Millennials Are Killing Capitalism

In this episode Max Ajl returns to the podcast. Max Ajl is an educator and a researcher and the author of A People’s Green New Deal, which we highly recommend and had a previous discussion of back in 2021. He is also the associate editor of Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy. We caught up with Max back in early August to talk about one of his recent pieces, from Agrarian South. The article is entitled “Theories of Political Ecology: Monopoly Capital Against People and the Planet.”  It’s a very interesting article that covers a range of ostensibly left-wing approaches to ecology and the ecological crisis through a critical lens. Recording this conversation in the middle of summer there were a number of events and conversations we reference that folks will recall. This will be a two-part release. In this first portion we talk about the theory of ecologically unequal exchange, wheat and cereal grains as weapons of imperialism, bananas and fresh fruits in the first world, and get into some of Alj’s critiques of different strains of political ecology. In particular in this episode Max talks about Andreas Malm’s formulation of “Fossil Capitalism,” and also critically engages with the frameworks of eco-modernism and extractivism.  Ajl challenges the euro-centric variants of Marxism that dominate much of the first-world Marxist engagement with ecological questions, raising the importance of bringing anti-imperialist analysis, a world-system level understanding of capitalism and solidarity with national liberation movements into the theory and practice of ecological movements.  We will link the article we discuss in the show notes as well as some of the articles that Max mentions in the discussion.  In part two of this conversation which will come out in a few days, we will talk a little more about eco-modernism and get into degrowth as well. This is our first episode of the month of October, we thankfully hit our goal of new patrons for the last month. And have set a goal once again to add 40 new patrons this month to keep up with nonrenewals and hopefully slowly increase our base of support for the show. Thanks to everyone who contributes. You can become a patron of the show for as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism   Links/Citations: “Theories of Political Ecology: Monopoly Capital Against People and the Planet.” by Max Ajl (the subject of the episode) Patrick Higgins articles referenced Charlotte Kates article referenced Archana Prasad mentioned    

In this conversation Breht from Revolutionary Left Radio join the podcast to talk about the Friedrich Engels’ short piece, "The Principles of Communism." This piece which is presented in Question and Answer form was a draft that would inform the creation of The Communist Manifesto. This is part of our series of episodes we’ve been doing lately where we talk to friends of the podcast about some of their favorite works, particularly works by authors who are no longer with us. So far we’ve talked to Thandisizwe Chimurenga & Yusef “Bunchy” Shakur about Sanyika Shakur’s Stand Up, Struggle Forward, we’ve discussed an E.P. Thompson piece with Ivan Stoiljkovic. We also have an episode with Steven Osuna where we discuss Mao’s “On The Correct Handling of Contradictions Among The People,” which will be coming soon.  We definitely want to give a big shout-out to Revolutionary Left Radio, Guerrilla History, and the Red Menace podcast. Breht puts countless hours into those projects and I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts, but I do check out work from all of those projects and encourage others to do the same and support them financially if you’re able to do so.  Now of course it is time to remind listeners that this is our seventh, and likely final episode for the month of September. If just five people either become new patrons or increase their pledge in these last four days of the month we will hit our goal, so we’re really close, it’s within reach and if you’ve been thinking about kicking in even just a $1 a month it’ll help us hit that goal and keep sustaining the show. You can do that at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism. One final plug I will be joining Sina Rahmani of The East Is A Podcast over on his YouTube page for a live episode on this Thursday September 28th. We would love it if folks would come through hang out with us, it’ll be more relaxed, we’ll just be having fun talking about current events and hopefully if some folks come through we’ll even get a little bit of Q&A in with the audience.  Other Links: Is Marxism Just Religion By Another Name? What is this document and why are we discussing it? What is the proletariat and why is it important to communist theory? China Miéville discussions on the Communist Manifesto: Rev Left's, ours Other Red Menace Episodes on Engels, including the 3-part episode on The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State  Red Menace episode on Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

