Varn Vlog

What if the “techno-feudalism” boom is a symptom of our confusion rather than a diagnosis of the age? We sit down with Alex Hochuli (Bungacast, American Affairs) to interrogate the feudal metaphor and make a sharper case: we’re living through total capitalism’s decay, not a return to lords and serfs. That lens helps make sense of platform tolls, anti-market monopolies, surveillance, and institutional rot without pretending we’ve exited capitalism’s basic relations of production.We trace why the feudal story resonates—unfreedom feels real—then test it against history. Feudalism meant manorial production, oath-bound sovereignty, and overlapping legal orders; our world runs on consolidated states, global supply chains, and platform intermediaries that convert risk into reliable rents. The better comparison is peripherization: practices once common in the periphery now shape the core, from precarious work to state-enabled accumulation. That shift helps explain why labor leverage has collapsed despite rising public sympathy: dispersed service shops, automated production, and logistics-dependence blunt traditional organizing power.China enters as Rorschach test: state capitalism, social credit, and surveillance make the feudal label tempting, yet the core logic remains capitalist, steered by growth imperatives and legitimacy management. We explore AI’s forked path—job-displacing windfall or costly stagnation—and why care-economy fixes won’t build a livable future on their own. If everyone secretly wants social democracy back, we ask what could replace the vanished conditions that once made it possible.The conversation ends with “dark hope.” Drop the costume drama, name the system we have, and fight for a directly political project that builds capacity: housing, grids, industry, and public institutions that actually work. Speak against oligarchy in terms a broad public can hear. If you’re ready to trade clever metaphors for concrete ambition, hit play, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.Send us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

Politics feels louder than ever and somehow emptier too. We open the hood on liberalism—what it claims to be, how it actually behaves, and why Trump’s rise didn’t just bend norms but exposed tensions baked into the system. With Dillion from Untrodden, we trace the fault lines between liberal commitments to stability and civil discourse and the gravitational pull toward executive power, media spectacle, and anti‑politics.Step by step, we chart the historical map: from the 18th Brumaire and Bonapartism to today’s illiberal temptations, and why figures like Orban or Berlusconi echo past crises more than they break from them. We ask whether liberalism’s best asset—pragmatic governance—can survive without a clearer core, and whether the left’s sharpest critiques can help rebuild a coherent center of gravity rather than just tear it down. We also examine identity politics’ moral heat with little policy light, the post‑pandemic sorting of temperaments over ideologies, and the unsettling ease with which tech billionaires switch lanes as incentives shift.Rather than rehearse stale talking points, we get practical about coalitions. What can Marxists and liberals realistically build together? Where do alliance models like the united front make sense, and where do they fail? We argue for a new baseline: mutual recognition, radical honesty, and a shared willingness to protect civil society and institutional checks as nonnegotiables. From unions to city budgets, the places where people shoulder common obligations are where trust can be rebuilt and rhetoric can give way to results.If you’re tired of vibes posing as politics and want a serious, good‑faith reckoning with liberalism’s crisis and the left’s role in solving it, this conversation is for you. Listen, share with a friend who disagrees with you, and tell us: what principle would you refuse to compromise in any coalition? Subscribe and leave a review to keep these cross‑currents alive.Send us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

Start with a simple question: if investment drives productivity and growth, what happens to a society that keeps choosing consumption over capacity? We trace a straight line from Marx’s core mechanics to Kalecki’s equations, then use that line to cut through fashionable theory detours—value-form shortcuts, communization fantasies, and techno-feudal hot takes. The result is a clearer picture of why profits can soar while real investment sags, why the dollar’s “miracle” masks fragility, and why printing more money can’t manufacture machine tools, skills, or energy.We lay out four regimes that help decode the past 70 years: Fordist reinvestment that pushed productivity up, extractive reinvestment that scaled capacity through coercion, subsistence stagnation where neither investment nor exploitation rises, and neoliberalism’s defining mix—low investment, high exploitation, and asset hoarding. From there, we unpack how U.S. trade deficits and financial inflows fed capitalist consumption while weakening the incentive to build. Debt and soft budgets smoothed the ride, but they didn’t fix profitability on new capital or reverse the long slide in productivity growth. The numbers point to a coming snap-back to trend, not a new golden age.China’s path raises the stakes. Sustained high investment, tighter discipline on capitalist consumption, and strategic upgrading are pushing the global cost curve down and forcing others to respond. That doesn’t make China post-capitalist; it does show how targeted capacity-building can escape the stagnation trap. The practical lesson isn’t romantic—it’s logistical. Real constraints matter: inputs, machine tools, power, training, and time. Risk management beats magical thinking; autarky is a myth, but resilience is a plan. We argue for redirecting surplus toward compounding productivity, treating statistics as instruments not idols, and rebuilding the industrial backbone that reduces market domination over everyday life.If you’re tired of theories that skip the engine room, this conversation connects the dials: profits, investment, productivity, debt, trade, and class incentives. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves charts more than slogans, and tell us: what’s the first capacity you’d rebuild?Links referenced: https://open.substack.com/pub/nicolasdvillarreal/p/contra-capital-as-abstract-domination?r=2m9aw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falsehttps://open.substack.com/pub/nicolasdvillarreal/p/an-economic-theory-of-maximalist?r=2m9aw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falsehttps://open.substack.com/pub/nicolasdvillarreal/p/a-sketch-of-a-revision-to-orthodoxy?r=2m9aw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

Daniel Tutt, a scholar on intellectual history, joins to explore America's complex relationship with intellectualism. He challenges the notion of anti-intellectualism as a decline in intelligence, tracing its roots from Puritanism to contemporary professional norms. Tutt discusses how elite neutrality often conceals class origins, while radical thinkers like Lasch highlight the disconnect of the middle class. The dialogue also covers counter-publics and labor clubs that foster genuine intellectual growth among workers, advocating for a space where theory and practice coexist.

