SPS

News & Politics
**SPS**

The commentary on the commentary on the Left.

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 9: On trans politics, London's anti-Trump protest, and sexual emancipation Aug 05, 2018

Show notes

On this episode of SPS, we discuss the confusion around "trans politics" & sexual emancipation and examine the limits of anti-Trump activism. Audrey , Pam & Berkeley member, Will Lushbough, sits down with comedian Will Franken, who lived as a trans woman for a brief time, to talk about sexuality & the state of stand-up today. Laurie Rojas talks to UK members, Rory Hannigan & Pádraig Maguire about the recent anti-Trump protests in London. And Suzy V. drops by to discuss the Chicago queer scene and the difficulty of thinking about sexual emancipation today. Articles mentioned: (1) "The Word 'Cisgender': An Unlikely Semantic Revolutionary" https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-word-cisgender-an-unl_b_10913904.html (2) "Why Scarlett Johansson — Or Any Cis Actor — Should Never Play Trans Roles" https://www.them.us/story/why-scarlett-johansson-or-any-cis-actor-should-never-play-trans-roles From the Platypus archives on sexual liberation: (1) https://platypus1917.org/2016/10/17/9-16-16-trans-liberation-teach-frankfurt/ (2) https://platypus1917.org/2014/06/01/sexual-liberation-left-forum-2014-6-1-14/ (3) https://platypus1917.org/2011/02/01/which-way-forward-for-sexual-liberation/ Hosted by Audrey, Pam C., Laurie Rojas.

Ep. 8: On Kanye, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the Mexican elections Jun 25, 2018

Show notes

On this episode of SPS, we discuss "What is the DSA and where is it going?," the Platypus panel at this year's Left Forum (June 2018), with Erin Hagood, Marco Torres joins us to talk about the Mexican elections, and we pay tribute to the one and only, Kanye West. Mentioned on this episode: (1) DSA panel from the Left Forum: "What is the DSA?" panel held (06/06) at Left Forum which features Jack Devine, DSA; Jim Creegan, Weekly Worker; and Erin Hagood, Platypus https://archive.org/details/WHATISTHEDSA (2) Platypus Review interview with the DSA candidate for California Lt. Governor, Gayle McLaughlin https://platypus1917.org/2018/02/03/keeping-movement-going-interview-gayle-mclaughlin/ (3) Dissent article on the Mexican Elections by Carlos Bravo Regidor and Patrick Iber https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/mexico-elections-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-amlo Hosted by Audrey, Pam C., Laurie R.

Ep. 7: On 50 years of 1968, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” and the Irish border May 25, 2018

Show notes

On this episode of SPS, we discuss Childish Gambino’s “This Is America;” “50 Years of 1968,” the opening plenary at the International Convention of the Platypus Affiliated Society in Chicago, April 2018; and the recent liberal hysteria over the Irish border, with Platypus members Cam Hardy (Toronto) and Rory Hannigan (Sheffield, UK). Hosted by Audrey, Pam C., Laurie R. Articles mentioned: (1) "Up in the air: The legacy of the New Communist Movement, An interview with Max Elbaum" with Spencer A. Leonard, in the Platypus Review 30 (December 2010) https://platypus1917.org/2010/12/01/up-in-the-air-the-legacy-of-the-new-communist-movement/ (2) "The Cynicism of Childish Gambino’s 'This Is America'" by Israel Daramola, in Spin (May 8, 2018) https://www.spin.com/2018/05/donald-glover-this-is-america-review/ (3) "The ex-IRA men: ‘United Ireland? It’s all guff’" by Simon Carswell, in the Irish Times (Apr 8, 2017) https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/the-ex-ira-men-united-ireland-it-s-all-guff-1.3041131 (4) Mike Mcnair on Ireland and Brexit, in "Across the board" for the Weekly Worker (April 24, 2018) https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1200/across-the-board/

Ep. 6: On Marx after Moishe Postone, Gun Control & the Roseanne Reboot Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

