This week we dive in to the second part of our two part collaboration with Adam from Red Library , who hosts s a great podcast that analyzes and discusses important works of Marxist theory and history. We are big fans, go check them out. This week we continued our discussion on Dialectic of Defeat: Contours of Western Marxism by Russell Jacoby, so if you haven't listened to the first part, do that now. In Dialectic of Defeat, Jacoby examines the losers of the Marxist tradition and argues that th...
Aug 19, 2019•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Red Library is a great podcast that analyzes and discusses important works of Marxist (and other leftist) literature, and we are big fans. So, we are happy to announce that this week we teamed up with them to read and talk about Dialectic of Defeat: Contours of Western Marxism by Russell Jacoby. The discussion ran long, so it has been broken into two parts. This is part one. In Dialectic of Defeat, Jacoby examines the losers of the Marxist tradition and argues that there is something to be learn...
Aug 12, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 28
We decided that a good companion to our episode about Melancholia and Organized Pessimism would be a rare recording with all of us (except Kevin) in the same room, talking about a pretty cool movie that we saw over a decade ago. Sign up on our, very reasonably priced, Patreon to access our-- small but ever growing number of-- bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Aug 02, 2019•4 min
When we were kids: history ended, the Christian right launched an all out assault on the gains of the 1960s/70s, the liberals launched an all out assault on the gains of the New Deal/labor movement, and the left launched an all out assault on each others shopping choices. It sucked. The world was recreated in the dumbest and worst possible ways and we are going to let you listen to us talk about how it warped all of our brains. Coming of Age at the End of History https://www.counterpunch.org/201...
Jul 30, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 27
We received a really thoughtful and challenging question/comment from one of our Patrons and we decided to give it the attention it deserves, in the form of a full episode. We discuss "pessimism of the intellect/optimism of the will," mourning, melancholy, the church-like euphoria of the mass meeting, and how much it is necessary to bum people out. If you have a question or concern you'd like us to address, send it to our email address regrettablecentury@gmail.com or message us on Twitter, Insta...
Jul 15, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 26
We read a bunch of stuff about Walter Benjamin and Enzo Traverso and tried to have a conversation about it. We've only managed to reinforce the idea that "The organization of pessimism" is the only slogan that can save us from death. Traverso, Enzo. Left-wing melancholia : Marxism, history, and memory . New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. Print. Against Revolutionary Pessimism and Optimism: Revolutionary Realism by J. Moufawad Paul http://moufawad-paul.blogspot.com/2016/10/against-revolut...
Jun 24, 2019•51 min•Season 1Ep. 25
We sat down with C. Derick Varn and solved all the problems that are currently ailing the left. We reconciled the divergent currents of Marxism and wove together the materialist and idealist dichotomy with resounding success, but then lost an hour and a half of audio and were forced to restart the recording; what resulted was a meandering, but entertaining, discussion about just about everything... and religion. Varn's Podcast "Symptomatic Redness" http://zero-books.net/blogs/zero/tag/symptomati...
Jun 10, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 24
After our Socialism From Below episode, Jason and Chris thought they could have used more time to talk about the 4th Comintern congress and the question of "Workers' Governments." What resulted is an impromptu discussion that we posted on our Patreon. Head on over and sign up for $2. Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Jun 03, 2019•4 min
From Babeuf and Blanqui to Bakunin; from Karl Marx and Kautsky to Kropotkin, an ideological battle rages over the true nature of socialism! But why though? This week we discuss whether or not there really are only "Two Souls of Socialism" and if idea of "socialism from below" is a useful analytical framework around which to organize our politics. Hal Draper’s “Two Souls of Socialism” https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/ Marxism, Anarchism, & the Genealogy of “Socialism From...
May 27, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 23
This is part one of a series in which we will chart the history of fascism and attempt to dissect and discuss it in greater detail than we have previously been able to. Our goal is to analyze some of the scholarship done by mainstream and Marxist scholars alike, in order to better understand the phenomenon. In Part one we synthesize a list of the ideological characteristics of Classical Fascism from similar lists that are employed by fascism scholars, in an attempt to understand what gave histor...
May 13, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 22
The Gang Gets Underwhelmed by Zizek v. Peterson. It wasn't the "Debate of the Century" we wanted, but it's the one that we deserved. Music: Kerber- Ratne Igre Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show
Apr 29, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We are currently witnessing what appears to be the death of the micro sect form of political organization, a bastard form of the Leninist party that has all but dominated the minuscule and embattled American radical left for the past half century. The political landscape has changed in a way that has rendered these groups obsolete, removing the sectarian left's monopoly on socialist politics in the US, but what will replace it? Dare we be hopeful for a bright new era? LOL The New Communist Movem...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 20
As a concept, as a slogan, as an expression of intent The Right to The City contains within it an opportunity for this generation to conceive of new methods of class struggle, of new models of class organization, and of the return of class power. It’s but one of many opportunities we have right now to advance a constructive, utopian, and revolutionary vision of the future. It’s about demystifying social relations where they are presently abstracted. It’s about no longer viewing political activit...
Apr 03, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 19
This week Chris and Jason sit down with Donald Parkinson-- the managing editor of Cosmonaut Magazine-- to discuss post apocalyptic eco-war communism, rekindling the Utopian imagination, the need for a post-tradition socialist movement, The DSA, The Marxist Center, Mike McNair, and some of the reasons Donald thinks we shouldn't be so pessimistic. Cosmonaut Magazine https://cosmonaut.blog/ Outro Music: Eduard Artemyev- Lullaby Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Mar 25, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This week the gang talks about the radical liberatory programs of the Bolsheviks, the failure of these programs, the conservative reaction of Stalin, and the renewed blossoming of these ideas in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. We ultimately conclude the Warsaw Pact countries leave much to be desired in the way of workers' democracy, but also provide us with an example of what is possible when a society's resources are devoted to liberation instead of hoarded by the bourgeoisie. The USSR’s ...
