A RECKONING IS HERE
Welcome to the next step for HATM
It is finally here. Today we launch RECKONING WITH JASON HERBERT, our new podcast devoted to conversations with anyone and everyone. And guys, I could not be more excited. I want to use this space to introduce Reckoning to you, give you the ideas behind it, and introduce our first guest. So let’s get into this.
What is Reckoning with Jason Herbert?
Guys, we are a week removed from the election of a man convicted of 34 felony accounts and adjudicated for sexual assault. Key to that victory was a long series of misinformation and deliberate actions to push forth agendas based on lies, conspiracy theories, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia.
We live in a world created by four men: Mitch McConnell, Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, and Joe fucking Rogan. And I am here to push back on that. I want Reckoning to be a space that the internet promised us: where we can have cool conversations with amazing people, share a laugh, and learn a little from them.
There’s no platforming of assholes here.
This—like HATM before it—is a space for everyone.
I chose the name after thinking about my grandfather. He was a Southerner. When he thought on things, he’d say he reckoned this or he reckoned that. I liked the idea of using this podcast to think through things. And yeah, maybe there’s a somewhat ominous or aggressive tone to Reckoning. That’s by design as well. I’m tired of always being nice. I want to pick a fight from time to time. Not with our guests, but with ignorance being peddled by the Four Horsemen of Stupidity mentioned above.
Reckoning is my attempt to explore the world around us. I want to talk to everybody. I believe somewhere in here—somewhere inside of me—is the ability to talk to anyone. I think it’s there. In some ways, Reckoning is own experiment to see if that’s possible. As much as a gift as HATM is, one of its limitations is that we are talking about exclusively about history and through a medium I can’t control in the availablity of films to link them. I want more.
Among our guests we have already lined up: astrophysicist Dr. Kelsey Johnson, shark researcher and advocate Dr. David Shiffman, novelist Jillian Forsberg, economist Dr. Stephan Meier, historian Dr. Rachel Gross, psychiatrist Dr. Judith Lewis Herman, historian Dr. Dan Flores, and about another thirty folks between now and March. We have a full plate full of people from so many walks of life.
But I also want to be responsive. Some of you already heard the unofficial first releases of Reckoning, where I talked through what I was thinking about, what I was reckoning with. These will continue. And we will have experts lined up to give analysis when the need arises. Lord knows that’s coming.
What happens to HATM?
First and foremost, Historians At The Movies and Historians At The Movies Podcast will remain and continue to grow and evolve. Y’all wouldn’t let me quit that if I tried.HATM is the mothership. We have so many wonderful episodes coming, including the very first one featuring a guest host in John Wyatt Greenlee. HATM will not only remain at the center of what we do, it too will get even bigger. Among the epsiodes on the radar are Space Camp, 12 Years a Slave, Gladiator II, Reality Bites, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and our first music episode featuring Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill.
Our first episode
When I first considered who I wanted to be the first guest on the podcast, there was exactly one option: Dr. Holly Miowak Guise. As you’ll see below, Holly is amazing. She’s doing such important work illustrating the histories of Alaska Natives. In some ways, having Holly on sets a tone for Reckoning. One of the limitations of HATM has been at times a lack of focus on Native histories or issues. It’s something I care deeply about. And yes, Holly is a woman who is writing and teaching and living history. Because women do that too. But more than anything else, she is a tremendous friend whose opinion I value and I want in what little way I can to promote to her work. In the clip below, Holly talks about her concept of equilibrium restoration:
More about Dr. Guise:
Holly Miowak Guise (Iñupiaq) is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of New Mexico. Her book, Alaska Native Resilience: Voices from World War II focuses on gender, Unangax̂ (Aleut) relocation and internment camps, Native activism/resistance, and Indigenous military service during the war. Her research methods bridge together archives, tribal archives, community-based research, and oral histories with Alaska Native elders and veterans. She is interested in the colonial/Indigenous relationship during war and social history.
She launched a digital humanities website (ww2alaska.com) that features her YouTube channel (World War II Alaska) with oral history content from Native elders, veterans, and Unangax̂ internment survivors. Since 2022, she has served as an editorial board member for the Alaska History Journal. In partnership with the Alaska Humanities Forum, she has served as the historian for the documentary film Indigenous Resistance: Now and Then (2023) directed by 'Waats'asdiyei Joe Yates (Haida).
What you can do
I am filled with conviction that we can make Reckoning a force for good people curious about the world around them. What I’m asking you to do is two things: 1) listen and if you like it, subscribe to the podcast and leave a review; 2) I really need y’all to generate some heat out there. I need for you to share the shit out of this on social media. What we are trying to do is get outside of our comfort zones, beyond even the reach of HATM and historians to the general public. We want to build an audience and build it fast. And that only happens if you blanket social media with your enthusiasm for our mission. So when I start sharing this on Blue Sky, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram tomorrow, I need you to jump onboard and share it too.
Alright, so here we go: Reckoning with Jason Herbert begins now. I hope you like it.
JWH