Better Off Red
46 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 306 ratingsHaven’t you heard? People are feeling socialism these days--almost as much as they’re feeling the crushing anxiety of mounting debt, climate catastrophe and the rising tide of bigotry and racism. But what exactly does socialism mean today? Jen Roesch and Danny Katch talk politics and protest with a range of guests to uncover the path to a better world from the wreckage of this dung heap. If the daily struggle with capitalism has you teetering on the edge of existential despair, then this is your indispensable dose of socialist wisdom and hope.
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Episodes
45: Women in tech talk organizing
March 06, 2019 18:34 - 51 minutes - 59.1 MBIn this episode, Kristen and Zakiya join us to talk about recent developments in technology worker organizing. From walkouts at Google over sexual harassment to demands that companies like Microsoft cancel their contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tech workers are using their power to expose the abuses of that industry. Kristen and Zakiya talk to us about some of that organizing. We talk about the role of racism and sexism and their experience of both in the industry an...
44: Here comes Bernie, Joseph Graves Jr. on the scientific fiction of race
February 28, 2019 16:57 - 1 hour - 88.8 MBWe’re joined this week by Joseph Graves Jr., a genetics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and author of The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium and The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America. Dr. Graves takes us through the science that proves the myth of biological notions of racial difference, and the political, economic and cultural reasons why these myths endure in our society, not only among ignorant white supremacists ...
43: Wyomia Tyus takes no prisoners; socialism is coming to the USA
February 22, 2019 16:19 - 1 hour - 93.5 MBIn this episode, we talk to three-time gold medalist Wyomia Tyus about her memoir Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story. We are also joined by her co-author Elizabeth Terzakis. In our intro, we discuss Trump’s State of the Union address, why he finds socialism so threatening and what we can do to make his worst nightmares come true. In 1968, Wyomia Tyus became the first athlete -- man or woman -- to win gold medals in 100-meter events at consecutive Olympics, a record that stood for two decades....
42: Tacos 4 Teachers; Indigenous People’s March; Anand Gopal on troop withdrawals
February 06, 2019 16:56 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBIn this episode, Eric talks to Anand Gopal about what’s behind the Trump administration’s plans — which have since been partially walked back — to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Anand explains how Trump’s “America First” priorities in the Middle East and Central Asia are in reality part of a longer process of extricating the U.S. from the disaster of its post-9/11 adventures under George W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have just as little regard for the people of the region. Anan...
41: LA Teachers’ Strike; Helen Scott on Rosa Luxemburg’s Legacy
January 24, 2019 21:31 - 1 hour - 95.5 MBIn this episode, we talk to Helen Scott about the life and legacy of Rosa Luxemburg on the 100th anniversary of Luxemburg’s murder. We discuss her most essential works, The Mass Strike and Reform or Revolution, and talk about the historical context of Luxemburg’s political ideas as well as their relevance for today’s new socialist left. In our opening segment, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom. This episode was recorded prior to the enormous victory won by the teachers, b...
40: LA Teachers; Women’s March; Holly Lewis on The Politics of Everybody
January 16, 2019 17:57 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBIn this episode, we talk to Holly Lewis about her book the The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody). We talk about what Holly means when she argues that “the politics of the fragment should be replaced by an inclusive politics of everybody.” In our interview, we explore some of the debates and discussions around homonormativity, how to build a trans-inclusive feminism, and queer theory. We revisit social reproduction the...
39: Yellow Vests; The Red Nation’s Melanie Yazzie & Nick Estes
December 20, 2018 16:15 - 1 hour - 84.7 MBGreat show this week! We talk with Melanie Yazzie and Nick Estes of The Red Nation, an important new revolutionary organization fighting for Indigenous liberation. Melanie is a Diné scholar and activist who is the 2018-2019 Chair of the Central Governing Council for The Red Nation. She’s also a co-author with Nick of a forthcoming book about border town violence and Indigenous resistance and next year will join the faculty at the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor of Native ...
