The Spirit of the Time · Zeitgeist Design & Production

Zeitgeist's The Spirit Of The Time Episode 41: Craig Hanna

March 26, 2025·1 hr 9 min·2 clips

Economic insecurity + institutional distrust + perceived decline = fertile ground for authoritarianism

Craig Hanna discusses conditions enabling fascism (economic insecurity, institutional distrust, sense of decline), critiques how 'freedom' has been redefined as consumer choice rather than civic participation, and argues that class analysis has been removed from cultural vocabulary, rendering power dynamics invisible. He traces how Marxist frameworks provided language for resistance movements and how the loss of that vocabulary in the neoliberal era left people without concepts to understand inequality and exploitation. The conversation weaves together cultural theory, historical analysis of worker movements, and contemporary political concerns.

As heard by us

A steady career story about the doors that opened themed entertainment's biggest rooms.

Craig Hanna's path through themed entertainment is told in a steady, step-by-step way, with Becky Kiefer keeping the conversation moving from early ambition to the Universal years and the people who helped open the next door.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a time-travel tour through Craig Hanna's themed-entertainment career, from early pitches to Universal Creative.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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