In this episode, Kristen and Zakiya join us to talk about recent developments in technology worker organizing. From walkouts at Google over sexual harassment to demands that companies like Microsoft cancel their contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tech workers are using their power to expose the abuses of that industry. Kristen and Zakiya talk to us about some of that organizing. We talk about the role of racism and sexism and their experience of both in the industry and what role the new organizing is playing in pushing back against those conditions. Kristen and Zakiya are both active socialists with an analysis of the role of technology in capitalism. They talk to us about the many ways in which technology is a “force for evil” in our society and why that is. But they also envision the ways in which technology could be different in a socialist society and how that inspires their vision and organizing. Links for this episode: *Lea Ramirez on tech complicity with ICE (http://bit.ly/2IVJqBc) *Kristen Sheets on the #MeToo walkouts at Google (http://bit.ly/MeTooGoogle) *Alexei Goldstein on the surveillance economy and its discontents (http://bit.ly/SWSurveillanceEconomy) *Siddarth Patel on Are tech workers the problem? (http://bit.ly/TechWorkersSW) Music for this episode: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Cybotron, "Techno City" Holly Herndon, “Home” Kraftwerk, “Computer Love” Lizzo, “Phone"

Better Off Red

45: Women in tech talk organizing

We’re joined this week by Joseph Graves Jr., a genetics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and author of The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium and The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America. Dr. Graves takes us through the science that proves the myth of biological notions of racial difference, and the political, economic and cultural reasons why these myths endure in our society, not only among ignorant white supremacists but liberal scientists like David Reich, who warns that if scientists continue to "stick their heads in the sand" in the face of emerging evidence that supposedly proves the validity of biological races, they will discredit themselves and provide ammunition to those with a racist agenda. Dr. Graves is also a member of Science for the People and one of the organizers of the response of 67 scientists and researchers to Reich’s arguments published in Buzzfeed. Graves is as sharp on politics as he is on genetics, and he minces no words describing how many of his colleagues are blind to the ways that their work is impacted by the racism endemic to capitalist society and indifferent to how their work is used to promote the agendas of armies and corporations. It’s a terrific conversation. Jen’s out this week, so Eric joins Danny in the opener to discuss Bernie Sanders’ long-anticipated presidential announcement, and the new dynamics he’ll face as a frontrunner facing a party that has gone from mocking his ideas to trying to coopt them. Links for this episode: Check out these books by Joseph Graves Jr. • The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium (bit.ly/GravesJrEmperors) • The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America (bit.ly/GravesJrPretend) For more on the current debate about biological race check out • David Reich’s New York Times article "How Genetics is Changing Our Understanding of 'Race'" (bit.ly/ReichRace) • And then of course the response to Reich by Dr. Graves and others: “How Not to Talk about Race and Genetics” (bit.ly/Gravesresponse) • Finally, find out more about Science for the People (http://bit.ly/Sci4Ppl), an organization that describes itself as dedicated to building a movement around radical perspectives on science and society.

44: Here comes Bernie, Joseph Graves Jr. on the scientific fiction of race

In this episode, we talk to three-time gold medalist Wyomia Tyus about her memoir Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story. We are also joined by her co-author Elizabeth Terzakis. In our intro, we discuss Trump’s State of the Union address, why he finds socialism so threatening and what we can do to make his worst nightmares come true. In 1968, Wyomia Tyus became the first athlete -- man or woman -- to win gold medals in 100-meter events at consecutive Olympics, a record that stood for two decades. She wore non-uniform black shorts as part of a series of protests at that year’s Olympics. These protests were most famously symbolized by John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Wyomia dedicated her medals to them, but as a Black woman both her protest and her breakthrough accomplishment remained in the shadows for years. We talk to Wyomia about her childhood growing up as a Black girl in the segregated deep South during the early days of the civil rights movement. She talks to us about her coach, Ed Temple, and the legendary Tigerbelles of Tennessee State. We discuss the protest organizing around the 1968 Olympics, her role in it and why it could have been stronger if the women athletes had been involved in the organizing from the beginning. And at the end Wyomia shares her thoughts on Black women in sports today and how far we’ve come -- but also where we need to go. Links for this episode: *You can get a copy of Wyomia’s memoir from Akashic Books (http://bit.ly/Tigerbelle) *Listen to Wyomia Tyus, John Carlos and Dave Zirin talk about sports and resistance from 1968-2018 at the 2018 Socialism Conference (http://bit.ly/WyomiaS18) *ESPN did a fantastic profile of Wyomia and her new memoir (http://bit.ly/WyomiaESPN) Audio for this episode: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Archie Bell and the Drells, “The Tighten Up” James Brown, “Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud” Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, “Black Pearl” The Isley Brothers, “It's Your Thing”