38: Socialists in Congress; David Renton on Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League
December 10, 2018 21:58 - 1 hour - 92 MBThis week we talk to British socialist David Renton about the history of Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League. RaR and the ANL were a cultural and protest movement against the rise of the National Front in Britain in the 1970’s. Renton contends that these movements played a decisive role in preventing the rise of fascism in Britain, while similar movements took root in France. David Renton is a British historian and activist, a member of the socialist group RS21 and author of the bo...
37: The migrant and refugee caravan needs our solidarity now
December 05, 2018 10:47 - 1 hour - 103 MBWe have an especially powerful episode this week about the increasingly desperate situation facing the migrant and refugee caravan that is now spread all the way from Mexico City to Tijuana. First, we’re joined by three activists who have been building solidarity on both sides of the border. FERMIN VALLE is a queer Mexican-American activist and a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) in Western Massachusetts who recently traveled to Mexico City and met with members of the...
36: Sean Larson on history’s lost revolution; the return of anti-Semitism
November 27, 2018 15:59 - 1 hour - 83 MBThis month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the German Revolution. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, most people haven’t, even though the revolution—or rather its failure—is arguably one of the most significant events of the 20th century, with consequences ranging from the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany to the triumph of Stalinism over the Russian Revolution. But there’s more to learn about the German Revolution beyond the fact of its ultimate failure. It’s also the closest socia...
35: Sumaya A. on the fight for socialism; Thanksgiving thoughts
November 20, 2018 18:07 - 57 minutes - 79.1 MBWe’re taking a partial break this week for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean we’re leaving you hanging. Sumaya A., who joined us in Episode 8 to discuss anti-imperialism and Palestine, gave a brilliant speech at the closing plenary of last week’s Marxism conference in New York City. So we’re sharing it with you to help recharge your batteries over the holiday weekend. And for our opener, Eric joined Jen and Danny to talk about the swirl of personal and political questions that Thanksgivin...
34: Lance Selfa, the midterms and the meaning of life
November 12, 2018 20:36 - 1 hour - 73.1 MBLance Selfa comes on the pod this week to discuss what midterms tell us about the state of U.S. politics. In addition to being an associate editor of the International Socialist Review and a frequent contributor to Socialist Worker, Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History, published by Haymarket Books. Before our conversation with Lance, Eric joins Jen and Danny to respond to a listener’s question about whether socialism can be compatible with religion. We cover lots of gro...
33: Solidarity with the caravan; Leandros Fischer on Die Linke’s strategy
November 06, 2018 16:32 - 1 hour - 88.2 MB33: Solidarity with the caravan; Leandros Fischer on Die Linke’s strategy This week, we talk to Leandros Fischer of Germany’s Die Linke (The Left Party). In the wake of a wave of refugee migration in 2015, the far right in Germany has made terrifying advances. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained seats in the German Parliament and openly fascist forces have rallied in the streets of Chemnitz. But in the last month we also saw a spectacular demonstration of anti-fascist forces a quart...
32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil
October 30, 2018 04:15 - 1 hour - 94.2 MB32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil In this week’s episode, we discuss Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro with Brazilian socialist Aldo Cordeiro Sauda and U.S.-based socialist Todd Chretien. This weekend, in a terrifying development in international politics, Brazil’s neo-fascist Bolsonaro won the presidential elections. Since that time, the military has paraded openly through the streets, raided universities and raised the prospect of attacks on Bra...
31: Building fighting unions at UPS and Delta
October 24, 2018 19:29 - 1 hour - 78.3 MBThe U.S. labor movement is in an interesting place. The strikes of first teachers and now hotel workers are showing the depths of anger among workers about years of disrespect and stagnant wages—and a capacity for self-organization and solidarity that hasn’t been seen for decades in many unions. At same time, the number of workers in unions remains low, the laws and most elected officials are hostile to labor, and too many union leaders have been slow to take up this new fighting spirit. This...
