Tag Archives: socialism

Breathing in the end of the world – Franco “Bifo” Berardi on Against Everyone With Conner Habib

17 Sep
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Friends,
I’m so happy to share my conversation with the radical philosopher, Franco “Bifo” Berardi.
I think it is not only a good conversation, but a truly productive one. My deepest hope is that it is helpful for you.
Bifo is one of the most important and creative thinkers of our time; I find many of Bifo’s thoughts in line with the occult philosophies of the Western esoteric traditions I’ve spent so long studying, and for me, that is so enlivening. That is to say, when two people or traditions come up with similar conclusions from totally different angles, we must (as Special Agent Dale Cooper says) pay strict attention.
Bifo is the author of many books, including what I view as his two most important books, Breathing: Chaos and Poetry and Heroes: Mass Murder and Suicide (which is a much easier read, and deeply informed my own thinking on the issue, which I discussed on AEWCH 11: SHOOT TO LIVE). He was the founder of Radio Alice, a radical broadcast station in Italy, as well as the anti-authoritarian activist group, Autonomia.
The discussion is wide ranging and, I think, extremely potent. It’s a commingling of occult, anarchist, socialist, and artistic ideas.
We discuss:
  • How rhythms dissolve political oppression
  • Capitalism as a dynamic of change, acceleration, and expansion that cannot understand limit
  • Why information and possibilities are not enough; we need the ability (“potency”) to transform them into reality
  • Why solidarity is dead and we are trapped in competition
  • Why poetry, sex, and magic matter now more than ever
  • The failure of communism, and why we need it anyway
  • Moving away from politics and towards therapy
  • How poetry is our doorway towards a new world
  • Why the “post-truth” world is an opportunity
  • Reincarnation: the only narrative that can remake the future
  • The shattering of the critical mind
  • Why (and how) we must accept all conspiracy theories
  • The spectating unconscious (and how it wishes for Trump)
  • Why everyone’s suffering belongs to everyone
  • What Trump’s victory gives to us
  • How sex work erodes work
  • Why no one should ever be paid for their labor

Lots of great SHOW NOTES here.

Until next time,

XO

DG

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Does the left care about spirituality? Listen to me and Michael Brooks try to come up with an answer on the latest AEWCH!

13 Aug

AGAINST EVERYONE WITH CONNER HABIB 80: MICHAEL BROOKS or THE SPIRITUAL VALUES OF THE LEFT

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Friends,

The day after Jeffrey Epstein “killed himself,” I sat down to talk* with leftist media figure Michael Brooks in a building in Belfast named after one of Epstein’s co-conspirators. Coincidence?

I’m happy to think this meeting was fated, actually; since I appeared on Michael’s great politics show – The Michael Brooks Show –  to talk about new age politics (as of this post, you have to be a patron to listen to it, but he will be unlocking it soon, I think!), we’ve been wanting to talk more. We’re both interested in the left and spirituality, we both have an interest in Marianne Williamson’s place on the stage, we both support Bernie Sanders with strong reservations, and we’ve both been formed by our time living in Western Massachusetts.  As you can hear, we ended way too abruptly and wanted to go on and on, but Michael was about to take a tour of Belfast, so you’ll have to wait for the next installment of our conversation, which I’m sure is coming sometime soon!

Before you think this is only a bromance show, I should tell you we, of course, go deep into the topics at hand. Including:

  • How spirituality shows us what messes we are
  • The attempt of the left to banish spirituality
  • Why attacking Marianne Williamson ends up being an attack on many working class people
  • The left’s failure  to distinguish between sincerely held beliefs and
  • How new atheism is connected to alt-right-ism.
  • Is universal healthcare a spiritual question?
  • Capitalism as a symptom of materialism
  • Socialism as a creator of mental space
  • economics, rights, and culture (and how each tries to dominate the other)

(* dear sound-oriented people sorry about Michael’s mic being a little blown out, I kept turning his up thinking I was turning mine up. Doh!)

XO
CH

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A socialism of the heart: Billy Bragg on Against Everyone With Conner Habib!

6 Aug
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Friends,
What an amazing conversation with music legend, political rock star, and one of my heroes, Billy Bragg.
Billy really needs no introduction, but in case you’ve missed his decades-spanning career in music, I’ve made a long spotify playlist of some of my favorite Billy Bragg songs for you here. Billy’s music has always held a special place in my heart and my activism, and his new book, The Three Dimensions of Freedom which focuses on his thoughtful versions of liberty, equality, and accountability, has only amplified my admiration for him. It’s a great book that you can read in a couple hours, and will enliven your sense of history and motivate you. Go get it.
We talk about
  • why the language of Marxism no longer works, and why we need a language of compassion
  • how to tend to individualism ethically, and how to have agency
  • how the alt-right and atheist bros and Brexit all arise from a sense of meaninglessness
  • how Billy’s model relates to the traditional tripartite motto of Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! and why he replaced “fraternity” with “accountability”
  • how holding some asshole accountable on twitter relates to accountability for political leaders
  • why Morrissey is a dick (not in the episode, but at Billy’s shows, he’s been calling Boris Johnson “Borrissey”)
  • the problem with “freedom of speech”
  • why concerns about no-platforming are ridiculous
  • why Flat Earthers have a point (not really, but sort of!)
  • gay slaps in the face (listen for Billy’s gasp, it’s great)
  • shifting fields of culture and what is acceptable and unacceptable
  • how one of his albums was deeply personal for me and wove into a time of abuse
BBPromo
(Also, isn’t Billy a total Daddy now?)
XO
CH

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A year end political state of the world with the one and only Jimmy Dore on AEWCH 53!