43: Wyomia Tyus takes no prisoners; socialism is coming to the USA

In this episode, Eric talks to Anand Gopal about what’s behind the Trump administration’s plans — which have since been partially walked back — to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Anand explains how Trump’s “America First” priorities in the Middle East and Central Asia are in reality part of a longer process of extricating the U.S. from the disaster of its post-9/11 adventures under George W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have just as little regard for the people of the region. Anand is an award-winning author and journalist who has traveled to Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times as an un-embedded journalist. His book No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes won the Ridenhour Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His journalism includes “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom”, an account in the New Yorker about the town of Saraqib in Idlib province and “The Uncounted”, an investigative report in the New York Times about the underreported civilian casualties of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria (http://bit.ly/Uncounted). For our opener, we first talked to Víctor Fernández and Héctor Rivera about how one of the key elements of the successful Los Angeles teachers’ strike was the support from the city’s Latinx community. Víctor and Héctor talked about how the school district and its billionaire backers tried to pit the community against educators as part of their privatizing agendas, and how socialist-initiated solidarity efforts like “Tacos for Teachers” (which Victor helped to organize) played a role in countering those efforts. Then we spoke with Nick Estes of The Red Nation about the infamous viral video of MAGA-hat wearing high-school boys harassing Indigenous activist Nathan Phillips. Actually, Nick mostly talked to us about all the things obscured by that video — most notably the historic nature of the Indigenous People’s March that brought Phillips and thousands of others to Washington DC that day — and the issues like Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls that the march was meant to highlight. Links for our interview with Anand Gopal • Anand’s book No Good Men Among the Living (http://bit.ly/NoGoodMen) • Anand’s New Yorker article “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom” (http://bit.ly/SyriaLastFreedom) • Anand’s New York Times piece “The Uncounted” (http://bit.ly/Uncounted). Links for our interview with Víctor and Héctor • Socialist Worker’s account of the Tacos for Teachers initiative (http://bit.ly/TacosRoses) • Strike leader Gillian Russom’s take on the significance of the UTLA victory (http://bit.ly/UTLAvictory) • Héctor’s Socialist Worker article from October about a community forum in East LA to support the union (http://bit.ly/EastLAforUTLA) Links for our interview with Nick Estes • Nick’s article for the Intercept, “Portraying the MAGA Teens as Victims Is an Extension of Native American Erasure” (http://bit.ly/NativeErasure) • The Urban Indian Health Institute report, “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls” (http://bit.ly/MurderedMissing) • Brian Ward’s Socialist Worker article, “The Ugly Facts about the MAGA hat kids” (http://bit.ly/UglyMAGAhat) Music The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Rage Against The Machine, “Killing In The Name” Nataanii Means, “God Bless Amerikkka” Shkoon, “Build Your Castles” MC Abod, “Forget Your Difficulties”

42: Tacos 4 Teachers; Indigenous People’s March; Anand Gopal on troop withdrawals

