Land of the Rising Floodwaters (w/ Dr. Wesley Cheek)
After the unprecedented rain and landslides in western Japan, disaster sociologist Dr. Wes Cheek talks about the country's future, and how facing the climate crisis may require never-before-seen levels of "shikata-ga-nai."
After the unprecedented rain and landslides in western Japan, disaster sociologist Dr. Wes Cheek talks about the country's future, and how facing the climate crisis may require never-before-seen levels of "shikata-ga-nai."
Ollie recommends a climate change simulating cruise that is ALREADY behind the times.
Bobby throws some classic comedic misdirection in your face.
Topics discussed on this episode range from:
Ollie recommends a climate change simulating cruise that is ALREADY behind the times.
Bobby throws some classic comedic misdirection in your face.
Topics discussed on this episode range from:
- Whatever happened to all those RAINBOW HATS?
- Updates with Ollie's continuing run of terrible luck at the Fringe, and how he's discovered that his pain is funny
- Wes's wild journey from bourgeoise JET ALT to MMA Photographer to disaster recovery researcher, and how 311 (not the band) changed the direction of his life
- Brian's in a bit of a mood
- The JBRC Alumni network and Wes's work adjacent to previous guest Angela Ortiz
- How we're funding the boathouse
- The extreme weather and its effects on southern Japan
- Wes getting caught in the weather in Kagoshima, Bobby being in it in Fukuoka
- A brief description of rain
- Exactly HOW severe the level of precipitation was and how this is creating challenges for areas that didn't see these challenges
- How Japan's topography makes it vulnerable
- Japan immigrant pessimism from Alex Kerr's 'Dog's and Demons' but how Japan's tendency to put concrete everywhere can actually be good
- What are the extreme lengths Japan might have to go in preventative measures?
- How Japan news media is reframing its approach to covering extreme weather stories
- What does that "Once in hundred year" storm terminology actually refer to statistically?
- A very clear illustration of why we invite people who are smarter than us on the show
- What motivates politicians to gamble with disaster preparedness
- Why politicians frame disasters as unforeseeable and what disaster researchers try to do balance that out
- The inherent conflict between running day-to-day politics and caring about the long-term
- Helplessness in the face of disaster
- Geographical climate crisis triage
- When should we give up?
- Is there messaging that can get people to not adapt a shikata-ga-nai attitude towards man-made climate disasters?
- The proliferation of "Bousai" (disaster preparedness) content in Japan
- The effect of measuring the value of a society based on its GDP, and how that relates to who we put the responsibility for saving the planet on
- Why Wes tells his children not to recycle (not really)
- How is Japan positioned to face the future?
- What sort of things should Japan concern itself with going forward?
As always, the extras are FANTASTIC, and they're like getting a whole extra show for free. Well, not for free.
For like 4 to 5 dollars a month.
You can get access to the extras by supporting the podcast for less than $1 an episode by becoming a member at http://buymeacoffee.com.
Topics discussed on the extras include:
For like 4 to 5 dollars a month.
You can get access to the extras by supporting the podcast for less than $1 an episode by becoming a member at http://buymeacoffee.com.
Topics discussed on the extras include:
- How Ollie and Wes think that being able to edit podcast audio makes them fucking Keanu Reeves
- How the new internet economy screws you guys, sorry
- Wes gets a brief education on UK sitcoms before he SURPRISE SURPRISE moves to London. TWEET AT HIM ABOUT his soon to be defunct @ on twitter!
- Wes's podcast Atticus Shrugged, covering US politics in the south
- How the names of places work, and how Florida politics skew, plus a brief moment where Bobby pretends to remember college football
- A definition of "florida crackers" that we were unfamiliar with
- Why Wes hates thinking about good things
- Once Wes almost ran for Congress against Matt Gaetz
- Are there parallels between current US populism and Japanese political trends?
- How legacy politics and elite association membership controls the relationship between politics and the media
- The western tendency for people to define their personal/social identity based on their political affiliation and how that doesn't really happen in Japan at large
- The US pulling out of Afghanistan, and Japan's reaction
- The relationship (financial and otherwise) between Japan and Afghanistan over the years
- Nakamura Tetsu
- How Japan doesn't accept refugees, except they gave it to that Myanmar Soccer Goalie
- The Utada Hikaru contradicition: How Japanese people choose whether or not they consider someone Japanese
- How lots of countries will make "humanitarian" choices when it involves people who are good at sport
- Should Kobe Bryant and Mike Tyson have been forgiven? (HOW THE HELL DID WE GET HERE?)
- How the US rightwing is just trolling
- Bobby's lighting fail when we made that Olympic video
Have something you'd like to say? Send us a fax at japanbyrivercruise.com - it works now.
or Tweet to us at @jbrcpod
or Tweet to us at @jbrcpod
Social Media Links:
Other things to click on
Some are affiliate links because we're sell-outs
- We record remotely using Squadcast and the podcast is hosted on Transistor.
- Bobby uses the Samson Go Mic and Ollie uses the AT2005USB mic