Mar 18, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Kevin and Chris sat down with our old friend Steven; an attorney, Marxist and host of the defunct(ish?) Supreme Leap Forward Podcast to discuss Marxist criminology, prison, cops, and Soviet jurisprudence. We ultimately conclude that cops suck, prisons suck, the law is dumb, and the concept of the lumpenproletariat is something that we need to keep arguing about. Hal Draper essay mentioned in the episode: The concept of the Lumpenproletariat in Marx and Engels- Hal Draper Kevin and Steven's Marxi...
Mar 11, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 16
This week Jenny makes the case that there are "good" and bad types of identity politics and we discuss the redeemable and irredeemable aspects of them. Ultimately, we come to conclusions that are sure to get us canceled by workerists and idpol-libs alike. Which... doesn't matter because will have all been boiled alive by rising oceans of acidic seawater long before we ever figure any of this out. Combahee River Collective Statement : http://circuitous.org/scraps/combahee.html Asad Haider: 'Eight...
Mar 04, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In part two of our discussion we finally get around to talking about horror movies, Jenny talks about Caliban and the Witch a lot more, and Chris brings that conversation back to fascism... again. The outro music is Lords of the New Church- Open Your Eyes Towards A Gothic Marxism I – On Monsters https://thelitcritguy.com/2018/02/05/towards-a-gothic-marxism-i-on-monsters/ Towards A Gothic Marxism Part Two: Monsters For Socialism https://thelitcritguy.com/2018/02/05/towards-a-gothic-marxism-part-t...
Feb 18, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode we talk about Marxist romanticism and the gothic strain in Marxism, or "gothic Marxism." We attempt to salvage the detritus of bourgeois society and the broken dreams of generations of the defeated to piece together a vision of world worth fighting for. Marx often used Gothic imagery in his writings and held a strong romantic streak that we think has been ignored by "vulgar" Marxists who cling to the mechanistic Protestantism and scientism of the enlightenment. This is only part ...
Feb 10, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This week we dive deep into eco-terrorism / green anarchy / primitivism, and discuss why we think the Unambomber had some good points while also disagreeing with him, a lot. Anti-Civ folks would tell you that the problems that plague humanity begin with the industrial revolution and that we need to go back to hunter/gatherer societies. We at The Regrettable Century, however, enjoy the fact that we survived past childbirth and can wear corrective lenses to read books safely inside of our warm hom...
Jan 28, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 11
We pick up where we left off last week; discussing Russian Nazbols, American Third Positionism, and the re-emphasizing the need to speak with clarity about this topic of dire importance. Listen to Part II of a II part series, in which we think out loud about the history and politics of fascist anti-capitalism. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury A short list of some of the material referenced for the show: Payne, Stanley G. A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 . Madison: University of Wisco...
Jan 20, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Yes there is an anti-capitalist right and leftists need to stop being so confused when rightists are opposed to, or critical of, capitalism. Listen to Part I of a II part series, in which we think out loud about the history and politics of the Strasserites, Nazbols, European New Right, and Third Positionists. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury A short list of some of the material referenced for the show: Payne, Stanley G. A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 . Madison: University of Wiscon...
Jan 16, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Behold, our original intro episode! Jason and Chris talk about their motivations for creating the podcast and dive into Mark Fisher's book "Capitalist Realism." Fisher argues that after 1989 capitalism was able to present itself as the only option and warped our reality to fit that claim. We talk about how he was right. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Jan 07, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In the years since Guy Debord wrote "The Society of the Spectacle" we have witnessed the utter triumph of said spectacle and have been thoroughly crushed under the jackboot of its mediocrity. We think that some of the ideas of the Situationists are even more relevant now than they were in 68 and are worth having a conservation about, so we did. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury A Short List of Some of the Readings For this Episode: Society of the Spectacle (full text) https://www.mar...
Dec 31, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In our first ever FEATURE episode, we talk about the Marxist art, its mission, the idea of the Popular Avant Garde, and why transgression is important. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 6
This week we discuss our orientation as Revolutionary Pessimists. We believe that humanity is worth saving, but were not so sure that is going to work out. A clear headed, sober, pessimistic orientation is necessary to continue to organize as socialists. We must be ready to salvage the burnt out husk of our planet and build an egalitarian future in the irradiated post apocalyptic deserts. A strategy for ruination is necessary. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Salvage Quarterly http:...
Dec 14, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 5
This week we discuss ourselves a little bit before diving into the topic of base building. What is base building? Is it a new strategy? Is it just aping Maoist and Narodnik tactics in a decidedly un-Bolshevik fashion? It isn't, but if it was why would that be bad? In this episode, we talk about why building is becoming popular among the membership of the DSA and whether it is a viable strategy for working class power https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't...
Nov 28, 2018•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Part Two of our series examining fascism. The post fascist matrix has vomited forth a dizzying array of political formations; we recorded ourselves thinking out loud about them. https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Nov 16, 2018•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3
Part one of our series examining all of the fascisms (This is a re-upload with some sound issues resolved) https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show
Oct 31, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 2
We discuss Mark Fisher's pertinent and controversial essay "Exiting the Vampire's Castle. What did Fisher get wrong, what did he get right? Will the left shake its toxic call out culture in time to save humanity from impending catastrophe? Exiting the Vampire Castle https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/exiting-vampire-castle/ Our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show...
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 1