30: Todd St. Hill and Jesse Hagopian on fighting for Black lives in Chicago and beyond
October 17, 2018 18:31 - 1 hour - 88.1 MBThis week we discuss the conviction of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke for the murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald—the first conviction of a Chicago cop for an on-duty shooting in 50 years. Our two guests are Todd St. Hill, a socialist and anti-racist organizer in Chicago who talks to us about the years of work that laid the basis for this historic conviction, and Seattle public school teacher and activist Jesse Hagopian, who talks about victims of Seattle’s racist police such as Char...
29: #MeToo with Emily Comer, Jen Roesch, Sherry Wolf and Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
October 08, 2018 17:24 - 1 hour - 91 MB29: #MeToo with Emily Comer, Jen Roesch, Sherry Wolf and Elizabeth Wrigley-Field This week is all about #MeToo and the tremendous struggle against Kavanaugh. We recorded before the confirmation. We knew that regardless of the outcome, this was a watershed moment for the struggle against sexual violence and all of the deeper questions it raises about the status of women in society. This episode is our attempt to capture the dynamics of this turning point in real time, while also allowing seve...
28: Hadas Thier explains how capitalism doesn’t work
October 03, 2018 14:18 - 1 hour - 66 MBIn the opener to episode 26 we discussed the political impact of the Great Recession and promised to soon have a guest to help explain the economic side of the story. We take our promises very seriously, so this week we bring in Hadas Thier, a regular contributor to the International Socialist Review and the author of the forthcoming book A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics. Hadas breaks down the events that led 10 years ago to the global economic crisis, ...
27: #MeToo vs Kavanaugh; Ashley Dawson on Climate Change and Capitalism
September 26, 2018 17:44 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBThis week we talk to Ashley Dawson about capitalism and climate change. In our intro, we talk about the unfolding and cascading allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — and what this says about the power of #MeToo. Ashley Dawson is a professor at the City University of New York and the author of many books, including Extinction: A Radical History and most recently Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change. He is working on a new book ...
26: The Great Recession’s legacy; Daphna Thier on Israel’s working class
September 18, 2018 20:24 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBThis week we speak to Daphna Thier on the theme of “What’s the matter with the Israeli working class?” That’s the provocative title of Daphna’s new article in the International Socialist Review, and she talks to us about how Israel’s Zionist history and present have prevented the development of any current among its non-Palestinian workers that challenges the country’s racist undemocratic order. Daphna is a Brooklyn-based socialist who grew up in Jerusalem, and she talks about the work of...
25: Attack on Jeremy Corbyn; Justin Akers Chacón on Radicals in the Barrio
September 11, 2018 07:19 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBThis week we bring out a bonus conversation with author and immigrant justice activist Justin Akers Chacón (who talked with us about border politics in episode 18) about his new book Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class, published by Haymarket Books. Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism an...
24: Capitalism’s Climate Catastrophe; Marx and Colonialism with Pranav Jani
August 27, 2018 17:53 - 1 hour - 103 MBIn a wide-ranging conversation, we talk to Pranav Jani about Marxism and colonialism. Pranav is an associate professor of English at Ohio State University and a long-time activist and organizer with the International Socialist Organization (ISO). Pranav describes his evolution from an apolitical college student to his first encounters with the writings of Marx on India—and how he went beyond a few selected excerpts to a deeper engagement with Marx’s thought and its evolution. We also talk abo...
23: We love nurses; we hate fascists
August 21, 2018 19:23 - 1 hour - 105 MBThis week we interview two badass nurses who are on the cutting edge of one of the most dynamic sectors of the labor movement. Tristin Adie is a nurse practitioner at University of Vermont Medical Center and one of the rank and file leaders of a recent two day strike by members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. Elizabeth Lalasz is a nurse at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and a member of National Nurses United who helped organize the #RedforMed solidarity campaign...
22: Kevin Cooper Live From Death Row
August 14, 2018 20:24 - 1 hour - 61.5 MB22: Kevin Cooper Live From Death Row This week we interview Kevin Cooper, who has lived for more than three decades on death row in San Quentin prison for a quadruple homicide, despite clear evidence that he was framed by the San Bernadino Country Sherriff’s Department. Kevin talks to us about his long fight for freedom--including the darkest moments on February 9, 2004, when he came within four hours of being murdered by the state of California. He was saved that night by a last-minute ...