In this episode, we talk to Helen Scott about the life and legacy of Rosa Luxemburg on the 100th anniversary of Luxemburg’s murder. We discuss her most essential works, The Mass Strike and Reform or Revolution, and talk about the historical context of Luxemburg’s political ideas as well as their relevance for today’s new socialist left. In our opening segment, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom. This episode was recorded prior to the enormous victory won by the teachers, but it remains invaluable in its description of what a win would be, how they organized themselves and the community, and what the fight will look like after the strike ends. Helen Scott is the editor of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution and the Mass Strike (Haymarket Books, 2008) and co-editor, with Paul LeBlanc, of an anthology of Luxemburg’s writings, Socialism or Barbarism (Pluto Press, 2010). She is Associate Professor of English at the University of Vermont and a member of United Academics: AFT/AAUP. She has published articles on Rosa Luxemburg in International Socialist Review, Socialist Studies, and New Formations and is on the editorial board of the Verso Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg, for which she will be co-editing Volume 5 with Paul Le Blanc. Gillian Russom has been a rank-and-file teacher activist in UTLA for 18 years. She is part of the Union Power caucus and has been a leader in the fight to transform her union into a social-justice union capable of waging a fight against the forces of public education reform. Links for our opener on the LA teachers’ strike: *Gillian Russom at Socialist Worker on the strike victory (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/23/we-won-a-historic-victory-for-la-schools) *Diana Macasa and Alex Schmaus on the inspiration behind Tacos for Teachers (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/18/give-us-tacos-and-roses) *Danny Katch gives 10 reasons to support the LA teachers (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/14/ten-reasons-to-support-the-la-teachers) *Melissa Rakestraw and Elizabeth Lalasz reporting from the picket lines on “Five days that stunned LA’s billionaires” (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/22/five-days-that-stunned-las-billionaires) *Video of a strike solidarity meeting featuring Gillian Russom and teachers from Chicago and Oakland (http://bit.ly/LASolidarity) Links for our interview with Helen Scott: *Helen Scott’s edition of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg (https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/835-the-essential-rosa-luxemburg) *Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg’s revolutionary socialism (http://socialistworker.org/2019/01/15/rosa-luxemburgs-revolutionary-socialism) *Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg and the pathway to socialism (http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism) *Danny Katch explores modern takes on the historic debates around reform, revolution and the road to power (http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism) Music and audio clips in this episode Excerpt of a speech by Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, addressing a massive rally of LA teachers five days into the strike Aryana Fields (5th grade student in LA public school), "This is a Strike Song” ScHoolboy Q, “X” (with 2 Chainz and Saudi) from the Black Panther soundtrack Pedro Pastor, “La Rosa de Luxemburgo” with Eva Sierra The Laggan, “Rosa Luxembourg” Purge, “Rosa Luxemburg”

41: LA Teachers’ Strike; Helen Scott on Rosa Luxemburg’s Legacy

In this episode, we talk to Holly Lewis about her book the The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody). We talk about what Holly means when she argues that “the politics of the fragment should be replaced by an inclusive politics of everybody.” In our interview, we explore some of the debates and discussions around homonormativity, how to build a trans-inclusive feminism, and queer theory. We revisit social reproduction theory and talk about its implications for gender politics and trans liberation. Holly gives a clear overview about the different theoretical approaches to gender politics in Marxism, queer theory and feminist theory and explores the connections between them. Before that, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom about the LA teachers’ strike. And in our intro, we talk about the controversy surrounding this year’s Women’s March. Most of our discussions barely scratched the surface, so we’ve got lots and lots of links for this episode. Holly Lewis and The Politics of Everybody — Buy Holly’s book: The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody) — We talk a lot about social reproduction theory. For an accessible introduction, you can check out this article by Tithi Bhattacharya in Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/TithiSW). If you would like to go deeper, Lise Vogel’s book, Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory, developed this theory and has been re-published by Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/VogelHaymarket). Tithi Bhattacharya has also edited a collection of essays exploring this topic: Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression (http://bit.ly/TithiBook). — Heather Brown’s Marx on Gender and the Family delves more deeply into Marx’s approach to gender and is available from Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/BrownHaymarket) — Jules Gleeson has written an article on Transition and Abolition: Notes on Marxism and Trans Politics for Viewpoint Magazine (http://bit.ly/GleesonViewpoint). The LA Teachers’ Strike — Socialist Worker is providing ongoing coverage throughout the strike (http://bit.ly/SWLAStrike) — Gillian Russom recently spoke at a solidarity panel in NYC along with an Acero Charter School striker from Chicago and a wildcat striker from Oakland (http://bit.ly/LASolidarity) The Women’s March —Elizabeth Schulte wrote an article for Socialist Worker about the prospects for a new women’s movement as we approach the third annual women’s marches (http://bit.ly/SchulteSW) — Rosalind Petchesky has written a defense of Linda Sarsour and the Women’s March organizers against smears of anti-semitism (http://bit.ly/PetcheskyBOR) Music The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) LUTHI, “Every Body" Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” R.E.M., “Everybody Hurts” Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody” Chance the Rapper, “Everybody’s Something” (feat. Saba and BJ The Chicago Kid) Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

