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Varn Vlog

C. Derick Varn

Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Varn Vlog is the pod of C. Derick Varn. We combine the conversation on philosophy, political economy, art, history, culture, anthropology, and geopolitics from a left-wing and culturally informed perspective. We approach the world from a historical lens with an eye for hard truths and structural analysis.

 

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  • S2 · E111
    Thursday · 1 hr 25 min

    An Inconvenient Woman and the Reactionary South with Keri Leight Merritt

    In this episode of VarnVlog, host C. Derick Varn sits down with historian, writer, and independent scholar Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt (author of Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South) to discuss her new book, "An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, The Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America" (St. Martin's Press). Together, they explore the life and legacy of Lillian Smith—a radical Southern white woman, educator, and writer who publicly called for complete integration long before it was widely accepted. From running the avant-garde Laurel Falls Camp in Appalachia alongside her lifelong partner Paula Snelling, to publishing Black writers in South Today, and writing the explosive, best-selling novel Strange Fruit and the psychological critique Killers of the Dream, Merritt and Varn unpack the rich, often erased history of Southern anti-racism, class solidarity, and radical dissent. Featured Topics & Takeaways: Rediscovering Lillian Smith: Why one of the earliest white Southern voices for integration was marginalized and erased from mainstream history. Laurel Falls Camp: How Smith and Paula Snelling turned a girls' summer camp into a progressive space for free speech, critical inquiry, and racial tolerance. The Intersections of Class & Race: Smith's groundbreaking analysis in essays like "Two Men and a Bargain" on how wealthy elites used racial division to stifle labor solidarity. Censorship & Strange Fruit: The national backlash, banning, and massive success of Smith's 1944 novel addressing interracial love and lynching. Psychology of White Supremacy: Smith’s use of trauma psychology and Freudian theory in Killers of the Dream to explain the psychological toll of racism on white Southerners. 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: Check out Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt’s books and work at https://kerileighmerritt.com/ Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E110
    Monday · 1 hr 32 min

    Green Scare And The Radical Environmental Movement with Scott Parkin and Thomas Zietzoff

    In this episode of VarnVlog, host C. Derick Varn is joined by Scott Parkin (organizing director at Rainforest Action Network and co-host of the Green & Red Podcast) and Dr. Thomas Zeitzoff (professor at American University's School of Public Affairs and author of No Option But Sabotage). Together, they explore the history of the radical environmental and animal liberation movements from the 1980s through today. They unpack the evolution from Earth First! to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Animal Liberation Front (ALF), discussing the deep subcultural roots in punk rock and zine culture, the philosophical splits over deep ecology versus social ecology, the impact of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, and the post-9/11 "Green Scare" state repression. Finally, they examine how state repression tactics continue to evolve today amidst anti-data center resistance and contemporary climate activism. Featured Topics & Takeaways: Defining Radical Environmentalism: Why radicalism is defined by a systemic critique and strategy—not just tactics. The Evolution of Eco-Radicalism: Tracing the shift from 1980s Earth First! wilderness defense to 1990s ELF/ALF direct action and sabotage. Subculture & Politics: The vital role of the 1980s/90s hardcore punk scene, zines, and DIY culture in socializing young activists prior to the internet era. State Repression & The Green Scare: How post-9/11 terrorism frameworks and corporate lobbying (such as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act) were used to target eco-activists. The Modern Landscape: Where the climate justice movement stands today, the rise of anti-data center resistance, and changing thresholds for state prosecution. Guest Links: Check out Scott Parkin's work at the Green & Red Podcast (https://greenandredpodcast.org) and Rainforest Action Network (https://ran.org). Find Dr. Thomas Zeitzoff's book No Option But Sabotage and updates at https://zeitzoff.com. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E109
    October 15 · 1 hr 32 min

    Silicon Empires: How Big Tech Is Re-Mapping Geopolitics and Labor with Nick Srnicek

    In this episode of VarnVlog, host C. Derick Varn sits down with political economist, academic, and author Dr. Nick Srnicek (King's College London) to cut through the extreme hype and knee-jerk dismissals surrounding artificial intelligence. Together, they unpack the physical and economic reality of modern tech infrastructure—from the massive resource demands of hyperscale data centers to the fracturing of the global tech elite, the rise of "neoclouds," and the battle for digital and AI sovereignty. Srnicek also revisiting his seminal work on post-work politics and folk politics, examining how working-class movements can find leverage points against tech monopolies today. Featured Topics & Takeaways: The Physicality of AI: Why corporate power is concentrated in raw physical infrastructure and energy grids, not just code. Energy, Efficiency, & Market Forces: How inference costs and hardware bottlenecks are forcing tech giants to focus on model efficiency. Silicon Empires & Geopolitics: The shift from a borderless, neoliberal internet to fractured national security interests and defense-tech sectors. Digital & AI Sovereignty: How middle powers and open-source models can challenge big tech's closed ecosystems. Rethinking Post-Work: Moving beyond naive definitions of "doing nothing" toward post-wage labor, shortened workweeks, and worker leverage. Links & Support Patreon: Support VarnVlog on Patreon to access exclusive classes, reading lists, and behind-the-scenes content: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E108
    October 12 · 2 hr 16 min

    Leninism in the Age of Populism: Anti-Economism, Strategy & The Left with PK Gandakin

    In this episode of VarnVlog, C. Derick Varn sits down with PK Gandakin, editor-in-chief of Geese Magazine and communist organizer, to discuss the state of the American left, the limits of modern economism, and the strategic relevance of Lenin today. Together, they unpack: The Mission of Geese Magazine: Why a non-sectarian, strategy-focused communist press is essential in today's political terrain. Rethinking Lenin & Gramsci: Moving beyond ultra-left dogmas to embrace dialectical flexibility, mass politics, and organic centralism. Electoral Strategy & The DSA: Navigating the rise of figures like AOC and Zoran Mamdani, the limits of "clean/dirty break" debates, and building a genuine left pole. Lessons from BLM & Mass Movements: Why past spontaneous struggles failed to build lasting cadres—and how communists can engage with mass agitation effectively. Links: https://www.geesemag.com/articles/the-critique-of-economism-in-marxs-critique-of-hegels-philosophy-of-right https://www.geesemag.com/articles/leninism-in-the-age-of-populism https://www.geesemag.com/articles/reading-gramsci-on-economism-political-method-and-urbanism Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E107
    October 8 · 3 hr 25 min

    The Masculinity Vacuum with Bram Geiben

    In this episode of VarnVlog, C. Derick Varn is joined by Bram Geiben, editor at Revol Books and host of Strange Exiles, to discuss the evolving crisis of masculinity, the limits of modern identity politics, and how theory gets transformed into rigid dogma. Together, they unpack: Judith Butler & Gender Theory: Why Gender Trouble was originally anti-essentialist—and how its framework can be re-examined to understand male identity. The "Manosphere" & Male Alienation: How economic precarity, educational shifts, and a lack of positive male role models drive young men toward right-wing subcultures. Cinema & Masculinity: Analyzing figures like Ryan Gosling, Joker, American Psycho, and Barbie as cultural ciphers for male interiority. Building Real Solidarity: Why the left needs to move past purity tests, performative silence, and linguistic policing to foster genuine brotherhood and working-class organizing. Link: https://bramegieben.bigcartel.com/product/crisismasculinity Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E106
    October 5 · 1 hr 37 min