21: Tariffs and racism: Héctor Rivera on AMLO’s Mexico
August 07, 2018 15:54 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBJen is off this week so our producer Eric Ruder joins Danny to speak with Héctor Rivera about the momentous election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO) as the new president of Mexico. Héctor is a California-based socialist who writes for Socialist Worker about protests and politics inside Mexico, and this election gave us a lot to talk about. Not only did AMLO’s MORENA party destroy the country’s three main parties en route to winning power at the federal and local level, but his ...
20: Stop the far right; Danny Katch on American (un)democracy
July 30, 2018 15:16 - 1 hour - 91.8 MBThis week we turn the tables on one of our co-hosts and interview Danny about his latest book, Why Bad Governments Happen to Good People, published by Haymarket Books. Danny talks about how Trump’s election shows the way U.S. democracy tilts rightward, blocking the moderate social democratic platform of Bernie Sanders while allowing an erratic racist who flirts with fascists to assume the most world’s most powerful position. From there we get into the larger contradictions of democracy and ...
19: SCOTUS vs Roe; Sharon Smith on intersectionality
July 23, 2018 20:12 - 1 hour - 72.5 MB19: SCOTUS vs Roe; Sharon Smith on intersectionality This week, Sharon Smith joins us to talk about a Marxist approach to intersectionality, why socialists should embrace the concept, and what Marxism has to offer activists who want to fight all forms of oppression and exploitation. Sharon is the author of Women and Socialism: Class, Race and Capital (http://bit.ly/WomenandSocialism) and Subterranean Fire: A History of Working Class Radicalism in the United States (http://bit.ly/Subterannea...
18: Justin Akers Chacón on the violence of borders
July 16, 2018 15:55 - 1 hour - 61.5 MB18: Justin Akers Chacón on the violence of borders With Jen out of town, Episode 3 guest Lupita Romero steps in to join Danny in a conversation with Justin Akers Chacón, a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies, and author of two new books: Radicals in the Barrio, about the history of Mexican and Mexican American working class revolutionaries; and an updated version of No One is Illegal, Justin’s important 2006 book with Mike Davis about fighting oppression in the Amer...
17: Ocasio-Cortez victory; Alex Vitale on the end of policing
July 03, 2018 04:01 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBIn our intro, we talk about DSA member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ stunning defeat of Democratic incumbent and party boss Joseph Crowley in the June 26 NY primaries. We discuss how Cortez’ victory shows the desire for an alternative to the establishment Democrats as well as a tide of enthusiasm for socialism. We also talk about the challenges she’ll face as a socialist trying to navigate the shark-infested waters of the Democratic Party. We touch on some of the debates amongst socialists about ...
16: Sherry Wolf on LGBT politics from ACT UP to Trump
June 25, 2018 16:54 - 1 hour - 82.9 MB16: Sherry Wolf on LGBT politics from ACT UP to Trump We celebrate Pride month by sitting down with Sherry Wolf, organizer of the 2009 National Equality March and author of Sexuality and Socialism: Politics and Theory of LGBT Liberation, to discuss the long strange journey for queer liberation. In the opener, we talk about the sudden emergence of national protests against the horrors of migrant family separation. Sherry started our conversation talking about the contradictions of queer l...
15: The Trump nightmare; Fighting the right with Mukund Rathi
June 18, 2018 03:53 - 1 hour - 108 MBAfter Trump’s election, Berkeley became the epicenter of far-right organizing and resistance to it. Mukund talks to us about that experience, the strategic debates and lessons learned. In our intro, we talk about why we can’t succumb to helplessness in the face of the Trump nightmare - and some ideas about how we build an alternative. Mukund Rathi is a law student at UC Berkeley and an active socialist in the Bay Area. He has written for Socialist Worker, In These Times and the Daily Califor...