40: LA Teachers; Women’s March; Holly Lewis on The Politics of Everybody

Great show this week! We talk with Melanie Yazzie and Nick Estes of The Red Nation, an important new revolutionary organization fighting for Indigenous liberation. Melanie is a Diné scholar and activist who is the 2018-2019 Chair of the Central Governing Council for The Red Nation. She’s also a co-author with Nick of a forthcoming book about border town violence and Indigenous resistance and next year will join the faculty at the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and American Studies. Nick is Kul Wicasa from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, a co-founder of The Red Nation, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and the author of two forthcoming books: Our History is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance and Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement. To do this interview, we invited our fellow ISO members Ragina Johnson and Brian Ward, who have worked with The Red Nation over the past few years, to take over the pod, and we think you’ll agree it was a great decision. Melanie, Nick, Ragina and Brian got into a deep discussion about a range of topics, including the creation and development of The Red Nation, how Indigenous and colonized people can and should use the tools of Marxism, the concept of settler colonialism and how it continues today, the necessity of solidarity between Indigenous people and other working-class people and the need for Indigenous land claims to be at the center of those fights. In our opener, Jen, Danny and Eric talk about the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) movement in France, which began as rowdy protests against a proposed fuel tax and have evolved to encompass a broad cry of anger at the growing inequality of French society. We also talk about how the protests have confused and divided some in the environmental movement and why we urgently need climate change demands that start from a working-class perspective. Links for our interview • The Red Nation (TRN) website (http://bit.ly/TheRedNation) • Read TRN’s recent newsletter including a report on their “No Thanks, No Giving” teach-in (http://bit.ly/RedNation3) • Nick’s forthcoming book Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (http://bit.ly/OurHistoryFuture) Links for intro • On the dynamic nature and changing consciousness of the Yellow Vest protests, check out French novelist Édouard Louis’ moving piece in Jacobin, “Can the Yellow Vests Speak?” (http://bit.ly/YellowVestsSpeak) and longtime French socialist Léon Crémieux’s more recent analysis in Socialist Worker of the shifting dynamics (http://bit.ly/CremieuxSW) • For more on the need for working-class environmental policies as opposed to fuel taxes, check out Jonathan Neale’s “Why Carbon Taxes Burn Workers” (http://bit.ly/CarbonTaxes) and Zachary Alexis’s piece about the importance of the growing support for a Green New Deal (http://bit.ly/GreenNewDealSW) Music and audio The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) A Tribe Called Red, “We Are The Halluci Nation” Ft. John Trudell & Northern Voice Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, “Under Your Always Light” Excerpt of speech by Radmilla Cody at the Red Nation's Indigenous Peoples Day March and Rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2015 Ryan Dennison, “HT” Son Of Hwéeldi, “Me & The 99”

39: Yellow Vests; The Red Nation’s Melanie Yazzie & Nick Estes

This week we talk to British socialist David Renton about the history of Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League. RaR and the ANL were a cultural and protest movement against the rise of the National Front in Britain in the 1970’s. Renton contends that these movements played a decisive role in preventing the rise of fascism in Britain, while similar movements took root in France. David Renton is a British historian and activist, a member of the socialist group RS21 and author of the book, Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976-1982 (http://bit.ly/RentonANL). We talk to him about the importance of the contestation for culture, particularly around punk music, and the role that RaR played in that. He describes some of the key turning points of anti-fascist mobilization and the creation of the ANL. We discuss what lessons we can draw for the movement against a resurgent right today. In our opener, we talk about socialists Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they prepare to take office. We discuss the ways in which they are challenging politics as usual, raising expectations and opening up possibilities, while also exploring the constraints imposed by the Democratic Party and how socialists can take advantage of this moment. Links for our interview: *You can buy David’s book here (http://bit.ly/RentonANL) *David also blogs at his website lives;running where he frequently discusses politics and especially the new movements against the right in Britain (http://bit.ly/LivesRunning) *In this piece re-published at Socialist Worker, David makes the case for a militant movement that directly confronts the fascists and examines different trajectories within the movement in Britain *Today’s episode is being released on December 10 as part of a contribution to the call for a day of action against fascism and racism (http://bit.ly/Dec10Action) Links for our intro: *You can listen to our assessment of AOC’s election victory in episode 17 of this podcast (http://bit.ly/BOREp17) *You can read analysis of the November elections at Socialist Worker by Todd Chretien (http://bit.ly/ChretienElections), Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (http://bit.ly/KeeangaElections), Alan Maass (http://bit.ly/MaassElections) and the editorial staff (http://bit.ly/EditorialElections) *In episode 34 (http://bit.ly/LanceSelfa), we interviewed Lance Selfa about the midterm elections. Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History, which is available from Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/LanceHaymarket). Music for this episode The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Gang Of Four, “Why Theory?” Sham 69, “If The Kids Are United” The Specials, “Ghost Town” Steel Pulse, “Jah Pickney (R.A.R.)” The Selecter, “On My Radio” Elvis Costello, “Less Than Zero”

