Episode 272 of RevolutionZ presents and comments on a recent Rebecca Solnit essay about two strands of left thought and activism, a bit through history and a bit today. In the song, Which Side Are You On, is it right and left, or is it right and left and other left, where the latter two are far from a single thing? Support the show
Episode 271 of the Podcast RevolutionZ looks at Evangelical Voting, Magical Thinking, and Evidentiary Reasoning - Organizing or Even Just Conversing in Difficult Times. Why do people believe what they do? Supporting Trump, abetting Israel, ignoring climate calamity or even being left in very contradictory ways. How can words change minds? Support the show
Episode 270 of RevolutionZ discusses a new attempt to link fund raising, dating, and social activism va- an unusual and ambitious web system and app called Singles Project. Why try this? How try this? What will emerge from trying this? Nikla Widmark, from Sweden and Alexandria and Michael consider these innovative matters and more. Support the show
Episode 269 of RevolutionZ considers the concept and practice of privilege as in, for example, white privilege, male privilege, and class privilege. Is to uncover, call out, and renounce privilege, a powerful tool for overcoming racism, sexism, and classism, or does this approach instead have unintended consequences that interfere with its own aims? In offering a controversial exploration of a widespread activist approach am I defending my own white, male, class privilege? Or am I trying to cont...
Episode 268 of RevolutionZ addresses the upcoming U.S presidential election. Will there even be one? If there is, who will be candidates? Should a revolutionary, a radical, a progressive, or a typical citizen vote, get out the vote, watch Netflix, block a bridge, hibernate? All the above? None of the above? Is there even a way to sensibly think about such choices? Hate fascist Trump? Hate Genocide Joe? Okay, then what? Support the show...
Episode 267 of RevolutionZ is, what? Part primal scream. Part an argument for going all in. The title is from The Chambers Brothers. The sentiment is channelled, I hope, from tomorrow to today. The words are equal parts rage, hope, and plain truth. Support the show
Mazin Qumsiyeh returns to RevolutionZ to further explore the causes, the toll, the consequences, and the lessons of Israel's barbaric assault on Palestinians, including genocidal acts intended, broadcast live, celebrated, and made possible by U.S., UK, and Gerrman support though particularly by the complicit U.S. including the vile role of AIPAC -- but also to marvel at Palestinian resistance and the unprecedentedly fast and passionate U.S. public and particularly youthful pro-Palestinian a...
Episode 265 of RevolutionZ discusses the wisdom or lack thereof of taking the Marxist Tradition as our guide to contemporary activism. Can we have an accessible conversation about these very controversial matters? Support the show
Episode 264 of RevolutionZ with frequent guest Alexandria Shaner discusses the role of and especially methods for effective communication for social change. What is at stake? What works well and what doesn't when organizing, especially when there are serious divisions? Support the show
Ep 263 of RevolutionZ titled Degrowth (and More) 4 Liberation Shared Strategy, continues on from last episode, this time making a case for the relevance of the 20 Theses for Liberation to moving toward a movement of mutually supportive movements by describing the compatibility of its strategic theses with Degrowth activism. This episode also welcomes observations, comments, dissent, support and elaborations from listeners that can be pursued with myself and with each other via ZNetwork's co...
Ep 262 of RevolutionZ argues the the potential of the 20 Theses for Liberation project to inspire and sustain a movement of movements by examining its relevance for Degrowth and vice versa as a generalizable case study. Support the show
Episode 261 of RevolutionZ Is another in the Ruminations Sequence co-hosted by Alexandria Shaner. We discuss the Israeli invasion and diverse reactions to it, including demonstrations, civil disobedience, and the new Zionist driven Mcarthyism and good and not so good responses to it. Support the show
Episode 260 of RevolutionZ Considers strategy for winning a new economy and society. A bunch of recent episodes have again addressed what do we want. This one talks about how we win it. It mainly addresses issues of reform, reformism, and revolution, issues of building worthy and viable campaigns and projects, and of moving from sporadic dissent that dissipates to sustained commitment that wins, from mobilizing intermittently to organizing persistently by overcoming obstacles to the latter. Lots...
Episode 259 of RevolutionZ discusses with Ellen David Friedman from the board of Labor Notes and based on her decades of labor organizing the current surge and prospects of U.S. labor organizing. How can unions best navigate the complexities of race, gender, class, and climate struggles for change.. How can organizers generate long-term commitment and avoid distractions from and obstacles to a relentless struggle for dignity, efficacy, and control within workplaces and throughout society. Suppor...
