What the Yellow Vests of France Can Teach U.S about Reclaiming Power

What the Yellow Vests of France Can Teach U.S about Reclaiming Power

Are you tired of being a spectator to history? Ordinary people are often trapped on a political pendulum—swinging back and forth between partisan headlines while the fundamental power of big money stays exactly the same.  On the Apocalyptic Supperclub, we look at what breaks the pendulum with legendary urban anthropologist Ida Susser who has spent 50 years embedded in global resistance movements—from 1970s Brooklyn to South African AIDS activism, and now the roundabouts of France where thousands of ordinary people joined together to shift the balance of power.  Ida Susser’s latest book, The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy, offers a visionary blueprint for systemic change that Americans can leverage to navigate the present political chaos and become protagonists in a new political story. Ida Susser is offering her book for free as a resistance field guide for shifting the balance of power back towards the people: The Yellow Vests and The Battle for Democracy [https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Vests-Battle-Democracy-Streets-ebook/dp/B0GHW25HJ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20H1FJOFVBJGT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UI0l2Au6A6axhfPfqh-8zuagAtaD5JZS59Nd7RWe1v-7fgfXo0vBTmQoMyFfT1Fx452MCch-3DkxoOYKrOo5_-gKFflwQOYo-yxSly37A6zttzsGgIpH7pctTtDaXmE7EPsk1eg5JJ64UY7qXSrL5IBybl7UY3EgOVCuLYilzEIrcZ1vRPxflZDfPG7XQfrrg1N5QQ06Kkd-H3AKsnMC-bsvcrfPim0xmJ1SBGK60rJ7Lm9oyyhMB-Yrp2fED8eyxDGxaHem8MjpbYmpUC4-y_T4-vL48sBvDHWtR17iNcc.ifRWT4rlj7HXJDhUIcKylQR35FluMv2a1wRKt8l3s-I&dib_tag=se&keywords=ida+susser+yellow+vests&qid=1781133204&sprefix=ida+susser%2Caps%2C347&sr=8-1]   ________________________________________________ Music: Star of Lisa; Taoudella; Cabernet from Blue Dot Sessions [https://www.sessions.blue]. __________________________________________________ Join Christine Barrington for The Apocalyptic Supperclub: Nourishment for Dire Times  the second Friday of every month on KSQD, where she serves up stories to whet your appetite for the politically possible and show just how much you matter at this critical cultural moment. For more inspiration check out Apocalypticsupperclub.com [https://apocalypticsupperclub.com] where you will find rich resources to inspire your inner citizen and make it easy to engage effectively, strategically and meaningfully. To have resources delivered weekly straight to your inbox subscribe to the Apocalyptic Supperclub Substack [https://apocalypticsupperclub.substack.com/] channel.

Finding Stability in an Unstable World: Returning to our Senses with Lee Klinger Lesser

When the headlines feel like a storm, our natural instinct is to tighten up, tune out, or burn out, but teacher and author Lee Klinger Lesser suggests a different way to stay fed and focused. For more than fifty years Lee Lesser has been helping people find their center of gravity and embodied purpose through tuning into sensory awareness practices.  Now she distills her years of teaching and life experience into her book Return to our senses: A path to stability in an unstable world. [https://www.returntooursenses.com/return-to-our-senses-a-path-to-stability-in-an-unstable-world/] This show dives into the essential connection between our inner state and our outward action, because if we’re going to step into the river of change together, we need to know how to keep our feet on the ground and our hearts open.  Links and Resources: To learn more and register for Lee’s workshops: Returntooursenses.com [https://www.returntooursenses.com] Purchase Lee’s Book:  “Return to our Senses: A Path to Stability in Unstable Times”  [https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=XEJwboiRUr0wv2A4tKVqOvyacduuJksQdPdyGKsLzEX] Enjoy this lovely 6-minute Sensory Awareness Meditation by Lee Lesser recorded during our interview: https://ksqd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Lee-Guided-Meditation.mp3 [https://ksqd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Lee-Guided-Meditation.mp3] ________________________________________________ Music: Dire Ghost; Borough; Circle Gerano from Blue Dot Sessions [https://www.sessions.blue]. __________________________________________________ Join Christine Barrington for The Apocalyptic Supperclub: Nourishment for Dire Times  the second Friday of every month on KSQD, where she serves up stories to whet your appetite for the politically possible and show just how much you matter at this critical cultural moment. For more inspiration check out Apocalypticsupperclub.com [https://apocalypticsupperclub.com] where you will find rich resources to inspire your inner citizen and make it easy to engage effectively, strategically and meaningfully. To have resources delivered weekly straight to your inbox subscribe to the Apocalyptic Supperclub Substack [https://apocalypticsupperclub.substack.com/] channel.

