

Varn Vlog
C. Derick Varn
Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Varn Vlog is the pod of C. Derick Varn. We combine the conversation on philosophy, political economy, art, history, culture, anthropology, and geopolitics from a left-wing and culturally informed perspective. We approach the world from a historical lens with an eye for hard truths and structural analysis.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 28, 2022 • 1h 5min
Parker McQueeny on Left Unity in the DSA now
Parker and I will discuss the situation in the DSA after the Bowman affair and the loss of nearly 1/5 of the membership since the DSA convention. We may debate the implications of the second international strategy for the DSA, and why people may or may not want to join in. Note: This is from early February 2022. We don't discuss recent controversies in the DSA such as the BSD committee scandal and the NPC's response or the resigned NPC resignations. I also should admit that I am highly skeptical of the DSA, and this interview did not change my opinion. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog)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

Mar 21, 2022 • 1h 37min
Dwayne Monroe on Materialist Technological Criticism
Dwayne Monroe is the author of Computational Impacts and a technologist living in Europe. We talk about the materialist understanding of technology, and its impacts on world affairs.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog)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

Mar 17, 2022 • 2h 22min
John Michael Colon and Steve Mann of Strange Matters on Forex and the Limits of MMT
John Michael Colon and Steve Mann are editors of Strange Matters magazine. We discuss the limits of the popular versions of Modern Monetary Theory, the deep history of money, and the theories of FOREX, which adds to address some blindspots in contemporary MMT. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 14, 2022 • 1h 5min
Daniel of What is Politics on Why Material Conditions Matter, Part 2: Once Upon a Time In the Forest
Daniel is the host of "What Is Politics" and we discuss the categorizations of hunter-gathers, conditions of agricultural adjustment, and the purpose of what we do. This is part 2 of a limited series.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 10, 2022 • 1h 10min
Daniel of "What is Politics" on Why Material Conditions Matter, Part 1: Graber's Mistakes
Daniel is the host of "What Is Politics" and we discuss the ideas of David Graeber, David Wrengrow, the Limitations of Occupy Wall-street, and using anthropology, game theory, and other disciplines to build more robust materialism to aid with political action.This is part 1 of a limited series. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 8, 2022 • 1h 47min
Alex Gendler on the Ukraine Crisis and the Complications of Internationalism
Alex Gendler is a writer and content producer in NYC. He is also a leftist man-about-town. He is also a Ukrainian-American from a Russian speaking family who left after the fall of the Soviet Union. We speak about the complications of internationalism, the complex history Ukraine, and appeals made to overly simple politics. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 7, 2022 • 1h 35min
Roxy Hall on The Complications of Gender
Roxy Hall is a writer and activist living in Australia. We discuss Ten Theses on the Gender Question and the complications of left views of Gender.Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the original stream on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 5, 2022 • 1h 57min
Kuba Wrzesneiwski on the Ukraine crisis and pressures on the global order
Dr. Kuba returns to talk about darker things. While I have avoided talking directly about the conflict as I have personal friends on both sides from when I lived outside of the states, we will be doing a short series of episodes to put the Ukraine crisis in context. Things are happening fast, so know this was recorded on Wednesday, March 2 2022. . You may want to listen to the following episodes prior: Parallax Views, This is Revolution, and Pop the Left Kuba Wrzesneiwski is an independent foreign policy consultant and regular guest on This is Revolution. We speak on the realities of the US foreign policy elites and their primary concerns. We also talk about leftist misunderstandings on these issues.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the original stream on YoutubeSend 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

Mar 3, 2022 • 1h 37min
Dr. Harun Yilmaz on the Spectres of the National Question
Dr. Harun Yilmaz is Central Asia Research Forum Series academic editor at Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. He is a regional expert on history, national identities, and political propaganda. His academic and popular publications cover Central Asia, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. He received his Master's and Ph.D. from Oxford University. Dr. Yilmaz was a research fellow at Harvard University and Brtish Academy and lectured on the History of the Soviet Union under Stalin at Queen Mary University of London. He published op-eds for and was interviewed by BBC Azerbaijan, BBC Russia, RFE/RL, Al-Jazeera, NPR, NewsNation. His last book title is National Identities in Soviet Historiography: The rise of nations under Stalin (2015).We will be discussing the intellectual and geopolitical origins of the national question in Marxist thought, the seeming tensions and contradictions it has created, and why we can't totally get past its legacy.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the original stream on YoutubeSend 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

Feb 28, 2022 • 1h 13min
Kuba Wrzesneiwski on the necessity of sound political economy and realist analysis
The Death Star Middle Manager Returns! We talk about the necessity of a realist view of states in left geopolitical analysis. (There was some audio complications with episode)Kuba Wrzesneiwski is an independent foreign policy consultant and regular guest on This is Revolution. We speak on the realities of the US foreign policy elites and their primary concerns. We also talk about leftist misunderstandings on these issues. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the original stream on YoutubeSend 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


