Michael Malice: Anarchy, Democracy, Libertarianism, Love, and Trolling | Lex Fridman Podcast #128

The following is a conversation with Michael Malice, an anarchist, political thinker, author, and a proud part-time Andy Kaufman-like troll, in the best sense of that word, on both Twitter and in real life. He's a host of a great podcast called You're Welcome, spelled Y-O-U-R. I think that gives a sense of his sense of humor. He is the author of Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il and The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics. This latter book, when I read it, or rather listened to it last year, helped me start learning about the various disparate movements that I was under-educated about, from the internet trolls to Alex Jones to white nationalists and to techno anarchists. The book is funny and brilliant, and so is Michael. Unfortunately, because of a self-imposed deadline, I actually pulled an all-nighter before this conversation. So I was not exactly all there mentally, even more so than usual, which is tough because Michael is really quick-witted and brilliant. But he was kind, patient, and understanding in this conversation, and I hope you will be as well. Today, I'm trying something a little new, looking to establish a regular structure for these intros. A first, doing the guest intro, like I just did. Second, quick one or two sentence mention of each sponsor. Third, my side comments related to the episode. And finally, fourth, full ad reads on the audio side of things, and on YouTube, going straight to the conversation, so not doing the full ad reads. And as always, no ads in the middle, because to me, they get in the way of the conversation. So quick mention of the sponsors. First, SEMrush, the most advanced SEO optimization tool I've ever come across. I don't like looking at numbers, but someone probably should. It helps you make good decisions. Second sponsor is DoorDash, food delivery service that I've used for many years to fuel long, uninterrupted sessions of deep work at Google, MIT, and I still use it a lot today. Third sponsor is MasterClass, online courses from the best people in the world on each of the topics covered, from rockets to game design to poker to writing and to guitar with Carlos Santana. Please check out these sponsors in the description to get a discount and to support this podcast. As a side note, let me say that I hope to have some conversations with political thinkers, including liberals and conservatives, anarchists, libertarians, objectivists, and everything in between. I'm as allergic to Trump bashing and Trump worship as you probably are. I have none of that in me. I really work hard to be open-minded and let my curiosity drive the conversation. I do plead with you to be patient on two counts. First, I have an intense, busy life outside of these podcasts. Like it's 4:00 AM right now as I'm recording this. (laughs) So sometimes life affects these conversations, like in this case, I pull an all-nighter beforehand. So please be patient with me if I say something ineloquent, confusing, dumb, or just plain wrong. I'll try to correct myself on social media or in future conversations as much as I can. I really am always learning and working hard to improve. Second, if I or the guest says something about, for example, our current president, Donald Trump, that's over the top negative or over the top positive, please don't let your brain go into the partisan mode. Try to hear our words in an open-minded, nuanced way. And if we say stuff from a place of emotion, please give us a pass. Nuanced conversation can only happen if we're patient with each other. If you enjoy this thing, subscribe on YouTube, review it with five stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, support on Patreon, or connect with me on Twitter @lexfridman. And now, here's my conversation with Michael Malice.