Episode 18: Jules Boykoff on the Olympics and “Celebration Capitalism”
With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia just winding down, we sit down with Jules Boykoff – author of Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games and Activism and the Olympics – to talk about what’s inspiring and what’s sickening about the Olympics. Chris and Jules discuss the gargantuan (and publicly-funded) cost of the games, the ubiquitous corporate sponsorship of athletes, the politics of Olympic boycotts for both athletes and spectators, and ideas for reclaiming the Olympics from corporate profiteers. Also: Chris and Derek recap the Maple Leafs “Forces Appreciation Night” parody website; reflect on Joshua Oppenheimer’s insane documentary The Act of Killing (brief re-enactment included), and note the recent resurfacing of two of the left’s most controversial activist scholars (excluding your charming hosts of course).
Episode Links
- Toronto Maple Leafs parody
- Two Canadians Made A Fake Toronto Maple Leafs Website To Criticize The Afghan War
- Jules Boykoff
- Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games
- Activism and the Olympics:Dissent at the Games in Vancouver and London
- Papa Palermo Pizza ad featuring Jules Boykoff
- The Act of Killing
- Director calls for US to acknowledge its role in 1965 killings
- Electronic Intifada on Scarlett Johannson
- An Alienated Finkelstein Discusses His Writing, Being Unemployable, And Noam Chomsky
- In Search of Ward Churchill
Episode Music
- Greg MacPherson – 1995
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