

The Regrettable Century
Chris, Kevin, Jason, & Ben
The old forms of the Left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We're making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a Dialectical Pessimism and develop a salvage project capable of sparking a new workers' movement for socialism. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you. “The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned. I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” -- Antonio Gramsci
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 1, 2025 • 52min
A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part II of II)
This week the boys finish a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition. We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism."https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/ Listen to Part I:https://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523/episodes/17815226-a-cascading-series-of-new-lefts-part-i-of-ii Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Sep 26, 2025 • 16min
Patreon Preview -- Much Ado About Not Very Much: "Red-Brownism" and the Anti-War "Movement"
This week, we read and discussed an article about a phenomenon that apparently some people are, or were, concerned about: the problem of fascist infiltration of the anti-war movement. We discuss the problems inherent in gatekeeping social movements and the lack of left-wing organizations of any size. We also chime in on the overblown concerns about "Red-Brownism."Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Sep 22, 2025 • 19min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/20/2025
The US is Behind On Drone Warfare, Satano-Nazi Terror in the USA, The Global Turn Against the Genocidal Apartheid State, The AFD's Gains in Former SPD Bastion, Reform UK is Britain's Most Popular Party, The Neo-Nazi Who Knew Too Much, Zelensky Is Losing Touch With Reality, Ukraine's Slow Collapse Continues...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Sep 17, 2025 • 1h 11min
Years of Dread: Political Violence & The Spectacle of Tension
The podcast dives deep into the escalating political violence in the U.S., exploring its chilling societal implications. It examines how surveillance impacts free expression, drawing parallels to past political repression. The hosts discuss the complexities of empathy amid violence and critique the superficial labels often used in political discourse. They navigate the interplay of irony and earnestness in online culture, while reflecting on historical trends of political violence and its normalization today. Overall, it's a thought-provoking look at our current political landscape.

Sep 15, 2025 • 18min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/14/2025
Newer Dumber Years of Lead, Newer Dumber Cold War Heats Up, Israel Kills Kids in Doha This Time, Europe Can't be Inconvenienced by Sanctions on India and China, Poland Shoots Down Three Slow Moving Unarmed Decoy Drones...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Sep 9, 2025 • 56min
A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part I of II)
This week the boys do a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition. We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism."https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/ Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Sep 4, 2025 • 17min
Patreon Preview: Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? (Part II of II)
Today we read the second half of an article titled Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? Theorizing the nature and implications of the global far-right resurgence by Prof. Dr. Alex Demirović, which was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.We liked this article for a few reasons, not the least of which was that it sparked good discussion...Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? by Alex DemirovićSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Aug 27, 2025 • 18min
Patreon Preview: Anatomy of the Microsect (Patron Roundtable)
We sat down with our patrons to read and discuss the 1973 Hal Draper Pamphlet, Anatomy of the Microsect. https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1973/xx/microsect.htmSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Aug 25, 2025 • 1h 44min
Under an Elm Tree: William Morris, Animism, and Anti-Capitalism (Featuring Dr. Mathias Nordvig and Arnold from Fight Like an Animal Podcast)
This week, the animist caucus of the Regrettable Century (Kevin) teamed up with Dr. Mathias Nordvig, professor of Nordic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Sacred Flame Podcast, as well as Arnold from the Fight Like an Animal Podcast to talk about the intersection of animist spirituality and radical politics. To that end, the crew read and discussed William Morris' short essay titled Under an Elm Tree. Click Here for More Mathias Nordvig Click Here for Fight Like an Animal PodcastSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Aug 23, 2025 • 14min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 08/23/2025
Bounty on Maduro, Israeli Pedophile Protected by Trump... Again, Palestinian Dead are 83% Civilians, Zelensky in the Whitehouse... Again, Ukraine's Failing Drone Industry, The Inexorable Russian Lava Flow Pushes On...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop