Podcasts about c derick varn

Sean KB and C Derick Varn return with part two of their series on nationalism and the nation state. In this episode, the discuss various Marxist conceptions of the state including Otto Bauer, Rosa Luxembourg but especially Vladimir Lenin. What is the relationship between people and nation? Class and nation? And what is to be done?This is an extended preview. For access to the entire two-hour audio episode become a patron at www.patreon.com/theantifadaOr to view the video recording subscribe also to www.patreon.com/varnvlog

As the Radical Thoughts Podcast is no longer active, I am making these old bonus episodes from Patreon publicly available so that listeners don't have to pay for an inactive podcast. - Patrick In this bonus episode I talk with C Derick Varn - an educator, podcaster, and editor for Zero Books - about Adorno's conception of domination, and  the pitfalls and insights that accompany his critique of modern life. Listen to more of Varn's analysis of the Marxist research program on the Mortal Science podcast through Emancipation Network: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/mortal-science-WObZ5daMXxL/  Listen to Varn discuss the history of Marxism in politics over on the Zero Books channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjH4yubnVHc  Our next episode will be on Norberto Bobbio's Liberalism and Democracy, check it out if you'll be reading along: https://www.versobooks.com/books/45-liberalism-and-democracy 

As the Radical Thoughts Podcast is no longer active, I am making these old bonus episodes from Patreon publicly available so that listeners don't have to pay for an inactive podcast. - Patrick In this episode, PH sits down with our first recurring guest, C Derick Varn, to give more context to the work of Jean Baudrillard. We discuss his relation to the Situationists, his break with Marxism, and the ultimate conclusions of his theory of simulation and simulacra.

As the Radical Thoughts Podcast is no longer active, I am making these old bonus episodes from Patreon publicly available so that listeners don't have to pay for an inactive podcast. - Patrick In this special crossover episode, Patrick talks with C Derick Varn of Varn Vlog about the legacy of Jean-Luc Nancy. While both bemoan the more frivolous stylings of French theory, the discussion appreciates the serious questions that Nancy raised about the nature of community and the assumptions that underpin the concept.This episode was released as a crossover episode also available to Varn Vlog Patreon supporters. Varn Vlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog/ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy page for Nancy: https://iep.utm.edu/nancy/  Verso Interview: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/5150-jean-luc-nancy-communism-means-conceiving-being-in-common

C. Derick Varn and I discuss Mark Fisher and David Smail's understanding of depression.

Brand new Diving into the Wreckage mini-series scrapping at the wreckage that is the US Left, tracing the trajectory of socialist politics since the 1970s, and looking for ways out of the mess we're in.Within, Varn presents on the recent history of the Democratic Socialists of America, their precipitous rise and slow decline in membership since 2020. How does this bode for the future of the millennial left? As it turns out, there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic!For access to the full episode become a patron today at www.patreon.com/theantifadaTICKETS AVAILABLE NOW FOR 9/10 in NYC and 9/12 in PHILLY shows WITH MINION DEATH CULT, POD DAMN AMERICA, and WELL THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM (philly only)!!!!BROOKLYN! Sept 10 at LITTLEFIELD: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/minion-death-cult-live-tickets-691958234707Philly! Sept 12 w/WTYP at FRANKLIN BALLROOM https://www.bowerypresents.com/shows/detail/496996-well-theres-your-problemAnd yes... the SICK POSTER IS ON SALE!!! https://www.grimgrimgrim.com/products/well-there-s-your-problem-minion-death-cult-the-antifada-gig-poster

We continue our conversation on the meaning of revolution with C. Derick Varn, by turning to the theoretical basis of "post" Marxist thinkers from the Althusserian school, Laclau and Mouffe, Hardt and Negri and Alain Badiou. We discuss some of the pitfalls of these contemporary Marxist theorists and the basis by which they revise core tenets from Marx. We also discuss new class theories on today's left and how they relate to Marx's class theory and different theories of the intellectual in socialist thought. To download the reading list we have created for this series please go here.  To get early access and support our work please check out our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups).

Is revolution dead? The left is divided over how to make revolution, and many Marxist and post-Marxist theorists have developed radically new conceptions of revolution that are often highly divergent from how Marx, Engels and Second International Marxists dealt with revolution. Our age is notoriously known as post-revolutionary, and liberal realism has set in so deep that we have seemed to have lost touch with the truths of Marxist insights into revolution. We are experiencing a resurgence of political and cultural radicalism but in the context of the absence of working-class radicalism as expressed through socialist parties, mass parties and labour unions.  To help us understand the history and the meaning of revolution, both in its practical and theoretical valences, we are joined by scholar, poet and podcaster C. Derick Varn. C. Derick Varn is the host of the politics and culture podcast Varn Vlog where he probes socialist politics and offers invaluable insights for the left. Please subscribe to his show at @VarnVlog. To get access to the reading list that we have created around this two-part series, please join our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/torsiongroups.

For the full episode support the show at Patreon.com/TheAntifadaC. Derick Varn is back to discuss Sean's new article on China. What is the political economy of China? Was the 1949 revolution betrayed by capitalist roaders? What were the patterns of development that brought it into the world market? Should China be defended as a socialist project? Is it a model worth emulating? Lastly, does the working class of China, or anywhere for that matter, have a role to play still in history or will the future be market technocracy and slow growth forever?'Sean's substack article (free): https://seankb.substack.com/p/whither-chinaAudio recording of article available for patrons on patreon

C. Derick Varn is a poet, teacher, and “arm-chair theorist” (his words, not ours), but Steve called on him for his deep knowledge of history, specifically the history of revolutions.Varn takes a realistic and nuanced look at some of the popular myths about the brutality of key figures, like Stalin and Mao. He suggests placing them in the context of historical geopolitical economic conditions.I'm also just going to remind people that both the Bolshevik Revolution and the Chinese Revolution, in particular, come out of the context of world wars. They happen when they happen during the world wars for a reason. You have highly traumatized societies where the power has been broken because of the consequences of world war, even when the powers at hand are actually allied with the winners.Steve asks whether one should excuse abandoning civil liberties in order to protect the gains of a revolution against very real internal and external threats. “What civil liberties?” asks Varn. Some revolutions never even got rid of their monarchies.The episode considers Bolshevism, Trotskyism, and fascism. Varn talks about why both socialists and capitalists were attracted to fascism, looking, again, to the conditions of the time.C. Derick Varn is a poet, teacher, editor, podcaster, and broadcaster. He is the host of VarnVlog and co-host of Gaming Materialists. According to his Patreon, Varn Vlog is a podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to delivering high-quality interviews and analyses on philosophy, art, political economy, culture, geopolitics, pop culture, and history. Support his work at patreon.com/varnvlog@skepoet on Twitter

Sean and Varn return to their miniseries on the global debt crisis with a very topical bank failure episode.Since Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Credit Suisse went belly up the last couple of week capital and the state have scrambled to contain the damage to the financial system and the 'real' economy. Why is an adequate explanation for inflation important? Does the Federal Reserve Bank itself even have one? If Fed policy is blowing up banks and barely even working is there some other reason (class based, perhaps?) to induce an economic slowdown?For patrons: what 'Marxism-Leninism in the Age of Multipolarity' gets very wrong; how the shadow banking sector might be the next shoe to drop; notes on the Brenner-Riley NLR article; on blue-collar toxicity and middle class racism; doomerism, socialism and hope.Sign up at www.patreon.com/theantifada for the full episode (over two hours long!) and a ton more content from our bonus archive.

Sean and Varn return with part two of their series on basic principles and methods of communist analysis and organizing. This episode deals with the importance of periodization of capitalist development in formulating praxis, the problem of complexity in global accumulation, and barriers to class knowledge within the social division of labor and more. The conclusion gets us closer to the goal of the series which is to sketch an outline of what a communist organization adequate to the moment would like and how we can all build it together.This is an extended preview. For the full 2-hour episode become a patron at www.patreon.com/theantifada to get access to tons of bonus content, our Discord server and morePublic link to the document we're working with: https://tinyurl.com/muwn3xmy

C Derick Varn of Varnblog returns to restart the Pop the Left series. For this episode we discuss the history and ideas behind DP Costello's 1961 essay, "Voluntarism and Determinism in Bolshevist Doctrine." Were the Mensheviks right? Was the revolution in Russia doomed from the start? Varnvloghttps://www.youtube.com/c/cderickvarnvlogSupport Us on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoapss the contemporary left in the parrot room.