This is the conclusion of our discussion with César “che” Rodríguez (part 1 is here), who works as a faculty member of Race & Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University, is a rank-and-file union member of the California Faculty Association, and organized with Change SSF.  Here we get into the actual history of the murder of Oscar Grant, trigger or content warning on that discussion for folks. It’s not needlessly graphic, but it is descriptive of the events as they took place. Then we get into how various types of citizen journalism, movement journalism, organizing, protest, popular mobilization, and rioting broke the cycle of police impunity for a moment in time. We talk about that, weigh the limitations of the so-called reforms put in place and think about implications for future struggles against the relentless scourge of police terrorism in this country.  We’re getting closer to our goal for the month of September, with just 5 days left in the month we’re 10 patrons away from it. Shout-out to all of our new patrons this month and to the folks who have been contributing for years. You can become a patron of the show at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism for as little as $1 a month or $10.80 per year. Links: https://www.indybay.org https://sfbayview.com “‘Oscar Did Not Die in Vain’ Revelous Citizen Journalism, Righteous/Riotous Work, and the Gains of the Oscar Grant Moment in Oakland, California” - The essay we're discussing in the episode

César “che” Rodríguez, faculty member of Race & Resistance Studies at San Francisco State Univeristy, discusses racial regimes, blues epistemology, and racial capitalism in the lead-up to the Oscar Grant moment. Topics include the impact of racialization on Black perception, the role of racial capitalism in perpetuating inequalities, the influence of Clyde Woods and Cedric Robinson, and challenging dominant narratives through resistance. The podcast explores the significance of the Oscar Grant moment and analyzes media coverage of the rebellions.

In this conversation we talk to Santi Elijah Holley about his recently published book An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created.  A history of the political family that included Tupac, Assata, Afeni, Dr. Mutulu, Salahdeen, Lumumba, Zayd and many others. What does it mean to take the name Shakur? What were some of the key relationships and sites of politicization for these folks? Holley’s book gets into many of these questions, and examines the radical organizing and political activity of many of the Shakurs and of their comrades like Sekou Odinga and Bilal Sunni-Ali.  There are aspects of this book we appreciated as there’s a lot of important history here that gets brought into one place. These figures are often looked at in isolation, in a depoliticized context, as icons or simulacra. In other places we read about them as individual figures in histories of formations like the Black Panther Party or the Republic of New Afrika. So we appreciated seeing them discussed in relation to one another and some of the events and people who shaped their political development. As you will see in this discussion both Josh and I also have our criticisms of this book and how it presents this history. As usual, we do not debate with the author here, but we do ask multiple critical questions about aspects of the book that we felt either did not do justice to the legacy of people being examined or do not help people see the New Afrikan Independence Movement as a living struggle that people still engage today in a variety of ways in various organizations. As always, we welcome further dialogue on that from folks who are involved in those movements if they wish to engage with us. We will also link some of our other discussions about that history and with people who struggle in the tradition of New Afrikan independence today. Most importantly today we want to uplift Baba Sekou Odinga who features prominently in this book, and prominently in the history of Black Liberation struggle in this country. He was recently hospitalized and has been released to a rehabilitation facility, but he needs our support. We are not going to plug our patreon this episode and instead ask that folks contribute to this fund for Immediate Relief Support for Sekou Odinga Other related links: Sekou Odinga episode Jamal Joseph episode  Claude Marks episode  Dhoruba bin Wahad episode  Jalil Muntaqim episodes 1, 2  Thandisizwe Chimurenga and Yusef “Bunchy” Shakur on Sanyika Shakur Kamau Franklin and Kali Akuno Kamau Franklin on Liberated Zones Theory   Stop Cop City discussions: 1  & 2  Free The Land! Edward Onaci on the History of the Republic of New Afrika Building Infrastructure: Identifying Tactics for Sustainable Formations: A Panel Discussion Supporting Jailhousee Lawyers Speak

