What's Left?

PREVIEW: Boomers (w/ Helen Andrews)

February 20, 2021 16:27 - 14 minutes - 20 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Helen Andrews to discuss her new book, Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster. They touch on the six sketches in the book, from Camille Paglia and Sonya Sotomayor to Aaron Sorkin and Al Sharpton, the influence of boomer politics, and why boomers think The Beatles and Bob Dylan are as important as Beethoven. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

The Coming of Neo-Feudalism (w/ Joel Kotkin)

February 17, 2021 19:44 - 1 hour - 94.7 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by professor and author Joel Kotkin to discuss his work, the characteristics of neo-feudalism and its class structure, and to offer some hope for the future.

The Thursday Night Rant: 2/12/2021 (Audio)

February 12, 2021 15:34 - 3 hours - 251 MB

Aimee and Oliver discuss the deeper implications of the "cancellation" of NJ Robinson. Suggested reading: NJR, "How the Media Cracks Down on Critics of Israel," https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/02/how-the-media-cracks-down-on-critics-of-israel NJR, "Why We All Hate Bari Weiss So Much," https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/04/why-we-all-hate-bari-weiss-so-much Bateman, "Hall Monitors Doing the Work," https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/hall-monitors-doing-the-work Bateman, "Solida...

The Friday Night Rant: 2/6/2021 (audio)

February 07, 2021 15:55 - 2 hours - 196 MB

Oliver offers predictions on the upcoming Overeem-Volkov UFC Fight Night and Aimee discusses the week in takes. Suggested reading "The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election," https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/ "The Marxist Wall Street couldn't ignore," https://www.salon.com/1998/12/22/21feature_2/ "Nevada bill would allow tech companies to create governments," https://apnews.com/article/legislature-legislation-local-governments-nevada-economy-2fa7912...

The Saturday Special: Anna K Stream, 2/6/2021 (audio)

February 07, 2021 15:29 - 2 hours - 213 MB

Aimee and Red Scare's Anna K #TurnUp for a special Saturday night stream about AOC, emotivism, and much more!

Aimee Terese On the Record, 1/31/2021 (audio)

February 01, 2021 15:39 - 2 hours - 201 MB

In this 150-minute episode, Aimee takes the time to lay out a number of points in considerable detail and correct ongoing misrepresentations of her work, the work of the podcast, and so forth, covering everything from the misuse of the term "PMC" to uncharitable interpretations of simple and concise claims that became the subject of "Aimee, the Spectre Haunting Twitter" drama. Oliver notes that much ostensible "commentary" about the show seems to assume it is a one-person operation rooted in...

The Strength of Streaming: 1/30/2021 (audio)

February 01, 2021 14:36 - 1 hour - 131 MB

In this irreverent episode, Bog Beef and Oliver talk NBA defense, gyno, growth hormone-induced pectoral spread, Butterbean, Pride, the upcoming Overeem/Volkov fight night, John Tenta's singlet, and much more. Suggested reading Bateman, "Lifting Weights and Going on Dates," https://amgreatness.com/2020/08/25/lifting-weights-and-going-on-dates/ "Butterbean Hasn't Gone Anywhere," https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/butterbean-hasnt-gone-anywhere-you-just-havent-been-looking-hard-enough "Ster...

The Return of Aimee Terese 1/30/21 (audio)

January 30, 2021 20:33 - 3 hours - 308 MB

Our latest episode features Bog Beef, Jeff, Leila, Oliver, and Aimee talking about Aimee's latest Twitch departure, Zoom vs. in-class education, and much more. Four hours of fun! Suggested reading Jacques Hyzagi, "Robert Crumb is Dead --to Me," https://observer.com/2016/04/robert-crumb-is-dead/ "Robert Crumb Hates You," https://observer.com/2015/10/robert-crumb-hates-you/ Oliver Bateman's school finance litigation dissertation (trigger warning: boring), http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/11865/

1/26/2021 Redeem Stream: The Stonks and the Ironybros (Audio)

