On Deconstruct, we examine the myths that have dominated how our society behaves with new perspectives and fresh context. We look into the historical origins of a myth, we follow the money trail, and we equip a listener with the tools to explore each topic with a fresh pair of eyes.
In today’s episode, we continue our series on unearthing and unraveling the myths that create toxic masculinity. I sit down with my friend and we talk about Harry Potter and JK Rowling, education and kids’ accessibility to learning, why women is sometimes spelled with an x, and a myriad of stories and experiences. We talk about trans visibility, patriarchy’s relationship to violence, and the way that insecurity fuels male violence.
You won’t want to miss this one.
30 Jul 2020
Episode 17: Confronting and Healing our Masculinity (Feat. Amadon Dellerba)
Today, Deconstruct welcomes Amadon Dellerba of the Get Real or Die Trying Podcast for the first installment of a new Deconstruct series on unraveling and healing from Toxic Masculinity.
Fitz and Amadon waste no time, diving straight into the nature of recognizing past toxicities. They talk about the mental preparation necessary to challenge toxicity, and practice the steps with deep vulnerability.
One the light side of the shadow, they talk about what it is to find genuine role models, and discuss some of their own. The conversation is expansive and personal, weaving these key narratives between collective care, the teachings of Jesus, and much more.
If you're a man who has lost their way, or a woman or nonbinary person dealing with a toxic figure, this episode may very well be worth your while.
23 Jul 2020
Episode 16: A Comfortable Evil
Big news coming from Deconstruct. We're going to be growing towards our first ever long-form series. It's going to be a journey of accountability, confrontation, and trust in our ability to heal together.
We’re going to keep growing, we’re going to keep exploring and learning together. We’re going to be beginning a new and long-lasting series for Deconstruct, the first of its kind. It’s time that the show concerts its efforts in exploring difficult myths.
As a primer for this new journey, I want to share the speech I made from the Spencer Black Lives Matter protest. It's complex, it's confrontational, and loving.
More to come in the future. Much love.
15 Jul 2020
Episode 15- Your Friendly Neighborhood Defense Groups, feat. COAL
Protestors and Leftists have been getting a scary, unnecessary rep recently. With nebulous paranoia about the dangers of "antifa", the expectation that every protest is going to turn into looting, and the readiness of a lot of the population to demonize the folks standing up for black lives, I thought it would be fun to speak with members of COAL, a coalition of armed defense groups and justice organizers across the United States.
Tune in for a healing, sweet, and fun little conversation that humanizes the left and delves into some of the pressing matters we can learn from. We talk about COAL, and what its affiliate chapters do. We talk about CHAZ, the NFAC, Dungeons & Dragons, and so much more!
8 Jul 2020
Episode 14: Unraveling History's Myth, feat. Sam Bigaetti of Historiansplaining
On this episode of Deconstruct, we dig into one of the deeper roots of myth- the way history actively shapes our own mythology. We sit down with teacher, antique trader, and the Historiansplaining podcast host Sam Biagetti to spill some of the tea about the wild history of the Northeast. We shed light on truths that hit close to our rural homes, and explore a dazzling and clandestine concept- Historiography. What does it mean to have the power to tell your story as "history"?
Who gets the power to put their hands on the wheel of history? What power do they have in sculpting our reality? We'll dig in to a mouth-watering exposition on Episode 14- Unraveling History's Myth,
(Photo Credit goes to Martin Lopatka)
4 Jul 2020
Special Episode- The Myth of Modern Patriotism
Is it possible to celebrate a sick society?
Today, we explore the state of our culture on July 4th, 2020. This moment of time is one of crisis, and deep questions about the health of our American culture are surfacing. We need to address where our hurt is coming from, and understand the myths and deceptions dissociating us from our hurt.
We'll discuss "Patriotism" in the modern context- and what it does to consume our bodies and minds for profit. We'll discuss how we can heal from these colossal and toxic myths, and center ourselves in a definition of patriotism that calls us to answer and confront our society's emerging tumors.
24 Jun 2020
Episode 12: Unraveling Our Layers, Feat. Tori Cummings
How many layers do we have to us? Join a discussion on the yogic layers of self, the "koshas", we'll listen and learn Tori Cummings, a 500-Hour certified yoga instructor, a small town studio owner, and a personal friend and teacher talk about koshas. Consuming things mindfully, navigating the illusory aspects of our "monkey brain", and finding freedom in a sense of self-discipline.
Tori is our first guest speaker to come on Deconstruct, and I couldn't be more excited to share our conversation.
24 Jun 2020
Episode 11- Twin Myths
What's keeping us from reaching deep, meaningful connections with the people we interact with? It's not just one today, but a system of two myths that make the concept of vulnerability seem so dangerous to us. One of them reinforces the idea that being vulnerable makes one susceptible to attacks, and the other encourages people to attack vulnerability itself.
This intricate system depends on our fear and unfamiliarity with opening up. But when someone does, the entire system gets disrupted. Today, we'll explore the lenses that make this dynamic clear, and begin figuring out how to heal our wounded ways of communication.
22 Jun 2020
Episode 10: Infinite Growth and Degrowth
American Corporations have all but convinced us that the infinite growth of Capital is inevitable and necessary. We've seen firsthand the damage that an infinite model of extraction, burning, and production does to our society and planet.
How possible is it to move away from the infinite growth model? It's not as long-standing and concrete as one would believe. Today, we'll explore infinite growth's theoretical origins and the corporations that used it to profit. We'll explore the working counter-model that puts all the pieces together- Degrowth.
