Air Date 12/14/2025

The sad ease with which we manage to ignore some atrocities, even while paying much attention to others, has to do with how visible or invisible to us the systems are that are propping up those events. Nothing happens in a vacuum and in our world, if you're willing to dig deep enough, you'll always find how we're all connected - across both time and geography.

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Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Will the International Community Act Preschool Massacre & Large Piles of Bodies in Sudan Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-10-25

KP 2: Sudan Civil War the Terrifying Escape From El Fasher - Global News Podcast - Air Date 12-1-25

KP 3: Can Trump Help Sudan Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 11-19-25

KP 4: The War In Sudan with Khalid Medani Part 1- American Prestige - Air Date 5-10-24

KP 5: South Sudans Failed Peace Deal with Joshua Craze Part 1 - American Prestige - Air Date 5-27-25

KP 6: Decolonise Sudan - The Sages Cabin - Herbs & Liberation - Air Date 11-6-25

(00:45:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the past 20 years of politics

DEEPER DIVES

(00:50:08) SECTION A: VIOLENCE NOW

(01:12:13) SECTION B: HISTORICAL ROOTS

(01:51:58) SECTION C: OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE

(02:12:01) SECTION D: RESOLUTION AND SOLIDARITY

HOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of Sudanese refugee women, one with her baby, standing in line for food aid in Chad carrying bags, and boxes.

Credit: "24 January 2025, Adre, Chad. Sudanese refugees who have fled the conflict in Sudan register for food aid in neighbouring Chad." by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK), Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

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Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date: 12-10-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was out this week) discuss:

• Ch. 1 - Generational humor, and analysis of Gen Z's absurdist humor and the impact it's having

• Ch. 2 - The unexpected social side effects of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's campaign on Gen Z volunteers

• Ch. 3 - The "App"stinence Movement helping people get off of social media

• Ch. 4 - How the peak Millennial humor mobile game "Sword and Sworcery" has evolved with the times

• SOLVED! Backstage: Behind the Algorithm: Elon Musk's "Grokapedia" reminding us of the "Conservapedia" of 2010s punchlines, and the co-opting of Gen Z meme humor by right wing extremists to normalize hate.

REFERENCES

Gen Z Humour: What's so funny about something so unfunny? - Hayden Lim Khai Eun via Medium

Inside 'Gen Z humor,' the layered and absurdist internet jokes millennials are struggling to keep up with - Business Insider

A crash course in Gen Z humor - Pion

We Laughed Into The Void—And It Laughed Back: Understanding Gen Z Humor - Berkeley Political Review

A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani's Rise: Gen Z Loneliness - The New York Times

A mass exit from social media - Mashable

Should you practice Appstinence? Gen Z and Gen Alpha are embracing this Harvard student movement - Fast Company

7 Reasons to Think Social Media Has Peaked The platforms have serious problems. - New York Magazine

The Mysteries Of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP - Waltorious Writes About Games

Social media is dead – here's what comes next - New Scientist

EXTRAS

NOT SPONSORS/AFFILIATES

Appstinence

Brick - Device to help you manage phone use

Freedom - App to help you manage device use

How to make your smartphone into a dumb phone - (Modern Dumbphone)

Air Date 12/14/2025

Albert Einstein said, "Life is just like a game, first you have to learn rules of the game, and then play it better then any one else." (Or just get some insider knowledge about which team is paid off to lose and bet on the game rather than playing it, am I right?) Now, while it's well known that sports gambling has great potential to corrupt the game, I'm sure being able to bet on literally anything in life all the time right from your phone with billionaires funding persuasion campaigns to convince you to do it will probably work out fine.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Join our Discord community!

KEY POINTS

KP 1: America Is Losing Big on Sports Betting Part 1 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 8-11-25

KP 2: The Nuzzi-Lizza Show & CNN's Prediction Play - The Powers That Be: Daily - Air Date 12-5-25

KP 3: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25

KP 4: Is the Sports Betting Industry a Huge Mistake? - Good Work - Air Date 2-9-24

KP 5: Why The New Gambling Epidemic Should Terrify You - GEN - Air Date 11-8-25

(00:46:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Best of the Left turning 20!

DEEPER DIVES

(00:49:22) SECTION A: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING

(01:30:27) SECTION B: THE UBIQUITY OF SPORTS BETTING

(01:56:28) SECTION C: SPORTS BETTING IS BAD FOR SPORTS

02:34:14) SECTION D: GAMIFYING LIFE

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of a man staring up at multiple screens showing sports betting updates, along with a live football and hockey game, above the betting counter in a Las Vegas casino.

Credit: "Sports Betting at a Las Vegas Casino" by Baishampayan Ghose, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!

Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft

Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com