January 28, 2021 15:50 - 1 hour - 123 MB

Aimee, Jeff, Monsieur le Baron, and Oliver talk about big developments with the stonks as well as the limits of irony-bro humor. Suggested reading "Reddit's Favorite Stocks That Aren't GameStop," https://www.wsj.com/articles/blackberry-amc-and-other-reddit-yolo-favorites-that-arent-gamestop-11611681716 (paywall) "A Fight Over GameStop's Soaring Stock Turns Ugly," https://www.wired.com/story/gamestop-stock-wall-street-bets-short-squeeze/

Supreme Stream: Jacobinghazi and the Good Old Days of the Takes, 1/25/2021

January 26, 2021 19:55 - 1 hour - 141 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and Geoff situate the seemingly memory-holed "Jacobinghazi" event of 2014 in its historical context: The New York Times GamerGate retrospective (2019), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/15/opinion/gamergate-zoe-quinn.html Amber Frost, "Bro Bash" in Jacobin (2014), https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/06/bro-bash/ Paul Krugman, "Bernie is Becoming a Bro" in The New York Times (2016), https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/opinion/sanders-over-the-edge.html Arthur Chu, "You...

Dream Stream 1/22/2021: The Friday Night Rant (audio)

January 24, 2021 17:38 - 3 hours - 297 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and special guest Geoff Shullenberger team up to discuss Peter Turchin, UFC 257, Nike, "nerds vs. jocks," Twitter without Trump, Biden's Shinola watch, Josh Hawley, and much more. Suggested Reading: "Jocks Rule, Nerds Drool" in The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/11/opinion/sunday/nerds-lebron-james-elon-musk.html Bateman, "Jocks vs. Nerds" in Splice Today, https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/jocks-vs-nerds

What's Left? 1/21/2020 Super Stream (audio)

January 22, 2021 19:26 - 2 hours - 211 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and Jeff discuss trolls, anons, "debt as a universal class," Instacart unionization, Prop 22, work-from-home surveillance methods, and Zizek's issue of the Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly.

Trust The Experts (w/ Leila Mechoui)

January 13, 2021 15:26 - 2 hours - 242 MB

Aimee and Leila discuss COVID-19, the science surrounding the pandemic, and the scientific community's role in the broader crisis. Closing song, "COVID-19" by Yuri Wong. (Purchase here: https://gumroad.com/l/covid19blow)

The What's Left? Twitch Stream Debut: January 7, 2021

January 09, 2021 17:47 - 2 hours - 170 MB

Our first stream featured friends of the podcast such as Leila Mechoui, Jeff Van Drew, Monsieur Le Baron, and the Bog Beef, as well as Aimee and Oliver. Subscribe to our Twitch stream as we make our push toward Partner status over there: twitch.tv/whatsleftcast

The Pre-Obama Internet Left (w/ @htmlmencken)

December 26, 2020 17:59 - 2 hours - 175 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by @htmlmencken to discuss left politics in the 1990s, the early days of Slate and Salon, the congealing of the blob, anti-war blogging during the Bush years, the origins of Ezra Klein, and more.

The Work of Comedy (w/ Tom Ballard)

December 08, 2020 21:18 - 2 hours - 190 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Tom Ballard (@TomCBallard), Australian comic and podcaster, to discuss the comedy scene, talking with people you disagree with, and the difference between US and Australian politics.

Deaths of Despair (w/ Dr. Daniel George)

December 07, 2020 19:13 - 1 hour - 153 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Dr. Daniel George to discuss the "deaths of despair" as described in popular media. They talk the politics of the phrase, its relationship to capitalist productivity, the dismissal of and contempt for working-class whites, and why neoliberalism sees them as "deaths of opportunity."

The Once and Future Worker (w/ Oren Cass)

December 01, 2020 15:52 - 1 hour - 125 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Oren Cass, author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America (2018), to discuss the future of labor markets, education, and what party Bill Clinton would belong to today.

The Work of Comics (w/ Aubrey Sitterson)

November 27, 2020 18:50 - 1 hour - 153 MB

Oliver is joined by Aubrey Sitterson to talk the comics industry, his own comic Beef Bros, and the politics of the Marvel Universe.

The Work of Journalism (w/ Russ Smith)

November 21, 2020 01:00 - 1 hour - 140 MB

Oliver is joined by veteran publisher Russ Smith to talk about his life in the industry, the work of starting a weekly paper, and why advice from older people is usually worthless.

