The old forms of the left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We're making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a dialectical pessimism and develop a salvage project capable of sparking a new workers' movement for socialism. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you.
Wherein we cover the entirety of Chapter 2, dealing with the concept of the nation state.A link to the PDF: https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauerSend us a textSupport the show
10/9/24 • 19:37
Continuing what has become a series on Czechoslovak Socialism, we dive into the attempt to reform the Czechoslovak system. The official ML narrative and the liberal narrative about the Prague Spring are the same, they say that it was an attempt to re-establish bourgeois democracy. However, it seems clear that the intentions of its participants were the opposite. They appear to have been a genuine attempt to revitalize and push forward the communist project. The Action Programme of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakiahttps://www.marxists.org/subject/czech/1968/action-programme.htmStoneman, Anna J. “Socialism With a Human Face: The Leadership and Legacy of the Prague Spring.” The History Teacher49, no. 1 (2015): 103–25. Prague Spring Archive at MIA (worth browsing for historical first impressions)https://www.marxists.org/subject/czech/index.htmThe Prague Spring of 1968: a glimpse of socialism?http://isj.org.uk/the-prague-spring/Liehm, A. J. (1978). The Prague Spring and Eurocommunism. International Journal, 33(4), 804. doi:10.2307/40201691Skilling, H. Gordon. "The Prague Spring Reassessed." Slavic Review 38, no. 4 (1979): 663-66. doi:10.2307/2496570.Reform and Counter-reform in Bureaucratic Powerhttps://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/si/reform.htmlMusic: Karel Kryl - Veličenstvo kat(English Translation)In a gloomy light of a gothic hallthe scared profiteers are gazing into their missalsand a horde of slayers is asking for blessingAfter all the first of the knights is his majesty executionerAaah look the first of the knights is his Majesty ExecutionerPriest – the devil who served the massis wearing a stole made from a hangmans slopeHaving a bottle of vitriol under the purple rochetThe smell of sulfur coming from the mortarsis crawling under the red hood of the first from all the knightshis Majesty ExecutionerAaah to the first of knights look it is his Majesty ExecutionerOn the national flag there isan emblem with guillotineAnd the barbed wiresmells by something decayedIn our region is a flock of raven nestingthe master hangman reigns these peopleThe king is kneeing infront of Sataneagers to have the sceptreAnd the rabble is hanging the wise councilat the plane treeAnd the heretic crowd is exhilarated and rejoicesAfter all the first of knights is his Majesty ExecutionerAaah the first of knights is his Majesty ExecutionerAt a streetcorner a murderer is holding a lecture about moralInfront of the prison's door the guardians are walkingFrom the military armour plate the black sign proclaimsthat the first of the knights is his Majesty ExecutionerAaah that the first of the knights is his Majesty ExecutionerOver the government palacerises the flag with guillotineThe children love the ice cream cornetsThe judges were upset about themso they killed their ice cream manA horrible state it was,as you had to watchthe writing beeing forbiddenand the singing beeing forbiddenAnd they didn't have enoughthey commanded the kidsto praSend us a textSupport the show
9/30/24 • 64:59
We are back at it again talking decadence theory with Varn. This week, we dig into Samir Amin's piece from Monthly Review.We discussed the following materials:Morley, Neville. "Decadence as a Theory of History." New Literary History, Vol. 35, No. 4, Forms and/of Decadence (Autumn, 2004), pp.573-585Decadence: The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theoryhttps://libcom.org/library/decadence-aufheben-2Revolution or Decadence?https://monthlyreview.org/2018/05/01/revolution-or-decadence/ Check out Varn Vlog Herehttps://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSend us a textSupport the show
9/26/24 • 20:10
Come listen to the boys discuss Hegel's enduring importance to the contemporary world.Hegel Is Still an Important Thinker for the Left https://jacobin.com/2023/11/hegel-political-philosophy-world-revolutions-book-reviewHegel in the Era of “Wokeness”https://jacobin.com/2023/12/hegel-wokeness-world-spirit-political-theory-history-philosophy-richard-bourke Reading Hegel on Bastille Dayhttps://jacobin.com/2016/07/hegel-bastille-day-burke-french-revolution The dialectic in the service of revolution (up to/until the Marx section…)https://links.org.au/dialectic-service-revolution Send us a textSupport the show
9/18/24 • 64:54
We soldier on through this excellent but little known work on the national question. This week we FINALLY finish Chapter 1.Send us a textSupport the show
9/12/24 • 15:22
The boys get together and talk about the triumphs and failures, the uses and misuses, and the love and hate for the concept of the Popular Front. Haslam, Jonathan. “The Comintern and the Origins of the Popular Front 1934-1935.” The Historical Journal 22, no. 3 (1979): 673–91. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2638659.Communists, Coalitions, and the Class Strugglehttps://www.cpusa.org/article/communists-coalitions-and-the-class-struggle/The Popular Front Didn’t Workhttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/10/popular-front-communist-party-democrats France’s Popular Front: Lessons from the 30s https://www.counterfire.org/article/frances-popular-front-lessons-from-the-30s/ The Popular Front, Then and Now https://www.rs21.org.uk/2024/06/29/the-popular-front-then-and-now-france-and-the-elections/ The United Fronthttp://isj.org.uk/the-united-front/ Uruguay’s Frente Amplio: From Revolution to Dilutionhttps://upsidedownworld.org/archives/uruguay/uruguays-frente-amplio-from-revolution-to-dilution/ Send us a textSupport the show