Is the Labor movement resurgent or is the situation still dire? TIR speaks with C Derick Varn.   About TIR Thank you for supporting the show! Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube. Also, consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Check out our official merch store at https://www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com/   Also follow us on... https://podcasts.apple.com/.../this-is.../id1524576360 www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Follow the TIR Crüe on Twitter: @TIRShowOakland @djenebajalan @DrKuba2 @probert06 @StefanBertramL @MadamToussaint @MarcusHereMeow

Djene Bajalan and C Derick Varn discuss Benedict Anderson's seminal work on nationalism, Imagined Communities. https://www.versobooks.com/books/2259-imagined-communities   Support VarnVlog https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarnVlog https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog   About TIR Thank you for supporting the show! Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube. Also, consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Check out our official merch store at https://www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com/   Also follow us on... https://podcasts.apple.com/.../this-is.../id1524576360 www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Follow the TIR Crüe on Twitter: @TIRShowOakland @djenebajalan @DrKuba2 @probert06 @StefanBertramL @MarcusHereMeow

Varn Vlog host C. Derick Varn & I talked about enough subjects that I won't try to summarize them here--see the chapter listing!--and took a few calls. Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com

For the full episode and the rest of the Diving into the Wreckage series, support the show at Patreon.com/TheAntifada Taking a break from the ongoing debt crisis analysis, Sean and Varn lay out a series of first principles. This miniseries is meant to lay out some basics for how to think about the world and act within/upon it, what differentiates our particular political bent from others on the left and ultimately what is to be done with the social knowledge and beliefs that all of us hold in common. By the end of this series we hope to have hammered out these principles into a basis for a recomposition of communist organizing. Song: Gary Numan - This Wreckage

This episode we are joined again by C Derick Varn for another holiday episode on Jean Baudrillard. With the post-modern fog of war surrounding conflicts like the Ukraine and Syria in mind, we decided to revisit his collection of essays first published in 1991 "The Gulf War Did Not Take Place." And what we found there was maybe less than what we were hoping for.

Sean and Varn take a brief intermission from their long-running debt crisis series to check in on the state of the American Left. (Tl;dr it's not looking good.) Where have the forces unleashed by the Bernie wave gone? Why has the social-democratic left become merely an adjunct to the Democratic Party? How come revolutionary organizations have either liquidated themselves into the DSA or remained marginal micro-sects? In what ways might these two coeval paths be overcome and what part might all of us play in this overcoming? This is an extended preview of [the three-hour long conversation]( the three-hour long conversation) which ends on a hopeful note and a call to action. If you're interested in this content, become a patron today at www.patreon.com/theantifada Follow Varn (@skepoet) on: Youtube and podcasts

C Derick Varn and I get back into the weeds of American Anti-Communism again, this time moving forward ...and backwards ...and forwards again into the current historical moment. We talk about anti-communism and anti-radicalism in the US from in 1940s-1970s. Audio Producer: Paul Channel Strip  ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro and Outro Video Design: Djene BajalanLinks and Social Media:Twitter: @skepoetDON'T FORGET TO LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!Become a Patreon Patron:https://www.patreon.com/cyberdandySupport the show

Part three of our epic (and expanding) examination of the coming sovereign debt crisis with Sean and Derick. In this episode, we focus in on Europe, Italy and Great Britain in particular. What were the contradictions that were papered over in the 2008 financial crisis and the 2010 Eurozone debt crisis? How have various ruling classes tried to cope with secular stagnation of the economy? Will the post-fascist turn be able to overcome the crisis? Could the dying center left do any better? All this and many sidebars/parentheses within! For the full episode and a ton more bonus content, become a patron today at www.patreon.com/theantifada Check out all of C Derick Varn's excellent analysis at www.patreon.com/varnvlog Song: Lou Reed - The Debt I Owe (Woody Guthrie cover)

Part two of Sean and Varn's extended discussion on sovereign debt ! This time we dive into the pre-history of of the present moment, how the New York City fiscal crisis of 1974-75 and subsequent banker's coup presaged a new 'post-industrial' and financialized regime of accumulation often called neoliberalism. And if debt crises are a signal of the rise of a new political-economic order, what sort of world does the current crisis presage? For the full episode, a tons more bonus content and access to our Discord server, become a subscriber today at www.patreon.com/theantifada

Sean and Varn return in the sixth episode of our Antifada/VarnVlog crossover project, covering the growing global debt crisis. Between the geopolitics of the dollar as reserve currency, the impact of quantitative easing and the pandemic stimulus, the recent Fed interest rate hike and all the potential upheaval coming down the pipe... this is going to be at least a three-parter so stay tuned! Full Episode! This is an extended preview, for the full episode become a patron today at www.patreon.com/theantifada

Inflation? War? Deglobalization? What is next for the world economy? The TIR crew speak with friend of show C Derick Varn about the state of play in the global system.   About TIR Thank you for supporting the show! Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube. Also, consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Check out our official merch store at https://www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com/   Also follow us on... https://podcasts.apple.com/.../this-is.../id1524576360 www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Follow the TIR Crüe on Twitter: @TIRShowOakland @djenebajalan @DrKuba2 @probert06 @StefanBertramL @MarcusHereMeow   Read Jason: https://www.sublationmag.com/writers/jason-myles   Read Pascal: https://www.newsweek.com/black-political-elite-serving...   Follow: www.sublationmag.com

Listen to the After Hours podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime This episode of the 1Dime Radio podcast is about Christopher Lasch and his famous book "The Culture of Narcissism." As I am new to Lasch's work, I decided to bring on C. Derick Varn, who has read all of Christopher Lasch's work and wrote about it. C. Derick Varn is an author, poet, veteran podcaster, educator, and host of the podcast Varn Vlog and co-host of the mortalscience podcast. Check out Varn's excellent podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarnVlog/videos Varn Vlog is on all podcast platforms: https://varnvlogvoice.buzzsprout.com/ Varn's Twitter: https://twitter.com/skepoe This podcast is primarily about The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch and why Lasch's work and legacy is relevant to society today. In particular, this book is especially relevant to new age spirituality, hippies, the counterculture, individualism, neoliberalism, identity politics, performance activism, as well as the general widespread increase in egoism and self absorption in society. In Part 2, Varn and I talk about campism on the left, anarcho-liberalism, social justice warriors, and the phenomenon of new Stalinism/“Tankies” Part 2 is a bonus episode for my patrons only. Get access to it and other exclusive 1Dime podcasts by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/OneDime Be sure to give 1Dime Radio a 5 Star Rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

In the latest of our ongoing collaboration between Varn and Sean, the guys sit down to look at the multiple complicating factors behind the ongoing food crisis which has seen it's most striking culmination with the overthrow of the Sri Lankan government last week. How has capital shifted production, distribution and consumption of food crops? What kind of frailties has this produced for global grain supplies? And what are the likely complications as the crisis ratchets up in coming months? This is an extended preview. The full episode is available for patrons, so sign up for this bonus content and much more at www.patreon.com/theantifada

With November midterms around the corner, the Ukraine crisis, and inflation, the current administration seems loaded down with crisis. How effective have leftists or progressives been at forcing Biden to pay attention their demands? Has the Sanders plan of left influence on the Democratic party shown itself to be total fantasy? What does the future hold? Pascal, Marcus, Djene, and Varn discuss!   Get ready for the FIRST This is Revolution LIVE SHOW (in cooperation with @SublationMedia). PROJECT PARLOR, 742 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205 on June 26th 2022 – 3pm to 10pm. https://www.projectparlor.com/   About TIR Thank you for supporting the show! Remember to like and subscribe on YouTube. Also, consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Check out our official merch store at https://www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com/   Also follow us on... https://podcasts.apple.com/.../this-is.../id1524576360 www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland Follow the TIR Crüe on Twitter: @TIRShowOakland @djenebajalan @DrKuba2 @probert06 @StefanBertramL @MarcusHereMeow Read Jason: https://www.sublationmag.com/writers/jason-myles Read Pascal: https://www.newsweek.com/obsession-black-white-wealth-gap-protects-elites-opinion-1661910

Back on the show today is C. Derick Varn. Danny rescues him from having to talk politics once again. This time, Derick discusses his new book of poetry, Liberation and All the Bright Etcetera. The discussion covers such topics as psychology, poetics, identity, movies, and is punctuated by a particularly profound reflection on caregivng for someone with cancer. In addition, the poet reads a few selections from the book. You can find the book at the following link: https://mysteriosobooks.com/ols/products/liberation-and-all-the-bright-etcetera-a-poetry-chapbook-by-c-derick-varn?fbclid=IwAR30dirZpwXLwkAm4-ZPipP-HNmOIk2MlR7Xax5BiW4eQI8gowCZZiZUIoM To follow this podcast and the writing that Danny Anderson does, go to https://authory.com/DannyAnderson and sign up for a weekly newsletter update.