    From Dawn to Decadence: The Decadent Society

    Welcome to a special, long-form collaboration: The Regrettable Century and VarnVlog combined in our Captain Planet team of pessimism. Today, we are opening up a comprehensive multi-part investigation into New York Times columnist Ross Douthat's landmark 2020 thesis, The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victim of Our Own Success. Drawing its name and conceptual infrastructure from Jacques Barzun’s classic From Dawn to Decadence, Douthat’s work defines a decadent society not as a spectacular moral collapse, but as an advanced state of structural stasis. It is a condition where a society remains remarkably wealthy off of past advancement and technologically proficient off of prior development—what Marxists would define as the crushing weight of dead labor—yet is fundamentally unable to advance any further economically, scientifically, or culturally. Douthat paradoxically kicks off his book by quoting Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci on the interregnum—the morbid symptoms that emerge when the old is dying and the new cannot be born. We seize on this crossover, exposing a fascinating systemic reality: modern post-liberal, distributist, and traditionalist conservatives are quietly haunted by the exact same structural trends that Marx tracked via the tendency of the rate of profit to fall. They observe secular stagnation all around them, yet must look to Aristotle, Ibn Khaldun, Adam Smith, or David Ricardo to describe it because they are ideologically barred from admitting Marx was right. We parse through the first major horseman of the book—Stagnation—and apply it to our 2026 material realities: The Let's-Pretend Economy: We re-read Douthat's pre-COVID evaluation of tech "unicorns" like Uber and WeWork. We map how this pattern of "let's pretendism" has seamlessly mutated into the massive generative AI and large language model (LLM) bubble—where over-inflated tech valuations run on billions of dollars of burning venture capital while generating zero real-world productivity growth. The Chip Monopoly Mirage: Why the only true driver of physical profitability in the Magnificent Seven stock cluster remains the actual commodity production of silicon chips, while the rest of the tech ecosystem functions as an elite real-estate leasing scam. The Demography Bomb: A preliminary look at the collapse of global social reproduction. We track why the aging out of the Baby Boomers and the severe contraction of global birth rates have left the imperial core, Europe, and China facing identical structural resource deadlocks. The Geopolitical Quagmire: How the escalating cost structures of the permanent arms economy prevent the Western core from manufacturing basic munitions efficiently, trapping modern empires into proxy-war management. We strip away the shallow, vibes-based discourse of the modern culture wars to map out the long-durée arc of a global system running out of track. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E105
    October 1 · 2 hr 23 min

    Brandon Lightly on the New Democracy and National Fronts

    In this episode of Varn Vlog, you and Brandon Lightly analyze the failures of the "New Democracy" and "National Front" strategies as globalized Marxist frameworks. Key points include: Indonesia: D.N. Aidit’s PKI collapsed because they mistakenly empowered a mass movement while failing to neutralize the military's hostile command structure. The Philippines: The NDFP’s program prioritized state-regulated capitalism and tariff protection for domestic bourgeoisie over systemic socialist transformation. Nepal: The Maoist party utilized the "New Democracy" label to justify transitioning into a standard, market-dependent capitalist state after 2006. Right-Wing Inversion: The organizational structures of popular fronts and Leninist centralization have been repurposed by right-wing movements to advance integral nationalism and corporate-welfare states. Works Cited: Foundations of the United, Popular, and National Fronts Fourth Congress of the Communist International. (1922, December). Theses on Comintern tactics. In J. Degras (Ed.), The Communist International, 1919–1943: Documents (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press. Dimitrov, G. (1935). The fascist offensive and the tasks of the Communist International in the struggle of the working class against fascism. Foreign Languages Publishing House. Executive Committee of the Communist International. (1921, December). Theses on the unity of the proletarian front. International Press Correspondence, 2(2), 11–14. Mao, Z. (1965). On new democracy. In Selected works of Mao Tse-tung (Vol. 2, pp. 339–384). Foreign Languages Press. (Original work published 1940). Pre-Marxist, Right-Wing, and Nationalist Lineage Barrès, M. (1902). Scènes et doctrines du nationalisme [Scenes and doctrines of nationalism]. Émile-Paul Frères. Maurras, C. (1900). Enquête sur la monarchie [Enquiry into the monarchy]. Nouvelle Librairie Nationale. Maurras, C. (1937). Mes idées politiques [My political ideas]. Fayard. Moeller van den Bruck, A. (1971). Germany's Third Empire (E. O. Lorimer, Trans.). Howard Fertig. (Original work published 1923). Niekisch, E. (Ed.). (1926–1934). Widerstand: Zeitschrift für nationalrevolutionäre Politik [Resistance: Journal for National-Revolutionary Politics]. Widerstand-Verlag. Nepal Dahal, P. K. [Prachanda]. (2004). Problems of the development of revolution in Nepal. In Selected Works of Prachanda (Vol. 1). Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Ogura, K. (2008). Seeking state power through communism: The strategic evolution of the CPN (Maoist) (Asiatic 14). Political Transitions in Asia. Thapa, D., & Sijapati, B. (2004). A kingdom under siege: Nepal's Maoist insurgency, 1996–2004. Zed Books. Cambodia Chandler, D. P. (1992). Brother Number One: A political biography of Pol Pot. Westview Press. Kiernan, B. (2004). The Pol Pot regime: Race, power, and genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975–79 (2nd ed.). Yale University Press. Pol Pot. (1977). Long live the 17th anniversary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Democratic Kampuchea Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3. The Philippines Guerrero, A. [Sison, J. M.]. (1970). Philippine society and revolution. Ta Kung Pao. National Democratic Front of the Philippines. (1985). Program of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. NDFP Secretariat. Weekley, K. (2001). The Communist Party of the Philippines, 1968–1993: A story of its theory and practice. University of the Philippines Press. India Banerjee, S. (1980). In the wake of Naxalbari: A history of the Naxalite movement in India. Subarnarekha. Communist Party of India (Maoist). (2004). Party programme. CPI (Maoist) Central Committee. Kennedy, J. (2018). The liberalized state and the path of rebellion: A comparative assessment of the Maoist insurgency in India. Routledge. IV. Broad Scholarly Histories & Historiography Carr, E. H. (1982). The twilight of Comintern, 1930–1935. Macmillan. Denning, M. (1996). The cultural front: The laboring of American culture in the twentieth century. Verso. Priestland, D. (2009). The red flag: A history of communism. Grove Press. Sternhell, Z. (1986). Neither right nor left: Fascist ideology in France (D. Maisel, Trans.). Princeton University Press. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E104
    September 28 · 2 hr 15 min

