Michael Malice: Freedom, Hope, and Happiness Amidst Chaos | Lex Fridman Podcast #150

The following is a conversation with Michael Malice, his second time on the podcast. He's an anarchist, political thinker, podcaster, and author. He wrote Dear Reader, which is a book on North Korea, and The New Right, a book on the various ideological movements at the fringe of American politics. He hosts a podcast called You're Welcome, spelled Y-O-U-R, and in general, does a lot of live shows on YouTube that are, at times, profoundly absurd, and at other times, absurdly profound, and always full of humor and wisdom. He is the Joker to my Batman, and the caviar to my vodka. His masterful dance between dark humor and difficult, even dangerous ideas, challenges me to think deeply about this world, and when that fails, at least smile and have a good laugh at the absurdity of it all. This episode has much of that. His outfit, for example, the exact inverse of mine, (laughs) with a white suit and a black shirt, is just one example of that, of the humor, trolling, and brilliance that is Michael Malice. A quick mention of our sponsors, NetSuite business management software, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutrition drink, Sunbasket meal delivery service, and Cash App. So the choice is success, health, food, or money. Choose wisely, my friends. And if you wish, click the sponsor links below to get a discount and to support this podcast. As a side note, let me say that Michael is, in many ways, a man of radical ideas, but also a man with kindness in his heart. Those two things are great ingredients for a fascinating conversation. I hope to have several such people on this podcast this upcoming year who also have radical ideas about politics, science, technology, and life. At times, often perhaps, I might fail at asking the challenging questions that should be asked, but I will try my best to do so and hope to keep improving every time. Mostly, I come to these conversations with an open mind and with love. Unfortunately, that kind of approach can be taken advantage of in many ways. It can be used by reporters or just people online later to highlight how or why I'm ignorant or, worse, I'm generally not a good human being. In the context of this, I have two options. I could either be cautious and afraid, or second, be kind, thoughtful, and fearless. I choose the latter, hopefully while still being open, fragile, and empathetic. Again, I strive to be like the main character of The Idiot by Dostoevsky. That's my New Year's resolution, be kind and do difficult things, difficult conversations, difficult research projects, and difficult entrepreneurial adventures. If you enjoy this thing, subscribe on YouTube, review it on Apple Podcast, follow on Spotify, support it on Patreon, or connect with me on Twitter @lexfriedman. And now, here's my conversation with Michael Malice. Knock, knock.

(laughs)

(laughs)

You're stealing my bit? I'll kill your family. (laughs)

(laughs) That's not how a knock-knock joke works.