EveryLibrary transforms outrage into action on behalf of libraries

Checking out from the news? Feeling overwhelmed about the American political situation? Want to put your head in the sand? Join Christine Barrington for the Apocalyptic Supperclub where she serves up stories to whet the appetite for the politically possible in these dire times. The April episode features the organization EveryLibrary, [https://www.everylibrary.org] A 501(c)4 non-profit fighting to protect libraries and librarians by empowering American citizens to stand up for the freedom to read across the nation. In the face of rapidly evolving assaults to our library and information systems, citizens need resources and strategies to not only support their local libraries, but to also transform outrage into effective political action. Every Library shows you how.  Featured Guest: Patrick Sweeney Digital Director at EveryLibrary. Mentioned in this show: Run for Something [https://www.everylibrary.org/runforsomething#:~:text=Run%20for%20Something%20helps%20people,campaign%20cycle%20they're%20at.]. Tired of book bans, Run for Something! If you want to run with a pro-library agenda, with support and resources from EveryLibrary you could win. Run for Office [https://www.runforoffice.org/] It is important for people who care about liberal values to fill every political vacancy. Just enter your address to see all available offices open in your area. If you feel your local library system is safe it doesn’t mean it will be safe forever. EveryLibrary’s collective cry de coeur of “any library initiative anywhere matters to every library everywhere” reminds us that together we are powerful and that vulnerable libraries and librarians need our help. When you donate to EveryLibrary [https://www.everylibrary.org/donate] it translates into empowering frontline resources for those who need it most. To date, they have helped libraries win nearly 3 billion dollars in funding through voter and political action, which translates into every dollar raised delivering a return of over $1,600 in funding to libraries. Freedom to Read Project [https://www.freedomtoreadproject.org] exists to develop education and research materials to help limit book bans and education censorship across the country. American Library Association Funding Libraries Page [https://www.ala.org/advocacy/federal-resources/fund-libraries] has great resources for understanding how to support our library systems through contacting your representatives. “The president has repeatedly underestimated congressional support for libraries and the lengths to which advocates will go to protect library services. Thanks to library advocacy, Congress increased library funding, just as they did all four years of the president’s first term.” The Librarians Documentary [https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-librarians/] on PBS.org. When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life. ____________________________________ Join Christine Barrington for The Apocalyptic Supperclub the second Friday of every month, where she serves up stories to whet your appetite for the politically possible and show just how much you matter.  For more inspiration check out Apocalypticsupperclub.com [https://apocalypticsupperclub.com] where you will find rich resources to inspire your inner citizen and make it easy to engage effectively, strategically and meaningfully. To have resources delivered weekly straight to your inbox subscribe to the Apocalyptic Supperclub Substack [https://apocalypticsupperclub.substack.com/] channel.

