RevolutionZ

Ep 278 The Devil In No Longer In Disguise

April 21, 2024 18:00 - 28 minutes - 19.3 MB

Episode 278 of RevolutionZ takes the character of and support for MAGA fascism, Mideast genocide, and earth-wide ecological suicide as focus, but spends little time on their cause, texture, or impacts. Rather, we consider why and how there is any support for the first two and massive obliviousness to the third. What is going on in various constituencies to produce much less sustain such alignments? I want to know, and I assume you want to know. Indeed, unless we know, how can we effectively...

EP 277 What Is Growth and A Birthday Message

April 14, 2024 20:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB

Episode 277 of RevolutionZ examines the concept economic growth from a few angles to hopefully provide some insights for further thought--and then spins off into a very tenuously related personal birthday greeting about staying young offered on my 77th birthday. Support the show

Ep 276 Left or Not Left, Who Decides With What Reasons

April 07, 2024 12:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MB

Episode 276 of RevolutionZ takes up the issue of who is, and who isn't part of the left, including splits and divisions from the 60s to now, addressing motives and demarcation lines, and finally possible alternative approaches to the whole issue that might be more unifying than what now occurs. Support the show

Ep 275 Class Differences and Degrowth with Emma River-Roberts

March 31, 2024 18:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MB

Episode 275 has as guest Emma River-Roberts to discuss class structure, habits, hierarchy, and possibilities inside the Degrowth movement and really pretty much all movements on the left. Why are working class people largely absent in ecological organizations and when present what do they encounter? For that matter why is discussion of such class issues largely absent and when present largely defensive and tortured. And, of course, what is to be done? Support the show

Ep 274 - Gaza Facts and Rationalizations with Arundhati Roy and Orly Noy

March 24, 2024 15:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

Episode 274 of RevolutionZ offers and comments on a searing critique of the champions of democracy and human rights from Arundhati Roy, plus a disturbing but compelling view of pro-war sentiments of various prior supporters of Palestine within Israel. Why do some progressives rally behind Israel's war machine? Support the show

Ep 274 Degrowth Has A Class Problem With Emma River-Roberts

March 17, 2024 14:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MB

Episode 273 of RevolutionZ addresses Class (The PMC or as I call it, the Coordinator Class) and left organizing in the Degrowth movement. The episode is built around an essay by Emma River-Roberts, a Degrowth activist, working class organizer, and founder of The Working Class Climate Alliance, which is an affiliate of the Post Growth Institute. The article is on ZNet and I offer it here and also some comments on it because I believe the article has bearing not only on Degrowth organizing, b...

Ep 272 Relaying Rebecca Solnit Assessing The Two Lefts

March 10, 2024 13:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB

Episode 272 of RevolutionZ presents and comments on a recent Rebecca Solnit essay about two strands of left thought and activism, a bit through history and a bit today. In the song, Which Side Are You On, is it right and left, or is it right and left and other left, where the latter two are far from a single thing? Support the show

Ep 271 Evangelical Voting, Magical Thinking, and Evidentiary Reasoning - Organizing or Even Just Conversing in Difficult Times

March 03, 2024 15:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MB

Episode 271 of the Podcast RevolutionZ looks at Evangelical Voting, Magical Thinking, and Evidentiary Reasoning - Organizing or Even Just Conversing in Difficult Times. Why do people believe what they do? Supporting Trump, abetting Israel, ignoring climate calamity or even being left in very contradictory ways. How can words change minds? Support the show

Ep 270 Niclas Widmark joins Michael and Alexandria on For The Love of Activism

February 25, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour - 49.7 MB

Episode 270 of RevolutionZ discusses a new attempt to link fund raising, dating, and social activism va- an unusual and ambitious web system and app called Singles Project. Why try this? How try this? What will emerge from trying this? Nikla Widmark, from Sweden and Alexandria and Michael consider these innovative matters and more. Support the show

Ep 269 - The Concept Privilege: Barrier or Bridge for Social Justice?

February 18, 2024 15:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MB

Episode 269 of RevolutionZ considers the concept and practice of privilege as in, for example, white privilege, male privilege, and class privilege. Is to uncover, call out, and renounce privilege, a powerful tool for overcoming racism, sexism, and classism, or does this approach instead have unintended consequences that interfere with its own aims? In offering a controversial exploration of a widespread activist approach am I defending my own white, male, class privilege? Or am I trying to...