Sean and Derick are back with the 4th installment of our crossover series on history, political economy and current events. In this episode, the boys examine China: what was the mode of production in the revolutionary period? How has China changed since the reform period? What are common misconceptions about the CPC, good or bad? The full conversation is over two-and-a-half hours, so if you like what you hear become a patron at www.patreon.com/theantifada to hear this bonus content and a lot more. To see the full recorded video of this recording, and support one of the best content creators out there, head over to https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog to give Derick some love as well. NOTE: We screwed up a previous post of this file, should be fixed now!

In this episode, we discuss another Chris Wickham article about feudalism. This is a stand-alone episode, but it is in spiritual continuity with our previous series discussing Chris Wickham's The Other Transition.   We will be back soon with another series on a similar topic.Reuter, Timothy, and Chris Wickham. “The ‘Feudal Revolution.'” Past & Present, no. 155 (1997): 177–208. http://www.jstor.org/stable/651130.https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

The History of American Anti-Communism with Cyber Dandy and C. Derick Varn+ Originally Published to Varn Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarn...A discussion on C Derick Varn's "Varn Vlog" aboutthe history of American anti-Communism.Part 1 begins from the very beginning of the United States and approaches the 1950's.Support the show

Forrest discusses Akira Kurosawa's 1985 epic Ran with J, Andrew World and C. Derick Varn. C Derek Varn is the host of VarnVlog and the co-host of Mortal Science and TIR's Gaming Materialists. J. Andrew World is the co-host of Movie Night Extravaganza, Bad Takes, and the artist for Give Them An Argument. Subscribe to Movie Night Extravaganza https://www.youtube.com/movienightext... https://www.twitch.tv/movienightextra... Become a Movie Night Extravaganza Patron: https://www.patreon.com/MovieNightExtra   About TIR Thank you, guys, again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and every one of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron-only programming, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now: https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, especially YouTube!   THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast & www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Pascal Robert in Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/obsession-black-white-wealth-gap...   Get THIS IS REVOLUTION Merch here: www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com   Get the music featured on the show here: https://bitterlakeoakland.bandcamp.com/   Follow Djene Bajalan @djenebajalan Follow Kuba Wrzesniewski @DrKuba2

Welcome to the fourth and final episode of our discussion on Chris Wickham's essay The Other Transition, about the transition from the classical to the feudal mode production. This is the last in this particular reading series, but not the last for this collaboration. We will be back soon with another series on a similar topic. Chris Wickham, THE OTHER TRANSITION: FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO FEUDALISM, Past & Present, Volume 103, Issue 1, May 1984, Pages 3–36https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

We're going to take a deep dive idea that the only way to pay for social programs is to simply "tax the rich". Is there another path? If so, how do we change that discussion?   1Dime 1Dime is an educational channel dedicated to countering One Dimensional Thought by learning about socio-political issues through the lens of theory, history, political economy, and pop culture Find him on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/1Dimee/featured Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRapNerd7 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime   About TIR Thank you, guys, again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and every one of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron-only programming, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now: https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, especially YouTube!   THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast & www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland   Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Pascal Robert in Black Agenda Report: https://www.blackagendareport.com/author/PascalRobert   Get THIS IS REVOLUTION Merch here: www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com   Get the music featured the show here: https://bitterlakeoakland.bandcamp.com/   Follow Djene Bajalan @djenebajalan Follow Kuba Wrzesniewski @DrKuba2

The TIR Crüe go over news of the week with special guest C. Derick Varn of Varn Vlog   Follow Varn Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarnVlog   About TIR Thank you, guys, again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and every one of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron-only programming, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now: https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents   Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, especially YouTube!   THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast & www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Pascal Robert in Black Agenda Report: https://www.blackagendareport.com/author/PascalRobert   Get THIS IS REVOLUTION Merch here: www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com   Get the music featured on the show here: https://bitterlakeoakland.bandcamp.com/   Follow Djene Bajalan @djenebajalan Follow Kuba Wrzesniewski @DrKuba2

Welcome to the third episode of a new collaborative series with Varn Vlog and the Regrettable Century, where we will be talking about history, historiography, social technologies, relations of production, modes of production, and most importantly, transitions.In this episode, we continue talking about the other transition, the transition to the feudal mode of production.Chris Wickham, THE OTHER TRANSITION: FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO FEUDALISM, Past & Present, Volume 103, Issue 1, May 1984, Pages 3–36https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

We are joined by C Derick Varn for another listener request. This time we're tackling "Farewell to the Working Class" by André Gorz.

C Derick Varn returns/arrives on the Diet Soap Media channel to discuss anti-politics and the current malaise on the left. Formerly a co-host with Doug for Pop the Left when the podcast was on the Zero Books channel, Derick is now running his own show at the VarnVlog:

On this edition of Parallax Views, long-time friend of the show C. Derick Varn and gadfly Freddie DeBoer join us to revisit the siege of Ruby Ridge. In 1992 federal agents had a stand-off with a radical, right-wing, Christian anti-government Weaver family. The patriarch from the family was charged with illegally modifying a firearm. Arguably, however, this would not have happened without federal official urging him to do so in what many would say was a case of entrapment. The 11 day stand off ended in the death of Randy Weaver's wife Vicki Weaver, 14-year old son Sammy Weaver, and the Weaver family's dog Striker as well as a U.S. Marshall. The story involved agencies like the FBI, ATF, and others and would serve to further radicalize the along with the Waco incident involving the death of the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh. What followed in the events of the incident was a trial. Additionally, Waco and Ruby Ridge likely were the "powder keg" so to speak that would inspire Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Should federal agencies be held to any account for the events of the siege? What to make of the admittedly extremist nature of the Weaver clan? Freddie and Derick discuss all of this with me and attempt to unpack the case while also commenting on issues like blowback, the relevance of the Weaver case today, civil liberties, the apocalyptic mindset of the Weaver family at the time and their religious motivations, escalation vs. de-escalation, the role of "macho" interpersonal relations and state sanctioned violence in these incidents, the Waco mini-series starring Michael Shannon, whether Randy Weaver a white supremacist, whether highlighting Ruby Ridge is an example of privilege white privilege, not glamorizing the Weavers while discussing this case, the Jan. 6. riots, the personality type attracted to policing, COINTEPRO operations, Col. Bo Gritz role in the Ruby Ridge stand-off and its de-escalation, the figure of Kevin Harris and his role in Ruby Ridge, Freddie's criticisms of the Ruby Ridge sniper and the orders he was given, the question of unconstitutional "Rules of Engagement", the use of lethal force by police and its expansion in the 1990s, domestic terrorism, the killing of George Floyd, the potential to accelerate a problem where trying to fight, the creation of right wing martyrs, the militia movement, the radicalization of the right and QAnon as a quasi-religious movement, moral simplicity in American political discourse, the Central Park birdwatching incident involving Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper (no relation), the militarization of police, consumption as a bad substitute for political identity and the feeling of political powerlessness in America today, the cancel culture debate and boycotts, structural problems vs. individual problems, the effects of capitalist atomization, intense tribalism, feeding one's political enemies to the National Security State, entrapment cases, the Michigan militia case and the kidnapping of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Pennsylvania Dutch and Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option, and much, much more!

