Sps

On this three-part episode of SPS, Sophia and the Editor of the Platypus Review, Lou Sterrett, give a teaser of what’s inside the latest issue. In the second segment, our European Correspondent Andreas Wintersperger catches up with Ian Cassidy. Originally from Ireland, Cassidy is a Berlin-based activist, working for the campaign 'Deutsche Wohnen & co enteignen' which aims to pressure Berlin’s largest private housing companies to better serve their tenants. In the final segment, SPS co-host Pamela sits down with Victor and Sidsel, our members in Aarhus, to discuss the recent debates over academic freedom in Danish universities in response to the parliament in Denmark accusing researchers of “excessive activism”. LINKS: Platypus Review Issue 138, July 2021 https://platypus1917.org/platypus-review/ Platypus in Aarhus, Denmark https://www.facebook.com/groups/2026045940750202 Chris Cutrone, The end of the Gilded Age: Discontents of the Second Industrial Revolution today, December 2017, https://platypus1917.

On this three-part episode of SPS, Sophia and Pamela catch up to discuss Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). They reflect upon the director’s interpretation of the Black Panther Party and how questions of black nationalism, the police and the authoritarian state bear on our present moment. In the second segment Sophia sits down with Novara Media’s Commissioning Editor, Rivka Brown to consider the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC Bill) and the anti-austerity Left. Rivkah touches on what the potential abolition of the police might mean for the ‘Left’. Finally, Platypus’ Chief Pedagogue, Chris Cutrone, introduces our Summer Reading Groups and gives a taster of what’s in-store. You can find our more about our Summer Reading Groups here: Summer Reading Group 2021: Adorno’s Negative Dialectics https://platypus1917.org/2021/05/08/summer-2021-adornos-negative-dialectics/ Summer Reading Group 2021: Hegel and Marxism https://platypus1917.org/2021/05/11/summer-2021-hegel-and-marxism/ S

On this episode of SPS, Sophia, Pamela and Platypus member Erin report on the Kill the Bill & May 1st protests in London, Berlin and New York. In the second half members Ryan and Sam reflect upon seeding a Platypus chapter in Melbourne Australia. We discuss encounters with local Leftist groups, what Adam Smith has to teach us about bourgeois society, and their upcoming panel discussion: "What is Capitalism and why should we be against it?" To learn more about Platypus in Melbourne, drop by one of their reading group meetings either on Wednesdays online via zoom, or in-person starting next semester at the University of Melbourne. Their coffee breaks are at the Clyde Hotel every second Thursday. The upcoming panel event: "What is Capitalism, and why should we be against it?" is on Saturday the 22nd of May. FB invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/1138149399985555 Reference Links: Platypus Panel: "Corona und die Linke" (in German) https://youtu.be/cynozxmZQsg Chris Cutrone, The Millennial Left is dead, Oct

On this episode of SPS, Sophia, Pamela and Andreas are joined by Aarhus Platypus member, Victor Cova, to discuss the Adam Curtis documentary series, "Can't Get You Out of My Head: An Emotional History of the Modern World" (2021). We cover the response to the series by the Socialist Workers Party (UK), Doug Lain (Zero Books) and Red Scare podcast. We debate Curtis' conservative approach to history, and what the series has to say about the defeat of the left in the twentieth century. At the beginning of the episode, Grant Tyler introduces the upcoming Platypus International Convention XIII: The Platypus Synthesis, featuring panels: From Protests to Politics? What was the Millennial Left?; The Legacy of Trotskyism; The Politics of Critical Theory; and the Death of the Millennial Left. All events will be held online: FB invite, https://www.facebook.com/events/301295494749910 https://platypus1917.org/platypus-international-convention/platypus-international-convention-2021/ Reference Links: Tribune: An intervi

Sophia and Pamela talk about the allegations that Governor Cuomo covered up mishandlings of the COVID-19 crisis and the firing of actress Gina Carano from Disney’s the Mandalorian. In the last segment our German correspondent Andreas Wintersperger catches up with Platypus members from our Leipzig and Berlin chapters to discuss the panels on COVID-19 and the Left, and the legacy of the Communist Party of Germany which were held at our 2nd German Conference. SPS is a production of the Platypus Affiliated Society, more at: platypus1917.org/ Links for this episode: Platypus German Conference recordings Corona und die Linke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cynozxmZQsg Psychoanalyse und Marxismus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNsU1xVWEsQ&t=5s Was ist das Erbe der KPD?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhCDIwJtaaY&t=13s US-Wahlen und die Linke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykLrCoKWzJc Zero Covid Campaign article https://zero-covid.org/language/en/ Gina Carano, The Ben Shapiro Show, 21st Feb 2021 https://w