    Ben Burgis on Confessing Class Reductionism

    Today, we are joined by philosopher, columnist, and host of Give Them an Argument, Ben Burgis, for a wide-ranging, deeply analytical dive into his recent Sublation pamphlet, Confessions of a Class Reductionist, and his upcoming co-edited volume on the legacy of G.A. Cohen. In the contemporary landscape, the accusation of "class reductionism" is routinely hurled at anyone who prioritizes materialist, universal frameworks over demographically targeted identity politics. Burgis clears the ideological fog, reclaiming the radical necessity of normative universalism. We explore why building a mass, majoritarian socialist movement requires a commitment to non-means-tested public goods—such as Medicare for All and tuition-free higher education—rather than the fragmented, bureaucratized checking of identity boxes that characterizes the professional-managerial left. In this episode, we unpack the critical intersections of philosophy and strategic organizing: Dismantling Standpoint Epistemology: We trace how the language of intersectionality mutated from its original, materialist basis in critical legal studies into a hyper-individualized standpoint epistemology. We parse why the claim that experiential knowledge is entirely inaccessible across demographic boundaries structurally undercuts working-class solidarity and lets oppressors off the hook. The Free Speech Boomerang: A stark materialist check on why the left's support for corporate and algorithmic tech censorship has completely boomeranged. We examine how the infrastructure designed to police "problematic" speech has been seamlessly weaponized by state and institutional forces to aggressively crush pro-Palestinian speech and civil liberties across American college campuses. Reclaiming G.A. Cohen and Analytical Marxism: We look ahead to the structural insights of analytical Marxism. By revisiting the work of Cohen, alongside Erik Olin Wright, Andrew Levine, and Elliott Sober (Reconstructing Marxism), we argue for a clear, non-dogmatic, and openly normative socialism that isn't afraid to state what is ethically right and wrong. Ben Burgis's co-edited book, Analytical Marxism and Democratic Socialism in the 21st Century (with Matt McManus), is out this fall from Palgrave Macmillan, alongside The Blueprint: Life After Capitalism (with Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs) from Verso Books. Speak clearly, demand universal goods, and protect your peace. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E103
    September 24 · 1 hr 38 min

