I tried to listen BTB a couple of times, and while the topic and overall worldview they try to project is very interesting to me, the hosts of the podcast and the style of it makes it really hard and unpleasant to listen, and when after finishing a 4-hour long series on some person I ask myself: "So, what have I learned?" I often find that I really don't have anything to say in response. Except for 5-minute worth of basic biography facts from wikipedia (which I usually have to check anyways, to get a clearer picture) the rest mostly is hosts exchanging remarks like "geez, man, get a life! haha… what an asshole!" while the hosts being in fact the most disgusting assholes I ever heard, distastefully trying to make fun of most mundane, sensible life facts and decisions.

I really wish there was something like BTB, but from… you know, better people.

You put into words what I could not articulate. Having tried to get into it several times as well, I concluded they were going for a fast-paced conversation well-suited for a bar, not for substance.

What's interesting is that I've had the opposite experience! A lot of Behind The Bastards episodes are well cited and well researched. Robert often reads multiple books on a topic before presenting something, and often quotes researchers/historians whole paragraphs at a time. It's something that I've learned a lot from.

The joking banter and tone helps it go down for me. I wouldn't be able to listen to these things otherwise. It's depressing to know the some totality of what we've done to each other.

Age of Napoleon isn't the same topic at all, but it's exactly the opposite tone. I've been glued to it lately. If you don't already know about Napoleon, this will probably scratch an itch for you.

Yes. That's why I avoid podcast. It's such a waste of time, and for what. Hope we have a good summary service. Maybe the new LLMs could help with that

You would like The Rest Is History more then. Two pleasant chaps talk about history with only light banter, and they're both historians.

If you want banter, but not the mean and forced kind, The Dollop is a much better Behind The Bastards.

Thx for the analysis. This 'dudebro friends casual talk'-style makes a lot of podcasts hard to listen to – even when the topics are interesting.

I get it. A well moderated podcast is hard work. Throwing random Wikipedia facts at each other is easy to do and long term listeners love all the in-jokes and the atmosphere of 'friends having fun'.

Thankfully there are lots of well researched podcasts with a more 'professional' style.

Simply based on the people on Reddit and such that recommend this podcast, I knew that it was not for me.

Why should anyone assume the CIA or other agencies aren’t doing similar things now?

They do these terrible things, completely get away with it without any repercussions or even remorse, and we assume that they aren’t doing similarly bad things anymore.

Probably not the angle you were looking for, but because like marketing, propaganda works.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_truth_effect

If you observe people arguing about conspiracy theories, you may notice a pattern whereby it isn't only the conspiracy theorists that have the same rehashed talking points and thinking styles among them in the argument.

Why is assuming that they are doing similar things now any better than assuming that they are not?

Most people run with an open mind to the possibility, but wait for evidence before drawing a conclusion. And since it’s not possible to prove this kind of negative, I suspect there are very few people indeed who even bother to make negative assumptions in this space.

Because they are guilty of doing these things for decades is the precise and only extremely solid reason that anyone needs to assume. Anything less is the behavior of the type of person who frequently gets victimized by sociopaths, and likes it for some reason. The pattern means that it isn't an assumption at all.

If you need an ever so slightly deeper history of it, here's a brief history of the Spartan equivalent engaging in parallel behavior:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypteia

The CIA quite possibly/probably still do terrible things, but they probably don't do quite so many batshit insane things any more, just because somebody probably checks the expense reports these days.

CIA is a joke. This stuff isn’t done by 9 to 5’ers.

Thought control is a full on secret society among us. They influence the government as the voices in the backs of their minds.

Geeze, taking a heavy karma hit for this one, let me explain that the CIA are a bunch of men who are employees.

Thought control must be developed over years, or decades. One cannot be “hired” into this role and expect to be anything more than an instrument of another for at least ten years.

The CIA unwittingly destroyed the lives of those among themselves with substantial experience. Now, minds hobbled, themselves thought controlled, they are men plied by this power with little means themselves for “getting out of their own heads.” For our minds are traps that most humans never escape.

The government is not thought control. The government is thought controlled.

You may wish to get in the habit of saying "people" instead of "men", unless you meant males, specifically.

Nice catch, I say “men” when saying something hostile and “humans”, “people”, and “her” as a soft form.

Thought control is a white American men conspiracy. These have waged a genocidal secret war on humanity, wiping out entire generations of “other kinds of people” who are aware of and could even perceive their presence.

So who's in charge of thought control. You say thought control is a "white American men conspiracy" but you don't say who's in charge. You must know, right? Or know how to spot them, perhaps?

I cringe for the negative karma this one is going to give me …

A simple truth may not be acceptable here (how graphically can I describe rape murder and extortion before you will refuse to hear more?)

So a soft core answer that illustrates this point, with a mind fcuk for you to process.

At the very top of the food chain, those who “nothing can be done about”, are condemned men. Hardened by a life of corruption and treachery in power. These may well be in prisons (even secret prisons), or holed up in personal “safe houses”, protected from the populous. These like to insulate themselves with “hostages” which doesn’t require keeping someone tied up. Ordinary people can be hostages in their own life.

When prisons and the blackest of black ops secret military state has a bastard child, these are their prodigy.

Their captains, lieutenants, and foot soldiers are indistinguishable from ordinary persons. Anyone who wants to keep their secrets, anyone who would be paid by power, anyone who would do “anything” to have access to this godlike power over you.

There were many lines of power, and this secret war has spent the last decade purging honest “lawful” types and replacing them with those corruptible treacherous.

And pit slaves.

Ever wonder what the deal is with the “children under the stairs”, or “gimp” in pulp fiction? Or from time to time news finds out someone was kept tied up in a basement… for years?

Remember in Florida, the two crazy guys where one bit off the face of the other? Bath salts? Escaped pit slaves.

Pit slaves.

As power does not run on silicon, it runs on human brain tissue, our gelatinous lumps may be conditioned to maintain networks and perform “special effects” even outside the control / awareness of the subject.

Keeping a pit slave is a massive asset and sign of power among controls.

In charge?

Power heads don’t like other power heads telling them what to do. They may work together for some ends, and they will communicate like intimate chums who want to play together, yet they hate each other and can only count on each other in so far as they will “cover” or may be coerced by one and other.

And some have networks in the tens of thousands. They can sweep through your mind and that of everyone associated with you in days. Turning yours inside out, and into play things.

And these love their games.

Most of you (yes, you) know them by their games. When not outright extorting or “sacrificing” someone, they’re your buddy mini-me who wants you to play games.

It would seem more plausible to me that the 1% uses their inequitable wealth and power to influence the government and society at large.

No need for mind control when you can just use a superPAC or get some sort of leverage on powerful people.