9/2/24 • 71:53
The boys dive in to chapter 6 of Dugin's Fourth Political theory. Don't worry, there are literally no digressions and the guys stay on point the whole time.Check out Varn Vlog here:https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/postsCheck out Antifada here:https://www.patreon.com/theantifadaSend us a textSupport the show
8/31/24 • 31:02
We just can't stop talking about Czechoslovak Socialism. We decided to deal with the Slovak portion of the Czechoslovak lands, which we feel has been a little neglected in our previous discussions. Slovakia is important as an integral part of the movement of Czechoslovak socialism and as a case study of the problem of the national question. If you have been following along with our discussions of Otto Bauer's work on the national question, you might appreciate the context.Hear the full episode:https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a textSupport the show
8/28/24 • 11:54
We accidentally released the wrong episode, this one should have come before the last! This week we sat down with C. Derick Varn to talk about "decadence theory," "crisis theory" and "breakdown theory." This is a special episode, mostly because it wasn't supposed to come out until August, but Varn accidentally released it early so y'all get a bonus episode.We discussed the following materials:Morley, Neville. "Decadence as a Theory of History." New Literary History, Vol. 35, No. 4, Forms and/of Decadence (Autumn, 2004), pp.573-585 Decadence: The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theory?https://libcom.org/library/decadence-aufheben-2 Revolution or Decadence?https://monthlyreview.org/2018/05/01/revolution-or-decadence/ Check out Varn Vlog Herehttps://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSend us a textSupport the show
8/19/24 • 116:25
Back at it again with the national question and continuing the long march through chapter one.A link to the PDF:https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauerSend us a textSupport the show
8/15/24 • 19:20
This is an impromptu episode recorded by Jason and Varn where they discuss their dissatisfaction with the general situation of American and world politics. It roughly fits in with the subject matter of our Dawn to Decadence series, so here ya go! Send us a textSupport the show
8/13/24 • 96:46
This week we all sat down to talk about the uselessness of identifying with a political tendency in our current moment. Send us a textSupport the show
8/5/24 • 57:11
This week we discussed an excellent study of migrant workers in the Soviet Union which focused on Uzbeks, Tajiks, Georgians, Azerbaijanis who came to Leningrad and Moscow in toward the end of Union's existence.Sahadeo, Jeff. 2019. Voices From the Soviet Edge: Southern Migrants in Leningrad and Moscow.Send us a textSupport the show
7/30/24 • 17:24
First off, please forgive the first few minutes of Chris' audio, we adjusted the levels during the podcast and fixed it. You won't have to bear with it all the way through. We sat down to talk about SAVING DEMOCRACY FROM TRUMPIST FASCISM, or rather, how the left has fallen into the trap of letting the Democratic Party off the hook for its crimes against humanity and its constant kowtowing to the GOP. Stanley Payne on anti-fascism without fascismhttps://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2021/01/antifascism-without-fascism Liberals’ Heated Fascism Rhetoric Sidesteps Self-Reflection https://jacobin.com/2024/04/liberals-fascism-rhetoric-democrats-election Anti-fascism: formula for confusion https://www.quinterna.org/lingue/english/historical_en/antifascism_confusion.htmAndy from Antifada on Antifahttps://communemag.com/anti-anti-antifa/Is Trump a fascist? 8 experts weigh in.https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21521958/what-is-fascism-signs-donald-trump Noam Chomsky: Antifa is a 'major gift to the right' https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/noam-chomsky-antifa-major-gift-right-wing-anti-fascist-alt-left-a7906406.htmlSend us a textSupport the show
7/24/24 • 72:47
This is an impromptu episode recorded by Jason and Varn where they discuss their dissatisfaction with the general situation of world politics.Check out Varn Vlog here: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/postsSend us a textSupport the show
7/21/24 • 30:19
This week we are joined by our official France correspondent, Matthew. We discuss the unique threat of the post-fascist menace and what the results and prospects are for the shaky leftist coalition. Send us a textSupport the show
7/17/24 • 107:57
Wake up babe, new Dugin Time just dropped. The boys are back and discussing Dugin's understanding of processes and, now that they're about halfway done with the book, begin to ask the question "What is the Fourth Political Theory?"Check out Varn Vlog here: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/postsCheck out Antifada here:https://www.patreon.com/theantifadaSend us a textSupport the show
7/11/24 • 30:27