    The Shadow Court and Protecting Democracy with Julie Suk

    The Supreme Court is supposed to decide disputes, not run the country, so why does it feel like nine unelected justices can rewrite constitutional meaning with a single opinion? We sit down with Dr. Julie Suk, Fordham Law professor and author of The Shadow Court: Rescuing Democracy from the Supreme Court, to unpack how the Court became a primary constitutional lawmaker and why that transformation puts popular sovereignty under real strain. We dig into the mechanics and the history: Marbury v. Madison, the rise of judicial review, and the 1925 shift that gave the Court tight control over its docket through certiorari. From there, we turn to the legitimacy problem political scientists describe as “numerical minority” justices, where presidents without a popular vote mandate and a malapportioned Senate can still lock in life tenured power. We connect that design to today’s most urgent flashpoints in constitutional law: partisan gerrymandering, voting rights, Equal Protection Clause battles, and the way doctrines like the major questions doctrine can reshape the balance of powers between Congress and the executive. The heart of the conversation is Dr. Suk’s proposed “shadow court” idea: a nonbinding institution that can publish advisory opinions, develop transparent constitutional reasoning, and give Congress and the public a serious alternative to Supreme Court supremacy. We also explore what other democracies learned after authoritarian shocks, how constitutional courts use abstract review, and why building credible civic infrastructure may be a necessary step toward constitutional amendment and democratic renewal. If you care about Supreme Court reform, constitutional democracy, and how to reclaim representative government without lighting a constitutional crisis, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who argues about the Court, and leave a review with your biggest question about how constitutional change should work. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E102
    September 21 · 1 hr 21 min

    Alabama Prisons At A Breaking Point with Matthew Vernon Whalan

    Today, we are joined by independent journalist, oral historian, and qualitative researcher Matthew Vernon Whalan to dissect his vital book out from Kersplebedeb: Bullock: Chronicles of Deprivation and Despair in the American Prison. While mainstream political commentary frequently fixates on explicitly private, corporate-run prisons, Whalan shifts our focus to the state-run system. Drawing on my own professional background as a former corrections officer in Georgia, we expose a deeper, more pervasive truth: "public" state facilities are thoroughly privatized from within. From phone systems and medical care to food services and infrastructure construction, state facilities operate as a hyper-exploitative playground for private corporate contracts. Alabama currently imprisons more of its population than any democratic nation on Earth, keeping its facilities jammed at 170% to 180% of maximum capacity. In this episode, we map out the horrific, hidden material realities of this carceral pandemic: Guard-Run Drug Cartels: Why contraband and dangerous narcotics like "spice" and fentanyl don't arrive via visitors, but are systematically smuggled in by corrections staff. We analyze the staggering metric showing that prison overdose and homicide rates aggressively spiked during strict pandemic lockdowns when all outside visitation was completely barred. The Inmate "Dorm Rep" System: How severe systemic understaffing has forced the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) to rely on a shadow network of inmate dorm representatives. Lacking any institutional resources, these reps are forced to leverage violent threats just to manage basic custodial shifts and medical emergencies. The Toxic Infrastructure Collapse: The literal breakdown of carceral facilities. We track the horrific plumbing failures across ADOC installations—including kitchen facilities built directly over faulty, backed-up septic systems that routinely flood living spaces with raw sewage. The Self-Perpetuating Cycle of Recidivism: Why throwing non-violent drug offenders into hyper-violent maximum-security dorms creates textbook PTSD and entrenches illicit networks. We parse out how the post-release landscape completely blocks formal employment, leaving gig work or dangerous meatpacking lines as the only viable pathways left for former felons. We also historicize this modern crisis, tracing Alabama's carceral trajectory directly back to post-Civil War convict leasing, debt bondage, and the economic dependency of rural towns on prison construction. Matthew Vernon Whalan's books, Doing Time: American Mass Imprisonment Pandemic and Bullock, are available now via Left Wing Books. Listen to the oral histories from below, confront the systemic failures, and protect your peace. Link: https://substack.com/@matthewvernonwhalan Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E101
    September 17 · 1 hr 51 min

