UNFTR Weekly Roundup

Join us on Discord and Bluesky, and check out Max’s contributor videos on the MeidasTouch Network!

Max Notes

I am officially a monkey’s uncle. The governor of the state I love, whom I despise, just endorsed the candidate I love to run the city I love. Here is NYS Governor Kathy Hochul in the Times endorsing Zohran Mamdani:

“Some will say Zohran Mamdani and I are unlikely allies: a mom governor from Buffalo and a 33-year-old assemblyman from Queens. To me, that’s the beauty of this moment. What New Yorkers deserve right now is not grievances or grudges, but steely resolve to fight like hell.”

Paging Hakeem Jeffries.

Moving on, here’s a trivia question for you…

One broadcaster, in speaking of the assassination of Charlie Kirk said awful thoughts and words produce awful actions. A broadcaster on another network said that homeless populations should be subject to involuntary lethal injections, adding “just kill them” for emphasis. Guess which one got fired?

The liberal media purity test continues with the expulsion of Matthew Dowd from MSNBC after suggesting that Charlie Kirk’s remarks were spreading hate and that retribution and violence is to be expected. Meanwhile, over at Fox News, Brian Kilmeade has issued an apology for taking his comments about murdering the unhoused too far and that about wraps things up.

And speaking of Charlie Kirk…

The Kirk assassination will likely continue to remain in the headlines as more is revealed about the shooter’s intentions and motivations. Without a proper manifesto, we’re left to piece together clues about this young man, which is fueling the most insidious speculation pretty much everywhere you look.

I’ve included a couple of pieces in the newsletter that I found particularly thoughtful amidst a sea of garbage floating around the internet and social media. One is from British writer and activist Owen Jones and the other is from Mother Jones, which speaks to how the Netflix hit Adolescence gave millions insight into a fraction of the dark web drama that plagues our youth.

And now we’re entering the fallout phase that comes on the heels of high profile political violence. We move through these phases more rapidly these days because we have so many tragedies to respond to and promptly forget. But this one will endure a bit longer given it was a public execution.

The visceral response and confusion phases are now behind us so we’re officially in narrative mode. Left, right and middle narratives are emerging along the uniquely American murder spectrum. And this is where we’re about to reach peak Americana with deep state conspiracy meeting official government narrative in real time. And it’s going to be ugly.

Was the shooter an alt-right “groyper” who left dark web gamer clues or a recently radicalized trans rights leftist seeking to destroy the formative doctrines of his youth? With no manifesto to publicly digest and an administration clearly and openly looking to mold a Reichstag Fire Decree of its own, it’s hard to imagine any sense of clarity on the horizon. Considering the head of our government is a reality TV star who publicly stated he has no desire to bring the country together, and the head of law enforcement is a conspiracy theorist whose top deputy is a podcaster, I wonder how reliable the flow of information will be from the deep state, er, government.

Whether Kirk’s alleged shooter was radicalized by the left or the right, the fact remains that this type of violence is radical. Moreover, just scant information we have about him reveals that gaming and weapons are very much a part of his mindset and life. There is a sliver of this generation coming of age that has been left alone in the online wilderness to make of it what they will. And some of these unformed brains are making a mess of it.

Something Awful. 4chan. 8kun. Groyper. Swatting. Depression Quest.

These terms might be totally foreign to you and me but to that sliver of Gen Z, they are terms of art and points of reference for an incel community that was indoctrinated into violent culture during “Gamergate.” There is an entire online world dedicated to committing violence against wokeness and feminism in particular. And there’s an even deeper world committing to planting misinformation about Jewish people. That’s why you’ve likely heard everything from Tyler Robinson being Mossad to being in love with a trans person. Whatever his motivation, there are two throughlines that connect Robinson to this dark online universe: violence and dogma.