19 Jun 2020
Episode 9: Individual Guilt in the Climate Crisis
Have you ever felt the as though the weight of the entire Climate Catastrophe is on your shoulders? Have you felt the need to bear the burden alone? There's good news- you aren't alone in feeling this way. The most powerful fossil fuel corporations in the world have been spending billions of dollars over the past decade to convince people to believe they're a force of good, even while they're poisoning the planet towards extinction.
73% of carbon produced globally is made by a handful of billionaire companies. They're trying to convince us to sit and be consumed by the guilt. Today, we explore the ways we can shake off the weight of the individualism imposed on us- we CAN act, and we don't have to do it alone. We talk about ethical consumerism's limitations, and the greater call to organize en masse to hold the ones who are actually responsible for this mess, accountable.
18 Jun 2020
Episode 8: Wonder
What is it about becoming an adult that makes the expressing joy and using imagination so frowned upon? Why is it that emotions are so frequently invalidated in professional spaces? We'll get to the bottom of what a sense of wonder and the ability to imagine do to enrich the lives of and strengthen the creative talents of child and adult alike, and get a deeper understanding of why corporations hate it when people are able to create their own sense of joy.
17 Jun 2020
Episode 7: You Can't Be Her Everything
Today in Deconstruct, we explore the myths of heteronormative relationships- relationships focusing on straight couples, the ones regular folks have seen in most films and shows and advertisements throughout our lives.
There are some destructive beliefs that men hold- that they need to be the all-encompassing providers of relationships, and the one-stop destination for every need their partner may have. We explore how this creates restrictive power dynamics in relationships, limits the freedom for care to be reciprocated, and spreads people too thin. How much does one expend in order to maintain to be their partner's fantasy, and how does that unreal expectation harm relationship dynamics?
We explore some of the personal struggles, pains, and shortfalls Fitzgerald has experienced in trying to impress partners more than connecting to them. We explore some big red flags that occur in relationships, and we explore how men can begin to let go of the beliefs they've been imposed that hinder more than help.
16 Jun 2020
Episode 6: Human Multiplicity
We are more than just a lonesome organism. So many aspects of society depend on us feeling small in our singular aspect- when really, there is a lot more going on in our minds and bodies than we give credit for.
In this episode, we Deconstruct the myth that are we meant to break ourselves down to bite-sized pieces for comparison. We break down the idea that one can communicate with multiple aspects of themselves without fear of a personality disorder, and how psychologists have made the idea of multiple perspectives seem dangerous and terrifying.
We will explore the miraculous ability humankind has to sink into a deeper, more complete state of consciousness when making important decisions. You won't want to miss this one.
15 Jun 2020
Episode 5: The Justice Movement Deserves a Spiritual Connection
Members of the Justice Movement fight a difficult battle of politics and spirituality, yet the popular connections to deeper presences seem so thoroughly co-opted by disingenuous privateers and charlatans. How do we navigate past the feelings of skepticism and cynicism felt towards religious bodies? How can I be a Christian with the knowledge that my religion is personally responsible for colonialism, the normalization of slavery, and untold suffering across the world?
Today, we deconstruct the brutality and extraction of dominant religion, and find accountability in its faults. Wrapping up, we make an appeal to how the left deserves to find spiritual reverence and catharsis in our work, even despite the atrocities explored.
12 Jun 2020
Episode 4: Deconstructing Value In a Post-Coronavirus Society, Part 2- Sandcastles
In the conclusion to our Deconstructing Value in a Post-Coronavirus Society, Deconstruct continues the invisible transformative work by meditating and reflecting on the difficulties the pandemic has brought to maintaining a balanced mental state, and exploring how wealthy companies, advertisers, an unreliable news sources have tried to tap into our insecurities to garner participation in a media cycle meant to extract from us.
We explore the idea of our psyches acting like sandcastles, being crashed into from different waves of hurt and change that the pandemic has brought. Wrapping up, we reflect on what it takes to continue hoping, and a recognition of gratitude for Fitzgerald's personal circumstances.
11 Jun 2020
Episode 3: Deconstructing Value in a Post-Coronavirus Society, Part 1- Invisible Work
So much has changed since the pandemic first hit. Millions of jobs have collapsed, our global economy has been massively disrupted. How does this relate to our own internal sense of value and worth as people?
Today, we're taking a personal dive into the way we expect ourselves to be productive, and measure our value from the things we do. We'll be looking at the old model of our productivity, and reflect how that model is gone and won't be returning. We'll be wrapping up with a newfound power accessible to all of us- to create a new kind of value, of internally changing ourselves and our environment to process the waves of grief and hurt we have been struck. This work is more valuable than we'd initially think, and Deconstruct gets to the heart of it today.
10 Jun 2020
Episode 2: The Legitimate Use of Force
On Episode 2, Deconstruct answers one of the most difficult questions to come from Episode 1- "If there are no police, how do we protect our communities from threats that still exist?"
We return to the narrative unraveling in Seattle to describe an incredible new phenomenon- the formation of an independent state body called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. We explore thoughts on the relationship between the state and its use of violence, and question if its possible for a political body to responsibly practice violence. Can such a thing even exist? Find out in Episode 2: The Legitimate Use of Force.
9 Jun 2020
Episode 1: Defunding the Police
Deconstruct explores the American dependency on their police presence, noting the different myths that cultivate a sense of "vivid paranoid imagination" that makes us feel a perpetual mortal danger that causes folks to feel codependent towards cops. We explore the origins of American police in a country that once functioned without them, as well as the billion dollar industries depending on a hyper-militarized punitive system to maintain their profits and influence.
With this context, we'll take some time to imagine what a society would look like without a police department, through the lens of a radical sense of trust in our neighbors and the human capability of changing for the better.
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