In this special episode of SPS, we discuss Joe Biden's inauguration and the relationship between Art and the capitalist state. Professional creative artists are facing unemployment at rates well above the national average. We take up the proposals for WPA-style intervention, a Ministry of Culture, and a White House Office for Culture. In the second half, we consider the artist Brad Troemel and his attempt to reinterpret “Liberal Cringe” into meme art. Images and videos for this episode can be found at: https://caesuramag.org/montezsps01292021 SPS is a production of the Platypus Affiliated Society, more at: https://platypus1917.org/ Links for this episode: Alison Hewitt Ward, 2010, RIP Art Trump https://caesuramag.org/posts/rip-trump-art Letter of resignation from the President's Committee on the Arts & the Humanities (2017) https://twitter.com/kalpenn/status/898547257062174724/photo/1 Chris Cutrone, 2010, What was postmodernism? -- Habermas’s critique An incomplete project? Art and politics after

In the latest episode of the cancel culture saga, social media companies have taken into their own hands to censor content. Trump’s tweets, Zero Book’s videos, & Brad Troemel’s memes, have all been subject to the policing eye of so-called “fact checkers.” In the first part of this episode, Laurie joins Pamela to discuss the new wave of censorship under our Silicon Valley dystopia and the realignment of liberals in the Age of Trump. In the second part of the episode, we focus on how the German-speaking Left has responded to the recent terror attacks in France and Austria. Our European Correspondent, Andreas, joins Sophia and Pamela to discuss the responses by the anti-imperialist left, featuring Der Funke, the Austrian faction of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) and Marx 21 in Germany. Second, Andreas interviews Michael Fischer, an Austrian anti-fascist and recent contributor to the anti-German publication Bahamas. Fischer presents his critique of political islam and his thoughts on the anti-imperiali

***U.S. election special*** On this episode Pamela and Sophia catch up with Conrad Cartmell (Class Unity caucus, DSA), Mara Henao & Kaitlin Buck (Philly Socialists) and Benjamin Studebaker (British Academic Union) to reflect upon the Left under Trump - and what lies ahead under a Biden administration. This episode contributes to a larger body of work by the Platypus Affiliated Society, attempting to make sense of the Left’s reaction to the changing political reality. A panel event, with a similar topic was recently held at George Mason University(1). Be sure to follow us on social media. On Instagram were ‘shitplatypussays’, and on Twitter: ‘platypussays’. Visit us on Facebook under the Platypus Affiliated Society or visit www.platypus1917.org. If you like the podcast, share it, rate it, and write us a review! (1) Platypus Panel, held at George Mason University: "The Future after the Election: What's Left?": https://youtu.be/7SPBRSfqB5Q (2) Beyond the Vote: Base-Building for Class Independence in Phila

Pamela Nogales and Sophia Freeman discuss the shaming of black celebrities who dare to question the black loyalty to the Democratic Party. In particular we address the Left’s reception to Ice Cube’s ‘Contract for Black America,’ proposed to both the Democratic and Republican parties. Pamela sits down with Chris Cutrone to discuss what another four years of Trump--or Biden--might mean for the Left. In the last segment Sophia catches up with our new EU Correspondent, Andreas Wintersperger, to discuss the Left’s response to the on-going migrant crisis and their reaction to the recent fires that have destroyed large migrant camps in Greece. Links: (1) West Coast Platypus election watch party, Tuesday Nov 3, starting at 7:00pm Pacific time: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcuCvrTsjHtaNlh1UVGprn63LKqpSuV-K (2) Chris Cutrone, Marxism in the Age of Trump, Articles from the Platypus Review 2015 – 2017: https://www.amazon.com/Marxism-Age-Trump-Articles-2015-2017/dp/0996206132 (3) Efraim Carlebach, Re

In this episode of SPS, Sophia and Pamela discuss the moral panic surrounding Netflix's new film, Cuties (2020), and take up the responses by Spiked Online and Jacobin magazine. Platypus members Marco Torres and David Faes join us to reflect on Polanski's critically-acclaimed J'Accuse (2019)and how it speaks to the present. In the final segment, Sophia interviews Jack Conrad from the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). They consider how the 'Left' uses and abuses Karl Kautsky's legacy in order to avoid Kautsky's Marxism and discuss what the CPGB is up to. If you want to learn more about Platypus, and get involved, read the Platypus review, visit us on Facebook under the Platypus Affiliated Society or visit www.platypus1917.org. You can follow us on Instagram: ShitPlatypusSays, and on Twitter: @PlatypusSays. If you like the podcast, share it, rate it, and write us a review. Mentioned:
 (0) Theodor W. Adorno, "Sexual Taboos and the Law Today" (1963) https://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/readings/ad

