The Regrettable Century

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 Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

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....

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 fr...

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 Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

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 th...

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...

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 Mus...

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 whe...

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 e...

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. ...

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 P...

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" Marxis...

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 w...

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 refe...

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 refe...

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'...

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...

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 Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

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 strate...

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...

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 Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

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 Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

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 Se...