38: Socialists in Congress; David Renton on Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League

We have an especially powerful episode this week about the increasingly desperate situation facing the migrant and refugee caravan that is now spread all the way from Mexico City to Tijuana. First, we’re joined by three activists who have been building solidarity on both sides of the border. FERMIN VALLE is a queer Mexican-American activist and a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) in Western Massachusetts who recently traveled to Mexico City and met with members of the caravan staying in a local church. JO MORALES is an anti-border activist and writer who has worked for the last three years in solidarity with refugees and Syrian revolutionaries in Greece and the Mediterranean. She is now in Tijuana, where she is documenting the Migrant Exodus. CLAIRE DOUGLAS is a teacher and member of the ISO in San Diego, where she helped organize a solidarity protest at the border as part of the Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition. Fermin, Jo and Claire join us for an intense conversation about the horrible choices that caravanistas are facing as they experience deteriorating physical and political conditions — and their urgent hope for an increase in the support that U.S. activists are starting to build. Then historian and activist Justin Akers Chacón joins us to talk about the Socialist Worker article he recently wrote in response to Angela Nagle’s “The left case against open borders.” Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border. In the context of going through what’s wrong (and there’s a lot) with Nagle’s pseudo-left approach, Justin makes the case for why supporting migrants and refugees isn’t just the morally right thing to do, but is also in the interest of working-class people in the U.S. and across the world. Links for this episode: • Fermin’s Socialist Worker report from Mexico City: “What migrants in the caravan want the world to hear” (http://bit.ly/Vallemigrants) • Alex Wells report on the San Diego border protest (http://bit.ly/bringingsolidarity) • Justin’s response to Angela Nagle: “The case against ‘the case against open borders’” (http://bit.ly/caseagainstnagle) • Also check out Justin’s new books Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio) and No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal) Here are some of the organizations and groups organizing support and solidarity for the migrant and refugee caravan: • Pueblo Sin Fronteras (http://bit.ly/PuebloSF) • Al Otro Lado (http://bit.ly/aOLado) • Border Angels (http://bit.ly/BorderAngels) • International Socialist Organization (http://bit.ly/IntlSocOrg) • San Diego Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition (http://bit.ly/SDsolidarity) • Sanctuary Caravan (http://bit.ly/SancCaravan) and labor solidarity call (http://bit.ly/SanctuaryLabor) Music The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Residente, “La Cátedra” Shakira, “Me Enamoré” Chicano Batman, “This Land Is Your Land” Sam Cooke, “(What A) Wonderful World” Ozomatli, “Don’t Mess With The Dragon”

37: The migrant and refugee caravan needs our solidarity now

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the German Revolution. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, most people haven’t, even though the revolution—or rather its failure—is arguably one of the most significant events of the 20th century, with consequences ranging from the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany to the triumph of Stalinism over the Russian Revolution. But there’s more to learn about the German Revolution beyond the fact of its ultimate failure. It’s also the closest socialism has gotten to winning in an advanced industrialized capitalist country, and it’s full of rich lessons even a century later. This week we have a conversation with Sean Larson, a PhD student in German Studies at NYU who is currently working on a dissertation on the German revolution. Sean recently wrote an excellent article in Jacobin about the first year of the revolution, and if all this information is new to you, read his article (see the link below) after you listen to the interview. For our opener, Eric joined Jen and Danny to talk about the return of anti-Semitism as a force in mainstream American politics. We discuss how the return of this racist ideology is rooted in the rise of far-right white supremacist groups as well as the urgent need to rebuild a fight against anti-Semitism. Links about the German Revolution Sean’s excellent piece in Jacobin about the first year of the German revolution (http://bit.ly/RedGermany). Alex Fair-Schulz also has this excellent piece in Socialist Worker on the same subject (http://bit.ly/GermanyRev). For longer works on the history of the German Revolution, Haymarket Books has published/republished a number of invaluable books, including: Chris Harman’s The Lost Revolution (http://bit.ly/HarmanGermany) Eyewitness to the German Revolution (http://bit.ly/SergeGermany) by the Russian-born revolutionary Victor Serge who himself was a participant in the German revolution Ralf Hoffrogge’s study of the revolutionary shop stewards movement (http://bit.ly/HoffroggeGermany) and Pierre Broué’s masterpiece The German Revolution 1917-1923 (http://bit.ly/BroueGermany) Links for our opener Our producer, Eric Ruder, has written an extensive article for Socialist Worker in which he examines the rise and fall and rise of anti-Semitism in the United States (http://bit.ly/RuderAntiSemitism) This statement by the International Socialist Organization (ISO) calls for a broad-based, urgent, united response to the far right (http://bit.ly/FightRightISO) Haymarket Books has published a collection of essays by Jewish Voice for Peace about the uses and abuses of anti-semitism (http://bit.ly/HaymarketJVP) Music in this episode The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) FKJ Live at La Fée Electricité in Paris Sevdaliza, “Shahraman” L’indécis, “Soulful" Anohni, "Manta Ray"