14: Naomi Klein on the battle for Puerto Rico and life under Trump
June 12, 2018 04:01 - 1 hour - 82.3 MBThe author of The Shock Doctrine, No is Not Enough, and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate sits down with us to discuss her new book The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists (http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise). Naomi talks about Wall Street investors’ view of post-hurricane Puerto Rico as a potential “blank canvas” to host their various schemes, and puts this in the context of a long colonial history of U.S. attempts to depopulate the island—includ...
13: Trump’s Border Terror; Abortion Without Apology with Megan Dey Lessard and Michelle Farber
June 05, 2018 01:33 - 1 hour - 89.7 MBWe talk to abortion rights activists Megan Dey Lessard of NYC for Abortion Rights and Michelle Farber of Seattle Clinic Defense about the fight to defend the clinics - and for abortion without apology. In our intro, we discuss the latest stage in the war on immigrants - Trump’s new “zero tolerance” policy that is separating children from their parents at the border. Our co-producer, Maria Silvestri, joined Jen for our interview with Megan and Michelle. Michelle and Megan countered many of th...
12: Save Kevin Cooper; Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Syria with Anand Gopal and Yasser Munif
May 28, 2018 05:06 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBWe talk to Anand Gopal and Yasser Munif about the revolution and counter-revolution in Syria. Anand has travelled to Syria multiple times as an unembedded journalist starting in 2011 and returning from his most recent visit in May. This gives him an almost unparalleled ability to untangle the lies and hypocrisy of both Assad’s regime and the US. Yasser is a Syrian-American activist who was in Syria at the beginning of the revolution and is studying the Arab revolutions. He is writing a book a...
11: Trump To Iran: "This Is America"
May 21, 2018 04:01 - 1 hour - 83.4 MB11: Trump to Iran: “This is America,” with Frieda Afary and Ashley Smith Donald Trump has ended the Iran nuclear deal. Our guests explain both the method and the madness behind the decision, which has already emboldened U.S. allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia to step up their repression in Palestine and Yemen. We also discuss the view from Iran, where there have been major protests in recent months for both workers’ and women’s rights. This interview is a continuation of our ongoing discu...
10: Sarah Jaffe, #MeToo, Gender, and the Working Class
May 14, 2018 12:05 - 1 hour - 96.8 MBThis week we talked to socialist journalist Sarah Jaffe about the U.S. working class—real and perceived. Sarah is the author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt (http://bit.ly/Jaffebook) and the co-host of the Belabored Podcast (http://bit.ly/BelaboredPod). She’s a regular contributor to The New Republic, The Nation and many other progressive publications and her work is increasingly in shmancy places like the New York Times. She’s a hardworking uncompromising radical who’s paid her due...
09: Happy B'day, Karl Marx; The New Scramble for Africa with Lee Wengraf
May 07, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 62 MB*Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts (bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes) and share with friends. If you like Better Off Red, consider donating on Patreon. (bit.ly/PatreonRedPod)* This week we talk to Lee Wengraf about her book, Extracting Profit: Imperialism, Neoliberalism and the New Scramble for Africa (bit.ly/ExtractingProfit). Lee’s book challenges the prevailing myths that shape how most people understand the persistence of war and poverty in Africa. These come not only in outright racist forms,...
08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya Awad
April 30, 2018 03:27 - 1 hour - 95.2 MB08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya Awad In this week’s episode, we speak with Sumaya Awad, a Palestinian activist who has been active in Students for Justice and Palestine and co-founded a project to counter the Canary Mission, an odious blacklist of campus Palestine solidarity activists. Sumaya talked to us about the incredible bravery currently taking place at the Gaza-Israel border, where thousands are enduring violent and often sadistic Israeli repression...
07: Trump’s Lies and Dominique Morisseau’s Truths about Race and Class
April 23, 2018 04:59 - 1 hour - 69.2 MB07: Trump’s Lies and Dominique Morisseau’s Truths about Race and Class ***Please subscribe to us on iTunes (bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes) and leave us a rating and review. It helps us reach a wider audience with these ideas. Also, we have just launched a Patreon account. Please check it out and consider making a small financial contribution. Thank you.*** In this week’s episode, we talk to award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau. She is the author of a three-play cycle about Detroit. One ...