SPS tackles the legacy of the late Moishe Postone, the feud between Killer Mike and March for Our Lives organizers, and the reboot of (Trump-supporting) Roseanne. From the Platypus Review archives: https://platypus1917.org/2008/03/01/marx-after-marxism-an-interview-with-moishe-postone/ Clip of Moishe Postone from Doug Lain's podcast, "Zero Squared" #108: The Subject of Capitalism with Moishe Postone: http://zero-books.net/blogs/zero/zero-squared-108-the-subject-of-capitalism/

Ep. 5: On "50 Years After '68: Does socialism have a future?" Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

On this special episode of SPS we discuss "50 Years After '68: Does Socialism Have a Future?" the annual European Conference of the Platypus Affiliated Society in London (15–18 February, 2018), and feature clips from our panels with Boris Kagarlitsky (Author; Institute of Globalization and Social Movements), Simon Elmer (Architects for Social Housing), Hillel Ticktin (University of Glasgow; Founding Editor, Critique), Robert Borba (Revolutionary Communist Party USA), Roxanne Baker (International Bolshevik Tendency) and Judith Shapiro (London School of Economics). We are joined by Platypus members, Gregor Baszak (University of Illinois, Chicago), Nunzia Faes (London School of Economics), Erin Hagood (University of Chicago) and Pádraig Maguire (Goldsmiths, University of London). The recordings for the entire conference are available here: (1) Pre-conference panel discussion: Anti-Racism in the Age of Trump and Brexit https://archive.org/details/AntiRacismInTheAgeOfTrumpAndBrexit (2) Teach-in: The Death of the Millennial Left https://archive.org/details/CutroneCTheDeathOfTheMillennialLeft (3) Opening Plenary: 50 Years After '68 https://archive.org/details/OpeningPanel50YearsAfter68 (4) Housing Crisis or Capitalist Crisis: Anti-Gentrification and the Left https://archive.org/details/HousingCrisisOrCapitalistCrisisAntiGentrificationAndTheLeft (5) Marxism and Feminism https://archive.org/details/MarxismAndFeminism (6) Closing Plenary: What is the Future of Socialism? https://archive.org/details/20180217ClosingPanelWhatIsTheFutureOfSocialism (7) Teach-in: The First Year of Trump https://archive.org/details/KagarlitskyBTheFirstYearOfTrump Conference program: https://platypus1917.org/2018/01/10/50-years-68-socialism-future-european-conference-2018/ Please note that the final speaking line-up for each panel is listed on the archive.org pages. Laurie mentioned Women and Revolution, which was the journal of the Women's Commission of the Spartacist League, U.S. from 1972 through 1996. Links to the articles are available here: http://www.icl-fi.org/english/womendrev/index.html Hosted by Pam C. & Laurie R.

Ep. 4: On #Metoo, the German Left, and the first year of Trump Feb 10, 2018

Show notes

On this episode we discuss: (1) The #metoo phenomena and the French Anti-#MeToo Manifesto with Chicago member, Carrie Graham and the London School of Economics' Platypus chapter head, Nunzia Faez https://www.worldcrunch.com/opinion-analysis/full-translation-of-french-anti-metoo-manifesto-signed-by-catherine-deneuve Also mentioned in this segment were: - Gracchus Babeuf, "The Conspiracy of the Equals" (1796) https://www.marxists.org/history/france/revolution/conspiracy-equals/index.htm - Theodor W. Adorno, "Sexual Taboos and the Law Today" (1963) http://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/archive/rgroups/2008-09/adorno_sexualtaboostoday.pdf (2) Platypus Review interview with Sascha Staničić, “Fighting instead of managing capitalism” and the state of the German Left, with Stefan Hain, the head of our Berlin chapter. https://platypus1917.org/2017/12/02/fighting-instead-managing-capitalism-interview-sascha-stanicic/ (3) We take stock of the first year of the Trump presidency and discuss the new title from the Platypus Review Publishers, "Marxism in the Age of Trump: Articles from the Platypus Review 2015–2017," with president of the Platypus Affiliated Society and author, Chris Cutrone. https://www.amazon.com/Marxism-Age-Trump-Articles-2015-2017/dp/0996206132/ Hosted by Pam C. & Laurie Rojas