Ep 268 Election 2024 Engage or Not, Vote or Not...

February 11, 2024 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MB

Episode 268 of RevolutionZ addresses the upcoming U.S presidential election. Will there even be one? If there is, who will be candidates? Should a revolutionary, a radical, a progressive, or a typical citizen vote, get out the vote, watch Netflix, block a bridge, hibernate? All the above? None of the above? Is there even a way to sensibly think about such choices? Hate fascist Trump? Hate Genocide Joe? Okay, then what? Support the show

Ep 267 Time Has Come Today - Become Revolutionary

February 04, 2024 16:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MB

Episode 267 of RevolutionZ is, what? Part primal scream. Part an argument for going all in. The title is from The Chambers Brothers. The sentiment is channelled, I hope, from tomorrow to today. The words are equal parts rage, hope, and plain truth. Support the show

Ep 266 - Mazin Qumsiyeh on Gaza, Israel, The U.S. and More

January 28, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 41.9 MB

Mazin Qumsiyeh returns to RevolutionZ to further explore the causes, the toll, the consequences, and the lessons of Israel's barbaric assault on Palestinians, including genocidal acts intended, broadcast live, celebrated, and made possible by U.S., UK, and Gerrman support though particularly by the complicit U.S. including the vile role of AIPAC -- but also to marvel at Palestinian resistance and the unprecedentedly fast and passionate U.S. public and particularly youthful pro-Palestinian ...

Ep 265 Marxism Revisited, Beacon or Burden

January 21, 2024 14:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MB

Episode 265 of RevolutionZ discusses the wisdom or lack thereof of taking the Marxist Tradition as our guide to contemporary activism. Can we have an accessible conversation about these very controversial matters? Support the show

Ep 264 Ruminations On Communications with Alexandria Shaner

January 14, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour - 50.2 MB

Episode 264 of RevolutionZ with frequent guest Alexandria Shaner discusses the role of and especially methods for effective communication for social change. What is at stake? What works well and what doesn't when organizing, especially when there are serious divisions? Support the show

Ep 263: Degrowth (and More) 4 Liberation: Shared Strategy

January 07, 2024 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MB

Ep 263 of RevolutionZ titled Degrowth (and More) 4 Liberation Shared Strategy, continues on from last episode, this time making a case for the relevance of the 20 Theses for Liberation to moving toward a movement of mutually supportive movements by describing the compatibility of its strategic theses with Degrowth activism. This episode also welcomes observations, comments, dissent, support and elaborations from listeners that can be pursued with myself and with each other via ZNetwork's com...

Ep 262 DeGrowth and Building A Movement of Movements

December 31, 2023 04:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MB

Ep 262 of RevolutionZ argues the the potential of the 20 Theses for Liberation project to inspire and sustain a movement of movements by examining its relevance for Degrowth and vice versa as a generalizable case study. Support the show

Ep 261 Israel Palestine and Diverse Reactions, Both Pro Palestinian and Zionist….

December 24, 2023 15:00 - 1 hour - 47.2 MB

Episode 261 of RevolutionZ Is another in the Ruminations Sequence co-hosted by Alexandria Shaner. We discuss the Israeli invasion and diverse reactions to it, including demonstrations, civil disobedience, and the new Zionist driven Mcarthyism and good and not so good responses to it. Support the show

Ep 260 Strategy for Change and Winning a New Society

December 16, 2023 13:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MB

Episode 260 of RevolutionZ Considers strategy for winning a new economy and society. A bunch of recent episodes have again addressed what do we want. This one talks about how we win it. It mainly addresses issues of reform, reformism, and revolution, issues of building worthy and viable campaigns and projects, and of moving from sporadic dissent that dissipates to sustained commitment that wins, from mobilizing intermittently to organizing persistently by overcoming obstacles to the latte...

Ep 259 Ellen David Friedman on Labor Organizing

December 10, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 50.3 MB

Episode 259 of RevolutionZ discusses with Ellen David Friedman from the board of Labor Notes and based on her decades of labor organizing the current surge and prospects of U.S. labor organizing. How can unions best navigate the complexities of race, gender, class, and climate struggles for change.. How can organizers generate long-term commitment and avoid distractions from and obstacles to a relentless struggle for dignity, efficacy, and control within workplaces and throughout soci...