Political Atheism (w/ Logo Daedalus)

November 17, 2020 17:12 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by @Logo_Daedalus to talk the post-2020 political landscape, the aesthetics of 4chan and Something Awful, and how people have become political products. To listen to the full 2hr 15min conversation, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

The Work of Carpentry (w/ Gregory Butler)

November 10, 2020 17:38 - 1 hour - 102 MB

Oliver talks with Gregory Butler, carpenter and author of "Disunited Brotherhood: Race, Racketeering, and the Fall of the New York Construction Unions" about the carpentry industry and the ins and outs of union membership. Buy Gregory's book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0595391435/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_b9SQFb0JDE9C6

Anti-socialism (w/ Thaddeus Russell)

November 07, 2020 02:01 - 57 minutes - 78.2 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Thaddeus Russell (@ThaddeusRussell), host of the Unregistered podcast and founder of Renegade University. He talks growing up with revolutionaries, becoming disillusioned with socialism, and why the university is the most puritanical place outside of church.

PREVIEW: Girls Chat (w/ Anna Khachiyan and Angela Nagle)

November 03, 2020 14:35 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MB

The three horsegirls of the apocalypse (Aimee, Anna, and Angela) talk feminine psychological warfare, Glenn Greenwald and nice leftists, the self-victimization of the Squad, and why we probably all have a Cluster B personality disorder. To hear the full 3 hr episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

The Work of Trucking (w/ Gord Magill)

October 31, 2020 21:31 - 1 hour - 132 MB

Oliver discusses long-haul trucking with Gord Magill, a veteran trucker. They talk wages, changing working conditions, lost time, and the ins and outs of working on the road. Gord's interview with Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/exit-interview-i-spent-20-years-behind-the-wheel-of-a-big-rig

Steak-umm Bless

October 23, 2020 16:10 - 2 hours - 232 MB

Nathan Allebach (@nathanallebach) joins Oliver to talk about tweeting from the Steak-umm twitter account, brand building in the marketplace of ideas, and hacking the algorithm to do the work.

Orphans of Bernieworld

October 17, 2020 01:11 - 1 hour - 90.3 MB

Malcom and Oliver discuss the post-Bernie left. They talk the death of the Bernie coalition, the battle over the PMC, and the orphans who have been left behind.

The Real Deadlift Has Never Been Tried

October 02, 2020 19:32 - 1 hour - 116 MB

The Real Deadlift Has Never Been Tried by What's Left?

UNLOCKED: Hollaback Girl

October 02, 2020 12:43 - 1 hour - 77.4 MB

Aimee takes a deep dive into the life and career of an uncivil Philadelphia democrat.

UNLOCKED: The Strength Of Strength

September 26, 2020 19:12 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MB

In a solo episode for patrons, Oliver gets personal examining different conceptions of strength, and the political implications they might have. To become a patron, visit https://www.patreon.com/whatsleft

We Need to Talk About Malcom

September 17, 2020 16:09 - 2 hours - 197 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and Malcom discuss the direction of the podcast. They talk theorizing the right, the meaning and possibility of worker's politics, and what we'll fight about after capitalism.

Do Leftoids Dream of Elected Sheep?

September 10, 2020 18:02 - 2 hours - 172 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and Malcom discuss the upcoming election, voting blue no matter who, being a credentialed intellectual, and the platonic form of The Worker.

The Lumpen-PMC (w/ Marty MacMarty)

September 06, 2020 20:19 - 1 hour - 105 MB

Aimee is joined by Marty (@martymacmarty) to discuss his recent article for The Bellows, "The New Cultural Revolution." They talk BLM and ongoing protests, the class alliance between the elites and the lumpenproletariat, the political uses of the term "community," and love under late capitalism. Marty's article: https://www.thebellows.org/the-new-cultural-revolution/

Morse Code

September 01, 2020 11:40 - 1 hour - 74.4 MB

Aimee examines the political career of Alex Morse, Democratic candidate for Congress. Sources: https://www.masslive.com/politics/2015/12/hillary_clinton_rolls_out_masa.html https://www.masslive.com/politics/2016/02/western_mass_hillary_clinton_s.html https://www.masslive.com/news/2016/02/holyoke_mayor_alex_morse_sheri.html https://www.amherstbulletin.com/News/Locals-picked-as-Dem-convention-delegates-1454531 https://www.wamc.org/post/democrats-talk-unity-clinton-scores-massachusetts-win http...