Ep. 3: What do the socialists want anyway? Dec 25, 2017

Show notes

A special holiday edition, with guests Reid Kotlas (Platypus Vermont, and Socialist Party USA) and Efraim Carlebach (Platypus London), on the Left today and the problem of the Democratic and Labor Parties. What do the socialists want anyway? We discuss: An interview with Lee Carter, a democratic socialist who defeated a Republican legislator in Virginia in the recent elections https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/11/lee-carter-interview-virginia-election-socialist Seth Ackerman, "A Blueprint for a New Party" https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/11/bernie-sanders-democratic-labor-party-ackerman An interview with Ian Birchall, a leading figure of the International Socialist tendency for over half a century https://platypus1917.org/2017/12/02/unchanging-core-marxism-interview-ian-birchall/ Hosted by Audrey C., Pam C. and Laurie R.

Ep. 2: Why should anyone care about 1917? Nov 17, 2017

Show notes

On this episode: (0) Democrats are lame. #nuffsaid (1) A conversation with Philip Cunlife, author of Lenin Lives! Reimagining the Russian Revolution 1917-2017, reviewed by Gregor Baszak on the pages of the Platypus Review November issue. https://platypus1917.org/2017/11/01/book-review-philip-cunliffe-lenin-lives-reimagining-russian-revolution-1917-2017/ (2)A convo about the Platypus panel "1917–2017" with members, Frederik Heinz and Lukas Hedderich, hosted by the Goethe University chapter in Frankfurt (DE). The panel had Frank Ruda (Philosopher, Berlin/Frankfurt am Main); Lars Quadfasel (Hamburger Studienbibliothek); Anton Stortchilov, (Historian, Die LINKE); Rafael Rehm (Der Funke, International Marxist Tendency). Recording of the panel can be found here: https://archive.org/details/20171103PASPanel19172017Frankfurt (3) Why should anyone care about 1917? Hosted by Audrey C., Pam C., and Laurie R.

Ep. 1: On "Kill all Normies" and Anti-fascism today Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

On this episode, commentary on: (1) "The negative-sum internet" (Weekly Worker) Paul Demarty reviews: Angela Nagle, Kill all normies: the online culture wars from Tumblr and 4chan to the alt-right and Trump (Zero Books, 2017) http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1176/the-negative-sum-internet/ (2) Platypus Berkeley panel: "Antifascism in the Age of Trump" Description: Since the Nazi seizure of power eighty years ago, anti-fascism has been a component of left-wing politics. In response to the Trump presidency, the politics of anti-fascism, reminiscent of the Popular Front of the 1930s or the Black Bloc politics of the 1990s, have—once again—been resurrected by the Left. How is anti-fascism the same or different today? Why anti-fascism now? Speakers: Eugene Ruyle (CPUSA/DSA Member, runs Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library); Luma Nichol (Freedom Socialist Party, Communities Against Racism and Fascism); Victoria Fierce (DSA Member, East Bay for Everyone); Ramsey Kanaan (PM Press) Audio recording: https://archive.org/details/berkeley-antifascism-panel (3) Platypus Review articles (issue 100, October 2017) - “Not your grandfather’s anti-fascism: Challenges facing the anti-fascist movement in the age of Trump” by Participants in CrimethInc. Ex-Workers’ Collective https://platypus1917.org/2017/10/01/not-grandfathers-anti-fascism-challenges-facing-anti-fascist-movement-age-trump/ - "The Millennial Left is dead" by Chris Cutrone (Platypus) https://platypus1917.org/2017/10/01/millennial-left-dead/ Hosted by Audrey, Pamela C. and Laurie R.

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