36: Sean Larson on history’s lost revolution; the return of anti-Semitism

We’re taking a partial break this week for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean we’re leaving you hanging. Sumaya A., who joined us in Episode 8 to discuss anti-imperialism and Palestine, gave a brilliant speech at the closing plenary of last week’s Marxism conference in New York City. So we’re sharing it with you to help recharge your batteries over the holiday weekend. And for our opener, Eric joined Jen and Danny to talk about the swirl of personal and political questions that Thanksgiving poses for radicals. We discuss the ugly history behind the holiday’s myth, what we think about Black Friday, and our approaches to the inevitable political arguments around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Link for the New York City Marxism conference (http://bit.ly/NYCmarxism). Links about our opener on Thanksgiving: • “Why the movement shouldn’t #OccupyXmas,” Eric’s argument against ultra left anti-consumerist politics in the midst of the Occupy movement (http://bit.ly/XmasOccupy). • Socialist Worker articles on the real history of Thanksgiving by Caroline Gonzales and Brian Ward (http://bit.ly/RealTnksgvg) and Paul D’Amato (http://bit.ly/DamatoTksgvg). • Check out The Red Nation, a revolutionary Native organization based in New Mexico (http://bit.ly/TheRedNation). Music for this episode: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Gil Scott-Heron, “Home is Where the Hatred Is” Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Thanksgiving Theme” Mos Def, “New World Water” Seal, “A Change is Gonna Come”

35: Sumaya A. on the fight for socialism; Thanksgiving thoughts

Lance Selfa comes on the pod this week to discuss what midterms tell us about the state of U.S. politics. In addition to being an associate editor of the International Socialist Review and a frequent contributor to Socialist Worker, Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History, published by Haymarket Books. Before our conversation with Lance, Eric joins Jen and Danny to respond to a listener’s question about whether socialism can be compatible with religion. We cover lots of ground, including Marx’s famous (and misunderstood) quote about the opium of the masses, the hypocrisy and chauvinism of the so-called “new atheism,” and Danny’s deep discomfort with his mortality. Links for our interview with Lance Selfa: • “The Trumpification of American politics”: Lance’s recent article in Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/Trumpification). • Alan Maass’s “Six socialist takeaways from Election 2018” (http://bit.ly/6socialisttakes). • Todd Chretien’s look at discussions among different socialists about the way forward after the midterms (http://bit.ly/aftermidterms). • Sam Farber’s piece in Jacobin about Donald Trump as a “lumpen capitalist” (http://bit.ly/lumpenTrumpen). • Lance’s book, The Democrats: A Critical History (http://bit.ly/Selfa). Links for our opener on religion: • The Meek and the Militant, Paul Siegel’s classic Marxist analysis of how religion can play both a reactionary and radical political role (bit.ly/MeekMilitant). • Mike Marqusee’s sharp criticism of neoliberal secularism, “Contending for the living” (http://bit.ly/Marqusee). • FYI, Danny’s got a chapter called “Is Socialism a Religion” in his book Socialism…Seriously (http://bit.ly/SocSersly) Music for this episode: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Frank Ocean, “Bad Religion” Stevie Wonder, “Have A Talk With God” The Shazam, “Super Tuesday” Rihanna, “American Oxygen” Stealers Wheel, “Stuck In The Middle With You” Death Cab For Cutie, “Good Help (Is Hard To Find)"

