Red Menace

Students and organizers Cheli and Phia join Alyson and Breht to discuss their different experiences on the front lines of student encampments at Cal State LA and the University of Oregon. Together, they discuss the reasons for their protests, share the differing reactions from university administrations and faculty, and give listeners an inside look at the negotiations, stratagies, and current developments of the encampments - all while highlighting the reason they are doing this in the first place: to help work toward a free and liberated Palestine! Help baby Fai'a in Gaza get surgery for a genetic disorder HERE  We Are Not Numbers Follow Students for Justice in Palestine at CSU Los Angeles HERE Outro Song:  "The Sound of War (Remix) by Eddy Mack, Norhan, and Abu Batata

Alyson and Breht discuss the student-led protests for Palestine sweeping across American universities, the reaction to them by the ruling class elite and their attack dogs (the cops), lessons learned from previous movements over the past decade or so, parallels to 1968 and the anti-Vietnam War protests, the current negotiations between the Palestinian resistance and Israel, and what it all means for the broader crisis (geopolitical and internal) racking the U.S.  

In this episode, Alyson and Breht wrestle with the possible rise of artificial general intelligence and its implications. Together they discuss the Silicon Valley Techno-Cult and their dark religious search for immortality, their hubristic attempts to "build god" and escape death, their neoliberal subjectivities and how that manifests in their work, how AI might manifest under the capitalist mode of production, the horrors and contradictions of "capitalism without workers", deflationary critiques of AI, humans as transitional creatures, consciousness and its complexities, intelligence without consciousness (philosophical zombies), Nietzchean nihilism, real religion and what it offers, embracing the inevitability of your own death, and much more!

Explore Karl Marx's 'The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte' with insights on French history, class conflict, peasantry, Bonapartism, and Fascism. Understand the role of the State under capitalism and how it relates to our modern crisis. Discover the interplay of fascism, socialism, and nationalism, and delve into the complexities of the lumpen proletariat and peasantry. Reflect on unity amidst ideological differences and the depth and relevance of the discussed text.

Exploring the emotional act of self-immolation for Palestine, societal reactions, and media responses. Discussion on mental illness perspectives and challenges of social media. Navigating trauma amidst struggles for change, global movements against genocide, and echoes of selfless sacrifices for noble causes.

Alyson and Breht delve into mysticism, discussing atheism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Sufism, mystical experiences, suffering, psychedelics, dialectics, and the relevance for political struggle.

A deep dive into South African apartheid, exploring its origins, the Boer Wars, the political economy, indigenous resistance, the end of formal apartheid, and its ongoing legacy. The podcast also compares apartheid to Israeli settler colonialism and discusses the role of nonviolent protests and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The speakers analyze the systemic embedding of apartheid, discuss the use of 'genocide' in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and express gratitude to their listeners.

Alyson and Breht discuss the incredible shift in public opinion on Israel and Palestine, the debate on whether Israel's actions amount to genocide, the prospects of a regional war, the history and core elements of Zionism, the role of Biden and the Democratic Party in supporting Israel, and the accomplishments of Palestinian resistance.

Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante discuss revolutionary theory, the role of a Vanguard Party, Lenin's critique of economism, contradictions of capitalism, and building a party through political education. They explore the importance of organized, strategic movements in leftist activism and the need for conscious, disciplined action in societal transformation.

Discussion on dire situation in Gaza, misconceptions of the conflict, analysis of Ukraine conflict, critiques of Zionist perspective, examination of Zionism and media bias, hypocrisy in US empire, manipulation of Israel criticism, dehumanizing effects of Zionism and exploitation of American workers.