Room on Fire

This episode, we discuss the various demonstrations in Cuba, and the conclusions that the U.S. media and state department attempt to lead well-meaning people to regarding Cuba. While the Cuban government is certainly not above criticism, the answer to Cuba's problems isn't U.S.-led regime change. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This ice cream episode, we sit back and reminisce on the time we spent working at a restaurant together, and the political lessons we learned in the process. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This episode, we have a discussion on the mainstream conflation between socialism and fascism - what they are, why they're different, and how they have opposed each other in history. To those that signed up - check your emails for updates on the reading group! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we kick off the Room on Fire Summer with a quick episode on the notion that Americans no longer "want to work" due to enhanced unemployment benefits. Sign up for the summer reading groups: https://forms.gle/ZaD2wDpPzw1d7axA6 Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back with a fresh episode on historical materialism - the application of dialectical materialism to the entirety of human history.

We're back this week with an old man-style discussion on the downsides of doing politics exclusively online. We also look back on some of the great tweets of all time, and discuss the new Biden presidency. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

If you are a worker who hates their menial wage-labor job, you aren't alone. In this introductory episode, we outline some of the problems within the workplace, explain how their common cause is capitalism, and show that socialism is the only solution. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Childhood is an innocent formative time in a person's life. In this episode, we show how capitalist structures cynically distort childhood through material precarity and ideological conditioning, ultimately shaping us into capitalist subjects of different sorts. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

While planning a future episode, we got into the discussion about the lessons learned from the past two election cycles with regard to the working-class cause. So, we decided to record those ideas and let them develop in the episode you're listening to now. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Who would have thought? This episode marks the 1-year anniversary of Room on Fire Podcast!! We discuss the 2020 election results, and take a trip down memory lane, recalling the inception of the beloved podcast and some behind-the-scenes hi-jinx. Thank you all for listening the past year, and here's to many more. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back with a discussion on social democracy - what it is, why it's so tempting, and why we must move beyond it. Make sure to reach out and check out our reading list as well! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

We're back with an ice cream episode for you folks about the first presidential debate, a true meeting of the minds. We also discuss the near-universal disgust with the state of U.S. politics, and the lessons to learn from it. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back with a long-awaited, long-promised episode: the Imperialism episode. We define imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism. More importantly, we employ dialectical materialism to show how capitalism inevitably develops into imperialism, setting the stage for the next economic order. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This episode, we have a discussion on the basic ideas upon which Marxist economics are built. Who knew Marx knew about supply and demand?? We also have an extended current events in which we talk about the wins of self-avowed socialists in Congressional primaries, as well as the extremely powerful brains of both presidential candidates. Paul Cockshott video on labor theory of value: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emnYMfjYh1Q Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This episode, we round out our discussion on dialectical materialism and its various elements. You can't have Marxism without Marxist philosophy, folks! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This is an important episode, folks. In this first half of our two-part series on dialectical materialism, we discuss the limits of formal logic, why we as Marxists need our own philosophy, and how dialectical materialism help us understand and interpret reality. Tune in next week for Part 2! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Politics is a numbers game, and as socialists we want as many people on our side as possible. This week, we, your humble hosts, look back into our own personal political journeys from Berniecrats to Marxists, and analyze what helped us to reach the level of understanding we have today. We find it's important that socialists use our own experiences and formative moments to lead others to a richer, class-based understanding of politics. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're talking about ideology. We describe the source of ideology, the role it serves under capitalism, some of the institutions which launder ideology, and how we see ideology being used to pacify the righteous anger of the BLM protests of recent weeks. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

In our grand return, we analyze the infamous McMuffin Cop video. Besides being absurd and hilarious, this video by a brave officer of the law perfectly (and unknowingly) represents the culture and bizarre realities of capitalism in decay. It's a fun one, folks! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

We discuss the murder of George Floyd, the protests that sprung in response, and analyze the material function of the police. We find that the American police are unable to be reformed into becoming what they are not - they were established from day one to violently enforce capitalism and white supremacy. Stay safe, and solidarity forever. Links to free-to-download books: https://www.versobooks.com/books/2817-the-end-of-policing https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/952-who-do-you-serve-who-do-you-protect

