
Proles Pod
A podcast about history, politics, and culture... without the liberalism
Latest episodes

Jun 28, 2019 • 1h 8min
SPECIAL RELEASE The Tolerant Left Ep 1: Burn Your Ballots
The Proles introduce the debut episode of The Tolerant Left, an ML podcast that tackles controversial topics in *discourse*. In their first episode, Talia and Jess talk about electoral politics, why it's never going to give us the change we need, and what to do instead. You can follow them on Anchor and Spotify, with all the others to come shortly!

Jun 21, 2019 • 1h 59min
SPECIAL RELEASE Proles of the Minyan Ep 1: Symbolism Under Zionist Hegemony: DC Dyke March, the Magen David, & Hamsa Flag
In the debut episode of Proles of the Minyan, The Proles declare their support for DC Dyke March’s banning of the Israeli pride flag, present a historical analysis of Jewish symbolism, argue for an abandonment of the Magen David, and advance other symbols, like the Hamsa, that can serve to build Jewish solidarity with Palestinians for our collective liberation. Follow them on http://anchor.fm/proles-of-the-minyan twitter @prolesminyan, email prolesminyan@gmail.com. Suggested Reading: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/06/06/we-dont-have-to-choose-between-dyke-and-jewish-identities/ https://medium.com/ifnotnoworg/jewish-dykes-are-welcome-at-dc-dyke-march-nationalist-symbols-are-not-c603b1f81b4c https://twitter.com/theradr/status/1136627137203572737?s=21 https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-curious-history-of-the-six-pointed-starhow-the-magen-david-became-the-jewish-symbol/ https://www.academia.edu/2553194/Shaping_Time_The_Choice_of_the_National_Emblem_of_Israel The Encyclopedia Judaica, edited by Cecil Roth The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols, by Ellen Frankel & Betsy Platkin Teutsch https://prtcls.com/article/the-hamsa-flag/ Hamsa Flag and other sources for ethical Judaica https://ayinpress.org/hamsa-flag @hamsaflag https://www.netzitzot.com/ https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/social-justice-judaica/ Intro Music by Eli Bertram Outro Music: “Nitsokhn Lid (Victory Song)” by Yiddish Glory

Jun 15, 2019 • 1h 22min
Episode 31: Stalin Was a Mensch - A Look at the "Antisemitism" of the USSR
In this special and spicy episode, we sat with Talia to discuss antisemitism in the USSR, especially Stalin-era. What of the doctor's plot? Or the night of the murdered poets? Tr*stky? If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: Almazoṿ, S. Ten years of Biro-Bidjan, 1928-1938. New York: ICOR. 1938. American Icor Commission for the Study of Biro-Bidjan and Its Colonization. Report. New York: Icor. 1929. Aptheker, Herbert. The fraud of "Soviet anti-semitism". Sydney: Current Book Distributors. 1963. Brossat, Alain, Sylvia Klingberg, and David Fernbach. Revolutionary Yiddishland: a history of Jewish radicalism. 2017. Davies, Dave. “Anti-Semitism and the Soviet Anti-Zionist Campaign.” Australian Left Review no. 76 (1981): 24-30. Furr, Grover. Blood lies: the evidence that every accusation against Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union in Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands is false. New York: Red Star Publishers. 2014. Furr, Grover. Khrushchev Lied: The Evidence That Every "revelation" of Stalin’s (and Beria’s) "crimes" in Nikita Khrushchev’s Infamous "Secret Speech" to the 20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on February 25, 1956, Is Provably False. Kettering, OH: Erythros Press and Media, 2014. Hoffman, Matthew, and Henry Felix Srebrnik. A vanished ideology: essays on the Jewish communist movement in the English-speaking world in the twentieth century. 2016. Kochan, Lionel. The Jews in Soviet Russia since 1917. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1972. Losurdo, Domenico, and Luciano Canfora. Stalin: storia e critica di una leggenda nera. Roma: Carocci. 2015. Mandel, William M. Soviet but Not Russian: The "other" Peoples of the Soviet Union. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1985. Martens, Ludo, and John Plaice. Another view of Stalin. 1st ed. Raleigh, NC: Proles Press. 2018. Miller, Moses. Soviet "Anti-semitism": the big lie. New York: Jewish Life. 1950. Novik, Paul. Jews in the Soviet Union impressions of a two months' visit to the USSR, November-December, 1964. New York: Morning Freiheit. 1965. O'Connor, Tom. The truth about anti-semitism in the Soviet Union: exposing the fraud perpetrated on the American people. New York: American Committee of Jewish Writers, Artists & Scientists. 1949. Pinkus, Benjamin. The Jews of the Soviet Union: The History of a National Minority. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Rabinovich, Solomon. Jews in USSR. Moscow: Novosti Press Agency, 1967. Szymanski, Albert. Human Rights in the Soviet Union:. London: Zed, 1984. Tartakower, Arieh. "The Jewish Problem in the Soviet Union." Jewish Social Studies 33, no. 4 (1971): 285-306. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.slpl.org/stable/4466668. Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Oy, Ir Narishe Tsionistn" (Oh You Foolish Little Zionists) - a Yiddish anti-Zionist song

