TEDx Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, May 4, 2019.

Challenging the conventional wisdom of many secular and religious folk. University of Texas at Austin, Professor of Journalism, Dr. Robert Jensen argues that faith in the Cult of Capitalism is irrational and that a commitment to a reformulated Cult of Christianity (along with other religious traditions) is rational as we face up to the corrosive effects of modern life on human nature and the destructive effects of modern life on nature. As inequality and ecological collapse intensify, where do we look for values based on solidarity and sustainability?

This talk is part of the First Unitarian Universalist Church’s weekly Public Affairs Forum.

Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, Austin, Texas

Produced / Edited by Jeffry Zavala.
Videography by Grace Alfar, Jeff Zavala, & Michelle Dougherty.

Robert Jensen, a professor in the UT School of Journalism and author of Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialogue, will speak on “Coping with the Cascading Crises of Our World” in the University of Texas Informal Classes Odyssey lecture series.

With economic and ecological crises deepening, more people are facing the harsh reality that modern high-energy/high-technology ways of living—along with the economic system out of which they emerged—have to change if the Earth is to sustain a large-scale human presence in the future. If the American “way of life” is incompatible with a sustainable future, how do we start to talk about, and create, a new way of being in the world? In this talk, Robert Jensen will tell the story of a “plain radical,” a person whose political and personal choices offer a painfully honest but hopeful example.

Location: Thompson Conference Center, University of Texas, Austin

Produced/Edited by Jeffry Zavala.
Videography by Jeffry Zavala, Grace Alfar, Cara Rogerson, G Gunsalus.
Reporter Rebecca Powers.
Austin Indymedia Production.
http://Austin.Indymedia.org

Professor Robert Jensen speaks about the mainstream media in this lecture presented at Austin Community College on 11/13/2013.

UT professor Robert Jensen discusses and reads from his new book, Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog, published by City Lights.

With the quality of political engagement at an all-time low—and threats to social justice and ecological sustainability at an all-time high—it has never been more important for citizens to be able to argue constructively. In this lively primer on critical thinking that draws on more than two decades of classroom experience and community organizing, Jensen offers practical advice on challenging the conventional wisdom and confronting the crises of our time.

Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas and a founding board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center. He is also the author of All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice and co-producer of the documentary film “Abe Osheroff: One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing.”

Location: BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, 78703
A ZGraphix/Austin Indymedia Production.
Produced/Edited by Jeff Zavala.
Filmed by Grace Alfar & Jeff Zavala.

University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen speaks on “We Are All Apocalyptic Now: Moral Responsibilities in Crisis Times” in the First Unitarian Universalist Church Public Affairs Forum.

In his talk, Jensen discusses the need for a “calm apocalypticism” that takes seriously the social and ecological crises we face. Rather than search for magical solutions in religion or technology, he argues for a realistic program that challenges the unjust and unsustainable systems of power that currently structure our world.

Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4700 Grover Ave., Austin 78756
A ZGraphix/Austin Indymedia Production.
Filmed/Produced/Edited by Jeff Zavala.
http://zgraphix.org
http://austin.indymedia.org

Gender Studies Lecture – College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

Robert Jensen, author of Getting Off: The End of Masculinity, who was the CSB/SJU Gender Studies visiting scholar. His talk, “Is Pornography Immoral?”, considered pornography’s impact on men and women through a feminist lens.

On July 7, 2012, Robert Jensen talked about the books that have most influenced his own politics and discuss the importance of radical thought.

Produced & Edited for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala.
Videography by Grace Alfar.
A ZGraphix Production.

Robert Jensen “What Does It Mean to Be a Human Being: The Mistaken Identities of Nation, Race, Gender,” Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Kerrville, TX, April 10, 2011.

In this talk, University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen examines how nation, race, and gender affect our understanding of ourselves, with a focus on the unjust systems of power and privilege in which they are embedded. In each case he argues against the dominant culture’s ideology and for a radical politics that takes seriously not only political but ecological realities.

As we cope with downturns in American power in the world and the American economy at home, there is much talk about reviving, renewing, rescuing, or redefining the American Dream. We would be better off facing the anguish inherent in the American Dream. Once we recognize that the dream has always been dependent on domination, we can see what fundamental changes are necessary to avoid a planetary nightmare.

Jensen is the author of several books, including All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice, and co-producer of the documentary film “Abe Osheroff: One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing,” which chronicles the life and philosophy of the longtime radical activist.

Location: MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop, Austin, 78751

Watch the full lecture all in one place…

Filmed, Edited & Produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeffry Zavala.

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. DuBois suggested that the question white people so often want to ask black people is, How does it feel to be a problem? This program turns the tables and recognizes some simple facts: Race problems have their roots in a system of white supremacy. White people invented white supremacy. Therefore, the color of the race problem is white. White people are the problem. White people have to ask ourselves: How does it feel to be a problem?

Following the ideas in his book The Heart of Whiteness, Jensen argues that – even decades after the significant achievements of the civil-rights movement and with an African-American president – it is still appropriate to describe the United States as a white-supremacist society, in terms of how we think and how we live. Through an analysis of contemporary racial ideology, Jensen presents a framework for critiquing the naturalizing of power and privilege in other arenas of our lives (gender, class, nationality, and ecology). How have we come to accept so easily systems of domination and subordination? How did we become resigned to hierarchy? How can we challenge the unjust and unsustainable nature of the systems in which we live?

Beyond the Frame: Alternative Perspectives on the War on Terrorism · Media Education Foundation

This DVD compilation offers a series of stand-alone interviews with some of the most prominent scholars, experts, and activists in political and social thought that critique mainstream media’s coverage of the war on terrorism. This accessible format is designed to allow educators to bring the voices of these cultural analysts directly into their classrooms.

Launched in September 2001, Beyond the Frame is a series of interviews with leading scholars, experts, and activists offering alternative perspectives on the 9/11 tragedy and its aftermath. Originally a web-only project, the interviews were(and continue to be) available free of charge via streaming video through MEF’s website. The project was a response to MEF’s alarm at the dangerously restricted range of views presented by the mainstream media, largely confined to the opinions of political elites and a commercial frame dependent on advertisers and ratings.

Featuring some of the most prominent names in political and social thought, the site has been accessed to date by tens of thousands of people seeking alternatives to mainstream media coverage in a post-9/11 world. Created in response to educator requests, the DVD will allow these interviews to be shown in the classroom.

Featuring Interviews with: Seth Ackerman, Belquis Ahmadi, Joan Blades, Maliha Chishti, Noam Chomsky, Jo Commerford, Kevin Danaher, Cynthia Enloe, Henry Giroux, Janine Jackson, Robert Jensen, Sut Jhally, Darryl Kimball, Michael Kimmel, Mhahsa Khanbabai, Naomi Klein, Manning Marable, Mark Crispin Miller, Bernie Sanders, Ritu Sharma, Vandana Shiva, and Alisa Solomon.