34: Lance Selfa, the midterms and the meaning of life

33: Solidarity with the caravan; Leandros Fischer on Die Linke’s strategy This week, we talk to Leandros Fischer of Germany’s Die Linke (The Left Party). In the wake of a wave of refugee migration in 2015, the far right in Germany has made terrifying advances. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained seats in the German Parliament and openly fascist forces have rallied in the streets of Chemnitz. But in the last month we also saw a spectacular demonstration of anti-fascist forces a quarter of a million strong in Berlin. Leandros explains how Germany’s position as the leader of the European Union, the weakening of labor protections, and the creation of a two-tier, contract-based workforce have all set the stage for a deepening polarization in German politics. He discusses the history of Die Linke, one of the earliest broad-left party projects in Europe, and its current situation and debates. He helps us untangle the debates on the left about the controversial positions taken by Sahra Wagenknecht. He discusses the rise of the right and lays out a strategic vision for how the left can grow in this moment. In our opener, we are joined by Hector Rivera and Rory Fanning to discuss Trump’s racist hysteria about the migrant caravan and the politics of the border. Hector is a socialist and immigrant rights activist based in Los Angeles and is involved in cross-border solidarity efforts. Rory is a military veteran who recently wrote an essay calling on troops to refuse to obey Trump’s orders to deploy to the border. Links for our interview with Leandros Fischer: *Leandros has written frequently for Jacobin about the political debates inside the German left. Here he talks about the rise of the right and how to understand it (http://bit.ly/LeandrosRight). In this article, he discusses the questions surrounding Sahra Wagenknecht (http://bit.ly/LeandrosWagenknecht). *Socialist Worker recently carried two articles about the advance of the far-right in Germany and the anti-fascist response. In this article, Kathleen Brown describes the street marches of open Nazis in Chemnitz (http://socialistworker.org/2018/09/10/how-can-nazis-be-on-the-march-in-germany). And here, Axel Fair-Schulz discusses how the left should confront the rise of the far right (http://bit.ly/AxelFightRight). Links for our opener: *In Socialist Worker, Danny Katch and Khury Petersen-Smith discuss the politics surrounding the migrant caravan and how we can build solidarity (http://bit.ly/SWCaravan) *In an article for In These Times, Khury Petersen-Smith recounts the history of Germany’s welcoming movement during the refugee crisis of 2015 and talks about how we can apply those lessons to building solidarity with the migrant caravan today. *Rory Fanning and Spenser Rapone are military veterans who have called on soldiers to defy orders if they are called to the US-Mexico border (http://bit.ly/RorySW) Music for this episode: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Lucius, "Two Of Us On The Run” Spoon, “Tear It Down” Egotronic, “Raven gegen Deutschland” Atari Teenage Riot, “Start The Riot” Die Ärzte, “Schrei Nach Liebe” Gastone, “Weihnachtsgans”