Jun 1, 2019 • 3h 56min
Episode 30: The History of Art, part 1
In this long, information-packed episode, Ethan and our guest Mitch Malloy of Wild Blue Studiosgo through most of the history of art from millions of years ago back before Homo sapiens was a thing up into the very early 20th century. We very briefly cover the Soviet Union and the birth of socialist realism as well as talk about the CIA spreading certain art forms! The document with the images and artwork referenced is on the episode page on prolespod.com/episodes. Also the audio is slightly garbled at a few points in the first several minutes, but it gets better! Sorry about that. There will be a second episode dedicated to twentieth century art movements, so wait up for that! If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested reading / sources used: Ways of Seeing, John Berger The Work of Art In the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin Marxism and Art, ed. Maynard Solomon Prehistoric Cave Paintings, Max Raphael The Social History of Art, Arnold Hauser A History of Theatre in Africa, ed. Martin Banham The Necessity of Art, Ernst Fischer Art as a Cultural System, Clifford Geertz The Soviet Theater, Laurence Senelick ReNew Marxist Art History, ed. Barnaby Haran, Warren Carter, Frederic Schwartz Society of the Spectacle, Guy Debord Karl Marx and Frederick Engels on Literature and Art, ed. Stefan Morawski A Smuggling Operation: John Berger's Theory of Art, Robert Minto "The Quickest History of 20th Century Art in Russia" "The Art of Russia" Outro music: "Rings", Aesop Rock

May 31, 2019 • 1h 47min
Episode 29: Live From ProlesCon 2019
In this episode, we recorded a live episode at ProlesCon 2019 in Englewood, Colorado with Breht from RevLeftRadio and a bunch of wonderful comrades who hung out with us all weekend. We discussed left media in general, took a handful of audience questions, and then wrapped it up with a "We Could Do a Whole Episode On That" about the true story of "The Hunt for Red October." Please subscribe on your favorite podcast app. All episodes and a bunch of resources are available on prolespod.com. Suggested Resources: Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama, Diane Carol Fujino Intro music: Proles intro by Ransom Notes Outro music: Full Proles intro by Ransom Notes

May 17, 2019 • 1h 26min
SPECIAL RELEASE Episode 28: Grover Furr
In this episode, we sat down with the man, the myth, the legend: Grover Furr himself. We chatted about his newest book, Stalin: Waiting for...the Truth, which is a clap-back at Stephen Kotkin's dishonest biography "Stalin: Waiting for Hitler". We also talked about Anti-communism in general, as well as the importance of Stalin's legacy and why he isn't, as many people accuse him of, a "Stalin apologist." It's spicy as hell, so buckle up. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Direct Source Documents/Topics discussed in the show: Frinovsky's Statement Budyonny's Letter to Voroshilov concerning the military conspiracy Transcript of the Tukhachevsky Trial in Russian Suggested Reading: Which you can get from Red Star Publishers, Erythos Press, or Amazon Stalin: Waiting for...the Truth by Grover Furr The Moscow Trials as Evidence by Grover Furr Trotsky's Collaboration with Germany and Japan by Grover Furr The Fraud of the Dewey Commission by Grover Furr The Mystery of the Katyn Massacre by Grover Furr Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Soviet National Anthem" by the Red Army Choir

May 15, 2019 • 1h 19min
Episode 27: Read a F*cking Book, Liberal w/ Deathnography
In this episode, we sat down with Henry from Deathnography to discuss social media, leftbook, and...a bunch of random topics because we couldn't stay on task. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "GoGoGo" by Deathnography

May 1, 2019 • 1h 20min
Episode 26: Xiangyu in the DPRK
We sat down with rapper and activist, Xiangyu after his second trip to the DPRK to talk about his experiences there, as well as a handful of other interesting topics. f you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: 炮打司令部 (完整專輯) by Xiangyu

Apr 15, 2019 • 2h 33min
Episode 25: Bolívarian Revolutions
We sit down with Ethan (but not our Ethan) and Taylor (our Taylor) to talk about Simón Bolívar, Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, the coup attempts, the gains of the revolutions, and the US fuckery in Venezuela. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested reading: Hugo Chávez and the Bolívarian Revolution, Richard Gott We Created Chávez: A People's History of the Bolívarian Revolution, George Cicariello-Maher Suggested viewing:The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Kim Bartley & Donnacha Ó Briain Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Uh Ah, Chávez No Se Va", Madera

Apr 1, 2019 • 1h 33min
Episode 24: Guatemala and the Silent Holocaust
In this one we sit down with Phil after a trip to Guatemala where he reconnected with his family, revolutionary past, and their incredible story, one as old as time, of the US propping up fascists and killing communists. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: "Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution" by Piero Gleijeses "Bitter Fruit" by Stephen Schlesinger "Killing Hope" by William Blum Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Poesia Venenonsa" by Rebeca Lane