Give Them An Argument

A lot of people who don't love capitalism might still worry about the way revolutions can go very, very wrong. In the crumbling Russian Empire a little over a hundred years ago, the Bolsheviks came to power on a platform "land, peace and bread" and "all power to" democratically elected workers councils...and ended up with an authoritarian and often economically dysfunctional one-party state where working-class people had fewer right in some ways than their counterparts in Western Europe. What went wrong, and what lessons might still be relevant for those of us who still dream of a pot-capitalist future?A power panel of Varn Vlog host C. Derrick Varn and This is Revolution crew members Mean Djene Bajalan and "Deep State" Kuba join Ben Burgis to wrestle with these questions. And of course we f*ck around about less serious subjects in the postgame for GTAA patrons because that's the deal with that.Watch Varn Vlog:https://www.youtube.com/@VarnVlogWatch This is Revolution:https://www.youtube.com/@THISISREVOLUTIONpodcastCheck out Djene's new public radio show, Talking History Live:https://www.ksmu.org/podcast/talking-historyFollow Djene on Twitter: @djenebajalanFollow Varn on Twitter: @skepoetFollow Kuba on Twitter: @DrKuba2Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

In the first half of the main show, Political Science prof and Jacobin contributor Matt McManus joins Ben Burgis to discuss his new article about another, much more unpleasant Matt--Matt Walsh. In the second half, we replay Ben's dialogue at a Boston Review event last week with socialist philosopher Christine Sypnowich about equality of opportunity vs. equal flourishing. Last but not least, Zac and Gavin from The Vanguard join Ben and Andy--it's Jake's birthday, so he was reluctantly given the night off--in the postgame for GTAA patrons.Read Matt's article  ("Matt Walsh’s Vitriolic Anti-Trans Christianity Is Distinctly Anti-Christian"):https://jacobin.com/2023/05/matt-walsh-anti-trans-christianity-gender-lgbtq-philosophy-reviewRead Ben's Substack about Christine Sypnowich ("What We Talk About When We Talk About Inequality"):https://benburgis.substack.com/p/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-aboutFollow Matt on Twitter: @mattpolprofFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Left-wing academic philosopher, Jacobin contributor, and "What's Left of Philosophy?" co-host Lillian Cicerchia comes back on the show to talk to Ben Burgis about Karl Marx's book "The Poverty of Philosophy" and, more broadly, different ways of construing materialism vs. idealism debates and the sometimes vexed relationship between moral critiques of capitalism and Marxist thought. Before that, Ben and the GTAA crew get into the recent strike victory at Rutgers, Bernie vs. Chris Wallace on whether there should be billionaires, and Gad Saad's objections to a 32-hour workweek. In the postgame for GTAA patrons, Jason Myles and Deep State Kuba from This is Revolution podcast join Ben and the crew to watch a expose recently done by intrepid journalists on....the fact that leftists sometimes got to each other's weddings. Don't worry, everyone holds Ben to account for this important transgression.Become a GTAA patron or sign up for the Marx/Proudhon class:patreon.com/benburgisFollow Lillian on Twitter: @classreductressFollow Jason on Twitter: @J_Myles_TiRFollow Kuba on Twitter: @DrKuba2Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Naomi Karavani, RM Brown, and Branko Marcetic join Ben Burgis to say goodbye to Tucker Carlson's show on Fox. You can read Ben's article "Tucker Carlson Is a Repugnant, Pseudo-Populist Fraud" here:https://jacobin.com/2023/04/tucker-carlson-populism-ruling-class-minimum-wage-medicare-for-all-war/...and Branko's article "Tucker Carlson Isn’t an Anti-Imperialist — He’s a Rabid China Hawk" here:https://jacobin.com/2023/04/tucker-carlson-imperialist-china-hawkBefore that, Ben and the GTAA crew talk a bit about May Day and the (ongoing) struggle for a shorter workweek, play a clip of Kyle Kulinski talking about Ben's article on that, and promote the class on Proudhon's "Philosophy of Poverty" and Marx's "Philosophy of Poverty" starting on the GTAA Patreon in May. In the postgame for patrons, Producer Jordan joins us to talk about Slavoj Žižek's mutlipolarity article in Compact.Follow Naomi on Twitter: @naomikaravaniFollow Branko on Twitter: @BMarchetichFollow RM on Twitter:  @xrmbrownx2Follow Producer Jordan on Twitter: @jayohardeeayenFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza has, as it turns out, made a LOT of videos covering philosophical topics like John Rawls's veil of ignorance and abortion rights, Hume's argument against belief in miracles (D'Souza isn't convinced), and.....something or other about how Nietzsche helps us understand why tech companies censor conservatives? Or something? Anyway, we're on the job. Debate-breakdown regulars Victor Bruzzone and Ethan (from the Confronting Capital channel) join Ben Burgis to subject themselves to some of these videos. For you.Before that, Ben and the GTAA crew watch and break down a recent friendly debate Ben had w/Briahna Joy Gray on Rising about the Pentagon leaks, and in the postgame for patrons Producer Jordan joins the gang to talk a Compact article that dismissed the mass protests in Israel (where Jordan lived for man years) as a "color revolution." A fun episode all around.Watch Ethan's channel Confronting Capital:https://www.youtube.com/@confrontingcapital5080Follow Ethan on Twitter: @anontwtuser11Follow Victor on Twitter: @victorbruzzoneFollow Jordan on Twitter: @jayohardeeayenFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