Ep 258 Parecon and the Rest of Society, Agreements and Disagreements

December 03, 2023 15:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MB

Episode 258 of RevolutionZ continues the multi-episode discussions of economic vision this time considering relations between participatory economics and vision for other key areas of life including polity, kinship, culture, ecology, and artistic endeavors and including disagreements about wages for housework, issues of ecological necessity, art as work or work as art, and more. Support the show

Ep 257 Mazin Qumsiyeh On the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

November 26, 2023 15:00 - 1 hour - 44.7 MB

Episode 257 of RevolutionZ addresses the unfolding conflict in Gaza and beyond to the West Bank, the roles of Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. including not only the civilian and social impact and choices, but also the mindset and motives of different constituencies and actors as well as the role of writers/speakers and protestors about these matters, including ourselves. Support the show

Ep. 256 What Is Solidarity Economy with Guest Emily Kawano

November 19, 2023 12:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MB

Episode 256 of RevolutionZ features Emily Kawano from Solidarity Economy to discuss Solidarity economy's origins, range, and definition including its guiding values and its approach to ownership, equity, markets, and pluralism, all in pursuit of post capitalist practice in the present. Support the show

Ep 255 The Media, Culture, and Changing Terrain of Resistance with Cayden Mak

November 12, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour - 48.4 MB

Episode 255 of RevolutionZ has as guest Cayden Mak, the publisher of Convergence Magazine. It addresses media aims, Convergence's concepts of a multiracial democracy and a radically democratic economy, intersectionality, obstacles to left unity, left culture, right wing dangers, and more. Support the show

Ep 254 Movement Culture, Union Strategy, novels, and mindsets with Bill Fletcher Jr

November 05, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour - 46.8 MB

Episode 254 of RevolutionZ is a deep dive conversation about history, fiction and non fiction, the internet, tv, movement culture, winning and losing attitudes, labor strategy, and much more with Bill Fletcher Jr. Support the show

Ep 253 Who Likes Participatory Planning Pt. 3 Final Complexities

October 29, 2023 15:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MB

Episode 253 is our third and last in a sequence addressing allocation after markets. With the basics of participatory planning in hand, we consider how to deal with collective goods, externalities, allotting income, and undertaking investments. Support the show

Ep 252 Stephen Shalom on Palestine/Israel context, motives, and prospects

October 22, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour - 48.9 MB

Episode 252 of RevoutionZ has as guest Stephen Shalom to assess the current unfolding crisis in Palestine including the history, current context, recent and on-going events, possible motives, and possible prospects for all parties involved including the U.S. Support the show

Ep 251 The UAW Strike's Enormous Potentials with Guest, Jeremy Brecher

October 15, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MB

Episode 251 of RevolutionZ discusses with Jeremy Brecher how the United Auto Workers strike could significantly shift the balance of power and inspire a new wave of labor activism. Brecher, a renowned writer, historian, and activist, provides in-depth insights on the UAW's demands for 40 percent wage increase, improved working conditions, and the eradication of wage tiers to help us understand not just the strike's impact on the auto industry NS Labor more broadly, but t also its implicati...

Ep 250 Who Likes Participatory Planning Part 2

October 08, 2023 15:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MB

Episode 250 of RevolutionZ is the second of what will be three episodes presenting participatory planning as a proposed replacement for markets and central planning for allocation in a new economy. Ep 250 continues describing participatory planning's features as earlier described in the book No Bosses, as well as offering spontaneous critical or hopefully helpful side comments on the material two years after I wrote it. The material is demanding but to say we want a new economy beyond capita...

Ep 249 Who Likes Participatory Planning Part 1

October 01, 2023 14:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MB

Episode 249 of the podcast titled RevolutionZ is the first of three that will together present and comment on Participatory Planning. Most of the content is from two years ago, the book No Bosses, which presents participatory economics. But interspersed throughout these episodes are also clarifying and critical comments I make, now, as I revisit the content. Three episodes on one component of a post capitalist economic vision? Well, allocation beyond markets and central planning is not sim...