Other things I’m obsessing over…

• I won’t go through the litany of disclaimers behind my love for boxing. (But here are my highlights: Saudis, Dana White now involved, corruption, fighter health). That said, I’ve been a boxing fan my entire life. So there’s a lot to love about Ring Magazine and Netflix teaming up to stream a massive fight (Canelo/Crawford) that doesn’t involve a Paul brother and doesn’t cost $200 on PPV. But the biggest gift of all to me (other than the masterclass put on by Crawford) was the return of Max Kellerman. We Maxes have to stick together. Oh, and watching Stephen A. get booed by the Vegas crowd. (He got Max fired from his last gig.) Of course, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the passing of the legendary British fighter Ricky Hatton. RIP Ricky.
  
  
• File this under both “satisfying” and “fucking finally.” The online backlash to the unfunny “Rogansphere” comics and the Austin comedy scene cultivated by Joe Rogan is growing exponentially. For the deepest dive yet, hop in a cold plunge, swallow some Ivermectin and watch this glorious documentary-length takedown of all things Rogan while you wait for the aliens to come.
  
  
• A good time to promote the people behind UNFTR who made it what it is today. First take is from Manny Faces, who builds on our old PragerU episode to deliver an in-depth analysis of the insidious nature of their “teachings” on his Hip Hop Can Save America channel. And the second is a reminder to subscribe to the Best of the Left podcast. BotL was the first podcast to ever platform our episodes and lend credibility to our little enterprise. We remain forever grateful!

-Max

Killer Left Take of the Week

KLTW goes to Owen Jones, the young British columnist and activist who has become one of the most prominent voices on the Left. Sometimes, we have to get out of our own heads (and country) to do a gut check on whether we’ve completely lost our minds. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. In this video, Jones’ response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk was measured and obvious and necessary. Trumpism is fascism and it’s so clear to the rest of the world.

Watch: Trump Supporters Threaten CIVIL WAR After Charlie Kirk Killed

This Week on the UNFTR Podcast

The Murder of Charlie Kirk.

There Are Monsters Under the Bed.

This week Max expands on his initial response to the murder of Charlie Kirk and reflects on the diseased state of the online American male. Gen Z gamers who came of age during “Gamergate” are still living more online than “IRL” and appear to be divorced from their consequences. From school shootings to the Kirk murder, the motivations of incels are becoming harder to divine and even more radicalized from their roots. How this evolves is anyone’s guess but don’t look to this administration to dig into the problem or provide clarity; not while the anger and confusion provides the perfect cover for their Project 2025 agenda.

Here’s a snippet from the pod:

Max: Charlie Kirk’s life was no more valuable than a wrongfully detained immigrant who died in one of our newly converted concentration camps. And then again, it was no less valuable. That’s the thing about human life. There are more than eight billion of us now and we’ll all meet the same fate someday, just not in such a violent, public and spectacular way.

Chart of the Week

Source: BLS

You can run (your mouth), Donald. But you can’t hide (from inflation). Can we all agree now that inflation is really never transitory? Especially when you pursue reckless tariff policies and gut the agricultural labor force? Inflation began to cool from its Biden era height in 2022 and would likely have continued a downward trend, but professor Orange von Fucknugget just wouldn’t let that happen. So, here we are. 

Headlines

Too(ze) Big to Fail

I wasn’t going to pull from another Times article this week until I saw that they gave space to economist Adam Tooze who asks the right and important question about the Federal Reserve. Is this really what we want? Like a stopped clock, Trump can be right. I wouldn’t say twice-a-day is necessarily accurate, but you get the point. The point here is that his criticism of the Fed is providing progressives with an opportunity to think about Fed policy and governance, whether independence sometimes means undemocratic and whether the dual mandate is even the right protocol for this economy.

From the article:

“Personnel is policy. But if progressives are serious about building a stronger and more equitable economy, surely they would want to go further than merely reversing Mr. Trump’s board packing. After all, if it has become commonplace to argue that trade policy was skewed against ordinary Americans, the financial system is even more drastically so.”

New York Times: Don’t Just Defend the Fed. Reinvent It.