Welcome to the second episode of a new collaborative series with Varn Vlog and the Regrettable Century, where we will be talking about history, historiography, social technologies, relations of production, modes of production, and most importantly, transitions.On this episode we continue  talking about the other transition, the transition to the feudal mode of production.Chris Wickham, THE OTHER TRANSITION: FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO FEUDALISM, Past & Present, Volume 103, Issue 1, May 1984, Pages 3–36https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Part 2 of our discussion with educators about what's been learnt in the past year plus about teaching kids(and ESL students) both online and in-person. In this part, we get into how much more stressful the return to in-person teaching has been. We're joined by Derick Varn, Melisa Crosby, and my sister Beth Salmon. - Check out Derick Varn at VarnVlog: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarnVlog - Other resources mentioned: The Change Agent: https://changeagent.nelrc.org/ - EdWeek: https://www.edweek.org/ - Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com/ - Help us make the show! Supporters of our Patreon heard this episode in its entirety early! www.patreon.com/givingthemic - Find us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - facebook.com/givingthemic/ - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

Part 1 of this talk, the whole ep is available now on Patreon at Http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic. - We revisit our episode from early pandemic, talking to grade school and community college educators about what we've learned(if anything) about teaching kids and ESL since then. Derick Varn, Melisa Crosby, and my sister Beth Salmon have a stimulating conversation about educator burnout, where online teaching worked well, and more. - Check out Derick Varn at VarnVlog: https://www.youtube.com/c/CDerickVarnVlog - Help us make the show! www.patreon.com/givingthemic - Find us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - facebook.com/givingthemic/ - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

Welcome to a new collaborative series with  Varn Vlog and the Regrettable Century, where we will be talking about history, historiography, social technologies, relations of production, modes of production, and most importantly, transitions. We start off by talking about the other transition, the transition to the feudal mode of production. Chris Wickham, THE OTHER TRANSITION: FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO FEUDALISM, Past & Present, Volume 103, Issue 1, May 1984, Pages 3–36Support the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Christopher Lasch is a figure that draws strong reactions from people all over the political spectrum. Lasch's later work spoke of a growing chasm between liberal managerial elites and the traditional working class (endearing him to some conservatives), but his older work falls solidly within the tradition of homegrown American socialist politics. Our friend and comrade, C. Derick Varn, is currently co-authoring a book on Christopher Lasch, and he stopped by to tell us why Lasch is worth reading.Books by Christopher LaschMusic- Incendiary- ZeitgeistSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Christopher Lasch is a figure that draws strong reactions from people all over the political spectrum. Lasch's later work spoke of a growing chasm between liberal managerial elites and the traditional working class (endearing him to some conservatives), but his older work falls solidly within the tradition of homegrown American socialist politics. Our friend and comrade, C. Derick Varn, is currently co-authoring a book on Christopher Lasch, and he stopped by to tell us why Lasch is worth reading. Books by Christopher Lasch Music- Wailin Storms- RopeSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

  Perhaps no term has caught the imagination of political circles on both the right and the left as the term “Professional Managerial Class” (PMC). The term was first coined by John and Barbara Ehrenreich to describe a caste of middle-class professional elites who increasingly controlled production through their specialist training and educational credentials. While the work of the Ehrenreich's was certainly significant, their hypothesis was not an entirely new one. In the 1940s, the Trotskyist-turn-conservative James Burnham penned the “Managerial Revolution” which hypothesized that society was increasingly falling under the domination of a managerial elite with specialist knowledge.   In recent times, especially in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis and the 2020 COVID pandemic, such analysis and criticism has gain popularity on both the right and left. However, how useful is the term PMC? Are the PMC a coherent social class? And in what ways does the convergence of discourse between both right and left on the “PMC thesis” obfuscate more than it elucidates?   About Ben Burgis: Ben Burgis is a philosophy professor and the author of Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left. He is host of the podcast Give Them An Argument.   Listen to Ben's show, Give Them An Argument: https://www.youtube.com/user/benburgis1   Read Ben's Work in Jacobin here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/author/ben-burgis   Watch Derick's Varn Vlog here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMuZYE1Q9yNpzn4dzsPtmcQ   Watch Derick on Zero Book's Pop the Left here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFVU7JbT-g&list=PLFad02vA5AOH8vV8rUp6mwkACCa77u2UM     Thank you, guys, again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and every one of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents? Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, (specially YouTube!) THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: www.youtube.com/thisisrevolutionpodcast Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   The Dispatch on Zero Books (video essay series): https://youtu.be/nSTpCvIoRgw   Medium: https://jasonmyles.medium.com/kill-the-poor-f9d8c10bc33d   Pascal Robert's Black Agenda Report: https://www.blackagendareport.com/author/Pascal Robert   Get THIS IS REVOLUTION Merch here: www.thisisrevolutionpodcast.com

Regular guest C. Derick Varn was gracious enough to invite me on his youtube show/podcast VarnVlog, back in early July. We cover everything from how people's rhetoric gets a lot more heated as the stake argued over decline, the limits on our current horizon for political change, a bunch of Q&A, and a lot more. Subscribe to the VarnVlog here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMuZYE1Q9yNpzn4dzsPtmcQ https://varnvlogvoice.buzzsprout.com/

With Trump out of office, talk of the Border Wall Construction has stopped for the time being. But does that mean that the United States stance on its Drug Policy and has Mexico changed? How has the war on Leftist movements in Latin America created some of the most violent paramilitary drug cartels in recent history? Has the never-ending ‘War on Drugs', and NAFTA helped fuel an influx of refugees from the cartel atrocities and industry destroying trade agreements?   Can the Austerity administration and “Hugs not Bullets” strategy of Mexico's current president Manuel Lopez Obrador be the answer to a country awash in corruption and violence?   We'll ask these questions and more with Host of Zero Books “Pop the Left” and “Varn Vlog”, C. Derrick Varn. This is Revolution.   Pop the Left of Zero Books: https://youtu.be/NjH4yubnVHc   Varn Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Y50LqZov4   Thank you guys again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH! Become a patron now https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents?   Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, (specially YouTube!) THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg   Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast www.twitch.tv/leftflankvets​   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   The Dispatch on Zero Books (video essay series): https://youtu.be/7SZSs-PpSKE   Medium: https://jasonmyles.medium.com/kill-the-poor-f9d8c10bc33d   Pascal Robert's Black Agenda Report: https://www.blackagendareport.com/author/Pascal%20Robert

Jamie and Sean are joined by C. Derick Varn, host of Varnblog, Pop the Left, and Mortal Science, in a wide-ranging discussion: the role of the Democratic Socialists of America and its orientation towards the Democratic Party, the ongoing slaughter in Palestine, communization theory and more. Part 2 of 2! For access to this premium content and more, become a patron at www.patreon.com/theantifada Check out our live streams at twitch.tv/theantifada Follow Derrick - https://symptomaticcommentary.wordpress.com/ @skepoet Texts discussed - Amedeo Bordiga: "Onward, Barbarians!" - https://libcom.org/library/onwards-barbarians Endnotes: "Onward Barbarians" - https://endnotes.org.uk/other_texts/en/endnotes-onward-barbarians Outro: Sheer Mag - Expect the Bayonet

Jamie and Sean are joined by C. Derick Varn, host of Varnblog, Pop the Left, and Mortal Science, in a wide-ranging discussion: the role of the Democratic Socialists of America and its orientation towards the Democratic Party, the ongoing slaughter in Palestine, communization theory and more. Part 2 for patreons out later this week! Become a patron at patreon.com/theantifada for bonus content, access to our Discord and more. Follow Derrick - https://symptomaticcommentary.wordpress.com/ @skepoet Texts discussed - Amedeo Bordiga: "Onward, Barbarians!" - https://libcom.org/library/onwards-barbarians Endnotes: "Onward Barbarians" - https://endnotes.org.uk/other_texts/en/endnotes-onward-barbarians Outro: Sheer Mag - Expect the Bayonet

C. Derick Varn (@skepoet) intellectual, poet, and podcaster at large and I go all out in a couple areas of non-fiction, read some poems I think you'll like, mull poetry in general, and discuss one doozy of a film. I had pretty high expectations for this and Derick shot the lights out. Varn Vlog Apropos Zer0books episode 1 Apropos Zer0books episode 2 https://soundcloud.com/mortalscience @NFNitroglycerin @Deep__Rex

PH sits down with our first recurring guest, C Derick Varn, to give more context to the work of Jean Baudrillard. We discuss his relation to the Situationists, his break with Marxism, and the ultimate conclusions of his theory of simulation and simulacra.Our next book is Politics of Modernism by Raymond Williams Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/radicalthoughts Follow us on Twitter: @radthotspod

Patrick Higgins is replacing C Derick Varn in this week's Pop the Left. In this episode, we discuss the collection The Science and Passion of Communism. What does Amadeo Bordiga have to offer today's left? What are his limits? Is Central Planning enough?