33: Solidarity with the caravan; Leandros Fischer on Die Linke’s strategy

32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil In this week’s episode, we discuss Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro with Brazilian socialist Aldo Cordeiro Sauda and U.S.-based socialist Todd Chretien. This weekend, in a terrifying development in international politics, Brazil’s neo-fascist Bolsonaro won the presidential elections. Since that time, the military has paraded openly through the streets, raided universities and raised the prospect of attacks on Brazil’s social movements and oppressed populations. Recorded just days before the October 28 election, we talk to Aldo and Todd about the background to Bolsonaro’s rise after 14 years of rule by the Workers Party (PT). Aldo identifies the constitutional coup against former President Dilma Rousseff as a turning point in the advance of the far right. We talk about why the ruling class has swung behind Bolsonaro and what the rise to power of a neo-fascist means for the left specifically. We end by talking about the labor and social movements, which still have real organization and power in Brazil, and how to build international solidarity with their struggles. Aldo Cordeiro Sauda is a journalist and activist in Brazil’s Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSOL). He also covered the Arab Spring for Estado de São Paulo and Folha de São Paulo and is currently a masters candidate in political science at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). In our opener, we talk about the hard right turn in U.S. politics since the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. This episode was recorded before the horrific massacre of at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, but the trends we identify make clear why such attacks are an inevitable product of this moment. We review the right-wing offensive — from Trump’s transphobic memo to the racist hysteria about the migrant caravan — and discuss how this can co-exist with a potential advance of the Democrats in the midterm elections, but also why that advance will not eliminate the basis for Trumpism. Links for this episode’s interview on Brazil: *Valério Arcary, a leading member of Resistência, a revolutionary socialist current inside the Party for Socialism and Freedom (PSOL), discusses the factors underlying an assessment of Bolsonaro as a neo-fascist in an article re-published at Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/ArcarySW) *Aldo, along with Benjamin Fogel, discusses the role of the military in providing a base of support for Bolsonaro in an article for Jacobin (http://bit.ly/AldoJacobin) *Socialist Worker reprinted a statement of Resistência following the first round of Brazilian elections that analyzes the threats posed by Bolsonaro and charts a way forward for the left, labor and social movements (http://bit.ly/ResistenciaSW) *The Intercept has written on the reasons Wall Street is happy about a Bolsonaro victory (http://bit.ly/BrazilWallStreet) and has put together a piece explaining who Bolsonaro is using his own words (http://bit.ly/InterceptBolsonaro) Links for this episode’s opener on the right turn in US politics: *Nicole Colson discusses how Trump’s hate has unleashed the violence that has targeted Jews, Blacks and migrants in the last week and points to lessons of the anti-fascist movements of the past in an article for Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/ColsonTrumpHateSW) *Our co-host Danny wrote a piece for Socialist Worker that assesses the phases of the Trump regime and what the sharpening backlash means for socialists (http://bit.ly/DannyTrumpEra) *Lance Selfa talks about the Trumpification of American politics and why a blue wave won’t erase the Trump stain in this article for Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/TrumpificationSW) Music The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” Chico Buarque, "Apesar de Você” Caetano Veloso, "Um Comunista” Elis Regina, "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista” Jorge Ben Jor, “Zumbi"

32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil

The U.S. labor movement is in an interesting place. The strikes of first teachers and now hotel workers are showing the depths of anger among workers about years of disrespect and stagnant wages—and a capacity for self-organization and solidarity that hasn’t been seen for decades in many unions. At same time, the number of workers in unions remains low, the laws and most elected officials are hostile to labor, and too many union leaders have been slow to take up this new fighting spirit. This episode looks at how these dynamics are playing out in a couple of key private-sector companies. First, labor solidarity activist Flynn Murray joins Danny to talk to UPS drivers and Teamsters Local 804 members Anthony Rosario and Juan Acosta about the movement they’re involved in to reject a concessionary national contract being pushed by the international union. Then we speak with a Delta baggage handler about the potentially historic organizing campaign that he and his fellow baggage handlers are leading to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Links for this episode: UPS links · Flynn’s September Socialist Worker interview with Anthony, Juan and fellow driver Duquesneson Pierre (http://bit.ly/UPSinterview) · Article from UPS worker about the fight against the new contract (http://bit.ly/NoBadContract) · Check out one of the many YouTube videos from UPS worker Tyler Binder as part of the Vote No campaign (http://bit.ly/Tylervideo) · The story of the historic 1997 UPS strike (http://bit.ly/1997UPSstrike) · Joe Allen’s The Package King: a Rank and File History of United Parcel Service (http://bit.ly/PackageKing) Delta links · Danny’s April Socialist Worker interview with a Delta worker about the union campaign (http://bit.ly/DeltaUnion) · 2017 article from a Delta worker about why customers and workers should unite against miserable airline conditions (http://bit.ly/TogetherAgainstDelta) · Report from a Delta worker about the company’s anti-union campaign (http://bit.ly/DeltaPropoganda) Music and audio: The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Matthew Bistok, “UPS Song: The Man In Brown” Bob Marley, “Get Up, Stand Up” Hozier, “Work Song” The Ramp Rapper, “We Need A Union” “The Barney Song” The Beatles, “Hard Day’s Night”

31: Building fighting unions at UPS and Delta

Haven’t you heard? People are feeling socialism these days--almost as much as they’re feeling the crushing anxiety of mounting debt, climate catastrophe and the rising tide of bigotry and racism. But what exactly does socialism mean today? Jen Roesch and Danny Katch talk politics and protest with a range of guests to uncover the path to a better world from the wreckage of this dung heap. If the daily struggle with capitalism has you teetering on the edge of existential despair, then this is your indispensable dose of socialist wisdom and hope.

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