27 Dec

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Friends,

I’m ending my first full year of podcasting with a review of the current political climate, featuring none other than the passionate and hilarious Jimmy Dore. Jimmy is the host of the über-popular The Jimmy Dore Show, one of the most incisive political news shows of our time. Jimmy was also a member of The Young Turks (the second Young Turk on the show, after Hasan Piker on AEWCH 36), and his comedy special, Sentenced To Live, is available on iTunes and Amazon. Also, Jimmy is a fellow Patreon-er, and you can support his Patreon here.

Jimmy and I talk about his transition from comedy to new commenter to target of smear campaign. We also go into free speech and its pitfalls, the absence of foundational questions in the media, why Trump’s America doesn’t start with Trump and censorship doesn’t start with Alex Jones, how post-Trump we’ll still have all the same problems, how capitalism relies on war, and what we can do as individuals and a culture to change things ASAP.

 

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In Which I Am ALMOST Converted To Marxism. Malcolm Harris – author of Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials – on AEWCH!

27 Nov
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Friends,
I’ve never met anyone quite as Marxist as writer and activist Malcolm Harris; at least not anyone I liked talking to this much. Malcolm and his excellent book, Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials, are utterly convincing arguments for Marxism. And his writing creates a powerful portrait of difficult times, and contextualizes the challenges millennials face, rather than just bemoaning kids.
On a hot Philadelphia day, Malcolm and I discussed the culture context millennials struggle in, why school is forced labor and homework is a hellscape, why academics fuck their own books over, the childhood ultimate ninja athlete challenge, why Only Fans can turn adult performers into bosses, whether or not anything exists outside the market, how homosexuality was exploited by capitalism (*cough* Grindr *cough*), why class relations predate capitalism, the history of (some) Marxists leaving out other struggles, why all workers “think of England” and none are overpaid, why protest does and does not matter, how we can’t usefully talk about fighting capitalism as violence, and what tactics we could be developing.
XO
CH
* Note: This is the LAST episode of AEWCH that will feature public access to the YouTube version of the show! Patrons at any level $1 and up get instant access to video versions of the show just for signing up! Click here to pledge now!
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Fighting oppression is the most human thing of all: George Ciccariello-Maher on AEWCH + A special thank you episode!

20 Nov

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Your pledge to my patreon keeps me going. With it, you get cool stuff and you’re part of my mission to bring deep, but easy to listen to, conversations about important ideas to the world. Pledges start at as low as a dollar per month. Contribute today!

LINKS TO THE PODCAST VERSION:

iTunes • Overcast • Spotify • Soundcloud

Friends,

Very happy to have the incisive and forcefully anti-capitalist presence of George Ciccariello-Maher – scholar, activist, writer, Marxist – on AEWCH this week.

We break down what dialectics are, if you’re unfamiliar. Then we talk about the Cuban revolution, why liberal centrists are a total failure, how we can’t expect to resolve every contradiction, why Marxism needs anti-imperialism, how inner struggle translates into action, how a skewed focus on our wounds can stop us from doing what needs to be done in the world, why solidarity requires struggle, Hegel vs the individual (AKA Geo vs Conner), whether or not everything is political, the value of Stormy Daniels, how struggle exists outside of capitalism, and what we can actually DO with all this theory.

SHOW NOTES are free and available here.

Red

BONUS!

I’ve posted an extra audio-only thank you episode for all my listeners and patrons.

I talk about how the podcast came to be (it was half Abby Martin and half tarot reading, believing it or not), why porn performers make almost no money, and what’s to come with both AEWCH and my patreon!

Here you go:

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Me and Chapo Traphouse founder Will Menaker talk a whooole lot about sex.

5 Apr

 

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Yes friends, I have now DPed my podcast and web series with a second founder of Chapo Traphouse, Will Menaker (Felix Biederman was on episode 12), and I couldn’t be happier.

We talk about our respective activism burn outs, SESTA/FOSTA, Kamala Harris, what is the problem with adult entertainment anyway?, why we should prioritize pleasure over work, how different laborers are abused, Three Billboards… and how to hate it or like it, the literalness of culture, why you should definitely hate Call Me By Your Name, what so-called SJWs on college campuses are really upset about, and sensing the emergence of a new coherent political path.

Note – the sound of Will’s voice just makes me laugh because he is so. fucking. funny. So I giggle a lot like, like a goofball. Accept it.