Content Notice: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence & rape This is the conclusion of our discussion on Orisanmi Burton’s forthcoming book Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt. This discussion was recorded on the same day as the previously released episode, so you may catch references back to that conversation or to others we’ve had with Burton over the last couple of years. We’ll link those in the show notes. Here we largely move into discussion of Attica itself, but this is not the blow by blow rendition that you have likely heard elsewhere. We talk about Attica through George Jackson’s idea of the Black Commune, and Ruth Wilson Gilmore's Abolition Geography, we talk about how in the words of the Institute of the Black World “the men of Attica were different than their captors,” and we talk about the demand that prisoners be repatriated to a non-imperialist country. We also talk about Burton’s findings on the repression faced by the prisoners after the slaughter of 39 men 52 years ago today. While we don’t talk in graphic detail about all of that repression, a trigger warning is still necessary as we talk about sexual violence in that discussion.  We close by talking about Burton’s work on the Black Liberation Army and how examining the prison as a site of struggle helped him develop a more capacious view of the BLA than what we find in most representations of who they were and what animated their activities. We’re very grateful for the time that Orisanmi Burton has spent with us over the course of this interview and our other conversations over the past couple of years. We hope folks get as much out of these conversations as we do, and we strongly recommend that people pre-order Tip of the Spear if they haven’t already. This is our 4th episode for the month of September. If you appreciate the work that we do, the best way to keep it coming is to join the amazing folks who make this show possible at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism by giving as little as $1 a month or $10.80 per year.  Links: pre-order Tip of the Spear Part 1 of this discussion Prior episodes with Orisanmi Burton

This is a conversation about Andaiye who was born 81 years ago today on September 11th 1942. For this discussion we speak with Alissa Trotz, who like Andaiye was born in Guyana. Alissa teaches in Women and Gender Studies and Caribbean Studies at the University of Toronto. For the last 15 years she has edited In the Diaspora, a weekly newspaper column in a Guyanese daily newspaper, the Stabroek News. Alissa has worked with Red Thread, the women’s organization co-founded by Andaiye, for over two and a half decades. She is the editor of the book we discuss today, The Point is to Change the World: Selected Writings of Andaiye published by Pluto Press. The book also has a recently translated Portuguese version, published by Edition Funilaria in Brazil. Andaiye was one of the Caribbean's most important political voices. She was a radical activist, thinker, and comrade of Walter Rodney.  Through essays, speeches, letters and journal entries, Andaiye's thinking on the intersections of gender, race, class and power are profoundly articulated, Caribbean histories emerge, and stories from a life lived at the barricades are revealed. We learn about the early years of the Working People's Alliance, the meaning and impact of the murder of Walter Rodney and the fall of the Grenada Revolution. Throughout, we bear witness to Andaiye's acute understanding of politics rooted in communities and the daily lives of so-called ordinary people. We discuss various writings from this collection. Touching on concepts like negation and self-negation, self-criticism as a political method, Andaiye’s concept of the conspiracy of mutual caring, some of her reflections on her time with Walter Rodney in the Working People’s Alliance, and a good deal discussing Andaiye’s thought around the importance of autonomy in organizing. There are also some discussions of the importance of cross-racial organizing in a context like Guyana with a working class politically divided along racial lines. Alissa shares with us reflections on the work of Red Thread, in which again she and Andaiye both organized. We touch on work around wages for housework, social reproduction and care, and how Andaiye organized around many different issues from violence against women and children to her own battle with cancer. And if you appreciate the work that we do. Our work is 100% funded by our listeners and so if you like the content that we bring you multiple times per week, please join the wonderful folks who support this show and make these conversations possible at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism Links: Purchase the book from our friends at Massive Bookshop or directly from Pluto Press or in Portuguese from Edition Funilaria. Visit their website and read more about Red Thread. Find more of Alissa Trotz's work here, In The Caribbean Diaspora, and at Stabroek News  

Orisanmi Burton, Author of Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt discusses his unique methodology for his book. He explores the relationship between prisons, slavery, war, and the law. Burton reflects on the New York City Jail Rebellions of 1970 and discusses political blackness and different notions of manhood. He examines the impact and influence of the Panther 21 as political actors. The podcast also explores the lesser known November 1970 Auburn Prison Rebellion.