Episode 258 of RevolutionZ continues the multi-episode discussions of economic vision this time considering relations between participatory economics and vision for other key areas of life including polity, kinship, culture, ecology, and artistic endeavors and including disagreements about wages for housework, issues of ecological necessity, art as work or work as art, and more. Support the show
Episode 257 of RevolutionZ addresses the unfolding conflict in Gaza and beyond to the West Bank, the roles of Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. including not only the civilian and social impact and choices, but also the mindset and motives of different constituencies and actors as well as the role of writers/speakers and protestors about these matters, including ourselves. Support the show
Episode 256 of RevolutionZ features Emily Kawano from Solidarity Economy to discuss Solidarity economy's origins, range, and definition including its guiding values and its approach to ownership, equity, markets, and pluralism, all in pursuit of post capitalist practice in the present. Support the show
Episode 255 of RevolutionZ has as guest Cayden Mak, the publisher of Convergence Magazine. It addresses media aims, Convergence's concepts of a multiracial democracy and a radically democratic economy, intersectionality, obstacles to left unity, left culture, right wing dangers, and more. Support the show
Episode 254 of RevolutionZ is a deep dive conversation about history, fiction and non fiction, the internet, tv, movement culture, winning and losing attitudes, labor strategy, and much more with Bill Fletcher Jr. Support the show
Episode 253 is our third and last in a sequence addressing allocation after markets. With the basics of participatory planning in hand, we consider how to deal with collective goods, externalities, allotting income, and undertaking investments. Support the show
Episode 252 of RevoutionZ has as guest Stephen Shalom to assess the current unfolding crisis in Palestine including the history, current context, recent and on-going events, possible motives, and possible prospects for all parties involved including the U.S. Support the show
Episode 251 of RevolutionZ discusses with Jeremy Brecher how the United Auto Workers strike could significantly shift the balance of power and inspire a new wave of labor activism. Brecher, a renowned writer, historian, and activist, provides in-depth insights on the UAW's demands for 40 percent wage increase, improved working conditions, and the eradication of wage tiers to help us understand not just the strike's impact on the auto industry NS Labor more broadly, but t also its impli...
Episode 250 of RevolutionZ is the second of what will be three episodes presenting participatory planning as a proposed replacement for markets and central planning for allocation in a new economy. Ep 250 continues describing participatory planning's features as earlier described in the book No Bosses, as well as offering spontaneous critical or hopefully helpful side comments on the material two years after I wrote it. The material is demanding but to say we want a new economy beyond capit...
Episode 249 of the podcast titled RevolutionZ is the first of three that will together present and comment on Participatory Planning. Most of the content is from two years ago, the book No Bosses, which presents participatory economics. But interspersed throughout these episodes are also clarifying and critical comments I make, now, as I revisit the content. Three episodes on one component of a post capitalist economic vision? Well, allocation beyond markets and central planning is not simple an...
Episode 248 of RevolutionZ critiques markets and central planning as unfit for a desirable new economy. Support the show
Episode 247 of RevolutionZ controversially consider's Oliver Anthony's song, Rich Men North of Richmond, and especially responses to it. "Time will tell who has fell and whose been left behind." Support the show
Episode 246 of RevolutionZ considers Income norms now and in a post capitalist participatory economy. What determines peoples' incomes, with what incentive affects, and what consequences. Support the show
Episode 245 of RevolutionZ considers in depth the division of labor as it is now, called corporate division of labor, and as it is proposed in order to have no bosses, balanced job complexes. It addresses why and how to implement a new division of labor in terms of class, power, income, and mainly the types of tasks employees do. It derives from No Bosses chapter 4 but includes considerable spontaneous commentary. Support the show...
Episode 244 of RevolutionZ has as our guest, Kali Akuno - the co-founder and director of Cooperation Jackson. He shares with us the story of their network, a web of worker cooperatives and solidarity economy support institutions working together to make economic democracy a reality in Jackson, Mississippi and beyond. Support the show
As mentioned last episode the platform I use for RevolutionZ has installed an AI facility. It "listens" to the podcast, proposes titles, generates a description, and does some sound balancing, i think. The titles are not crazy, but I ignore them. It also generates a transcription. I suspect before long such facilities will generate translations as well... This episode is about ownership relations and workplace decision making both in capitalism and, more so, as proposed for a post capi...
