Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good

About Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good

Winner of national Communicator and W3 Awards: the podcast for people who make progress. Your host: writer, consultant, and national media commentator Spencer Critchley.

Publisher

Spencer Critchley

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Aug 2017

Latest episode

27 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

89 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Jan 2026

   Minneapolis: Saving Democracy From Moral Bankruptcy

   Normally, we should be reluctant to talk about politics in terms of morality. We can't live with each other, in peace anyway, if we think disagreement is a matter of good and evil. But that doesn't mean that democracy is amoral. Democracy will survive if we all stand up for the shared moral values that make democracy possible. That's what the peaceful protesters in Minneapolis are doing, even at the risk of their own lives: showing us how to rescue our democracy from moral bankruptcy. Video & transcript: https://spencercritchley.substack.com/p/minneapolis-saving-democracy-from

2. 

   22 Jan 2026

   MAGA: An Escape From Freedom

   One of the most confusing things about Trumpism is this paradox: People who believe so strongly in individual freedom are also eager to give away all their power, to one man. Why? One reason: Human beings yearn for freedom, but when we actually get it, we may find it terrifying. So argued the influential German psychologist Erich Fromm in "Escape From Freedom," published in 1941, when another authoritarian was at the peak of his power.

3. 

   11 Jan 2026

   The Shooting of Renee Good

   In a democracy, law enforcement exists to protect people: their safety and their Constitutional rights. Under authoritarianism, law enforcement protects power. Under autocracy, it protects the power of one man. Which way we're going to live is still up to us. The shooting of Renee Nicole Good shows us what's at stake. — Spencer

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

5,433

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

17 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

34

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

85

Contact Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.