Ep 248 Who Likes Markets Or Central Planning

September 24, 2023 15:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MB

Episode 248 of RevolutionZ critiques markets and central planning as unfit for a desirable new economy. Support the show

Ep 247 - Oliver Anthony, the Right, and the Left

September 17, 2023 13:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MB

Episode 247 of RevolutionZ controversially consider's Oliver Anthony's song, Rich Men North of Richmond, and especially responses to it. "Time will tell who has fell and whose been left behind." Support the show

Ep 246 Who Earns What

September 10, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 50.2 MB

Episode 246 of RevolutionZ considers Income norms now and in a post capitalist participatory economy. What determines peoples' incomes, with what incentive affects, and what consequences. Support the show

Ep 245 Who Does What

September 03, 2023 15:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MB

Episode 245 of RevolutionZ considers in depth the division of labor as it is now, called corporate division of labor, and as it is proposed in order to have no bosses, balanced job complexes. It addresses why and how to implement a new division of labor in terms of class, power, income, and mainly the types of tasks employees do. It derives from No Bosses chapter 4 but includes considerable spontaneous commentary. Support the show

Ep 244 Cooperation Jackson with Kali Akuno

August 27, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 42 MB

Episode 244 of RevolutionZ has as our guest, Kali Akuno - the co-founder and director of Cooperation Jackson. He shares with us the story of their network, a web of worker cooperatives and solidarity economy support institutions working together to make economic democracy a reality in Jackson, Mississippi and beyond. Support the show

Ep 244 Cooperation Jackson with Kali Acuno

August 27, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 42 MB

Episode 244 of RevolutionZ has as our guest, Kali Acuno - the co-founder and director of Cooperation Jackson. He shares with us the story of their network, a web of worker cooperatives and solidarity economy support institutions working together to make economic democracy a reality in Jackson, Mississippi and beyond. Support the show

Ep 243 Who Owns What, Who Decides What

August 20, 2023 12:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MB

As mentioned last episode the platform I use for RevolutionZ has installed an AI facility. It "listens" to the podcast, proposes titles, generates a description, and does some sound balancing, i think. The titles are not crazy, but I ignore them. It also generates a transcription. I suspect before long such facilities will generate translations as well... This episode is about ownership relations and workplace decision making both in capitalism and, more so, as proposed for a post capital...

Ep 242 Introduction to and Values Guiding No Bosses

August 13, 2023 16:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MB

Ep 242 of RevolutionZ begins a continuing investigation of what a post capitalist economy can and should be including the introduction to No Bosses and its first chapter on Values, and including current spontaneous ruminations on the substance and wording of those. But... [My host site for the podcasts has installed an AI to "help" - and the AI generated the following episode description from the audio...which I thought I would keep for your edification, amusement, or horror...] A promi...

Ep 241 Chomsky, Varoufakis, and Me

August 06, 2023 14:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MB

Episode 241 of RevolutionZ titled Chomsky, Varoufakis, and Mr presents prefaces to the book No Bosses by Noam and Yanis and, interspersed in that presentation, my reactions to their observations. Support the show

Ep 240 Students Step Up 1

July 30, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MB

Episode 240 of RevolutionZ is titled Students Step Up 1. It simultaneously calls for Student Activism and considers obstacles and possible paths through them. Directed at Students, it addresses all ages. Support the show

Students Step Up 1

July 30, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.5 MB

Episode 240 of RevolutionZ is titled Students Step Up 1. It simultaneously calls for Student Activism and considers obstacles and possible paths through them. Directed at Students, it addresses all ages. Support the show

Ep 239 Ruminations - Movement Culture and Organizing with Alexandria Shaner

July 23, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 49.7 MB

Episode 239 of RevolutionZ explores the innards of activist life and diverse efforts to win real change. Support the show

Ep 238 Reform and/or Revolution

July 16, 2023 14:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MB

Episode 238 of RevolutionZ considers reform and revolution, discussing how activists can avoid reformism and also avoid ultra leftist delusions. Support the show

Ep 237Goodbye Philosophy

July 09, 2023 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MB

Episode 237 of RevolutionZ finishes off a two part series assessing and dismissing Richard Rorty's thought or, demystifying some philosophical mystification. Support the show

Ep 236 A Brief Disparaging Trip Into Philosophy

July 02, 2023 17:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MB

Episode 236 of the podcast RevolutionZ is titled A Brief Disparaging Trip In Philosophy. It addresses the political work of the renowned American philosopher Richard Rory, taking issue with his political views. Support the show

Ep 235 Normalize This and Then What

June 25, 2023 16:00 - 21 minutes - 11.8 MB

Episode 235 of RevolutionZ is a rumination about the dynamics of things getting normalized, which is to say just considered the way things are and must be, and about just how much horrible stuff is deemed normal, and what ought to be deemed normal instead, and the need to act on the pretty much incontestable observations.. Support the show

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