

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

Jun 19, 2025 • 21min
Patreon Preview: The Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer: (Episode XI) FINAL
This is it folks, the second half of Chapter 7 and the grand finale of the reading series.Go to the Patreon to hear the whole episode. Join the Discord to help us determine what's next… And Read Along Here: https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauer Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

Jun 12, 2025 • 13min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 06/09/2025
Poland No Confidence in Tusk, Saudis Support For Syria, Israel Attacks Syria, More Genocide in Gaza, Russia vs Ukraine/Al Qaeda in Africa, Walkin' in the Spiderwebs, Terrorism?, Ukraine Body Swap Debacle, Russia's Inexorable Advance Continues...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

Jun 9, 2025 • 37min
The Velvet Counterrevolution/Divorce (Czechoslovak Socialism Part III) *UNLOCKED*
In the final episode of our Czechoslovak Socialism series, we dive into the final attempt to reform the Czechoslovak system. As with the Prague Spring, the official ML/liberal narrative about are the same, that this was an attempt to overthrow socialism and establish a capitalist democracy. Just like the Prague Spring, it seems clear that the intentions of its participants were the opposite. The vast majority of Czechoslovaks who participated in the movements that brought down the republic were attempting to reform the socialist system, not destroy it.Krapfl, James. Revolution with a Human Face Politics, Culture, and Community in Czechoslovakia, 1989–1992. Cornell University Press, 2017.Scott Brown. “Prelude to a Divorce? The Prague Spring as Dress Rehearsal for Czechoslovakia’s ‘Velvet Divorce.’” Europe-Asia Studies 60, no. 10 (2008): 1783–1804.Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

Jun 5, 2025 • 13min
Patreon Preview -- Boundless and Bottomless Bonus: Updates On Pessimism
The dudes are back, although Sean couldn't join for this episode. Jason and Varn talk about some of the logic here, the limits of trying to pin down conservatism right now, and why politics is so frustrating. No, we didn't speak much about Dugin... but we are doing this to remind everyone that we will.Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

May 28, 2025 • 22min
Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities and Social Democracy by Otto Bauer: Regrettable Book Club (Episode X)
The gang takes on the first half of Chapter 7 of Bauer's analysis of the concept of the nation...Follow Along Here:https://libcom.org/article/question-nationalities-and-social-democracy-otto-bauer Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

May 26, 2025 • 2h 5min
From Dawn to Decadence (Part IV) With Varn Vlog
The boys and Varn Vlog are back again, for the long-awaited return to our series talking about "Decadence Theory." This week, the boys respond to a response to the ICC's pamphlet on decadence theory. The article we read and discussed was published by Aufheben and is titled The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theory. Decadence: The Theory of Decline or the Decline of Theory? Part Varn VlogSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

May 20, 2025 • 1h 27min
Trump's America and the Working Class Fightback (Crossposted From the For a New Republic podcast)
The discussion highlights the political shifts in the U.S. following Trump's victory, focusing on revitalizing working-class activism. It critiques nostalgia in politics while grappling with contemporary issues. The podcast explores the intersection of race and authoritarianism, challenging notions of fascism. It further delves into the role of trade unions in advocating for social change and the impact of social media on political movements. Ultimately, it calls for unity among workers and the importance of inclusive dialogue in advancing socialist politics.

May 19, 2025 • 11min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 05/17/2025
Hungary vs Ukraine, Iran Nuke Proposal, Why Trump Declared Victory Over the Houthis, Chinese Jets Better than Euro's?, Istanbul Clown Show, Ukraine's Lost War of Attrition Continues...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

May 12, 2025 • 1h 14min
The Ever Present Present: The Long Now and the Cancellation of the Future
This week we return to an always prescient question: What happened to the future? What Lies Ahead?https://jacobin.com/2023/01/slavoj-zizek-time-future-history-catastrophe-emancipation Mark Fisher’s Specters of Scarcityhttps://jacobin.com/2025/01/mark-fisher-neoliberalism-acid-communism ‘Culture has lost the ability to grasp the present’https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mark-fisher-ghosts-retromania/How the pandemic messed with our perception of timehttps://www.vox.com/science/23823507/pandemic-memory-time-perception-lockdown Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

May 11, 2025 • 10min
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 05/09/2025
Habemus Papam, Al Qaeda 🤝France, Trump Owned by Xi, Trump Owned by Houthis, Trump Owned by Bibi, Pakistan vs India, China 🤝 Russia, Ukraine's Very Bleak Strategic Assessment...Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show