What Adolescence Missed

There’s an online world that most of us aren’t familiar with and will never see. But our kids are in it, adjacent to it or at least aware of it. This Mother Jones piece unpacks the surprising Netflix hit Adolescence and lauds the show for bringing the conversation into living rooms and adult consciousness, while identifying key ingredients for deeper exploration.

From the article:

“Over the past few years, online exploitation and radicalization of youth has expanded well beyond the incel phenomenon covered by Adolescence. Since 2023, top experts in threat assessment have told me about an escalation in cases linked to subcultures and sites that serve as gateways to violent extremist content. Networks known as ‘764,’ ‘The Com,’ and others have become hubs of horrifying material and criminal activity that previously would have been difficult to encounter beyond what’s known as the Dark web.”

Mother Jones: The Key Missing Piece to the Megahit “Adolescence”

What We Mean by “Establishment Democrats”

While his rise to electoral prominence isn’t as unassailable as Zohran Mamdani, the similarities between Mamdani and Omar Fateh of Minneapolis are undeniable. This article lays out the lengths the Minnesota democratic establishment has already gone to sideline Fateh’s campaign, from accusations of undercounting and missing ballots from a party endorsement to prominent national figures rushing in to protect the moderate Democratic incumbent.

From the article:

“Not everyone within Minnesota’s Democratic establishment is on board with Fateh’s vision. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced in late July that he would endorse Frey. In March, Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar endorsed Frey as well.”

The Progressive: How Omar Fateh Brought His Own ‘Mamdani Moment’ to Minneapolis

UNFTR’s Latest Article

Charlie Kirk’s assassination has America in tribal warfare while the real culprits—billionaires who’ve rigged the system—watch us tear each other apart. Extreme inequality breeds chaos, and we’re fighting each other instead of our actual oppressors. The elites want us distracted by culture wars while they continue siphoning wealth and power.

Read: It’s Like the Elites Want Us Raging Against Each Other

Resources

Pod Love

I’ve often said that when it comes to unvarnished and thoughtful coverage of foreign affairs, American Prestige is the go to podcast.

“Topics include Israel/Hamas negotiations, IDF evacuation orders, Russian drones in Polish airspace, mass protests in Nepal, Trump and Modi, the Hyundai plant ICE raids and more.”

American Prestige: Israel Bombs Qatar, Nepal Protests, Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace

Book Love

“Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, debates around antisemitism have become more polarized and high-stakes than ever. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to overcome the politics of division and fear?

“Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what’s missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people.”

Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber

Unf*cker Comment of the Week

From @bond-yieldbond0007:

“You can make money from his decisions as well.”

This is regarding Trump’s proposed stablecoin regime whereby his GOP controlled Congress privatizes stablecoin minting AND determines which ones are tradeable, including the one owned and controlled by the President himself. So this commenter is basically taking the silent Wall Street position, which is “who gives a fuck as long as we know how to game the system.”

Progressive Corner

Progressive Organization of the Week: Poor People’s Campaign.

“We are rooted in a moral analysis based on our deepest religious and constitutional values that demand justice for all. Moral revival is necessary to save the heart and soul of our democracy. We are committed to lifting up and deepening the leadership of those most affected by systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation and to building unity across lines of division. We believe in the dismantling of unjust criminalization systems that exploit poor communities and communities of color and the transformation of the ‘War Economy’ into a ‘Peace Economy’ that values all humanity.”

Current membership count: 414. Help us get to 500!

Thank you to our newest members:

• ThomyB
• MANGO
• Theron
• BJH
• Cynthia
• StifflersMama
• JSF

Support The Show

UNFTR is supported and funded by Unf*ckers like you.

If you’d like to help the team, please consider doing one of the following:

• Leave us a review. It really helps people find the podcast! 
• Subscribe to the YouTube channel and share the videos when they’re released. 
• Consider becoming a UNFTR member.
• If you drink coffee, drink our coffee! 
• Purchase books from our bookshop.org store.