalism: Ezra and I both oppose any material reduction to living standards. But what does an ecologically sustainable civilization actually look like?
How the attention economy is shaping new political movements and factions. Are we in a period of cultural correction or excess? How might the vibe shift swing next?
Green National Security Keynesianism: the reshoring of key industries and supply chains turns a new chapter in globalization.
We’re now straddling a transitional period. The neoliberal consensus is being reconfigured as geopolitical competition and the climate crisis shape the 21st century. This is a moment for radical visions. Politics is changing and more things seem possible than at any time in living memory. You can watch our full conversation here:
Ezra Klein: Abundance Politics | Doomscroll
Subscribers will also get access to this week’s bonus episode. In part 2, we continue our discussion on emerging political factions like Degrwoth, the carbon crisis and the policy arc of the neoliberal period. We’ve got a ton of amazing guests coming up on Doomscroll. Annual subscribers will get a discount for the full year:
Ezra’s vision for the future was so bland, idk what I was expecting but damn the center is fresh out of ideas! The one interesting thing was the dueling views on environmentalism which Charles C Mann did a great job of breaking down in his book The Wizard and The Prophet. Other than that, very milquetoast conversation 😔.
Ezra Klein is a like a cartoon character called the smug moron. His whole job is to make excuses for why tech and liberalism don’t work. Fortunately for us, he’s too stupid to do it well.