    Egypt After The Revolution with Hossam el-Hamalawy

    Welcome back to the Vlog. Today, we are joined by acclaimed Egyptian journalist, activist, and labor historian Hossam el-Hamalawy to discuss his vital text out from Verso Books, Counter-Revolution in Egypt: State and Barracks. A common mistake among Western commentators is to view the regime of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a simple replication of the old Mubarak-Sadat dictatorship. El-Hamalawy lays bare why this historical framing is fundamentally wrong: counter-revolutions do not restore old orders. They construct entirely new, hyper-militarized legal and security systems designed explicitly to correct the structural vulnerabilities that allowed the original popular revolts to happen. In this interview, we break down the explicit mechanics of Egypt’s Second Republic: The Transition from Coup-Proofing to Unified Repression: How the First Republic fragmented its intelligence agencies, police, and military to prevent top-down military coups. We explore why Sisi inverted this baseline, creating a hyper-centralized, coordinated security matrix designed entirely around the dominant perceived threat of popular working-class unrest. The Civilian Corporate Monopoly: How the Egyptian military has completely captured the domestic civilian economy. We analyze why military-owned firms—selling everything from honey and furniture to real estate—enjoy absolute immunity from taxes and tariffs while utilizing conscripted soldiers as a hyper-exploited, cheap labor pool to choke out private capital. The Gulf ATM and Sovereign Assets: How Sisi leveraged European fears of black and brown refugee migration to secure multi-billion-dollar western block grants and weapons contracts. We track how the UAE and Saudi Arabia acted as a financial backstop for counter-revolution, until shifting their strategy to aggressively eat up Egypt's core logistical assets, ports, and prime real estate in exchange for debt lifelines. The Imperial Boomerang: Why the highly militarized surveillance systems tested on Arab populations are inexorably boomeranging back into the domestic borders of the United States and Europe to crush civil liberties and local climate actions. The lesson of the Arab Spring remains clear: you cannot conquer an imperial apparatus through localized, reformist abstractions. Hossam el-Hamalawy's State and Barracks Substack is available now. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E100
    September 14 · 1 hr 21 min

    What Happens To Class Politics In A Service Economy with Annie McClanahan

    Welcome back to the Vlog. Today, we are joined by Dr. Annie McClanahan (Associate Professor of English at UC Irvine) to discuss her groundbreaking book, Beneath the Wage: Tips, Tasks, and Gigs in the Age of Service Work. While some spaces on the internet are still stuck rehashing old 19th-century debates about whether service workers even count as part of the working class, our current economic reality shows that services account for 60% to 80% of the entire workforce. The standard, hourly guaranteed wage that we treat as a permanent fixture of capitalism was actually just a brief 20th-century historical anomaly tied to the rise of mechanized assembly lines. In this episode, we trace how capital today is returning to sub-wage, piece-rate, and platform tasks to squeeze marginal productivity out of a stagnant economy. We lay bare the explicit mechanics of modern labor exploitation: The Tipping Subversion: How tips function as an algorithmic tool for enforced self-management while systematically offloading the fixed and variable capital burdens of a business directly onto consumers. Algorithmic Workplace Surveillance: Tracing the history of tracking from long-haul trucking to modern delivery apps. We expose how workers are disciplined, black-boxed, and deprioritized by digital parameters that mask raw domination as individual flexibility. The Precariat Fallacy: Why insecure, independent contractor status isn't a uniquely modern phenomenon, but rather the default historical mode of proletarian employment dating back to 18th-century domestic service laws. Bargaining for the Common Good: Why service stoppages among teachers, nurses, and hospitality workers carry immense regional leverage because they disrupt social reproduction, forcing a complete rethink of class consciousness. We also explore the qualitative landscape of the service economy by looking at unique cultural texts, from trashy reality TV shows that expose the performative nature of emotional labor to underpaid Amazon Mechanical Turk workers writing poetry for conceptual art. Dr. Annie McClanahan's book, Beneath the Wage, is out now from Zone Books. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E99
    September 10 · 1 hr 59 min

