How do societies decide which stories to tell about themselves and which truths to soften or ignore?

In this episode, historian, communications strategist, and Freedom Over Fascism host Dr. Stephanie Wilson joins Corey Nathan to discuss collective memory, historical narrative, and the language shaping American civic life right now.

Drawing on her academic work on Jerusalem, her experience in political communications, and her current focus on democracy and messaging, Stephanie explores how myths take hold, why people instinctively place themselves on the “right side” of history, and what happens when cruelty and dehumanization become normalized tools of power. Along the way, the conversation wrestles with Israel and Palestine, fascism and language, media failure, activism, and what it actually takes to engage across deep disagreement without abandoning moral clarity.

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• Collective memory often says more about who is telling the story than about the past itself • People naturally imagine themselves as heroes or resisters rather than beneficiaries or bystanders • Museums, monuments, and national myths are political acts, whether acknowledged or not • Fascism is better understood through concrete behaviors than abstract labels • Language shapes what people are willing to see, justify, or ignore • Values based framing opens more space for dialogue than policy arguments alone • Curiosity and empathy are necessary skills for sustaining democracy, even when lines must be drawn • Engagement across difference does not require moral surrender or tolerance of cruelty

Dr. Stephanie Wilson is a historian, activist, and communications expert. She is the creator and host of Freedom Over Fascism, where she examines democracy, messaging, media ecosystems, and civic engagement through conversations with journalists, scholars, and organizers. Her academic work focuses on historical memory, museums, and narrative power, with particular attention to Jerusalem and contested histories.

• Freedom Over Fascism on Substack: www.freedomoverfascism.us • Freedom Over Fascism on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FreedomOverFascismPod

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Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room.

Where do we actually place ourselves in the stories we tell about courage, faith, and power?

In this solo episode, Corey reflects on how individuals and communities locate themselves within history, scripture, and national memory. The temptation, especially among those shaped by religious or moral traditions, is to imagine oneself as prophetic rather than complicit, as a resister rather than an enabler. History, however, is rarely judged by intention or self identification. It is judged by outcomes, by who benefited, who was harmed, and who paid the price.

Drawing on personal encounters, Christian history, and contemporary political examples, the episode examines how moral cosplay replaces moral courage, how grievance masquerades as righteousness, and how constitutional principles become conditional when filtered through tribal identity. The reflection closes with a sober question. Not who we admire in the story, but who we actually resemble when power, fear, and consequence converge.

✅ If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need a reminder that disagreement doesn’t have to mean dehumanization.

✅ Check out our Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com

✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics

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✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion

Key Takeaways:

• History judges alignment, not intention • Moral identity is often shaped by selective memory • Grievance can become a substitute for courage • Constitutional rights lose meaning when applied selectively • Every generation inherits responsibility, not just stories

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History does not ask who we admired. It asks who we resembled.

What does it mean to live in an age where disorder is no longer a temporary crisis but a permanent condition?

Corey is joined by Jason Pack, a geopolitical analyst and founder of Libya Analysis, to discuss global instability, institutional decay, and what Jason calls the Enduring Disorder. Drawing on experiences spanning post-9/11 Middle East policy, Libya’s fragile political landscape, and years of work with NATO affiliated institutions, Jason argues that the world has moved beyond the post Cold War order into something far more volatile and fragmented.

The conversation weaves together geopolitics, psychology, religion, and even gambling theory. Jason explains how games like backgammon and poker illuminate leadership, risk, empathy, and decision making under uncertainty, offering metaphors for diplomacy and democratic governance alike. From Russia’s strategy of chaos to the erosion of institutional trust at home, the episode explores how disorder benefits those seeking power without responsibility and what it will take to rebuild shared standards of truth, accountability, and civic trust.

✅ If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need a reminder that disagreement doesn’t have to mean dehumanization.

✅ Check out our Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com

✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics

✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform.

✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion

• The world has entered an era of enduring disorder rather than cyclical instability • Many modern power players seek chaos rather than a coherent alternative order • Geopolitics requires empathy, psychological insight, and strategic risk taking • Institutional decay mirrors the “enshittification” seen in digital platforms • Democratic renewal depends on honesty, expertise, and resisting simplistic solutions

Jason Pack is a geopolitical analyst, writer, and consultant focused on global disorder, conflict, and institutional resilience. He is the founder of Libya Analysis, host of the Disorder podcast, and the creator of the Enduring Disorder framework. Jason has served as an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and as Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defense College Foundation in Rome. His work spans Libya, the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, and the future of democratic governance.

www.jasonpack.org

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Proud members of The Democracy Group

Can democracy survive in a world where disorder is rewarded and institutions are no longer trusted to tell the truth?