During this episode, Brad has a conversation with Jeff Sharlet in which they discuss Jeff’s book, The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. Sharlet is the Frederick Sessions Beebe '35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College, a contributing editor for Vanity Fair, and editor-at-large for VQR. He has been a frequent commentator on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," "All in With Chris," and NPR's "Fresh Air." In addition, Jeff Sharlet is the New York Times and national bestselling author of THE FAMILY and C STREET, and executive producer of the 2019 Netflix five-part documentary series based on them, THE FAMILY.
Jeff comments that he opens his book with a message of hope which is found in the actor, singer, and social activist Harry Belafonte. As Brad and he are talking, Sharlet talks about the impact of Belafonte, and notes,
I'm not, I'm not sure that many know. I'm just gonna be real blunt. I'm not sure many non-black folks, um, especially white folks, understand the ways that Harry Belafonte, who was by all accounts, the first major onscreen black star of the television age in this country. What he did is part of the Civil Rights movement. , he was a dear friend. I mean, not a passing friend. Not an acquaintance. He was like an intimate friend. Like, I will give you a key to my house friend with Martin Luther King Jr.
Later in the conversation, Sharlet has some thoughts on Trumpism, Fascism, where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed,
We speak of the crisis of democracy. We speak of climate, the climate crisis. I think the good news, the hard news, but the good news is that we can reject that language cuz that's, that's fascist. That's a fascist aesthetic. The final battle, right?
Trump is trying to tell us it's a final battle. Well, Harry Belafonte fought that battle for 96 years, and now it's our turn to keep going. This is our condition. It is a condition of loss, and we have to mourn that because grief unmoored hurdles into a rage.
I’ve got the book and it is excellent
Jeff Sharlet is a courageous truth teller. One of the best and one of my favorites. His new book awaits my finishing *Brother to a Dragonfly* by Will D. Campbell, another courageous truth teller and witness to moral seriousness.