Season 6 Episode 20: Exiting the Vampire's Castle (ft. Daniel Tutt)
Jun 8, 2024
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Daniel Tutt discusses Mark Fisher's 'Exiting the Vampire's Castle' essay. Ben Burgis talks about NYU's reeducation program for Palestine protesters. The postgame features a debate review on Israel, Palestine & Iran with Cenk Uygur and Dave Smith.
The left struggles with balancing class-based socialism and bohemian tendencies, fostering shame culture and intolerance.
Cancel culture and pylon dynamics on social media hinder productive dialogues within leftist spaces.
Infusing joy and solidarity into political activism counters prevalent negative affects and shame culture.
Embracing solidarity and principles over shame culture is crucial for unity and marginalized voices in leftist circles.
Deep dives
The Left's Struggle with Privatization and Intolerance
The podcast delves into the dilemma faced by the left in balancing class-based socialist universalism with bohemian, petty bourgeois tendencies. It explores how the left's subculturalization and privatization have given rise to intolerance, shame culture, and joylessness, affecting its ability to engage a broader audience. The emergence of an intolerant left, quick to shame unsophisticated opinions, has led to the formation of communities centered around negativity and self-pity, hindering the left's ability to rally around principles and solidarity.
Navigating Cancel Culture and Pylon Dynamics
The discussion highlights the challenges posed by cancel culture and pylon dynamics within the left, exacerbated by social media platforms like Twitter. It emphasizes the impact of validation loops, instant feedback, and algorithms on fostering hair-trigger reactions, mass denunciations, and symbolic moral protests among leftists. The punitive nature of online interactions reflects broader powerlessness and despair prevalent in a society facing economic precarity and declining prospects, shaping attitudes and behaviors within left-leaning spaces.
Revisiting Mark Fisher's Concepts of Joy and Political Organizing
The episode revisits Mark Fisher's concepts of joy and political organizing within the left to counter the pervasive sense of powerlessness and shame culture. It underscores Fisher's call for infusing political activism with joy and solidarity, a necessary antidote to the prevailing negative affects and privatization of leftist spaces. Fisher's exploration of the class reductionist view and countercultural left dynamics seeks to bridge divides and reinvigorate a left grounded in principles and collective action.
Reshaping the Left's Discourse around Forgiveness and Unrefined Opinions
The conversation addresses the need to navigate discourse around forgiveness and unrefined opinions within the left, challenging the prevalent shame culture and intolerant responses to unsophisticated or unformed viewpoints. It advocates for a shift towards solidarity, engagement, and principles to counteract the subculturalization and negative affects hindering productive dialogues and community building. Embracing a compassionate approach and finding common ground become imperative for uplifting marginalized voices and promoting unity in leftist circles.
Understanding the Symbolism of the Vampire Castle
The podcast discusses the metaphor of the 'Vampire Castle' as a representation of a difficult-to-escape psychological phenomenon, likening it to Jonathan Harker's experience in Castle Dracula. The concept delves into the challenges posed by this metaphorical construct and the implications for addressing such pervasive issues.
Critiquing the Left's Approach to Political Engagement
The episode explores the impact of the left's defeats on its approach to big projects, such as political campaigns like Sanders and Corbyn. It emphasizes the need to reevaluate strategies, highlighting the correlation between failures in leftist initiatives and the emergence of problematic phenomena within leftist spaces.
Role of Class and Representation in Leftist Politics
The conversation delves into the significance of class representation within leftist discourse, criticizing the liberal inclination to disregard class origins within leftist leadership. It raises the need for organizational structure within the working class to facilitate meaningful political engagement and combat privatization of the public sphere.
Promoting Solidarity and Nuance in Political Ideologies
The podcast reflects on the importance of embracing patience and solidarity within political ideologies, advocating for a nuanced understanding of various ideological perspectives. It stresses the significance of converting individuals to leftist ideals through inclusive and empathetic discourse, fostering a culture of engagement and mutual understanding.
Daniel Tutt joins us again for a deep dive on Mark Fisher's classic essay "Exiting the Vampire's Castle" (heavily featured in Ben Burgis's book "Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: A Critique of the Contemporary Left"). Before that, Ben and the crew talk about NYU's bizarre reeducation program for student Palestine protesters. In the postgame for patrons, Matthew Whalan joins us to watch the last part of Cenk Uygur and Dave Smith's debate on Israel, Palestine & Iran with Batya Ungar-Sargon & Dennis Prager.
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