The Skeptical Leftist Podcast

I talk with Matthew Remski about his new project Antifascist Dad and the work he has been doing on masculinity, parenting, and the rise of fascist politics. We get into the difference between liberal parenting and antifascist parenting, how family life becomes a political space, and how kids understand power in ways adults often miss. Matthew explains the two competing definitions of fascism, the history of religious antifascism, and the ways capitalism shapes our emotional lives.

This episode looks at the role of fathers and caregivers in resisting authoritarian culture and raising kids who understand solidarity, care, and critical thinking.

For this episode of Solidarity Across Borders, Owen brings two stories from his week that highlight a recurring theme in political life. He spoke with a conservative teacher who works in an underfunded classroom and still blames parents instead of the system. He also talked with a liberal vegan who sees ethical clarity in individual choices but avoids examining the global forces shaping the food industry. We look at how both viewpoints fall short and why systems analysis matters if we want real change.

Stafford Taylor joins me to talk about his path from homelessness to writing The Transcendence Manifesto. We get into life in Goa, lessons from community work, and what it means to build something better when the world keeps people isolated.

Stafford’s links:

 We start by reflecting on criticism from a past discussion and what it says about how people hear and respond to political conversations. Then we talk about a stream Owen did with someone who says they’ve left the left and explore why anger and burnout push people toward reactionary thinking. The episode ends with a look at how solidarity can survive in a world that rewards outrage and division.

Links:

Graham Culbertson joins me to talk about anarchism as a lived practice, how people already cooperate without coercion, why authority rarely works the way we think it does, and what it means to resist systems of control in everyday life.

We also get into the pressures of podcasting in an algorithmic world and how staying authentic can itself be an act of resistance.