06: Cops are bad for mental health, Paul Heideman on Class Struggle and the Color Line
April 16, 2018 04:03 - 1 hour - 93.4 MB06: Cops are bad for mental health, Paul Heideman on Class Struggle and the Color Line In this week’s episode we talk to activist and author Paul Heideman about his new book, Class Struggle and the Color Line: American Socialism and the Race Question, 1900-1930. Most histories of the left claim that Communist Party members in the 1930s were the first U.S. socialists to prioritize the fight against racism, but Heideman’s collection of writings from a range of American radicals tells a differ...
05: Teachers’ Rebellion-Strike Wave Edition
April 09, 2018 18:30 - 54 minutes - 75.2 MB05: Teachers’ Rebellion-Strike Wave Edition ***Please subscribe to us on iTunes (bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes) and leave us a rating and review. It helps us reach a wider audience with these ideas.*** “West Virginia first, Oklahoma next”. That’s what teachers started chanting when they won their strike in West Virginia. And now the teachers’ rebellion really has spread like a wildfire, with the Oklahoma teachers’ strike entering its second week and teachers talking action in Kentucky and Arizo...
04: Undocumented and Unafraid with Lupita Romero
April 05, 2018 09:00 - 49 minutes - 68 MB04: Undocumented and Unafraid with Lupita Romero In this bonus episode, we talk to immigrant rights activist Lupita Romero about her experiences growing up as an undocumented immigrant and as a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Lupita describes the tension that many DREAMers feel between fighting to preserve DACA and rejecting the narrative that they are somehow uniquely “good” immigrants who alone deserve protection and equality. Lupita is a sociali...
03 Dave Zirin On Justice For Michael Bennett
April 02, 2018 04:38 - 1 hour - 95.3 MB03: Sportswriter Dave Zirin on justice for Michael Bennett We talk to The Nation’s sports editor, Dave Zirin, about NFL player Michael Bennett’s new book Things That Make White People Uncomfortable and the outrageous and false charges made against him by the Houston police department. Dave talks about why the case “stinks to high heaven” and Bennett’s long history of standing for social justice. But first, Jen and Danny, with their producer Eric Ruder, talk about Trump’s new cabinet of zombie...
02: Brian Jones on the epic class(room) struggle / Bonus episode!
March 27, 2018 04:41 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MBIn this bonus episode, we talk to Brian Jones about how public schools have historically been a place where ruling-class goals of instilling conformity have clashed with working-class goals of securing a better future, and how those conflicts are playing out today from the walkouts against gun violence to the protests to stop school closures and opt out of high-stakes standardized tests. Brian Jones is an educator and activist in New York City and a scholar in residence at the Schomburg Cen...
01: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: Gun Violence, Black Lives Matter and Striking Teachers
March 27, 2018 01:24 - 1 hour - 83.2 MBResources and links mentioned in this episode: We start this episode with a clip from Edna Chavez at the March for Our Lives, but the whole video is a must watch. Danny talks about “Taking on Gun Fundamentalism” [https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/27/how-do-socialists-take-on-gun-fundamentalism] in Socialist Worker, while Chicago activists Alex Vega-Byrnes and Todd St Hill talk about how Chicago high school students are Making the connections to stop gun violence. We quoted LA teacher, G...
00: Welcome to Better off Red
March 20, 2018 04:42 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MBHaven’t you heard? People are feeling socialism these days--almost as much as they’re feeling the crushing anxiety of mounting debt, climate catastrophe and the rising tide of bigotry and racism. But what exactly does socialism mean today? Jen Roesch and Danny Katch talk politics and protest with a range of guests to uncover the path to a better world from the wreckage of this dung heap. If the daily struggle with capitalism has you teetering on the edge of existential despair, then this is ...