A blunt, unsentimental dive into propaganda, ideology, and the contemporary cult of belief.
Host Todd Thompson dissects how both corporate and collectivist power structures manipulate guilt, fear, and identity to keep the herd in line. From Ellul and Chomsky to Didion and Camus, the show fuses political philosophy, field experience, and gallows humor to expose how revolutions become religions, and how “progress” often hides new forms of control.
The X-Pod is an autopsy of the narratives that shape us: digital Marxism, moral theater, and the algorithmic priests of the new faith. Expect philosophy with scars, historical context with teeth, and the rare luxury of an honest sentence.
Episodes
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Shortwave signals cut past the feed, but belief still carries a price. In ETC 170, we look at the reach of unfiltered broadcasts — and the unintended consequences of conviction.
This week I slip back into the podcast chair after a month of shortwave chaos. I dig into two fronts:
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Shortwave revival — why Cold War–era radio bands may outlast the algorithm, how signals from Nashville carry into Europe, Africa, and beyond, and why listeners sick of curated feeds may look back to unfiltered airwaves.
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Unintended consequences of belief — from grievance culture to irreversible choices, how ideology locks people in, why mistakes can’t be walked back, and what happens when social momentum collides with irreparable regret.
Unfiltered signals, unavoidable consequences.
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📡 Shortwave Times
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WWCR 4840 kHz — Friday 11 p.m. CT / Midnight ET / 4 a.m. UTC
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WBCQ 7490 kHz — Monday 10 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. UTC
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