Heterodox economist Nia Cola and Zero Books' C Derick Varn have a friendly "debate" (agreeing on more they than they disagree on as it turns out) about MMT vs. orthodox Marxist economics. We don't exactly settle the issue for all time but it is a good medium-deep dive into some important aspects of the controversy.To get the full episode and every other Thursday patron-exclusive episode, support Give Them An Argument on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/benburgis​. Patrons get a Thursday bonus episode every week, access to the Discord server, a Sopranos Recap Bonus Episode every month with Mike Recine, Nando Vila, and Wosney Lambre, a monthly Discord Movie Night, and regularly scheduled "Discord Office Hours" group voice chats.Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenBurgis​Like, subscribe, and get notifications on Ben’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/BenBurgisGTAA​Visit benburgis.com

This is the second, but only peripherally related, part of our discussion with C. Derick Varn and PH from Radical Thoughts. In this episode we talk about the abysmal state of the left, the bankruptcy of liberalism, and how the hell we can possibly move forward. The Washington Riot Was a Defeat for the Far Right, Not a Triumphhttps://jacobinmag.com/2021/01/capitol-building-riot-business-trump?fbclid=IwAR0G-TkRfpMVUZdLE86-Qky0SWUyBxtGuv7Up_J0lYZkMHBCrtxOVWq2f_A We Should Be Very Worried About Joe Biden’s “Domestic Terrorism” Bill https://jacobinmag.com/2021/01/joe-biden-domestic-terrorism-bill-capitol-building?fbclid=IwAR0tDTAFXEstET0cdDGAS4Di-p49jVbUBsaGRa-H1dADcGBjkIWPHu2JQAs The US Capitol riot risks supercharging a new age of political repressionhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/14/biden-protest-surveillance-repression?fbclid=IwAR3XSFD5SZJlzZxZKOSiN_p--xko9nLGA1T4D4WtJlkFk5D47GVobcLF588 US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data findshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/us-police-use-of-force-protests-black-lives-matter-far-right?fbclid=IwAR2XgiT5WX36LYdW6moSApGcevbhz5ddHpNmiZx8ffC38-eVLUmYzPzwAF8 / Support the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Marxist, teacher, and professional podcast guest, C. Derick Varn comes on the show to have a sprawling conversation about various societies, 21st-century politics, the history of American political movements, the impact of technology on politics and culture, the legacy of the Cold War, emergent dynamics, philosophy of science, string theory, anthropology, New Atheism, free will and more. --- Show Notes --- -Neoreaction (for dummies), Nick Land https://web.archive.org/web/20170720102354/http://www.xenosystems.net/neoreaction-for-dummies/ -The Density Divide, Will Wilkson -What share of people are online?, Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/internet#what-share-of-people-are-online -Could an iPhone fly me to the moon?, Graham Kendall https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/apollo-11-moon-landing-mobile-phones-smartphone-iphone-a8988351.html -Helen Viola Jackson, last known Civil War widow, dead at 101, Elizabeth Elizalde https://nypost.com/2021/01/06/helen-viola-jackson-last-known-civil-war-widow-dead-at-101/ -The End of History, Francis Fukuyama -Francis Fukuyama interview: "Socialism ought to come back", George Eaton https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/10/francis-fukuyama-interview-socialism-ought-come-back We Stand on Guard, Brian K. Vaughn https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/we-stand-on-guard Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America, Secular Survey https://www.secularsurvey.org/ The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Denial_of_Death Terror Management Theory, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory The Rise of Post-modern Conservatism, Matt McManus https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-24682-2 Reactionary Modernism, Jeffery Herf Self-domestication: In Humans, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-domestication#In_humans Frans de Waal, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_de_Waal Humans, not climate, have rapidly driven rising mammal extinction rate, Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200909100244.htm Governing the Commons, Elinor Ostrom https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/governing-the-commons/A8BB63BC4A1433A50A3FB92EDBBB97D5 Collapse of Complex Societies, Joseph Tainter https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/477.Collapse_of_Complex_Societies -Mortal Science Podcast https://soundcloud.com/mortalscience -In the Enemy Camp, Swampside Chats https://soundcloud.com/swampsidechats/sets/in-the-enemy-camp Pop the Left YouTube Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFad02vA5AOH8vV8rUp6mwkACCa77u2UM C. Derick Varn reads five poems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnteApw_4DU

This week we are joined by C. Derick Varn, PH from Radical Thoughts Podcast, and Steven from Supreme Leap Forward to discuss how the Capitol Riot wasn't a coup, or a terrorist attack, and admonish the "left" for supporting the expansion of the security state. The Washington Riot Was a Defeat for the Far Right, Not a Triumphhttps://jacobinmag.com/2021/01/capitol-building-riot-business-trump?fbclid=IwAR0G-TkRfpMVUZdLE86-Qky0SWUyBxtGuv7Up_J0lYZkMHBCrtxOVWq2f_A We Should Be Very Worried About Joe Biden’s “Domestic Terrorism” Bill https://jacobinmag.com/2021/01/joe-biden-domestic-terrorism-bill-capitol-building?fbclid=IwAR0tDTAFXEstET0cdDGAS4Di-p49jVbUBsaGRa-H1dADcGBjkIWPHu2JQAs The US Capitol riot risks supercharging a new age of political repressionhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/14/biden-protest-surveillance-repression?fbclid=IwAR3XSFD5SZJlzZxZKOSiN_p--xko9nLGA1T4D4WtJlkFk5D47GVobcLF588 US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data findshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/us-police-use-of-force-protests-black-lives-matter-far-right?fbclid=IwAR2XgiT5WX36LYdW6moSApGcevbhz5ddHpNmiZx8ffC38-eVLUmYzPzwAF8 / Support the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

If you appreciate Parallax Views and the work of J.G. Michael please consider supporting the show through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn of Zero Books makes his triumphant return to the program by providing a history lesson on the idea that "politics is downstream from culture" from the idea of cultural hegemony by the Italian Communist thinker Antonio Gramsci to its usage today. In addition, we delve into the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters last week and attempt to tie together all the threads that lead us back to the "politics is downstream from culture" end of our conversation. Needless to say, this is an in-depth discussion that's a tour-de-force of thoughtful historical information, political conversation, and current events that you won't want to miss

Marxism needs a better system of ethics. We think that virtue ethics are compatible with the project of human emancipation, so does our friend C. Derick Varn. After Virtue: A Study in Moral TheoryMacIntyre, Alasdair C. After virtue : a study in moral theory. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007. Print.Marxism and Ethicshttps://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isj2/2008/isj2-120/blackledge.htmlPhilippa Foot, major founder of contemporary virtue ethics, “Natural Goodness”https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philippa-foot/#NatuGood Marx’s Ethic of Freedomhttps://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/us/brenkert.htmSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Marxism needs a better system of ethics. We think that virtue ethics are compatible with the project of human emancipation, so does our friend C. Derick Varn. After Virtue: A Study in Moral TheoryMacIntyre, Alasdair C. After virtue : a study in moral theory. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007. Print.Marxism and Ethicshttps://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isj2/2008/isj2-120/blackledge.htmlPhilippa Foot, major founder of contemporary virtue ethics, “Natural Goodness”https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philippa-foot/#NatuGood Marx’s Ethic of Freedom https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/us/brenkert.htmSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

We’re back In the Enemy Camp w/ C Derick Varn, and we would like to speak to the (((managers))). On the forced march from a generous patron, we read a mid-90s reactionary pseudo-class analysis from Pat Buchanan’s main man Sam Francis entitled “Leviathan and Its Enemies”, published in 2016. Special thanks to Stevie for additional editing. http://patreon.com/swampsidechats http://emancipation.network