    Green Politics After The AI Boom with James of Prole Kult

    Welcome back to VarnVlog. Today, we are joined by James of Prole Kult for an extensive, two-hour interrogation of eco-socialist strategy, environmental geopolitics, and the escalating ecological costs of the modern tech economy. Our theoretical baseline is his essential text out from Iskra Books, For the Land: Capital as Extinction. We confront a terrifying contemporary reality: under the spectacular weight of the large language model (LLM) and generative AI revolution, large swaths of the global public and political left have effectively abandoned any critical concern regarding climate change. Instead of analyzing the raw physical variables of resource extraction, data center expansion, and soil degradation, public discourse has completely fractured into online new-age conspiracism or marketized techno-optimism. James breaks down the material realities of this green impasse: The AI Energy Bomb: We expose the local and global destruction driven by hyperscale data centers. We map out the footprint of data hubs planned for semi-arid Western basins—projects requiring double the power grid of entire states while dumping immense thermal heat near fragile snowpack reserves and running on non-renewable natural gas pipelines. The Deforestation of Renewables: We slice through the sanitized lifecycles of green tech. James presents the raw data on rare mineral strip-mining from Bolivia to the Amazon, and tracks how the massive global demand for wind turbine blades drove illegal timber logging, cross-border smuggling, and intense indigenous dispossession across Ecuador's Pastaza province. The Degrowth vs. Eco-Modernist Fetish: We deliver a sharp critique of both dominant wings of modern eco-socialism. We unpack why the ecomodernism of Matt Huber and Leigh Phillips collapses into a technocratic, productivist fantasy that ignores how technology is structurally engineered under capital. Conversely, we challenge the popular degrowth frameworks of Kohei Saito and Jason Hickel—exposing how their horizontal "municipal commons" formulas function as an academic, petty-bourgeois retreat that evades the central question of state power and land nationalization. The Cuban Precedent: Why Cuba remains the only historical example of an agroecological transition executed at a national scale—and what its structural struggles with urban migration and resource blockades can teach us about real-world survival. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E98
    September 7 · 2 hr 32 min

    Trade Wars As Social Wars with Benjamin Studebaker

    Welcome back to the vlog. Today, we are staging an exhaustive, macro-analytical conversation with political theorist and author Benjamin Studebaker to unpack his recent landmark intervention in Isonomia Quarterly: "Trade Wars or Social Wars?" While modern political commentators treat the rising economic friction between the United States and its Western allies as a series of isolated commercial disputes, Studebaker argues that these tensions are deeply structural. Ever since successive U.S. administrations (from Obama to Trump and Biden) deliberately disabled the World Trade Organization by blocking appointments to its appellate body, the rules-based international order has fragmented into raw bilateral coercion. Under the second Trump administration, this geopolitical strangulation has accelerated. Allies are being forced to subsidize the U.S. military-industrial base and domestic shale oil industry by purchasing overpriced American weapons and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Paradoxically, European leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer are selling this massive defense buildup to their domestic publics as a triumph of "European autonomy" from a volatile United States. In reality, Studebaker exposes this "Euro-Gaullism" as a complete illusion: it actively Americanizes the European continent by forcing states to gut their social welfare programs to accommodate defense spending, keeping them trapped inside the NATO command structure. We recontextualize this crisis using an ancient historical framework: The Roman Social War. Unlike a civil war (fought among citizens) or a war of national independence, a social war is fought between a dominant empire and its own allies to reconfigure the legal and standing terms of their integration. We apply this structural lens to the major flashpoints of 2026: The Global Imbalance of Capital: Utilizing the insights of Michael Pettis and Matthew Klein (Trade Wars Are Class Wars), we track how global systemic friction is driven by states hyper-optimized for production (like China suppressing domestic wages) relying on consumers of last resort (the highly financialized, debt-leveraged United States). The Autarky Illusion: Why modern progressive demands for deep-green decoupling or monetary "money printing" (MMT) operate as dangerous, inward-looking hallucinations that ignore the thermodynamic realities of global supply chains and international court constraints. The Death of Left Populism: A critical post-mortem on why municipal socialist experiments—from Zohran Mamdani in New York City to Brandon Johnson in Chicago—fundamentally flatline when confronting the hard borders of the municipal bond and real estate markets. Benjamin Studebaker's books, The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy and Legitimacy and Liberal Democracies, are out now in affordable paperback from Edinburgh University Press. Challenge the localized delusions, map the world system, and protect your peace. Link: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/2026/06/03/trade-wars-are-social-wars/ Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E97
    September 7 · 1 hr 33 min

