KPFA - Against the Grain

Should Marxism be rooted in inter-species liberation? Or is it already, unbeknownst to most of us? Leigh Claire La Berge has delved into what she considers an unrecognized trove of evidence for Marxism’s deep engagement with the feline as a way of making sense of class society — and what would be necessary to leap beyond it. She argues that the history of inter-species solidarity between radicals and cats (among other animals) is only now starting to be recuperated. (Encore presentation.) Leigh Claire La Berge, Marx for Cats: A Radical Bestiary Duke University Press, 2023 The post Cats and Marxism appeared first on KPFA.

When we think of potentially dangerous and addictive drugs, most of us think about illegal substances like heroine or cocaine. And yet widely-prescribed drugs like Xanax, Ritalin, Adderall, and Vicodin are also addictive, but legal in the United States. Historian David Herzberg discusses the artificial distinction that has been created between addictive drugs and medicines — with the key difference being the class and race of the consumers who use them and the partial protections that one group receives and the other does not. (Encore presentation.) David Herzberg, White Market Drugs: Big Pharma and the Hidden History of Addiction in America University of Chicago Press, 2020 The post Good Patients, Bad Addicts appeared first on KPFA.

“The bosses have two parties,” they said. “We need one of our own.” In 1996, representatives and activists from hundreds of local and international unions came together to launch a workers’ party — long missing from U.S. politics. Labor Party participant and economist Howard Botwinick discusses the organization’s challenges and promise, and the lessons from its rise and fall — including how the failure to build leftwing politics rooted in the working class created a vacuum that was ultimately filled by the right. (Encore presentation.) Labor Party Archive The post Lessons from the U.S. Labor Party appeared first on KPFA.

Entomologist Douglas Tallamy discusses what we can do to stem the extinction crisis — the loss of habitat and plant and animal species — by transforming the places where we live. The post Fund Drive Special: Saving and Restoring Nature in Our Gardens appeared first on KPFA.

Historian Joshua Clark Davis disputes the idea that the Civil Rights movement did not organize against police repression. He discusses the extensive involvement of local police departments in disrupting and repressing the movement. The post Fund Drive Special: Local Police and the Civil Rights Movement appeared first on KPFA.

Economist Rob Larson discusses the cloistered world of the very rich, their power and wealth, and their influence over all our lives. The post Fund Drive Special: The Rule of the Wealthy appeared first on KPFA.

When we go to the supermarket, we’re confronted with a vast array of foods — packaged, unpackaged, natural, organic, nonorganic, foods with claims of being nutritious or sustainably farmed or endorsed by the American Heart Association. In the face of such an onslaught, how should we make sense of it all? Nutritionist and molecular biologist Marion Nestle sheds light on the choices we all must navigate when we enter the grocery store. Photo credit: Bill Hayes The post Fund Drive Special: Marion Nestle on Navigating the Supermarket appeared first on KPFA.

In a world in perpetual crisis, how do we live our lives in a way that is both ethical and fulfilling? How do we keep from being buffeted by fear and other negative emotions? William Irvine and Mark Vernon discuss what ancient philosophy can offer us today. The post Fund Drive Special: Wisdom from Antiquity appeared first on KPFA.

Israel and its boosters argue that it’s an exceptional state in the Middle East and a necessary ally for the West. Its technical prowess is purportedly part of what makes Israel so indispensable, on full display during its assault on Gaza. But security scholar Rhys Machold contends that the idea of Israel as a innovative pioneer obscures it dependency on the West since its inception. And he suggests that such mythologies serve to deflect attention from genocide. Rhys Machold, “The Myth of Israeli Innovation” Jewish Currents Rhys Machold, Fabricating Homeland Security: Police Entanglements across India and Palestine/Israel Stanford University Press, 2024 Photo credit: Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash The post Israel and the Mythologies of Innovation appeared first on KPFA.

Nothing sounds more wholesome than kids and sports. But as legal scholar Dionne Koller illustrates youth sports have become increasingly commercial, unregulated, and competitive with companies, including private equity firms, replacing publicly-subsidized recreational programs. This highly lucrative industry profits from, among other things, clubs, camps, equipment, mega facilities, and youth sports tourism — exacting a high cost from families and even greater physical and mental cost from children. Dionne Koller, More Than Play: How Law, Policy, and Politics Shape American Youth Sport UC Press, 2025 Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash The post The Commercialization of Youth Sports appeared first on KPFA.