Pamela Nogales, Sophia Freeman and Laurie Rojas discuss the call to cancel artist, Jon Rafman, and the revenge campaign led by the @surviving_the_artworld instagram account and break down the anti-sex and anti-art impulses of the culture industry. Pamela & Sophia sit down with Platypus members, Ethan Kaimana (U. Penn) and Will Lushbaugh (San Francisco State), two organizers behind the recent panel, "Police Brutality and the Left," with speakers Andrea Pritchett (Berkeley Copwatch), Conrad Cartmell (Democratic Socialists of America), Larry Holmes (Workers World Party) and Gerald Smith (a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Spartacist League and current member of the Oscar Grant committee). We listen to clips from the panel recording and give our impression of the conversation. In the last segment Pamela & Sophia talk with Joshua Citarella, an artist and cultural thinker whose books, Politigram & the Post-left (2018) and his most recent book, 20 Interviews (2020) offer an in-depth survey of youn

On this episode, Pamela and Sophia discuss the destruction of statues depicting American Revolutionary figures. Our members James Vaughn and Spencer Leonard join us to discuss the legacy of the American Revolution and the repercussions of the 1619 project. And Sophia catches up with Rory Hannigan and Clint Montgomery in light of our Summer Reading group on Kautsky’s Marxism. We reflect on Karl Kautsky as a leading figure in Second International Marxism and how it might be important to consider Kautsky today. If you want to learn more about Platypus, and get involved, read the Platypus review or join the American Revolution lectures online, visit us on Facebook under the Platypus Affiliated Society or visit www.platypus1917.org. If you like the podcast, share it, rate it, and write us a review! (1) Trump’s address to the Young Conservatives of America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf8R3LTAarI (2) American Revolution Lecture Series: https://platypus1917.org/2020/06/06/the-legacy-of-the-american-revolutio

This episode of SPS is a new members edition, featuring new members of the Platypus Affiliated Society in the United States, Germany and Denmark. In the first segment, Sophia and Pamela ring up Carson Wright, a new member at the Oregon State University chapter. We chat about Planet of the Humans, a new documentary produced by Michael Moore, which takes a harsh look at green technology and the pitfalls of the environmental left. We reflect on the technocratic impulses of the climate left today and discuss Carson’s recent interview with the environmental activist Derrick Jensen, published in the April issue of the Platypus Review. In the second segment, Sophia and Pamela chat with new members in Platypus chapters around the globe to ask them about their encounters with the Left before Platypus, their experience as new members and their thoughts on hosting the conversation on the left. This segment features Lisa Müller at Leipzig University in Germany; Rana Ürek at Columbia University in New York; Osiris Crutch

On this episode, Pamela and Sophia discuss the anti-quarantine protestors as the newly christened "deplorables" in the lead up to the presidential election, Brad Troemel's fake ad and the Biden campaign. Pamela interviews August Nimtz, Professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. Prof. Nimtz wrote a two volume book on Lenin’s electoral strategy from Marx and Engels through the Revolution of 1905 (vol. 1); & from 1907 to the October Revolution of 1917 (vol. 2). On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, we discuss the electoral area in his political strategy. We talk about the end of the Bernie Sanders campaign and then the legacy of the 1930s Popular Front today. On the second half of the episode, Sophia Freeman sits with to the current president of Platypus, Efraim Carlebach, who takes stock of the decline of the sectarian left, of the small Trotskyist and Maoists groups, and the waning influence of the party turn of the 1970s. They reflect on whether or not the mission of P

Sh!t Platypus Says, special quarantine edition, comes in three parts: (1) Pamela talks to Platypus members about the left’s response to the Corona Virus. She talks to Laurie Rojas, Chris Cutrone & Stefan Hain to figure out just what, David Harvey, Naomi Klein, the Socialist Workers Party, U.S., Spiked online, and Žižek are saying in these times of Corona. (2) A record 3.3 million people filed claims for unemployment in the US last week. We hear from Wentai, our resident financial guru, to learn about how this pandemic is impacting the world economy. (3) In the last segment, Sophia sits down with Philip Cunliffe in London for a post-panel reflection on our "After the Election" panel at the London School of Economics: https://platypus1917.org/2020/01/29/after-the-election-whats-left-lse-29-1-20/ Philip is a political scientist and Senior Lecturer the University of Kent, he is also the founder of the Full Brexit: https://www.thefullbrexit.com/. They discuss the failure of “fully automated luxury communism” and t