I came across C. Derick Varn sometime ago on a Zero Books show "Pop the Left".  An intellectual dynamo, but also a person that truly understands his working class roots.  Take a listen to our conversation, and Varn's deep dive into David Harvey's book, "A Brief History of Neoliberalism".   From C. Derick Varn Bio: C. Derick has written political and philosophical work for the (Dis)Loyal Opposition to Modernity and The North Star as well as various lost ‘zines in the 1990s and early 2000s, although he feels distant from this prior work on left-renewal, and while still in a some kind of a Marxist framework, he is very skeptical of what most people call “the left.”  His other philosophical interests are virtue ethics, the philosophy of religion and secularity, and aesthetics.  He was written for Unlikely Stories 2.0, and blogged irregularly for The Partially Examined Life blog.   He co-hosted the Pop the Left podcast.  with Douglas Lain from late 2012 to 2014 and has recently reappeared on supplements on both Diet Soap and Zero Squared. He also co-produces and co-hosts two other podcasts, Symptomatic Redness (on political economy, philosophy, and history), and Former People Speak (on culture and the arts). His poetry has appeared at Unlikely Stories 2.0, Full of Crows, Writing Disorder,  Deuce Coupe, Rusty Truck, The Cartier Street Review,  JMWW,  Clutching at Straws, Union Station Magazine, Ann Arbor Review,  Yes, Poetry, Xenith, Piriene's Fountain, and elsewhere. C. Derick Varn has served as managing editor for the now defunct Milkwood Review, art editor for Unlikely Stories 2.o, managing editor for the The North Star, and was  an editorial staffer for Arts and Letters: A Journal for Contemporary Culture in 2005-2006 and the Flannery O'Connor Review in 2005.  He won the Frankeye Davis Mayes/Academy of American Poets Prize in 2003. He is the co-founder and currently the Poetry Editor and co-managing editor at Former People.   "I've always treated neoliberalism as a political project carried out by the corporate capitalist class as they felt intensely threatened both politically and economically towards the end of the 1960s into the 1970s. They desperately wanted to launch a political project that would curb the power of labor. In many respects the project was a counterrevolutionary project. It would nip in the bud what, at that time, were revolutionary movements in much of the developing world — Mozambique, Angola, China etc. — but also a rising tide of communist influences in countries like Italy and France and, to a lesser degree, the threat of a revival of that in Spain. Even in the United States, trade unions had produced a Democratic Congress that was quite radical in its intent. In the early 1970s they, along with other social movements, forced a slew of reforms and reformist initiatives which were anti-corporate: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, consumer protections, and a whole set of things around empowering labor even more than it had been empowered before. So in that situation there was, in effect, a global threat to the power of the corporate capitalist class and therefore the question was, “What to do?”. The ruling class wasn't omniscient but they recognized that there were a number of fronts on which they had to struggle: the ideological front, the political front, and above all they had to struggle to curb the power of labor by whatever means possible. Out of this there emerged a political project which I would call neoliberalism." -David Harvey from a 2016 Jacobin Interview   You can find C. Derick Varn on Pop the Left on Zero Books Here: https://youtu.be/b6JGv4snLgc   Mortal Science Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mortal-science/id1292139730   Thank you guys once again for taking the time to check out the show.  If you have the means, and feel so inclined, and would like to help the show grow, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing and you get bonus content from many of the episodes.     Become a patron https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents   Please like, share and subscribe to us on the following platforms as well. When you do, you can check out the weekly livestream.   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast   Twitter: @TIRShowOakland   Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland        

We are joined in the Red Library this week by the OG of Leftist podcasting, C. Derick Varn, to read through Christopher Lasch's The World of Nations: Reflections on American History, Politics, and Culture. In part 1, we talk the gaps in Leftist understanding of U.S. history, asylums, the history of feminist movements in the 19th century, the temperance movement, the New Left, the university as a reactionary institution, imperialism, and much more! Varn brings so many icy cold takes you should put on your winter coat for this one, comrades! It's gonna get chilly...  Further Readings/References C. Derick Varn Christopher Lasch The World of Nations Review Epicureanism The Frankfurt School Irme Lakatos Georg Lukács H. Richard Niebuhr Pierre Bourdieu Jacques Barzun Lorraine Hansberry Jacques Ellul Oswald Spengler   ------------------------------------------------ Email us at redlibrarypodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter at Red Library@red_library_pod Click here to listen to the Lost Horizons Network podcast Click here to subscribe to Red Library on iTunes  Click here to support Red Library on Patreon Click here to find Red Library on Facebook Click here to find the host's political theory blog, Capillaries: Theory at the Front

Derick Varn is a podcaster (Pop The Left, Mortal Science), author, editor, poet, and part of the Zero Books staff. Derick is one of the most knowledgeable people on the left and is someone I highly recommend engaging with. We discussed some of the influential thinkers and movements to emerge from 1968 France, their relevance to today, and more. Derick's Links: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/dietsoap/episodes/2019-11-25T07_11_58-08_00 https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/e4nez-7ad49/Mortal-Science-Podcast https://symptomaticcommentary.wordpress.com/about/ https://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/c-derick-varn https://twitter.com/skepoet Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/muhh Twitter: @unconscioushh Instagram: @unconscioushh

We are joined by veteran of the podcast wars, C. Derick Varn, for his third appearance on the show, to talk a little about historical Bonapartism and a little more about contemporary Bonapartism. We talked about the contemporary left's perceived need to seek out a Bonapartist savior and drift further and further from the utopian horizons we once sought. The 18th Brumaire of Louis Napoleon https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/Music: Cro Mags- Hard Times Pop the Left- With Douglas Lain and C. Derick Varnhttps://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/dietsoap/episodes/2019-11-25T07_11_58-08_00The Emancipation Networkhttp://emancipation.network/The Lost Horizons Networkhttps://losthorizonsnetwork.com/The Lost Horizons Network Podcast:https://share.transistor.fm/s/c3bf81ddRed Library Podcast:https://www.patreon.com/redlibrary/postsFrom78 Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/from78Support the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

In this preview I talk with C Derick Varn about Adorno's conception of domination, and the pitfalls and insights that accompany his critique of modern life.If you want access to the full episode while supporting us, you can join our Patreon for $3 a month and receive monthly bonus episodes in addition to our regular roundtable discussions: www.patreon.com/radicalthoughtsListen to the roundtable discussion on Minima Moralia here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/865147/3800207-minima-moraliaOur next episode will be on Norberto Bobbio's Liberalism and Democracy, check it out if you'll be reading along: https://www.versobooks.com/books/45-liberalism-and-democracy

C Derick Varn and Douglas Lain continue their exploration of the history of socialism by discussing Karl Kautsky. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: Marxist theorist and a leader of the German Social Democratic Party. After the death of Friedrich Engels in 1895, Kautsky inherited the role of the intellectual and political conscience of German Marxism. If you enjoy this podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon. Patrons get access to Pop the Left every week.

We talk C Derick Varn co-host of Pop the Left podcast of Zero Books and the Mortal Science podcast of Emancipation Network. We discuss Latin American politics dealing from topic like the Pink Wave, Trotskyism, US-Latin American relations as well as the place for ethnic and cultural conflictcs play into the political conflicts in the region. We pay attention particularly to political economy of the Andean region and that the Inquisition and Crypto-Judaism played an important role in Colonial Latin America and also how some of it's legacies still influence the region today.

Hi all you folks stuck inside! We're re-posting our first chat that we did with C Derick Varn, way back in late 2017. There's plenty of timeless advice here and we'll think you'll enjoy it. ---- Check out Derick's new podcast Pop the Left! from the Zero Squared pod feed: http://dietsoap.podomatic.com - Help us make the show! http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - http://www.twitter.com/givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - http://facebook.com/givingthemic/ - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGPDmD1s-Y On this video edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn of Zero Books and the Pop the Left podcast discusses coronavirus, the 2020 election, the Left, the resurgence of nationalism, neoliberalism and globalization, the EU, the possibility of a coming economic crash, and much more in a jam-packed nearly two hour conversation w/ host J.G. Michael. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWSON PATREON! FORBONUS CONTENTANDARCHIVED EPISODES!

Pop the Left is a biweekly livestream with Douglas Lain, author of "Bash Bash Revolution" and publishing manager for Zero Books, and C Derick Varn, author of Apocalyptics and slush pile reader for Zero Books. This episode will cover the fast decline of the Bernie Sanders campaign, the Covid-19 global pandemic, and the future of the left and of liberal modernity.

Emancipation Network and Zero Books present a roundtable discussion between Ben Burgis, C Derick Varn, From Alpha to Omega's Tom O'Brien and the cast of Swampside Chats on Bernout 2020

Don't stare into the rightwing youtube abyss. Other things covered in Part 2 of Derick Varn on topics like why did 1968 did or why did all those national revolutions not go socialist. That any much more. - Ending music: Scritti Politti - Check out Derick Varn's Pop the Left! wherever finer podcasts are sold or at http://dietsoap.podomatic.com - Help us make the show! http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - http://www.twitter.com/givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - http://facebook.com/givingthemic/ - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

On this edition of Parallax Views, C. Derick Varn joins us to discuss his new and improved Pop the Left! podcast series for Zero Books. Additionally, Derick and I also discuss the Iran Situation in the wake of the assassination of Gen. Soleimani. This was recorded a day after the assassination and tensions have continued to heat up since then, but Derick provides what I consider to be useful insights. We also discuss a number of other topics in this conversation that marks the first episode of Parallax Views for the new year of 2020! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWSTHE WEEK THAT WASCURRENT EVENTSPROGRAM

Wherein we continue our discussion with Derick. Head on over tour our Patreon and sign up for $2 a month to check it out. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecenturySupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