Show notes are for patrons only, so if you’d like them, please become a patron! Your support for the show is HUGE and allows me to keep going at it. Thank you!

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Antifa is coming for you. To hang out at your place, I mean. Conner in conversation with historian, author, and activist Mark Bray!

1 Dec
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Excited to welcome the amazing historian, activist, and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, Mark Bray to Against Everyone! You’ve probably encountered the anti-fascists “antifa” movement in some way or another since the now-iconic video of neo-Nazi organizer Richard Spencer getting punched in the face on camera. Since then, anti-fascists activists have been completely misrepresented in media and misunderstood by the non-activist public, derided by the right (like when Donald Trump ejaculated the word “Antifa!“ on stage) as well as by liberals. Mark puts the antifa action and organization in the context of history, illuminating how it’s not just a bunch of angry college kids, but a rich and thought-out set of tactics and web of movements throughout history.
IN THIS EPISODE
  • Why people who are against antifascist action often believe in the Myth of Progress: 1:50
  • Why the impossibility of utopia can combat the fantasy of progress: 6:45
  • How to implement one the ground activism while retaining the vision. And why: 12:10
  • The people who whine “THAT’S NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING”: 13:35
  • Is the general engagement with a state traumatic?: 17:00
  • Netflix and chill? Nah, Hitler or chill, bro.: 19:40
  • Recognizing all violences without dismissing differences between them: 21:00
  • The problem with “talk it out with the enemy” is that most people who say it don’t believe it: 23:20
  • The racist kids Conner grew up with, the Nazi organizers who exploited them, and what to do with the various levels of racism and fascism: 26:20
  • The little bird and the forest fire: 31:40
  • “If I can’t stand by the bar and drink while I watch people dance to it, it’s not my revolution.”: 36:00
  • Where’s the line between fascism and other oppressive structures of power?: 37:20
  • Who deserves engagement and who deserves dismissal and derision: Anti-sex worker and anti-porn activists use fascist rhetoric – And why you shouldn’t engage with them: 42:25
  • Why “no platform” is a worthwhile tactic and why it’s so misunderstood: 49:50
  • Charlie Hebdo and why free speech matters, but not the “support our troops” version of free speech: 52:30
  • Can fascism be eliminated?: 1:03:00

Please support the show if you enjoy it and learn from it. I can’t do this without you, and I love doing it. Pledge as little as a dollar per month on my Patreon.

And as always, you can find the show notes for the episode with links to books and resources to go deeper on my patreon.

AF

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Conner Habib abducts Felix Biederman from the Chapo Traphouse.

27 Oct
Hello friends!
So awesome to be joined on AEWCH by Felix Biederman; writer, speaker, and founder of leftist podcast phenomenon, Chapo Traphouse.
Listen to the PODCAST version via iTunes or Stitcher or watch by clicking on our goofy faces above. (And please Subscribe to whatever option you choose!)
Chapo Traphouse, in case you don’t know, is a podcast which boasts the biggest Patreon on Patreon. It’s one of a handful of newer and successful leftist news outlets that is changing the contours of our public discussion and political landscape. And it’s really funny. The Chapo team talks about neoliberal and neoconservative punditry, stupidity, and cruelty. The talk about activism and social progress. They also do on-the-ground work, like door-to-door canvassing, meeting with international socialist groups to build bridges between movements, and donating money (most recently $10,000 to the Victim Rights Law Center) to causes.
In this ep:
  • The loneliness of thinking bigger about politics: 2:15
  • The way media ensnares our imaginations in incremental change: 6:15
  • Why we need to be suspicious of “progressives,” including Kamala Harris: 7:25
  • The on-the-ground marginal change is urgent, but will lead us down the wrong path if we don’t dream, bigger.: 11:15
  • Stop using the language of your enemies.: 12:50
  • Dragging the leaders down and raising the people up: 15:20
  • Felix loves Downfall and it shows the weaknesses of iconic maniacs:16:35
  • Distinctions in evil.: 18:35
  • The Nazis Conner grew up with and, like the NAZI Nazis that Conner grew up with.: 21:15
  • Why we need to be more forgiving of idiots: 23:15
  • When do people deserve public scorn, when should we just ignore them, and when should we forgive them?: 27:20
  • How fear of being “reactionary” is kind of white bro capitalist bullshit in the attention economy, bro.: 32:30
  • What healthy detachment is and why it’s needed for leftists: 38:40
  • Mindfulness as a way to exploit workers.: 40:30
  • “Love what you do” is a trap, but we should love what we do. So now what? 43:55
  • The suspicion of pleasure is capitalist exploitation, too.: 45:45
  • Our era is not the first dumb era. 49:35
  • Felix and I talk adult movies. IN A POLITICAL WAY.: 53:40
  • Children are teeny tiny monsters. 58:45
  • So Felix, why do people hate you and Chapo so much?: 1:01:20
  • The public discussion is crucial to what our actions can achieve.: 1:11:55
If you enjoy the show, please do support it!
Thank you!
CH

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