Bruno, Common Ruin, and Chris, contributors to Heatwave Magazine, tackle complex issues from ecological perspectives to the pitfalls of oversimplified solutions in leftist politics. They discuss the importance of print media as a social infrastructure and critique current political narratives, arguing that true change requires durable institutions beyond catchy slogans. The trio also examines China’s energy challenges and the limits of social democracy amid ecological crises, while emphasizing the need for a collective imagination to forge new paths forward.

Ross Wolfe, a writer and researcher focused on Marxist intellectual history, delves into the recent popularity of Domenico Losurdo and the implications for contemporary Marxism. He explores how renewed faith in Dengism and shifts in leftist publishing have influenced Marxist discourse. Wolfe critiques Losurdo's distortions of key theorists, debates the nature of the state in Marxist thought, and examines the dangers of modern third-worldism. The conversation culminates in discussing China's contradictions and the complexities of achieving communism in a national context.

Jay Rogers, author and founder of Media House International, dives into the provocative philosophy of Alexander Dugin's Fourth Political Theory from a Protestant viewpoint. He shares his unique experiences in Russia, contrasting Western media narratives with on-the-ground realities. Rogers critiques the liberal emphasis on individualism, arguing it clashes with Christian community values. He highlights the rise of civilizational states as a response to liberalism, and discusses unexpected political alliances across different traditions, all while tracing Dugin's religious and philosophical evolution.

What defines Iranian identity, both within Iran and across its global diaspora? In this thought-provoking conversation with historian Keanu Heydari, we peel back layers of complexity surrounding one of the world's most politically fragmented diasporic communities.Heydari, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan specializing in Iranian student activism in post-war France, offers a refreshingly nuanced perspective that avoids both regime apologetics and demonization. The Iranian diaspora, he explains, represents a fascinating anomaly – unlike other immigrant communities that typically organize around cultural markers, Iranians abroad primarily define themselves through political discourse coalitions. From hardline supporters of the Islamic Republic to advocates of monarchy restoration, these political positions often prevent meaningful dialogue between community members.We trace the historical trajectory of modern Iran through pivotal moments like the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup against Mohammad Mossadegh and the 1979 Islamic Revolution, exploring how these events triggered waves of migration and shaped distinct political consciousnesses. Particularly fascinating is Heydari's analysis of how Iranian nationalism occupies a liminal space between European nationalism and anti-colonial struggles, making it simultaneously attractive and repellent to Western leftists.The conversation ventures into provocative territory when discussing Michel Foucault's misunderstood writings on the Iranian Revolution. Rather than dismissing Foucault as naively romanticizing a repressive regime, Heydari connects Foucault's interest in "Islamic political spirituality" to his broader intellectual project concerning self-transformation and political practice.Whether you're interested in diaspora politics, Middle Eastern history, or the complex interplay between religion and leftist thought, this conversation challenges simplistic narratives and offers fresh perspectives on Iran's place in global politics. Share your thoughts about this episode and let us know which aspects of Iranian diaspora identity you'd like us to explore further.Here are the two articles discussed: Threads of Belonging, Echoes of ExileIran, Israel, & the Logic of EscalationSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

A shock win feels like a movement—until the math starts. We dig into Zoran Mamdani’s ascent with a clear-eyed look at why voters broke for him, what “anti-politics” actually signals, and how a mayor’s bold promises get squeezed by bonds, taxes, and thin state capacity. The story here isn’t a fairy tale of revival; it’s a patient autopsy of party cartels in decline, activist narratives colliding with ordinary voter motives, and a political entrepreneur who read the room better than the machine.We unpack the split between the activist layer and the broader electorate: one sees a springboard for a project; the other wants rent relief and competent delivery. That tension meets hard constraints. Cities don’t print money. They borrow or tax, and capital reacts. We trace why progressive mayors post-1950s hit the same wall, why LaGuardia needed Roosevelt’s federal cash, and why Dinkins and de Blasio serve as useful mirrors for what comes next. If national headwinds return—especially a Trump-era reset—does combat raise Mamdani’s profile while shrinking his room to maneuver, or does conciliation cost him the left while buying breathing room?We also zoom out: unions that poll well but feel managerial on the ground, populism as a political strategy rather than a mass social force, and the broader void where anti-politics thrives. Mamdani’s early refusal to dignify culture-war bait showed how composure builds legitimacy in an era of institutional mistrust; later moralism was safer but weaker. The stakes now are concrete: visible affordability wins without tripping fiscal tripwires. If he threads that needle, he sets a new urban playbook. If not, the void stays open for the next savvy reader of the moment.If this lens helps you see past the noise, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the one question you want answered next.Send us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

In a thought-provoking discussion, Andrew Flores, Jr., an independent scholar specializing in Lacanian psychoanalysis, highlights the interplay between psychoanalysis and Marxism. He argues that psychoanalysis tackles bourgeois subjectivity, challenging how we perceive our psychological conflicts as reflections of societal issues. The conversation covers topics like Lacan's theories, the effects of capitalism on consciousness, and contemporary social fragmentation, unveiling the relevance of psychoanalytic thought in understanding radicalization and collective paranoia today.