The boys--all the good ones--sat down with C. Derick Varn of Pop the Left and the Symptomatic Redness (which can be found on the Zero Books podcast feed) to talk about Socialism in One Country and/or Socialist Internationalism. We tackled the topic that has plagued the workers' movement from the early days of the Socialist International and wrapped it up quite nicely. We have answered the national question and can now proceed forward to proletarian victory. Please check out Part II of our discussion on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecenturySocialism in One Country: A Reassessment -- Erik Van Ree'SOCIALISM IN ONE COUNTRY' -- Jean Paul Sartre (NLR)Cuba, Che Guevara, and the Problem of “Socialism in One Country” -- Ron Augustinhttps://monthlyreview.org/2019/01/01/cuba-che-guevara-and-the-problem-of-socialism-in-one-country/Yugoslav Self-Management: Capitalism Under the Red Banner -- Juraj Katalenachttp://insurgentnotes.com/2013/10/yugoslav-self-management-capitalism-under-the-red-banner/Socialism in One Country & The Cuban Revolution -- Celia Harthttp://links.org.au/node/26Trotsky and the Debate on Socialism in One Country -- Monty Johnstone (NLR)The Revolution Betrayed Appendix: “Socialism in One Country” -- Leon Trotsky, 1936https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1936/revbet/ch12.htmSocialism in One Country versus Permanent Revolution -- Stalin, 1925http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/industrialization-debate/industrialization-debate-texts/socialism-in-one-country-versus-permanent-revolution/On Permanent Revolution -- Bukharin, 1924https://www.marxists.org/archive/bukharin/works/1924/permanent-revolution/index.htmSupport the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

In this teaser clip of the second part of the first episode of the new Pop The Left podcast, C Derick Varn and Douglas Lain discuss their plans for the project. In order to get access to the entirety of this podcast support us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/zerobooks

In the second part of their discussion, C Derick Varn and Danny Anderson continue to discuss secularization and American Christianity.

Hey y'all! We're back in the Enemy Camp and ‘cross the Mason-Dixon with C Derick Varn, where we sip on some sweet tea and take a gander at the 1854 reactionary tract "Sociology for the South" by George Fitzhugh. Marvel at what just might be the nuttiest Enemy Camp we ever did see—a Dixiecrat who defends slavery as a form of socialism. Finish the War of Northern Aggression! http://patreon.com/swampsidechats http://emancipation.network Read along with us: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1W8RfRHMsWegBdVcNpelMBXkzkunX6moZ

This week we begin the long and enjoyable task of deciphering Chapter 6: ‘Unity in Diversity’. We start off we a nice insult of the returning C Derick Varn…. The panelists this week are: C Derick Varn - Symptomatic Redness Lexi - Swampside Chats Sophie - Trans Trans Revolution

This week we continue our examination of Chapter Five: ‘Communist Strategy and the Party Form’. We are joined again this week by Sophie of Trans Trans Revolution, Lexi of Swampside Chats, C Derick Varn of Symptomatic Redness, and Dan, friend of the show.

We sat down with C. Derick Varn and solved all the problems that are currently ailing the left. We reconciled the divergent currents of Marxism and wove together the materialist and idealist dichotomy with resounding success, but then lost an hour and a half of audio and were forced to restart the recording; what resulted was a meandering, but entertaining, discussion about just about everything... and religion. Varn's Podcast "Symptomatic Redness"http://zero-books.net/blogs/zero/tag/symptomatic-redness/and his poetry.http://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/apocalypticsMusic:Des Geyers Schwarzer Haufen- Bauernkreig (German Peasant Revolt Anthem)Further Reading:MacIntyre, Alasdair C. Marxism and Christianity. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984.Religion for radicals: An interview with Terry Eagletonhttps://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-gospel-according-to-terryRoland Boer on Marxism and Religionhttp://isj.org.uk/the-full-story-on-marxism-and-religion/Lenin: The Attitude of the Workers Party To Religionhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htmBoer, R. (2014). Religion and Socialism. Political Theology, 15(2), 188–209.Fitzpatrick, F. (1967). A. V. Lunacharsky: Recent Soviet Interpretations and Republications.Soviet Studies. Vol. 18. No. 3. pp 267-289Support the show (http://patreon.com/theregrettablecentury)

Tack för att du lyssnar på en förlorad sak och välkoma! När du ändå lyssnar tycker jag att du skall passa på och dela vårt avsnitt på sociala medier eller vad det nu är ni ungdomar använder nu för tiden. Om du gör det, släng iväg ett mail till oss på enforloradsak@gmail.com Eller på FB så får du ett handskrivet vykort hem i brevlådan med ett styke poesi. Samma sak om du blir Patreon www.patreon.com/enforloradsak Vän av poden och återkommande gäst C Derick Varn har pratat om samma ämne här: https://soundcloud.com/givingthemic/ep-50-part-3-eco-fascism-feat-c-derick-varn artikeln vi nämnde i poden återfinns här: https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2018/09/eco-fascism-ideology-marrying-environmentalism-and-white-supremacy För er som vill veta mer om den gröna Nazimen kan vi rekommendera Radikalare än Hitler? De esoteriska och gröna nazisterna. Inspirationskällor. Pionjärer. Förvaltare. Ättlingar. radikalaren än Hitler. av Göran Dahl Och för er som är intresserade av den radikala högerns uppkomst och dess krig mot upplysningen så är Anti-Enlightenment Tradition av Zeev Sternhell ett mästervärk som alla som vill förstå högern och dess röster borde läsa. Med vänliga hälsningar En förlorad sak

C Derick Varn and JG Michaels discuss the vanguard of horror in this new episode of Alternatives. Alternatives examines the countercultural, or searches for a counterculture in a era when culture is so fragmented that there may no longer be a singular culture to resist. This episode features a conversation with the hosts of the Horror Vanguard about the politics of horror movies, the academic acceptance of the horror genre, and the role of fear in the current era. This episode is available for everyone on both our Patreon and free feeds.

Part 3 of 3 of our extended conversation with Derick Varn. The full talk is up at Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic/ - C Derick Varn finishes his extended talk with us by getting into eco-fascism, a topic brought back into relevance by the Christchurch murderer. This is part 3 of a 3 part episode. ------ Links: - Derick Varn's previous appearance: http://goo.gl/RHtnGy -- Also check out the earlier part: https://soundcloud.com/givingthemic/ep-50-varn-ishing-the-truth-part-2-w-c-derick-varn - - - - Varn's first collection of poetry _Apocalyptics_ is out from Unlikely Press. http://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/apocalyptics - Check out Varn's podcasts Symptomatic Redness here: https://dietsoap.podomatic.com/ - Follow Jacob on Twitch! http://www.twitch.tv/jacobmercy - @jacobmercy @givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - http://facebook.com/givingthemic/ - Help us make the show! http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - - - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

Part 2 of our extended conversation with Derick Varn. The full talk is up at Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic/ - C Derick Varn continues to give us a primer on how to interpret conspiratorial claims, including: wondering why _has_ conspiracy culture resurged in popularity lately, how to help people handle ambiguity, why ethos is handy in person-to-person coversations, 9/11 stuff, Bayesian probability. This is part 2 of a 3 part episode. ------ Links: - Derick Varn's previous appearance: http://goo.gl/RHtnGy - - - - Varn's first collection of poetry _Apocalyptics_ is out from Unlikely Press. http://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/apocalyptics - Check out Varn's podcasts Symptomatic Redness here: https://dietsoap.podomatic.com/ - Follow Jacob on Twitch! http://www.twitch.tv/jacobmercy - @jacobmercy @givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - http://facebook.com/givingthemic/ - Help us make the show! http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - - - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

We're back In the Enemy Camp with C Derick Varn! This week, Derick & The Gang take on the arch anarcho-capitalist Murray Rothbard in his 1965 essay “Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty” and enter the libertarian Mirror Universe where left is right and right is left. Now accepting Bitcoin! patreon.com/swampsidechats

Part 1 of our extended conversation with Derick Varn. The full talk is up at Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic/ - C Derick Varn returns to give us a primer on how to interpret conspiratorial claims, and takes on a glorious history of what certain intelligence services were up to after WWII and why most coverups aren't to hide secretive evil dealings but usually just obscuring fuck-ups. Topics covered include: Rambo 3, Predator, Rogerian Arguments, George Lincoln Rockwell, business conspiracies nowhere near as sexy as government conspiracies, why did the 9/11 Report get limited from the start, parsimony as useful tool, and so much more. ------ Links: Richard Aoki as FBI informant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE9HRp0RIV8 Heavy Radicals: : The FBI's Secret War on America's Maoists The Revolutionary Union / Revolutionary Communist Party 1968-1980 - http://www.zero-books.net/books/heavy-radicals The Richard Wolff video from 2008 I referred to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HTkEBIoxBA - Derick Varn's previous appearance: http://goo.gl/RHtnGy - - - - Varn's first collection of poetry _Apocalyptics_ is out from Unlikely Press. http://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/apocalyptics - Check out Varn's podcasts Symptomatic Redness here: https://dietsoap.podomatic.com/ - Follow Jacob on Twitch! http://www.twitch.tv/jacobmercy - @jacobmercy @givingthemic - Questions/comments/suggestions for great local Korean food: givingthemic@gmail.com - http://facebook.com/givingthemic/ - Help us make the show! http://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - - - - Main theme by The Mysterious Breakfast'r Cereal on SoundCloud @chiptheme - - All items trademarked and copyright their respective owners. Please don't sue. Please don't sue. Please don't sue.

