James O’Brien’s podcast extract, Full Disclosure, titled “Jason Arday” (Season 2, Episode 133), originally published on April 20, 2023
Arday: “I think what you do almost provides a lighthouse to the issues. You bring an honesty to the issues. When I say honesty I mean a truth – You bring something, an authenticity that could be compromised. And you haven’t done that, and what it kinda is an exemplar for all of us I think need to be…. If you’ve got James O’Brien doing that - it’s kinda, ok, like you’ve got this army of one, but actually he’s not operating as this army of one – he’s doing this and he’s building this army and everybody is kinda coming up behind you. It kinda cool to think that actually this wouldn’t be my reality, five, six, seven weeks ago – two months ago, six years ago – ten years ago, and here we sit chewing the fat over kinda society and life, so, you know – what you’ve done is-is beyond remarkable and errm”
O’Brien: “Thank you”
Arday: “I-I don’t know. If you knew how much of an impact you’ve had on people in our sector. And erm the coolest thing to be, and I don’t claim to be one, is like a social scientist. Obviously STEM people would say different. You know, the impact you’ve had on social science – what you’ve done for public sociology – it doesn’t even bear mentioning. It’s provided the catalyst for kinda erm podcasts, podcasts that were born out of the work that you do. A good example would be surviving society that’s presented by one of my best friends, Dr. Chantelle Lewis, and the exemplar or the kinda example of that was kinda podcast like your own – the work like you do and kind of the thing that you’ve done that erm has given us all the licence, along with many other fantastic kinda broadcasters and journalists as well, but particularly you, is ability to speak truth to power, and the way you do it, and the sophistication in which you do it - that’s why I’m saying I know who’s gonna win in the end. As long as we’ve got people like you steering our ship, I-I, I think we’re gonna win.”
O’Brien: “Errm, It’s a good job we did that at the end of this interview because I’m close to – I’m very emotional to hear that Jason. Thank you and thank you for your time today.”
“(Throw me down, throw me down)
(Throw me down) It's been raining
(Throw me down) And now I will pay
(Throw me down) Woe is come to me
(Throw me down) I am the lightning rod
(Throw me down) I am waiting
(Throw me down) On a mountaintop
(Throw me down) Oh above me
(Throw me down) He will strike me!
Locked up forever inside
I look to the stars and ask why
Oh, if they could just teach my dark heart to feel
All I am‚ oh why
My last stand‚ oh why
And I know
For all the rising and falling, there's nothing to show”
https://genius.com/The-offspring-lightning-rod-lyrics
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