Anti-Politics Still Explains Politics with Tad Tietze

In this episode of VarnVlog, C. Derick Varn is joined by psychiatrist, writer, and political commentator Dr. Tad Tietze (co-author of Left Flank) to unpack the evolving dynamics of anti-politics and hyperpolitics across the Western world. Tietze revisits his foundational framework distinguishing anti-politics from below, anti-politics from above, and anti-politics as social revolution. Engaging with the work of political scientist Peter Mair (Ruling the Void) and Anton Jäger (Hyperpolitics), Varn and Tietze explore why the historical era of mass party democracy has collapsed, leaving political elites "weightless" and voters fundamentally alienated from the state. They examine the structural limits of both left and right populism (from Syriza and Podemos to Sanders, Corbyn, and Trump) and trace how Karl Marx's early critique of the bourgeois state clarifies our contemporary political impasse. Featured Topics & Takeaways: The Three Forms of Anti-Politics: Distinguishing grassroots anti-political sentiment, elite political entrepreneurship, and systemic social transformation. Anti-Politics vs. Hyperpolitics: Why an era lacking deep social organization feels relentlessly, invasively politicized. The Breakdown of Mass Democracy: Applying Peter Mair’s thesis to understand how the severed link between civil society and the state created hollow party cartels. The Limits of Left Populism: Why projects like Syriza, Podemos, and Sanders failed to build lasting working-class counter-power. Marx's Critique of the State: How the separation of civil society from the political sphere produces systemic alienation and managerial governance. Links & Support Patreon: Support VarnVlog on Patreon to access exclusive classes, reading lists, and behind-the-scenes content: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog Order: Order my new mini-book with Daniel Tutt, "The People Are Not One," available now via Revol Press: https://www.revolpress.com/people-not-one Guest Links: Follow Dr. Tad Tietze on X/Twitter at @dr_tad and read his work at the Left Flank blog: https://left-flank.org. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Support the show Crew: Host: C. Derick Varn Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake. Intro Video Design: Jason Myles Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn Links and Social Media: twitter: @varnvlog blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social You can find the additional streams on Youtube Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian, Drea, Free Beer, SNT-BRCH, Joshua Parsons