{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep. 442: Christmas Holiday Weekend Special -- Our Hope Tanks and Hard Times","description":"  On this special&amp;nbsp;Christmas holiday episode of the podcast, Chauncey DeVega reflects on this very surreal and challenging year and tries to find some mirth, merriment, positive energy and joy to refill his (and our) hope tanks.   Chauncey taps into the joy of childhood nostalgia and a longing for a simpler time as he looks through store catalogues from the 1980s in search of his favorite Transformers and G.I. Joe toys, and then calculates how much they would cost in today\u2019s dollars. Chauncey soon realizes he likely would have been the parent telling the kids, \u201cHell no!\u201d   Disney, the WWE, and other entertainment companies have announced that they will be using AI programs to \u201cassist\u201d in their creative process. In the spirit of embracing the future, Chauncey DeVega asks an AI to write a Christmas-themed crossover mega-event movie  featuring Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn\u2019s version of Superman, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and Krampus. The results are \u201ctroubling\u201d for what they suggest about the present and future of mass media in the 21st century and beyond. &amp;nbsp;   This year\u2019s Christmas and holiday season are a painful reminder that the collapse of American democracy in the Age of Trump is also an extreme moral crisis, touching almost every aspect of American society and life. To that point, Chauncey shares a recent news story about how  ICE has enlisted \u201cSanta Claus\u201d \u2014 equipped with a red bulletproof vest and handcuffs \u2014 to assist in its mass deportation campaign. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;   WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME?   On Twitter:   https:\/\/twitter.com\/chaunceydevega   On Facebook:   https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chauncey.devega   My email:   chaunceydevega@gmail.com   HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW?   &amp;nbsp;Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com:   Patreon:   https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/thechaunceydevegashow ","author_name":"The Chauncey DeVega Show","author_url":"http:\/\/thechaunceydevegashow.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/39536055\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/87A93A\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/196901680"}