Oats for Breakfast

Eric Blanc is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Oats talked with Eric about his recent book, "Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics" (Verso: 2019). Our discussion connected the teachers' strikes with the broader socialist upsurge in the US and the long term struggle to transform the capitalist state. The following Jacobin article by Eric is re...

We continue our discussion with Julian von Bargen on the contradictions of hacktivism. We get into talking about the efforts that have been taken by state and corporate actors to try to deligitimize Wikileaks, the important contributions that Assange and others like him have made, and how hackers who may at first be "in it for the lulz [laughs]" can find themselves becoming politicized.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is under arrest in the UK and facing possible extradition to the US. We talk to data scientist and PhD candidate Julian von Bargen about the saga of Wikileaks, the ethics of public interest leaking, and the pitfalls of data activism.

Ontario's provincial government has announced sweeping cuts to funding for public education. People across the province are mobilizing to stop the attacks on our schools. The Socialist Project's Action Keele campaign recently hosted a community meeting that brought together students, teachers, parents, and school support staff to talk about how we might organize a response to the cuts. This Oats e...

We continue our discussion about the Zizek/Peterson debate. This time, we talk about the reactions that others have had to the debate and also discuss what we would've liked to see in the debate.

Slavoj Zizek and Jordan Peterson recently debated in Toronto. Oats sits down to discuss what was supposed to be "the debate of the century."

Oats talks to Ilias Gerakos, a teacher and activist from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, about the impact that years of austerity have had on the country.

We continue our discussion about race and class with Adolph Reed Jr.

Oats for Breakfast talks to Adolph Reed Jr. about race and class. We begin the interview with a discussion about the legacies (and baggage) of the Black Power period. We then move into discussing the pitfalls of race-reductionist approaches to engaging with the present political moment.

Bernie Sanders has recently announced his second bid for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination in 2020. What does it mean for a self-proclaimed democratic socialist to enter the mainstream of US politics and attempt to transform one of the two business-dominated parties that control the US political landscape? How did past efforts to transform the Democratic Party fare? What are the strateg...

What does a socialist conception of free speech look like? Can we really trust the capitalist state to protect the free speech rights of socialist critics? As free speech has become an increasingly explosive issue within our liberal societies, Oats chatted with Samir Gandesha of Simon Fraser University to get a better sense of what’s going on. Along the way we talk about the politics of free speec...

We continue our discussion with Tanner Mirrlees. We talk about what the Munk Debates are, whether no-platforming is a justifiable tactic, as well as the lessons the Left might want to take to heart when considering the rise of the alt-right.

Oats sat down with Tanner Mirrlees to chat about the rise of the "alt-right" as well as the recent debate between Steve Bannon and David Frum in Toronto.

This is a sneak peek of the extended segment of our interview with Jordan. We continue the conversation about the struggle for justice in the prison system.

From 21 August and 9 September, prisoners across the US went on strike. One set of Canadian prisoners — at Burnside jail in Nova Scotia — decided to join the strike effort. We chat with Jordan House about the continent-wide prison strike. We also talk about who goes to prison (and who doesn't!), the history of prison-based resistance, and the political economy of prison labour. Burnside prisoners'...

Canada is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. In 2016 there were 3,005 opioid-related deaths in Canada. In 2017 the figure jumped to 3,996. The Canadian government's response has been inadequate, which has prompted a wave of activism. We talk to Sarah Ovens, a social worker and an organizer with the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society (TOPS), about why the opioid crisis is taking place an...

Canadians consider healthcare to be a right — we don't think the amount of money people have should determine whether they can see a doctor. Is it possible to think of public transit as a public good? We talk to Herman Rosenfeld, a member of Free Transit Toronto, to explore the idea of free public transit.

Expressing solidarity with Palestine and criticizing the state of Israel can be a challenge. To explore this challenge, we talk to William Robinson about his recent book "We Will Not be Silenced: The Academic Repression of Israel's Critics."

This extended interview builds on the discussion that took place in Episode 4. Toronto-based community organizer Sadia Khan reflects on her experience as a public-school teacher and activist to underline the importance of updating the sex-ed curriculum. She talks about why the recent sex ed curriculum reform has been so controversial, and what can be done to build support for a progressive sex-ed...

The Progressive Conservatives, led by Doug Ford, attracted a great deal of support from non-white voters during the recent provincial election in Ontario. Why would minorities support a hard-right politician? We talk to Toronto-based community organizer Sadia Khan to find out.

When the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris came to power in Ontario in 1995 and began implementing its agenda of cuts, the labour movement decided to organize a response. The response came in the form of the Days of Action—a series of rolling political strikes that involved hundreds of thousands of workers and community members across the province. We talk to labour activist Sam G...

The victory of Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives in the Ontario provincial election appears to be part of a broader trend—the hard-right has been going from strength to strength around the world. We talk to the labour activist Sam Gindin about why it is now Ontario's turn to face off against the hard-right, and what can be done to challenge Ford's government. We also get into talking about the...