Politics is Local (w/ Angela Nagle and Malcom Kyeyune)

August 12, 2020 18:05 - 2 hours - 191 MB

Aimee, Oliver, Angela, and Malcom discuss the work of doing politics. Census Data: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/580/table07.xlsx https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on-validated-voters/

Living in a Materialist World (w/ Malcom Kyeyune and Angela Nagle)

July 31, 2020 22:45 - 1 hour - 164 MB

Angela and Malcom return to discuss Michael Lind's reception among the left, materialism, class war, and the halcyon days of 2016. Michael Lind's article: https://www.thebellows.org/the-double-horseshoe-theory/

Psycho Politics (w/ Malcom Kyeyune)

July 28, 2020 00:07 - 2 hours - 194 MB

Aimee, Oliver, and Malcom discuss the encouragement of physical violence against political adversaries, its role in the discourse, and the political contradictions of emotion.

The Replicants (w/ Angela Nagle & Malcom Kyeyune)

July 22, 2020 18:52 - 2 hours - 223 MB

Angela and Malcom return for another long conversation about statues in Ireland, the relationship between NGOs and global capitalism, and the rewriting of history in the culture wars, among other things.

Know Your Enemy (w/ Malcom Kyeyune)

July 08, 2020 15:45 - 2 hours - 190 MB

Know Your Enemy (w/ Malcom Kyeyune) by What's Left?

UNLOCKED: Get Into the Zone (the Autonomous Zone) [w/ Angela Nagle & Malcom Kyeyune]

July 05, 2020 20:14 - 1 hour - 132 MB

In this Patreon exclusive, Aimee and Oliver are joined by again Angela Nagle and Malcom Kyeyune to discuss the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle. To become a patron, subscribe at patreon.com/whatsleft

The Purge (w/ Angela Nagle & Malcom Kyeyune)

June 17, 2020 16:10 - 1 hour - 158 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by again Angela Nagle and Malcom Kyeyune to discuss how the united front of elites are getting their revenge on awful populists. They talk cancellations, the media, and the ugly work of left politics.

Police Brutality & State Violence (w/ Malcom Kyeyune)

June 04, 2020 17:47 - 2 hours - 137 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined again by Malcom Kyeyune to discuss the murder of George Floyd, the ongoing protests against police brutality, and the broader question of the left's relationship to the police and the state.

The First Congress of Problematic Red-Browns (w/ Angela Nagle & Malcom Kyeyune)

May 26, 2020 18:14 - 2 hours - 220 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Angela Nagle and Malcom Kyeyune to discuss some of their recent writing. They talk left discourse, culture war and class war, Strasserism, and the big red button that says "Please Don't Press, or Racism Will Happen." Reading: "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: The Collapse of the Sanders Campaign and the Fusionist Left" | https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2020/05/first-as-tragedy-then-as-farce/ "On Strasserism and the Decay of the Left" | https://tinkzorg.wordp...

"Do You Believe Tara Reade?" (w/ Michael Tracey)

May 18, 2020 13:47 - 2 hours - 203 MB

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Michael Tracey to discuss his piece, "Do You Believe Tara Reade?" They talk the allegations made by Tara Reade, #metoo and the discourse of "believing women", and the political contradictions the left loves papering over. Read Michael's article here: https://spectator.us/believe-tara-reade-joe-biden/

Faith No More

May 08, 2020 15:36 - 1 hour - 90.6 MB

Aimee and Oliver talk the discourse of good and bad faith, the role of moral intuition in politics, and the work of the media.

The Perpetual Discourse Machine

May 01, 2020 01:40 - 5 minutes - 7.44 MB

A short clip from our January 7 episode on police abolition that feels relevant in the wake of the primary. Specifically, the shifting goal posts that cite discursive interventions (i.e. "we're winning on ideas") as a substitute for a failure to achieve real change or actual political power.

Episodes

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