Everyday Anarchism

Brian Merchant, author of the newsletter Blood in the Machine, returns to the show to talk about the newsletter, ai, tech oligarchs, the neoliberal "abundance" agenda, jobs, and pretty much everything else you want to know about the terrible, horrible, no good collusion between Trump, Tech billionaires, and ai. Fight the tech billionaires. Support Blood in the Machine!https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/ You can also check out Brian's previous appearance on his book about the luddites - also called Blood in the Machine: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a05a3ed4-471c-4224-9ac6-4af204b7ff1d/ Oh, and you can find some of my work on ai here:https://aideas.captivate.fm/ https://www.aiedu.org/aiedu-blog/guest-author-ethics-culbertson-1

In which I end my series on David Graeber's Debt, apologize for mistakes, and offer some hope for a new world in which we have more money and less monetarism.Thank you to all of the listeners to this series, and my wonderful lineup of guests: Dirk Ehnts, Eleanor Janega, Cory Doctorow, Bill Maurer, Henry Farrell, James K. Galbraith, Fuad Musallam, Clif Mark, Luke Kemp, John Weisweiler, Chris Isett, and Yanis Varoufakis.The whole series can be found here: https://www.everydayanarchism.com/david-graebers-debt/

When capitalists developed their neighborhood with a giant mall, eight artists developed an abandoned space in the mall into an apartment. It was art without permission, and now there's a documentary about what it was like to make a secret mall apartment as a form of art. Jeremy Workman, the director of Secret Mall Apartment, and Michael Townsend, the originator of the idea, join me to discuss the film and what it means to make art without permission.I highly recommend that you check out Michael's public art, which you can learn about here: https://www.tapeart.com/

Max Cafard (which is a pen name) and Vulpes (which is also a pen name) join me to discuss their fantastic new graphic novel Anarchy in the Big Easy, which is just what it sounds like. Max and Vulpes and I discuss the cosmic anarchy, political anarchism, and everyday anarchy that's flowed through what is now called New Orleans for centuries and millennia. Plus we get frequently confused by the pen names. And yes, as happens occasionally, Max has a squeaky chair.You can order the book from PM press here: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1766

Yanis Varoufakis, author of 'Technofeudalism' and former Greek finance minister, joins the conversation with insights on the evolution of our economic systems. He explores how the 2008 crisis paved the way for techno-feudalism, where tech elites reap disproportionate rewards. The discussion critically examines how political leaders might inadvertently bolster extremist ideologies and the transition from traditional capitalism to modern monopolies. Varoufakis also highlights the implications of our changing relationship with technology, coining 'technofitalism' to describe this new reality.

Constance Bantman joins me to discuss the history of anarchist political violence through the prism of Luigi Mangione - and vice versa. Some of the questions we cover include:Can the history of nineteenth-century anarchist terrorism help us understand the recent assassination of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Mangione, and its rapturous reception in some quarters of public opinion? What is the place of political violence in democracies? And what of Mangione’s forthcoming trial?For more historical context, I highly recommend the recent podcast episode of In Our Time about the Haymarket Affair, which features Ruth Kinna: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0023gm2

Luke Kemp, a research affiliate at the University of Cambridge and author of "Goliath's Curse," joins the discussion to explore James C. Scott's insightful essays on anarchism. They dive into the joy and controversies of Scott's perspectives, encouraging those curious about anarchism to engage. The conversation highlights the power of everyday dissent, the critique of traditional historical narratives glorifying the elite, and the significance of small acts of disobedience. Kemp also teases his upcoming book on societal collapse, enriching the dialogue.

Christopher Isett joins me to discuss the rise of capitalism and "The Great Divergence," in which Christendom transformed itself from an obscure corner of the world into the dominant global power. Just how did that happen, what part did capitalism play in it, and why did capitalism develop in Europe? And what does China have to do with all of it?Chris gives his answers to all of these questions, especially drawing on the work of Robert Brenner. Here's Brenner's page on the Verso website, if you want the full story: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/authors/brenner-robert

Today Mitch Abidor joins me to discuss Victor Serge: acclaimed novelist, anarchist, Bolshevik, anticommunist, and all-around 20th century contradiction. Mitch and I discuss the legend of Serge, what's true about it, and the ways that Serge fails to live up to the legend.You can find Mitch's writing all over the place, but here's a good place to start: https://jewishcurrents.org/author/mitchell-abidor And here's the NYRB page for Serge's work: https://www.nyrb.com/collections/victor-serge

What is capitalism?It's not efficient markets, factories, and free labor.It's the financialization of empire and slavery, using greed, shame, indignation, and debt.And that means the first great capitalists weren't British factory owners, but colonizing conquistadors.