26. Antonia Malchik on poverty, shame, and identity wars in the American West

Antonia Malchik joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about the commons, class, and the fractured political landscape of the American West. We start with walking and a decade of intellectual kinship, then dig into whether certain temperaments draw people toward commons-based thinking, and how class, hardship, and family history shape a justice-oriented worldview. From there we get into Montana identity — the distrust that comes with geography and rapid change, why environmentalism so often feels like a threat to local identity, and how to have real conversations across propaganda, echo chambers, and fractured realities. We close by looking at how personal relationships can open space for political change, and set up the next conversation on 'Sordid Little Stories' and Antonia's childhood in poverty.