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A podcast about music, and politics as told by musicians who sing about politics
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Jason inputs his upcoming hair metal article into a AI podcast generator and the Crüe roasts some played out fashions from the 90s. Enjoy.
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Read Matthew's substack here: https://matthewvernonwhalan.substack.com/
Introduction
On today’s episode of THIS IS REVOLUTION podcast, we confront the stark realities of the U.S. carceral system, focusing on the brutal conditions inside Alabama’s prisons. The U.S. is notorious for having the highest incarceration rate in the world, and Alabama stands out as a grim case study of what many scholars and activists have long called a form of modern slavery. The state’s prison system is severely overcrowded, underfunded, and rife with violence, neglect, and systemic abuse. With prisoners subjected to inhumane living conditions, forced labor, and an indifferent legal system, Alabama’s prisons highlight the broader contradictions of a capitalist society that profits off of punishment and exploitation rather than rehabilitation and justice.
Our guest today, journalist Matthew Whalan, has dedicated his work to uncovering these harsh realities, particularly through his Substack article, "A Life in Alabama Prison", and a recent interview that has brought attention to the horrific living conditions behind bars. His reporting sheds light on the voices of those often silenced, emphasizing the daily indignities, brutality, and neglect that people incarcerated in Alabama face. Whalan’s work helps us grasp not only the human cost of incarceration but also the structural forces that perpetuate it, including racial and economic inequality, capitalist exploitation, and political neglect.
As we delve into this discussion, we must ask ourselves: what does the treatment of prisoners in Alabama reveal about the broader U.S. prison-industrial complex? How do these systems of punishment maintain and reinforce the racial and class hierarchies on which American capitalism is built? Whalan’s work encourages us to move beyond liberal reforms and understand the carceral system as a fundamental pillar of capitalist exploitation—a system in which prisons function not as institutions of rehabilitation but as warehouses for surplus populations deemed disposable by the state.
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Read Ben's Substack here: https://benburgis.substack.com/
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
The gang is joined by 1st hour guest Vanessa Wills and watch some funny videos, and one video about looting as praxis. Enjoy!
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
GET VANESSA WILLS BOOK HERE: https://shorturl.at/BoUGp
Introduction
In her groundbreaking book Marx's Ethical Vision, Vanessa Wills offers a profound exploration of the often-overlooked ethical dimensions of Karl Marx’s work. While Marx is frequently reduced to economic and materialist analysis, Wills demonstrates that Marx’s critique of capitalism is deeply moral, rooted in a vision of human flourishing, social justice, and the development of a fully realized human community. As she writes, "Marx's vision was not simply a denunciation of capitalism’s economic structures, but a call for an emancipatory transformation that would allow humanity to fulfill its potential through collective self-determination and freedom" (Marx's Ethical Vision, p. 48). This framing gives us a fresh lens through which to understand Marx, not merely as a critic of economic systems, but as a moral philosopher concerned with the ethical implications of alienation, exploitation, and human suffering.
In today’s conversation, we will dive deep into Wills’s analysis, discussing how Marx’s ethical commitments underpin his revolutionary politics and what relevance they hold in contemporary struggles for social justice. We’ll explore the intersection of ethics and politics in Marx’s thought, touching on themes like alienation, labor, and human freedom, and consider how Marx's ethical vision might inform today’s movements for social and economic liberation.