Astra Taylor's age of insecurity

The Culture Journalist is a podcast about culture in the age of platforms. After disappearing into a black hole of summertime sadness, inflationary headwinds, and soul searching in Eastern Europe, we are back with a fresh batch of episodes and bonus content, so buckle up.Also, this podcast recently turned four years old. To celebrate, between now and Friday, November 8, we are offering 50% off on all annual paid subscriptions.Paid subscribers get access to the entire CUJO Cinematic Universe, including 1-2 monthly bonus episodes, an invite to our private Discord server, and our eternal parasocial friendship. Sign up at The Culture Journalist. What is it about life in the 2020s that makes us feel so anxious about what tomorrow will bring? In her book The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart, the writer, filmmaker, and organizer Astra Taylor looks at how insecurity — both as an emotional phenomenon and a material one — can help us make sense of the myriad stressors and challenges of modern life.It’s not just worrying about the election. It’s not just high prices and the difficulty so many people are having finding a stable job. It’s not just climate change, or how social media makes us feel like our skin isn’t smooth enough. These days, it seems like everyone feels insecure — even (maybe especially?) the billionaires. On this week’s episode, Astra joins us to talk about how insecurity differs from inequality, and how examining the psychic dimension of precarity can help us explain why things feel hard for so many people right now — even in the face of an ostensibly “strong” economy and labor market. We also get into the story of how the enclosure of the Commons in feudal England was the original sin that paved the way for our current “insecure” mode of capitalism. Finally, Astra tells us about her work as co-founder of the Debt Collective, the first union for debtors — and how returning to the ancient idea of the right to the Commons can help us organize in the face of decades of neoliberal austerity and a decaying social safety net.Follow Astra on XPurchase The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart.Watch Astra’s CBC Massey Lectures on the book. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theculturejournalist.substack.com/subscribe