The main event is fan-favorite recurring guest Matt McManus doing a deep dive on the philosophy and politics of Martin Heidegger. Before that, Ben Burgis and the GTAA crew talk about Ben's pilgrimage to New Jersey to walk the picket line in the Rutgers strike (just before that strike ended with massive concessions by management) and watch some footage from a recently-released debate he did with a Starmer-ite British parliamentarian. In the postgame for patrons, Matt sticks around to talk about his review of Florida Governor Ron DeSanctimonious's new book "The Courage to Be Free."Get Tickets to the Hay Festival, May 26--29:https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/hayRead the most recent of Matt's many articles about Heidegger:https://www.liberalcurrents.com/heideggers-critique-of-liberalism/Read his review of Meatball Ron's book:https://jacobin.com/2023/04/ron-desantis-courage-to-be-free-book-review-elites-conservatism-ruling-classFollow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProfFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Norman Finkelstein makes his debut appearance on GTAA to talk about his book "I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom." Norm is a lifelong, deeply committed leftist who's faced real consequences in his own career for his advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians, so when he says the Left is f*cking up, perhaps it's a good idea to hear the man out.Before the interview (and later in the postgame for patrons) Ben and the GTAA crew talk about the Rutgers strike, Clarence Thomas, Peter Hitchens, and Gene Epstein.Buy Norm's book:https://www.amazon.com/Heretical-Thoughts-Identity-Politics-Academic/dp/B0BSJXB7WNContribute to the Rutgers strike fund:https://rafup.betterworld.org/donateRead Ben's article on Clarence Thomas:https://jacobin.com/2023/04/clarence-thomas-ruling-class-elite-ron-desantis-ideologyFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Ben Burgis is back for an action-packed GTAA episode. The main guest is Jacobin staff writer Luke Savage, who recently wrote an essay called "How the Right Gets George Orwell Wrong":https://jacobin.com/2023/03/orwell-hayek-nineteen-eighty-four-totalitarianism-capitalism-socialismBefore that, we get into Ben's written debate Peter Hitchens on the subject of Hitler, talk abut why ChatGPT will NEVER replace Thomas Friedman, and mull Charlie Kirk's idea that the GOP should retaliate against the arrest of Trump by arresting Bill Clinton. (Don't threaten us with a good time.)In the postgame for GTAA patrons, friend of the show Jason Myles talks about his Sublation article "Virtual Insanity: A Freak Show for Left Media":https://www.sublationmag.com/post/virtual-insanity-a-freak-show-for-left-mediaA very good time is had by all.Follow Jason on Twitter: @J_Myles_TIRFollow Luke on Twitter: @LukewSavageFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Ben is off this week while traveling, so Super-Producer Jake takes the reins for an episode on labor organizing! He welcomes famed Jacobin labor reporter Alex Press as well as rank and file organizer José Sanchez to discuss some of the biggest current organizing drives in America. Of particular relevance -- José is currently organizing with fellow grad students at Duke to form a union. Before that, the gang discusses extremely failed attempts to define the word "woke." On the post-game for GTAA patrons, the crew examines some of the wildest Alex Jones clips Andy could find.Follow Alex on Twitter: @alexnpressFollow José on Twitter: @comradesanchezFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Ben Burgis is finally back after having to take the last couple weeks off! The main event is Justin Clark joining us to talk about the delightfully strange world of the Church of Scientology on the main show. Before that, we talk about Bernie's appearance on Bill Maher, debunk a hit piece, and do some other fun stuff, and in the postgame for patrons our "Give Them a Revolution live show producer Jordan joins us to talk about the online phenomenon of "MAGA Communism"--possibly the only thing that could make Scientology look normal.Read Justin's piece on Scientology:https://www.justinclark.org/blog/rejecting-dogma-embracing-freedom-mike-rinders-journey-out-of-scientologyWatch Clark and Cory Johnston discuss "A Billion Years" by Mike Rinder on YouTube:https://www.justinclark.org/podcast/red-reviews-27-a-billion-yearsFollow Justin on Instagram: @justinclarkphFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com