In this discussion we talk to CalvinJohn Smiley about his book Purgatory Citizenship: Reentry, Race, and Abolition, which examines how individuals returning to society navigate and negotiate this process with diminished legal rights and amplified social stigmas.  CalvinJohn Smiley, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Sociology Department of Hunter College-City University of New York. He also has worked to abolish the death penalty, and currently volunteers at Rikers Island and Horizon Juvenile Center facilitating restorative justice programming. We talk to Smiley about his concept of purgatory citizenship, and understanding reentry as a verb rather than a noun. We talk through his application of Walter Rodney’s analytical tools from How Europe Underdeveloped Africa to the history of Newark, NJ. Much of this conversation is centered on the experiences of folks returning from prison, and barriers presented by parole and probation processes, navigating housing, employment and many other visible and less visible hurdles. We also discuss the Prison Reentry Industry and its role within the Prison Industrial Complex or Carceral Continuum. You can pick up this book from our friends over at Massive Bookshop.  And speaking of radical abolitionist re-entry work. Our comrades over at Jailhouse Lawyers Speak have been working to build a housing center for women returning from prison. That is still a work in progress and can be supported so we’ll put a link to that project in the show notes where you can learn more and support their work there. https://www.jlshousingcenter.com And of course a friendly reminder to support the podcast on patreon if you can. Between the study, the preparation, the editing and all the other aspects of running this show it is more than a full time job for me. Josh also puts in a significant number of hours to the show in addition to other work obligations. We really appreciate all the folks who chip in and make this show possible and if you are a listener who has not yet become a patron of the show, if you can afford to part with as little as $1 a month you can help us keep this show going. We have struggled to hit our goals in recent months and are hoping we can hit our goal for the month of September.  So kick in at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism if you can.

[This episode was conducted bilingually in French & English and there is also a French version of the episode here] In this episode we speak with Inemesit Richardson and Wendlassida Simporé of the Thomas Sankara Center for African Liberation and Unity in Burkina Faso. They are also both members of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party. The Thomas Sankara Center for African Liberation and Unity is a Pan-African library and political education center in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Thomas Sankara center is a free community lending library supplying books about Pan-Africanism, socialism and Third World liberation. They host film screenings, debates and other free events. They also run an after-school young pioneers children's education program for primary school students ages 8-14 and  have a work-study circle for adults which meets regularly to critically study revolutionary books and put theory into praxis in their community. We talk to both of our guests about recent events in the region. In particular, about the most recent coup in Niger. They discuss the pulse on the ground with regards to Burkina Faso’s current leadership, these anticolonial coups, the region’s relationship to Russia, and the role of the CFA Franc in France’s neocolonial system in the region. We recorded this conversation on August 10th and there have been multiple developments since then, we’ll include some additional articles in the show notes. It should be noted that when we discuss a potential ECOWAS invasion during the episode, that this has not actually occurred yet, although ECOWAS is sanctioning Niger and threatening to use force to overthrow the current leadership. Mali and Burkina Faso have vowed to defend Niger’s leadership with military force. And there is ongoing discussion about the development of a regional federation. We will include a link to where you can support the work of the Thomas Sankara Center in Burkina Faso.  In this French language version of the episode, you will hear Inemesit translate the questions into French, and you will hear both Inemesit and Wendlassida answer the questions in French as well. There is also an English language version of this episode. Links: Thomas Sankara Center for African Liberation and Unity in Burkina Faso Burkina Faso & Mali vow to defend Niger’s new leadership with force The People of Niger Want to Shatter Resignation Africa's Last Colonial Currency - The CFA Franc Story