Dead Pundits Society

Joining me this week to talk about how the labor movement can fight and win collective action is labor organizer extraordinaire, Jane McAlevey. We talk about how to build real power in order to reverse the bad fortune of labor in the United States and beyond. When the workers go out on strike together, they still win. Jane tells us how. Check out her book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/no-shortcuts-9780190624712?cc=us&lang=en& If you like the show, consider joining the Dead Pundits Society. Subscribers have access to bonus content, and often advanced access to weekly shows. Join here: www.patreon.com/deadpundits Check us out on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dead-pundits-society/id1212081214?mt=2

In this week's episode, I talk with Angela Nagle about the alt-right and how to exit the dead end of culture warrior politics. Angela's book, Kill All Normies: The Online Culture Wars from Tumblr and 4chan to the Alt-right and Trump, will be out from Zero Books in May. We talk about the alt-right, alt-light, and the white nationalist elements of the movement. We discuss their tactics of baiting the left into street fights, and we finish with the desperate need for the left to develop better arguments for our complex times. This interview is an abbreviated version. To hear the full version, subscribe to the Dead Pundits Society Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits See Angela's recent writings: -"The New Man of 4-Chan," http://thebaffler.com/salvos/new-man-4chan-nagle -"Paleocons for Porn," https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/02/paleocons-for-porn

On this week’s episode, Freddie deBoer and I analyze the hyper-woke, virtue-signaling sect of the left, which has claimed an insignificant segment of cyberspace as its sovereign territory in absence of any real power in society. We also share our thoughts about campus activism, the “No Platform” technique and left censorship. Resist the allure of LARP culture and learn how to win a real socialist platform. Tune in to find out how. 

 Freddie’s article, “Why We Should Fear University Inc” can be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/why-we-should-fear-university-inc.html?_r=0 Become a member of the Society. Check out our Patreon page and smash that donate button: www.patreon.com/deadpundits

Joining me this week to lay down some diss tracks concerning free speech and left tactics is Christian Parenti. We discuss his latest article in Jacobin Magazine, as well as an older article he co-authored with Doug Henwood and Liza Featherstone on "Activistism". We take on the "No Platform" tactic, discuss the leftwing origins of free speech, and talk about how to develop the kind of material power needed to change the world. Don't miss it. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/04/free-speech-charles-murray-campus-protest/ Here is the article on "Activistism" that we discuss near the end: http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Action.html If you like the show, please consider joining my Patreon: www.Patreon.com/deadpundits

This is the final installment of my 3-part series with Rania Khalek and Ben Norton. In this episode, we go all the way in as we criticize the left's official statements about the Syria situation. Rania is mad. Ben drops knowledge. Adam swears a lot. Tune in and get smart on Syria.

This is part two of this week's episode with Rania Khalek and Ben Norton -- the Syria A-Team. We discuss the recent U.S. attack on the Syrian air base, the alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib, and the media's lack of care when it comes to producing evidence for its claims. Don't miss miss it!

The A-Team of Syria commentators is assembled and ready for duty. Joining me this week for a 3-part interview on the Syria conflict, its history, its context and our response to recent events are Rania Khalek and Ben Norton. Rania is an independent journalist and co-host of the Unauthorized Disclosure Podcast. Ben is a staff writer for Alternet, a former columnist at Salon and an incredibly knowledgeable guy on Middle East Affairs. In Part 1, we cover the history of the so-called Arab Spring, the history of the Saudi-US relationship, and the nature of Sunni supremacism stemming from the far right, reactionary and downright fascist Salafist movement.

"Well, I do declayah!" -- this week we're joined by Matt Karp, Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and frequent contributor to Jacobin Magazine, to talk about his new book, This Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholder and the legacy of slavery, race and class. We also talk about Matt's piece in The Nation on the legacy of Frederick Douglass and what kind of lessons we might learn from that era. So kill your slavemaster, grab a mint julep, take a seat on the porch, and tune in. Matt's articles in The Nation, "The Enduring Struggle": https://www.thenation.com/article/the-enduring-struggle Matt Karp, This Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholders at the Helm of American Empire: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674737259' DONATE to us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Deadpundits

Joining me this week to talk about his article, "The Case for Countering Right-Wing Populism With ‘Left-Wing Economics'" is Eric Levitz, a writer and editor at New York Magazine. We talk about the intricacies of race, xenophobia and class -- you won't want to miss it. See Eric's article here: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/the-case-for-countering-trumpism-with-left-wing-economics.html Zack Beauchamp's article that we address throughout the episode can be found here: http://www.vox.com/world/2017/3/13/14698812/bernie-trump-corbyn-left-wing-populism

This week, we're joined by Dr. Adam Gaffney, who is a physician, universal health care advocate, and all-around good guy. We break down Obamacare, Ryancare, and the desperate need for a single payer, Medicare for All system in the United States. Tune in! Check out Adam Gaffney's latest article in Jacobin, which covers many of the topics we discuss on the show: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/02/obamacare-repeal-replace-repair-aca-ryan

On this week's episode, I sit down to talk with Alex Nichols, author of the article, "The Peculiarities of the Yankee Confederate." which investigates the parodoxical rise of neo-Confederate culture in the Northern United States. We talk about bullshit country music, confederate flags, and the "Southernization" of the Northern economy. Check it out. Check out the article here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/01/peculiarities-of-the-yankee-confederate

On the first episode of Dead Pundits Society, I talk to Seth Ackerman about his recent article, "A Blueprint for a New Party" in Jacobin Magazine, where he lays out the case for a political party of a new type in the United States that would represent the interests of the broad left and working class. Join the discussion and tune in! See the full article at: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/11/bernie-sanders-democratic-labor-party-ackerman/