This week, worlds collide as we describe how some of the valid problems identified by conservatives would be better solved through Marxism. We also discuss how ideology and partisanship cause well-meaning working-class people to work against their own interests, and how we might work to overcome these barriers. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This episode, we ask if the "American Dream" of working hard and becoming successful is a reality for most Americans. Big surprise, it isn't. We show how the merit-based ideology of America fails to play out in practice, why it could never play out in practice, and why we shouldn't strive for a meritocracy in the first place. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

This week, instead of talking about what is wrong with capitalism, we discuss the beauty of what could be under socialism. Socialism will provide us a more rational economy, meaningful democracy, freedom from menial work, a far more equal society, flourishing art and culture, a healthier planet, and more. We use Ben Gliniecki's article as a guide, and describe what can, should, and inevitable will be - we just need to take it. Article: https://www.marxist.com/what-will-socialism-look-like.htm Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back answering questions brought to us by you, the beautiful listener. We discuss the merits of conscious consumerism, voting, and various aspects of Marxism. We also review yet another of the United States' goofy failed coup attempts in Venezuela! See you next week! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

We've recorded a bonus episode to discuss the further development of Tara Reade's sexual assault accusation against Joe Biden, the implications of how the DNC has responded, and how we create a politics that actually helps victims of sexual assault. Keep sending us questions in for Tuesday's episode! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Now that the left's electoral project, the Bernie campaign, has failed, we will be asked to capitulate to the DNC and to liberalism as an ideology. We discuss why liberalism is an easy trap to fall into, but ultimately find that liberals and leftists are diametrically opposed in their goals, and that liberalism serves only to pacify the ruling class from rebelling against the capitalist class. Send in your questions for next week's episode: https://forms.gle/85w8HGP7CX6uccvw9 Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back! A lot of the terminology and rhetoric used to describe, defend, and teach leftist politics has been changed, altered, distorted, or forgotten about. We discuss a few of these terms, why they may not be well-understood, and try to think of ways to make the language of Marxism more accessible to working-class people in 2020. Thanks for listening! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Bernie just dropped out of the 2020 race. We discuss his successes and failures, and what is next for the working class movement he inspired. Our movement must learn the lessons Bernie and his campaign taught us, and work outside the confines of the electoral hamster wheel - we must organize, agitate, and demand a society which allows all a life of dignity. They won't give it to us. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePo

Ice Cream: Politics & Gaming - Black Ops and Bioshock by

We're talking about violence, folks. The ruling class enacts violence against working people every day through its institutions, laws, and law enforcement. Why don't we identify these as violence, then? We find that because capitalists control the mechanism that create laws, they have a monopoly on state-sanctioned violence, which the working class may never use in their self defense. But is the violence used to oppress people morally equal to the violence used to escape that oppression? Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back! Coming to you from satellite podcasting bases, we're talking about landlords. During this time of crisis, many working class people are unable to work and, thus, pay their rent - unfortunately for them, their landlords are demanding it be paid anyway. We discuss exactly what it means to be a landlord, the similarities between the landlords and capitalists, and how in the future, housing can be directed towards peoples' needs, not profits. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

We're back, folks, and we're - of course - addressing the coronavirus pandemic. More specifically, we talk about why the US, and capitalism in general, is ill-equipped to handle a crisis such as this. Capitalists will try to use this crisis to their advantage, but we have an opportunity and a responsibility to use this crisis to build solidarity and an economy that works toward the common good. Stay safe, stay inside, and wash your hands, folks. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