Pamela and Sophia discuss the recent episode of The Dig, a podcast from Jacobin magazine, featuring a roundtable discussion on the Bernie 2020 campaign and what a Sanders presidency would mean for the American left, including Jacobin founder Bhaskar Sunkara and assistant editor Alex Press. We play some clips, discuss, and ask some critical questions about the Democratic Socialists of America’s political strategy. On the second segment, we reflect on the first Platypus German Conference in Leipzig (January, 2020). Our members, Jim Kallenberg (Vienna) and two of the Leipzig organizers, Clint Montgomery and Henry Mitko, join us to discuss the crisis of Neoliberalism and the paralysis on the German left. Platypus German Conference Recordings: 01/24 Teach-In: Sexual Liberation by Stefan Hain https://archive.org/details/00downloadssr079ms1 Panel: Democracy and the left https://archive.org/details/demokratieunddielinke Panelists: Stefan Hain: Platypus Member | Prof. Dr. Klaus Dörre: Professor Work-, Industy- and

Pamela and Sophia discuss the recent Warren-Sanders pseudo-controversy, Momentum's response to Labour's (UK) defeat, and the call for a Sanders' presidency by today's left. Members Mike Atkinson and David Mountain talk about building Platypus at the University of Manchester, their impressions of the city's left and their upcoming teach-in, "What the Bloody Hell is 'The Dialectic'?" Finally, we have a quick check-in with Erin Hagood, the editor-in-chief of the Platypus Review, who tells us about the articles in the latest issue, #122, and the upcoming line-up for the February issue. To learn more about Platypus in Manchester, drop by a reading group meeting on Wednesdays, from 6-8pm, at Samuel Alexander A213, University of Manchester M13 9PP, or coffee breaks at Biko's Cafe in the Student Union, on Thursdays from 3pm to 4pm. To attend the upcoming teach-in, on Thursday (01/30) at 5pm, see: https://www.facebook.com/events/484620452239409/ Send article submissions and inquiries about the Platypus Review to edi

On this episode of SPS, we discuss HBO's Euphoria, what it says about the emerging "Zoomer" culture, and whether Gen Z's cynicism should be taken for granted. Sophia Freeman interviews Peter Tatchell, a human rights advocate and veteran activist of the LGBTQ movement. They discuss his experience on the left and his thoughts on Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party. On the second half of the episode, Pamela Nogales is joined by London Platypus members, Efraim C., Rory H., Dominic J. and fellow traveler, Rebekah P., at the London School of Economics. They discuss the latest on Brexit & the upcoming election, as well as what it means to vote Labour today. The Platypus International Convention is on April 3-5 in Chicago. The theme is "Socialism in the 21st Century". We welcome ideas for panels! Send us your pitch to shitplatypussays@gmail.com. You can find audio/video record of past conventions on the Platypus website, www.platypus1917.org. As always send us your questions & criticism, and if you are into the podcast, s

On this episode, we talk about Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the undigested legacy of the late sixties among millennials. We take up the recent corruption scandal plaguing the United Auto Workers (UAW) with Platypus member, Nick Kreitman, a personal injury, employment and labor attorney practicing in Chicago, Illinois. Nick gives us an update on the state of American unions and what leftists think is possible under Bernie Sanders. In the second segment, Sophia interviews Hillel Ticktin, a South African expat living in London who spoke on the fall of the Soviet Union at the CPGB’s summer Communist University. They discuss the counterrevolution left by Stalinists in Power, the atomization of the working class in the USSR and the legacy of 1989. As always feel free to send your questions, comments and criticism to shitplatypussays@gmail.com. And if you like the podcast, share it and leave us a review. Links; Rory Hannigan, Platypus Review 119, September 2019 https://platypus1917.org

On this episode, Sophia Freeman and Pamela C. are joined by Allison Hewitt-Ward, a New York Platypus member and art critic. They discuss the recent crack-up at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the relationship between art and political protest. In the second segment, Sophia and Pam interview Goldsmiths University’s graduating Masters art students, Alexander Pierce, Lydia Blakeley, Fred Bungay, Paula Pinho Martins Nacif and Sara Rodrigues, about the relationship between art and freedom and if the censorship of art is ever justified. Feedback, criticism, and questions are always welcome. Drop us an e-mail at shitplatypussays@gmail.com. Links: “Art and the Commodity Form”, a Platypus panel at Goldsmiths, University of London (October 11, 2016). The panel brought together Rex Dunn, independent Marxist and writer; Zhoe Granger, a director of the gallery, project space, and art publisher, Arcadia Missa; and Peter Osborne, editor of the journal Radical Philosophy and professor of Modern European Philosop