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A podcast about music, and politics as told by musicians who sing about politics
Episodes
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.
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Watching an NFL pregame show today feels less like a breakdown of the upcoming contests and more like an exercise in oddsmakers reducing the game's strategy to betting talk. Fantasy sports have long been the gateway drug into the sports betting app economy. Now, sports punditry mimics the shock-jock antics of the '90s, turning analysis into a hyper-commercialized spectacle of “hot or not” takes.
Let’s consider the legendary 1983 draft class. Hall of Famers, including three elite quarterbacks, emerged from that round, yet how many Super Bowls did they collectively win? Just two, both by John Elway. Dan Marino, arguably one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time, appeared in a single Super Bowl after obliterating passing records in 1984, an era where the run game was king. Yet despite Marino's historic success, his classmate Eric Dickerson would never touch a Super Bowl trophy either, even after setting an NFL record for rushing yards in a season.
Now, imagine these legendary players in today’s era, where success is too often framed through the lens of fantasy sports and app-based betting. Could they withstand the media’s hunger for instant success or survive the ruthless churn of the 24-hour sports news cycle?
Take the 2024 season. Players once written off as "busts" are starting to rewrite their stories. Malik Willis, discarded as an afterthought in Tennessee, is showing flashes of brilliance. Sam Darnold, written off in New York and quickly traded, has found new life as a backup-turned-starter. Jared Goff, shipped off to Detroit as a disappointment, has led the Lions to NFC North contention. In the pre-fantasy sports world, these players would have had time to grow into their roles, but today's instant-gratification culture has no room for slow-burning talent.
Pundits already labeled the 2024 first overall pick, Caleb Williams, a bust after just three games. Bryce Young, last year’s first pick, faced the same brutal criticism even before his rookie season ended. Compare that to the ’83 draft class, who were given time to play through rookie mistakes and eventually lead teams to the playoffs, even Super Bowls. But in this hyper-commercialized, short-term focused environment, teams cut bait on young talent before it has time to develop, driven by media narratives and the endless thirst for immediate returns.
Sports betting and fantasy leagues have fueled this culture of rapid turnover. It’s no longer about team-building or long-term development. The market dictates which players are valuable, not for their contributions on the field, but for how well they perform against the betting lines or in fantasy stats. In our current epoch, we want what we want, when we want it, with little patience for process or growth. Has this commodification of athletes killed player development?
We’ll dive into this on today’s episode.
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Clark and I have a fun sports and music talk, where Clark explains why Kendrick Lamar is overrated and Lil Wayne should be playing the super bowl. There's also some trash rapper video commentary. Good times.
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Read Clark's work here: https://shorturl.at/XvteW
Introduction
Watching sports has always been a communal experience, a moment to witness skill, strategy, and competition. But these days, for many people, simply “watching the game” seems to be a thing of the past. The line between spectatorship and speculation has blurred, thanks to the rise of fantasy sports and the explosion of legal sports betting across the United States. As I sat at my favorite bar watching last night’s Monday Night Football doubleheader, it became clear that the focus of contemporary sports coverage is no longer on the game itself, but on the odds, prop bets, and over/unders. What used to be a pastime has transformed into a calculated, quantified experience, where every throw, every yard, and every touchdown is tied to a monetary wager.
The commodification of sports through the lens of gambling has created a new form of alienation. Fans are no longer simply enjoying a game but engaging in what amounts to a mass, profit-driven enterprise designed to exploit their passions. The apps, sponsorships, and partnerships with gambling companies make placing bets easier and more normalized than ever before. But who really wins in this system?
Our guest today, Clark Randle, a journalist for *Jacobin* magazine, argues that it’s not the fans who are winning. In his latest article, "Make Sports Betting Taboo Again," he shows that the real losers are downwardly mobile young men, whose participation in sports betting often deepens their financial precarity. As states rake in the tax revenue from legalized gambling, the social costs mount. Clark challenges us to reconsider our normalization of sports betting and asks: where should the Left draw the line in a world of hyper-liberalized consumption?
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Introduction
Recently, political commentator and NGO CEO, Angela Rye appeared on The Breakfast Club morning show, engaging with Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and her running mate Butch Ware. Rye wasted no time in attacking Stein, invoking the well-worn "spoiler" argument, often cited by liberals and conservative critics alike, framing this election as "the most important of our time." This rhetoric pits a perceived fascism from the right against a supposed fascism from the left, which conveniently reinforces the capitalist status quo by limiting political debate to the narrow confines of the two-party system.
In her critique, Rye portrayed Stein as a political failure, dismissing her candidacy as a distraction from the "real issues" facing Black Americans. This critique, however, serves to obscure the reality that Stein, while flawed, represents a political platform far to the left of anything the Democratic Party offers. Stein’s Green Party candidacy pushes for policies that directly confront the neoliberal and imperialist frameworks of both major parties, a fact seemingly lost on Rye, who positions herself as a spokesperson for the 41 million Black Americans.
Rye’s role in this context mirrors what Adolph Reed Jr. critiqued over three decades ago in his collection of essays, Class Notes. In the chapter titled “What Are the Drums Saying, Booker?”, Reed describes how Black public intellectuals often serve as intermediaries for white audiences, performing an interpretation of the "Black experience" that suits liberal sensibilities. Rye’s race reductionist arguments, presented as radical critiques, actually reinforce the logic of liberal pluralism and identity politics, reducing complex issues like capitalism, imperialism, and class struggle to mere questions of racial representation.
While Rye has occasionally voiced concern over U.S.-backed atrocities, such as the genocidal war in Gaza, her alignment with Kamala Harris—a Black woman who has publicly supported Israel’s right to "defend itself"—underscores her complicity in the very structures of imperialism she claims to oppose. This reflects a broader tendency in the liberal racial discourse, where race-conscious rhetoric is weaponized to justify imperialist and capitalist policies under the guise of representation.
In essence, Rye is engaging in what might be termed "race-conscious imperialism," using racial identity as a shield for defending a capitalist-imperialist agenda. This is a continuation of the tradition Reed identified—one where race is used to deflect from class struggle and systemic critique, ensuring that neoliberal capitalism remains unchallenged, even when presented as a fight for racial justice.
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
MT shows Jason the internet gossip around Andrew Schultz and two Black Brits.