In the US, it's viewed as sacrilege to lightly criticize law enforcement, much less say that there are no good cops. However, it is worth analyzing what role the police really play in capitalist society, and most importantly, who they serve. We find that the police have existed from day one to protect the ruling class and maintain racial hierarchy, and continue to do so. But don't worry, things can (and must) be different. We'll be back in two weeks, folks! Thanks for listening! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, I know you've heard it before. "Vote for the Democratic nominee no matter who it is!" Well, what if the Dems undemocratically nominate someone equally as bad, if not worse, than Trump in Bloomberg? In this episode, we analyze why voting blue isn't enough, and identify the many massive problems with the DNC in general. Thanks for listening! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we've returned after a brief respite. In this episode, we discuss the predatory and manipulative tactics the US military employs in its search for volunteers to grease the machinery of the imperialist military industrial complex. We also talk about the harsh realities of military service, and why one should think twice before joining the US military. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Like the Iowa caucus results, this episode is a few days late. This episode is a journey, folks, describing the faux-democracy that exists under capitalism, how it takes shape in the United States, and how we as the working class can and must establish a meaningful democracy for ourselves. We also talk about the disaster that was the Iowa caucus, and why it means less than nothing that Pelosi ripped Trump's speech. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back with an episode celebrating 1) that Bernie is ascendant, rising rapidly in the national polls and the states that matter, and 2) just how mad this is making the worst people in media and US politics. The deadline to register as a Democrat to vote for Bernie in Florida is February 18th - make it happen, folks! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're talking healthcare today. We explain how and why we in the United States pay twice as much as the rest of the world does on healthcare, for worse outcomes. It's the free market, baby!! We talk about how Medicare for All would function, why it's better, and what it would mean for the working class. We also show you the depressing world of GoFundMe healthcare fundraisers. Sorry. Thanks for listening, folks, we'll see you next week! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're spilling tea. This ice cream episode, we gossip about the Bernie/Liz Warren backstabbing debacle and other goings-on in the 2020 Democratic primary. It's a fun one, folks!

Folks, we're back again; with Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaching, we decided to take a look at MLK's politics that are often ignored: his anti-poverty, anti-war, anti-capitalist democratic socialist views. We all know and rightly revere MLK for his nonviolent activism for the civil rights movement, but most don't hear of his anticapitalist political philosophy. We find that MLK's politics have been whitewashed, de-fanged, and co-opted by the American status quo. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, we're back with the first episode of the decade, and it's a double feature! We talk about materialism, touch on some current events, and round it out with a full episode on the situation in Iran. This is high-octane Room on Fire, folks, buckle up. Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, it's the Christmas special! We talk about the various ways that Christianity and socialism agree with and are in tune with each other. We find that both are founded in radical empathy and respect of humanity - which is why it is all the more baffling that Christians so strongly support the monstrous Republican Party. So was Jesus a socialist? You decide. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and we'll see you next year! Twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod Facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod

Folks, you asked, and we answered! This is our first Q&A episode, where we take questions, comments, concerns, and death threats and discuss them on the pod. We hope you enjoy, love you forever! facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod/ twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod/

Folks, we're talking fake news! In this episode, we present a sweeping overview of everything wrong with the "liberal media". We all know FOX is proto-fascist drivel, but many let MSNBC and CNN off the hook for catering to their anti-Trump, partisan affiliations. Join us as we describe why and how liberal media is not our friend as working people, as liberal media is still corporate media. Sinclar Media clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod/ twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod

In this special Thanksgiving episode, we share with you an abridged history of the genocide, torture, and abuse of Native American populations by the ruling class. From the first day Columbus landed in the Americas, to recent native struggle against oil pipelines and massively powerful moneyed interests. This is a tough one to get through, folks, but it's important to realize the evil upon which this country is founded.

It's an ice cream episode, folks! We're going over the November Democratic Primary debate. From Klobuchar's vibrating hair to Joe Biden's progressive senility, we're recapping the debate that left us overwhelmed with a numbing sense of dread. facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod/ twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod

Almost all of us have been brought up with a warped and self-sabotaging idea of what work and the workplace are, so we're here to set the record straight. We're talking about the workplace from a laborer's perspective, folks! facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod/ twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod

Welcome back, folks! Today, we start off talking about billionaires in the news. Then, we discuss how the working class identifies problems in their lives caused by capitalism, how the two-party system and corporate media diverts that class-based energy, and why people don't even think to turn to socialism. Solidarity Forever

Folks... it's time we talk about billionaires. In this episode we establish what a billion dollars looks like, billionaires' role in society and politics, and ultimately conclude that the existence of billionaires cannot be justified. facebook.com/RoomOnFirePod/ twitter.com/RoomOnFirePod

It's the first Ice Cream Episode, folks! We loosen our ties and have a little fun on this one as we talk about everyone's favorite senior citizen, Joseph Biden! Hilarity and hijinx ensue!

In this episode, we discuss Joe Biden's campaign decision to approve SuperPAC money for the 2020 Democratic primary, which leads us to ask if meaningful democracy is possible under a capitalist economy. Spoiler: It isn't!