Practicing Courageous Citizenship to Bridge Political Divides with Braver Angels

Have your relationships with friends or family been negatively affected by politics?  In a recent worldwide survey, the United States was the only country to say that most of our fellow citizens are “bad people.” In America, the politics of contempt have reached Olympian levels, but this episode of the Apocalyptic Supperclub highlights one organization bold enough to take on the challenge of healing that divide. Braver Angels [https://braverangels.org] leans into the spirit of President Lincoln’s first inaugural address when he urged us to remember the angels of our better nature. It is the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement that seeks to strengthen our democratic republic through building what should be a basic skill: the ability to disagree respectfully and stay connected despite differences. They call this capacity courageous citizenship and Braver Angels insists that on the eve of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we must accept our responsibility to bring humility, courage, and persistence to the work of building trust and strengthening the bonds of citizenship, despite our enduring differences. It is not easy, but how they do it, and the programs they offer to help you do it too are featured in this program. Host Christine Barrington interviews Gabriella Kearns who is the Braver Angels Director of Communications and Marketing. Also featured in this interview are clips from the Reuniting America: Braver Angels Documentary [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6kZpN5T3lU]; Maury Giles‘ Inaugural Speech as CEO of Braver Angels (July 2025), and clips from the New Hampshire Legislative Workshop, which is part of Braver Angel’s Braver Politics [https://braverangels.org/politics/] program. Gabriella Kearns highlighted the Braver Angels Convention in Philadelphia [https://braverangels.org/2026-convention/] taking place June 2025. _______________________________________ Join Christine Barrington for The Apocalyptic Supperclub where she serves up stories to whet your appetite for the politically possible and show just how much you matter.  For more inspiration check out Apocalypticsupperclub.com [https://apocalypticsupperclub.com] where you will find rich resources to inspire your inner citizen and make it easy to engage effectively, strategically and meaningfully. To have resources delivered weekly straight to your inbox subscribe to the Apocalyptic Supperclub Substack [https://apocalypticsupperclub.substack.com/] channel.

Ground Truth: Swing Left’s Game-Changing New Canvassing Program

Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged about our present political reality?  Don’t believe you can make an impact? This episode will be medicine for your citizen heart, because Swing Left [https://swingleft.org] empowers you to be an effective agent of political change. What if winning back power comes down to simply changing the way we talk to voters? What if campaigns knocked on every door, asked open-ended questions about voters perceptions and needs, and then listened with curiosity and non-judgement? Sound revolutionary? Well it is, and it’s what Swing Left is up to right now.  This episode of The Apocalyptic Supperclub features Yasmin Radjy (photo below), the Executive Director of Swing Left,  an election advocacy platform that strategically targets tight political races to swing them towards the left and return power to the people. With the largest volunteer force in elections today, they empower citizens to know what to do, how to do it, and why it makes a difference.  In this show we cover the history and future of Swing Left with a special focus on Ground Truth, [https://ourgroundtruth.org] their innovative people-powered canvassing program that’s helping Democrats win back power by reimagining how to talk with voters. Every candidate Swing Left backed in November 2025 won!  And, they aim to repeat that success by going all in for the mid-terms through Ground Truth, and it’s looking to be a political game-changer. Swing Left was started by people with no previous political experience–people like you and me who simply knew they needed to do something as American politics deteriorated.  You can join them and become a part of weaving a new American political fabric.  ___________________________________________ Music: Dire Ghost By Blue Dot Sessions [http://Dire Ghost by https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/368320] ;  Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions; [http://Highway 430 by https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/368318] and Cicle Gerano by Blue Dot Sessions [http://Cicle Gerano by https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/368319] ___________________________________________________ Join Christine Barrington for The Apocalyptic Supperclub where she serves up stories to whet your appetite for the politically possible and show just how much you matter. For more inspiration check out Apocalypticsupperclub.com [https://apocalypticsupperclub.com] where you will find rich resources to inspire your inner citizen and make it easy to engage effectively, strategically and meaningfully. To have resources delivered weekly straight to your inbox subscribe to the Apocalyptic Supperclub Substack [https://apocalypticsupperclub.substack.com/] channel.