C Derick Varn continues his conversation with Ed Simon. Ed Simon is an editor at Berfrois, a British magazine of “Literature, Ideas, Tea,” and a staff writer at The Millions, which the New York Times has called the “indispensable literary site.” Simon is also the author of "America and Other Fictions" from Zero Books. The conversation begins with Derick explaining the American Southern Left and their alienation, but quickly moves on to the significance of the 2016 American presidential election, Ta-Nehisi Coates, whether race or economics were most significant in 20016, and the way in which the political chattering classes cynically frame questions, white Evangelicals, the DSA, and so on and so on...

The Gang is back In the Enemy Camp with C Derick Varn to discuss "Prussianism and Socialism" (1919) by Oswald Spengler. [insert decadence joke here]: patreon.com/swampsidechats

On this edition of Parallax Views returning guest, my partner-in-crime at Zero Books' Alternatives podcast, and personal friend C. Derick Varn returns to discuss the life and punditry of Britain's arch-conservative pessimist Peter Hitchens. Although his renown, at least in the U.S., has often been eclipsed by that of his brother, the late New Atheist crusader Christopher Hitchens, Peter is a fascinating figure in his own right who has become the UK's resident doom-and-gloom reactionary that liberals and leftists alike love to loathe. And yet Hitchens rejection of Reagan-Thatcherite individualism, coupled with his scathing critiques of elites on both sides of the political spectrum, have made him a commentator of interest to left-leaning individuals like myself, C. Derick Varn, and Kill All Normies author Angela Nagle among others. He may not be someone we agree with, but he is a refreshing and worth adversary, especially in the sea of grifting hacks that make up much of the right-wing media ecosystem today.

The Gang courts Madame Guillotine In the Enemy Camp with C Derick Varn! We read Joseph de Maistre’s metal af 1797 ur-reactionary tract “Considerations on France”. Help us drive down demand for powdered wigs! patreon.com/swampsidechats patreon.com/symptomaticredness

C. Derick Varn is a poet, book editor, podcaster, and public school teacher in Utah. He previously taught in private education in South Korea, Mexico, and Egypt. He is also the author of the new book of poetry, Apocalyptics. 6gcbutyr For full show notes, go to: thaddeusrussell.com/podcast/51

Derick Varn(@skepoet) from our Baby Leftist Primer episode returns to talk to Jacob and I about teachers' union, workerism, DSA, Chapo Trap House, gun violence, what leftists keep getting wrong, and how to separate your personal moral purity from your political organizing. We cover a lot. - - - - Derick Varn's previous appearance: http://goo.gl/RHtnGy - - - - Varn's first collection of poetry _Apocalyptics_ will be out this summer from Unlikely Press. - - - - Find us on Fb: https://www.facebook.com/givingthemic/ - - - - Help us make the show! https://www.patreon.com/givingthemic - - - - Show notes and recs here: http://goo.gl/BJxqWi

Update: if you dig this, check the followup! https://soundcloud.com/givingthemic/revenge-of-the-varn-with-c-derick-varn - - -- - - - - - A LOT of people got radicalized and activated by political events of the last year. Derick Varn(@skepoet) is a lecturer, poet, and reader for Zero Books who joins us to give advice and warnings to folks on the Left who are new to this sort of thing. All of this has happened before and will happen again. There's a great reading list here of stuff y'all need to check out. Jacob (@jacobmercy) is here to help. -- More notes and reading list: https://goo.gl/iESPhT -- Help us make the show! https://www.patreon.com/givingthemic -- UPDATE: Check up the followup episode https://soundcloud.com/givingthemic/revenge-of-the-varn-with-c-derick-varn

This month Douglas Lain, C Derick Varn and Nicholas Pell discuss the Marxist notion of historical materialism.  According to Wikipedia "historical materialism" is: Historical materialism is a methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history, first articulated by Karl Marx (1818–1883) as "the materialist conception of history". Historical materialism looks for the causes of developments and changes in human society in the means by which humans collectively produce the necessities of life. The question becomes this:  have we reached a point wherein we simply do not have a materialist basis for emancipation?  Or is the trouble ideological? Also, this week marks the beginning of Douglas Lain's "Think the Impossible" Kickstarter campaign to fund his upcoming podcast and book tour. The book is entitled "Billy Moon." It is due out from Tor Books in August, and tells the story of an adult Christopher Robin Milne, the man known best for his childhood relationship with a stuffed bear, and entirely fictional involvement in the French general strike of May, 1968. The podcast, entitled Diet Soap, is a weekly interview show focusing on philosophy, surrealism, and what I think of as the problem of Late Capitalism.  Guests on the program have included Penelope Rosemont of the Chicago Surrealist group, the radical author Michael Parenti, and Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, and many others. The title of the tour, the imperative to "Think the Impossible" relates to both the podcast and the novel.  In May 1968 one of the slogans spray painted on the streets of Paris was this: "Be realistic, demand the impossible."

This weeks guest is the C Derick Varn, Poet, Lecturer, and resident of South Korea. Derick writes for ‘The (Dis)Loyal Opposition Blog’, and includes among his interests: alternative visions of the future, the failures of nationalist Marxism, early Leninism, and the relationship between anarchism and Marxism. We discuss the Russian revolution, the Vanguard Party and it's problems, the profound failures of the cultural revolution, and the emergence of decentralised movements like occupy and the 5-Star Movement. Derick has also just interviewed myself, for his Blog, where I get to expound a few of my own opinions for a change. If you are interested in reading these incoherent babbles, you can find them here: http://skepoet.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/interview-with-tom-obrien-one-marxism-mmt-and-the-eurozone-crisis/ Here is the link to his blog: http://skepoet.wordpress.com/ And you can also find him appearing regularly on the 'Pop The Left' Podcast with Doug Lain over at: http://douglaslain.com Enjoy!

This month both C Derick Varn and Nicholas Pell are missing and instead there is a special guest. John Zerzan is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author.  He's fairly well known, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I am, and his books about Green Anarchism have been influential.  But we don't really talk about the environment, agriculture, or civilization, but rather I try to explain what I think is Zerzan's conceptual or philosophical mistake. For Zerzan civilized life is a mediated or alienated life that isn't worth living and his solution is to return to directly lived experience. What I try to point out in my conversation with him is that his solution is a part of the problem.  That is, while he wants to overcome the problem of reification his solution doesn't manage to avoid that mistake. The word reification means to mistake an abstraction for a physical or empirical object. A reification is not when we see an example of an abstraction in the world, it's not when we take a rubber ball and think of it as an example of roundness, but rather when we take an abstraction to be its own example.  That is, when we think that an abstraction can exist on its own without an example. There are many ideas that are founded on this mistake.  God, for instance, is the kind of idea that is a good example of a reification. Nature is, similarly, the same kind of idea. Again, my conversation with John Zerzan wasn't about prehistory or hunters and gatherers or the current ecological problems that are facing us, but was aimed at his concepts.  It was aimed at his idea that we might be able to escape concepts, which I think is his fundamental mistake.

  C Derick Varn and Douglas Lain return for the third episode of Pop the Left, a podcast dedicated to moving beyond the impasse in Left politics.  This week we take a look at conspiracy theories, the psychology behind them, and the Left's inability to cope with the prevalence of this approach to politics. Does the bourgeois left benefit from conspiracy thinking?  Can we get beyond our own tendency to blame conspiracies for our ideological and political failures?  Was 9/11 an inside Job?  Did we ever land on the moon?  What about entryism? Three years out of the Zero years and the attendant Bush administration, are we finally ready to face up to the how the Left turned over radical politics to the likes of Alex Jones and David Icke? Next time on Pop the Left Nicholas Pell will return. Possible subjects to mull over:  What is Historical Materialism?  What should we make of the Arab Spring?  Marxist Humanism and the Self Thinking Idea. Do you have a suggestion or topic you'd like to hear us discuss? Leave a comment.  Special thanks to the North Star blog for helping to promote Popping the Left.