This week we sat down with C. Derick Varn to talk about "decadence theory," "crisis theory," and "breakdown theory." This is a special episode, mostly because it wasn't supposed to come out until August, but Varn accidentally released it early so y'all get a bonus episode.We discussed the following materials:Morley, Neville. "Decadence as a Theory of History." New Literary History, Vol. 35, No. 4, Forms and/of Decadence (Autumn, 2004), pp.573-585Decadence: The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theory?https://libcom.org/library/decadence-aufheben-2Revolution or Decadence?https://monthlyreview.org/2018/05/01/revolution-or-decadence/ Check out Varn Vlog Herehttps://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSend us a textSupport the show
6/26/24 • 29:14
This week we sat down with members of the New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies to discuss their efforts to revitalize the socialist project and to build a basis for future socialist struggles. NZFSS Websitehttps://www.socialistsocieties.org.nz/Send us a textSupport the show
6/24/24 • 107:15
Back at it again with the national question and soldiering on through chapter 1...A link to the PDF:https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauerSend us a textSupport the show
6/20/24 • 07:27
We invited podcast alumnus, Jess, back to talk about how terrible everything is. We touch on Tiktok houses, literature, and the death of the future. The End of The Future https://jacobin.com/2024/03/left-politics-future-history-capitalism-progress Why Is Our Culture So Obsessed With Individual Experiencehttps://jacobin.com/2024/03/anna-kornbluh-immediacy-individualism-capitalism/Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle: Are We Defined by How We Appear https://www.thecollector.com/guy-debord-society-of-the-spectacle/ The Anxiety of Influencershttps://harpers.org/archive/2021/06/tiktok-house-collab-house-the-anxiety-of-influencers/Send us a textSupport the show
6/10/24 • 77:05
Jason, Varn, and Sean KB continue the forced march through the Aleksander Dugin's Fourth Political Theory.Check out Varn Vlog here:https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/postsCheck out Antifada here:https://www.patreon.com/theantifadaSend us a textSupport the show
6/6/24 • 30:32
This week we are tying up some loose ends we left unexplored in our last regular episode on Fascism and Anarcho-Individualism. Enjoy this bonus content!Send us a textSupport the show
6/2/24 • 06:45
This week we discussed one of the many currents of thought that led to the creation of Italian Fascism, Anarcho-Individualism. It seems counterintuitive that anarchism would have made any contribution to the creation of fascism, until you think about it. Whitaker, Stephen B. The Anarchist-individualist Origins of Italian Fascism. Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers, 2002.From Stirner to Mussolini: The Anarchist-Individualist Origins of Italian Fascism https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/william-gillis-from-stirner-to-mussolini.pdfSend us a textSupport the show
5/22/24 • 85:55
This week Jason and Kevin discuss the Liberal Socialism; what it is, where it comes from, its impact on the development of the left, its prospects, and its limitations. What Is Liberal Socialism?https://www.liberalcurrents.com/what-is-liberal-socialism/ The Idea of a Liberal Socialismhttps://www.socialeurope.eu/the-idea-of-a-liberal-socialismLiberal Socialism Now https://aeon.co/essays/the-case-for-liberal-socialism-in-the-21st-centuryToward A Liberal Socialism?https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/toward-a-liberal-socialism/ Socialists Don’t Want to Destroy Liberalism. We Want to Go Beyond It. https://jacobin.com/2020/10/socialism-liberalism-marx Send us a textSupport the show
5/13/24 • 66:31
We are back at it again covering Otto Bauer's unique Marxist take on the national question. This week we began to cover Chapter I.A link to the PDF:https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauerSend us a textSupport the show
5/9/24 • 07:41
Jason, Varn, and Sean are back and talking Fourth Political Theory once again. Check out Varn Vlog:https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/postsCheck out the ANTIFADA:https://www.patreon.com/theantifadaSend us a textSupport the show
5/1/24 • 30:48
The Marxist/Christian dialogue continues! This week Jason and Ben sat down with Daniel Saunders to discuss an article he wrote called Ideology, Fetishism, Apophaticism: Marxist Criticism and Christianity:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nbfr.12642 Daniel's paper "explores Christianity’s ambiguous relationship to capitalism by engaging Marx’s notion of the fetishism of commodities as a way of rethinking Marxism’s critique of religion from the standpoint of political economy. "Other Daniel stuff can be found here:https://daniel-saunders.com/Send us a textSupport the show
4/29/24 • 100:03
This week we tried something new, we put out a call on our Patreon and Discord for questions and y'all responded with 10 pretty good questions. Questions about democracy, ethics, children, etc...We answered them.Enjoy!Send us a textSupport the show
4/18/24 • 09:28
They said it wasn't possible for a Marxist to break down the national question in a sophisticated and nuanced way, but Otto Bauer has done it. This book from 1907, which no one on the Anglophone Left has ever read, is quite possibly the best book on the subject. We are here to read it and let you know.This week we covered the introductory materials.A link to the PDF:https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauerSend us a textSupport the show
4/11/24 • 05:27
