1Dime Radio

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon.com/onedimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I have an in-depth discussion with Ross Wolfe about neo-Stalinism. We examine the influence of Domenico Losurdo, and how his work relates to a niche defence of Marxism-Leninism. We take up the concepts of state power and revolution, and how the history of liberalism is often misinterpreted by modern activists. In the Backroom on Patreon, Ross Wolfe and I explore just what is “Western Marxism.” Is there a widely agreed upon definition? To do this, Wolfe and I have to unpack its origins, and the polemics by Losurdo, Gabriel Rockhill and others. We try to pin down the line between socialistic critique of capitalism, and simple anti-Western sentiment.TimeStamps: 00:00 Losurdo and Rockhill The (Backroom Sneak Peek) 03:48 Critique of Neo-Stalinism and Marxism-Leninism 06:29 The Influence of Dominico Losurdo 47:23 Historical Inaccuracies in Losurdo's Work 51:14 Trotsky's Legacy and Stalin's Tactics 01:01:21 Debating Marxism, Communism, and State PowerGuest (Ross Wolfee): X/Twitter: https://x.com/rosswolfe?lang=enFind His Articles on Losurdo here: https://thecharnelhouse.org/author/rosslaurencewolfe/FOLLOW 1Dime: • Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime • X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial • Instagram: / tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: / @1dimeeOutro Music by Karl Casey. Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠

In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I have a provocative discussion with a much-requested guest, Vivek Chibber. Chibber is a professor and published writer (Catalyst and Jacobin). We discuss the state of the left today, and whether recent elections mark meaningful shifts in socialist political organizing. We also cover the challenges of building working-class support amidst the rise and conflicting interests of white collar professionals. The conversation touches on political compromise, and the influence of post-colonial theory in academia. 

In the Backroom exclusive segment on Patreon, Vivek Chibber and I specifically discuss Zohran Mamdani and his recent election. Will he and the DSA political strategy be enough to ensure a sustainable rise of socialism? 

Timestamps:

0:00 Understanding Democratic Socialism and Traditional Socialism

03:28 The Crisis of the Left: Organizational and Intellectual Weakness

07:18 Rebuilding the Left: Strategies for Organizing Workers

33:50 The Left's Relationship with Small Business Owners and Farmers

35:16 Voting Patterns and Class Interests

44:13 The Decline of Traditional Left-Wing Parties

56:41 Defining Capitalism and Socialism

59:05 Transition to The Backroom

GUEST:

Vivek Chibber, professor of sociology and author of Confronting Capitalism: How the World Works and How to Change It. You can also follow Chibber’s work in the publications Catalyst and Jacobin.

FOLLOW 1Dime:

Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime

 X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime...

Check out my main channel videos:    / @1dimee

Outro Music by Karl Casey

Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I sit down with philosopher Isabel Millar, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence, to think through ChatGPT and large language models using psychoanalysis. We get into Lacan and the Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary. Freud on repression and desire. Žižek on ideology and enjoyment. Then we push these ideas onto LLMs, from “hallucinations” and fantasy, to whether machines can “want,” to Big Other dynamics, creativity, safety, and the politics around AI.

In The Backroom on Patreon, Isabel and I talk about love in the age of Artificial Intelligence, AI girlfriends, sexbots, and how OnlyFans and prostitution relate to the psychoanalytic understanding of Sexuality itself, which is different from the conventional understanding of sex.  

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Sexbotification, AI Girlfriends, & more (The Backroom Preview)

00:03:55 The Importance of Psychoanalysis, Lacan & Freud

00:14:45 The Stupidity of Intelligence, The Unconscious, Drive vs Desire

00:20:43 Can AI "think"? Can AI "enjoy"? Desire, Lack & Enjoyment

00:45:43 Can AI become "Conscious" according to Psychoanalysis?  

00:54:56 Are ChatGPT and large language models becoming a 'Big Other' or an oracle of authority?

01:04:52 Can AI be creative or "original" in the psychoanalytic sense?

01:13:43 Love in The Age of Artificial Intelligence

GUEST:

Isabelle Millar, philosopher, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence

• Website: https://www.isabelmillar.com/

FOLLOW 1Dime:

• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime

• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime

• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee

Outro Music by Karl Casey.

Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined again by regular guest Benjamin Studebaker, political theorist and PhD from University of Cambridge to break down everything you need to know about Venezuela. In the public episode, Studebaker and I break down the situation in Venezuela, US aggression, and unpack the history of Venezuela as a case study of petrostates and Why Nations Fail while others get rich. We also analyze Trump’s regime change ambitions and the risk of war, the rise and unraveling of Chávez and Maduro, the oil curse that wrecked Venezuelan socialism, and why so many post-colonial petrol states get trapped between getting rich and falling apart. Along the way, we break down how nations really become wealthy or fail, debunk popular myths about development and decolonization, and map the structural traps that still ensnare countries in the Global South.

In The Backroom exclusive episode on Patreon, we discuss the limits of anti-imperialist politics,  Israel-Palestine, and the tragic legacy of decolonization in Africa, then dive into more niche political theory debates where I introduce Ben to my early ideas about “The Will and the Spirit” and debate the question of political influence and what we can actually DO to change anything. 

Timestamps:

00:00:00  The Backroom Preview: Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism

00:06:27  WTF is Happening Between Venezuela and the USA? 

00:08:35  Petrol states 101, Dutch Disease, and US Sanctions

00:22:48  War Powers and the Imperial Presidency

00:30:33  Hugo Chávez, the Bolivarian Revolution, and Maduro

00:35:28  Hyperinflation, Corruption, and the Militocracy Trap

00:44:02  Libya, and The New Regime-Change Playbook

00:49:21  The Guyana border crisis

00:55:09  Gulf monarchies, migrant underclasses, and “successful” petrol states

00:59:26  Trump’s military build-up and scenarios for a Venezuela war

01:06:47  Eastern Europe democratization vs Middle East Interventions 

01:17:17  Cartels, Mexico, Argentina, and the Latin American security order

01:35:07  The Truth about Maduro and Venezuelan democracy

01:50:03  Pseudo-activity and limits of anti-imperialist activism 

01:54:09  Palestine, anti-imperialism, and what counts as politics (The Backroom Transition)

GUEST:

Benjamin Studebaker - political theorist, PhD in Politics from the University of Cambridge.

• Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/  

• Blog: https://benjaminstudebaker.com  

• X/Twitter: https://x.com/BMStudebaker  

FOLLOW 1Dime

• Substack (Articles and Essays):** https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime  

•X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial  

• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime

igsh=MWNuMjhpMHoxbHBwZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr  

• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee  

Outro Music by Karl Casey

Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.