    Maoism Without The Myths with Black Red Guard

    Welcome back to the blog. Today, we are staging an uncommon but necessary conversation to slice through the amateurishness of internet leftist subcultures. We are joined by Chris—better known online as Black Red Guard (BRG)—a prominent Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (MLM) political educator and active cadre inside the St. Louis chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). To the average onlooker, the word "Maoism" conjures images of uncritical support for Deng Xiaoping's reforms, Xi Jinping, or the state-capitalist dynamics governing the modern People's Republic of China. BRG clears the deck, separating true, scientifically tested MLM from contemporary "Dengist" revisionism. He tracks how Marxism-Leninism-Maoism was actually formalized after Mao's death, growing out of the material lessons of global third-world insurgencies and the anti-imperialist vanguard of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. In this interview, we break down the core pillars of the mass line and revolutionary strategy: The Universality of Contradiction: Why class struggle doesn't magically evaporate during the socialist construction process. We explore how a new, insular corporate bourgeoisie can easily gestate within a revolutionary party that controls the commanding heights of the state apparatus. The Cadre Standard vs. Discord Vibe Culture: BRG delivers a fierce critique of modern internet "socialist" behavior. Drawing on historical anecdotes—from Fred Hampton reading theoretical texts for two hours before brushing his teeth, to the physical accountability of face-to-face community work—he contrasts a real, disciplined cadre with atomized edgelords shitposting on Twitter. A Critical Supporter of Zohran Mamdani: We apply this structural lens to the modern "Mamdani moment" in New York. While extending critical support, BRG analyzes why the NYC DSA set its executive darling up to fail by prioritizing top-down electoral brand management over baseline working-class leverage. We parse out why an isolated progressive executive will always get wrapped, tied, and tangled by the long-sighted, financialized vetoes of the bourgeoisie. The Realities of Global Exploitation: From the brutal, US-trained origins of Los Zetas in Mexico to the sugar riots under the Al-Sisi regime in Egypt, BRG reminds us of the stark material chasm between the sanitized lifestyle anxieties of the imperial core and the bloody sacrifices required to achieve true human emancipation. Marxism is a science of social practice tested in the grand laboratory of history—not an aesthetic hand puppet for online self-delusion. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E96
    September 3 · 1 hr 43 min

    Education, Literacy, and the Limits of Reform with Freddie deBoer

    Five years after their initial discussion, we are back with Freddie DeBoer—author of The Cult of Smart and the upcoming book All in Your Head—to revisit the state of American education. In this episode, we move beyond the usual pundits' talking points to address the material and institutional realities facing schools today. From the uniform decline in literacy scores globally to the complex economics of "cost disease" in special education, we explore why most modern reform efforts are failing to meet the actual challenges of the system. Key Discussion Points: The Literacy Crisis: Why reading scores are declining internationally and why standard "reforms" often prove delusional. The Myth of Educational Intervention: Challenging the belief that schools can fully overcome socioeconomic disparities and why academic aptitude remains remarkably static over a lifetime. The Cost Disease & Bureaucracy: How the expansion of administrative apparatuses, driven by compliance mandates (like the ADA) and state oversight, has bloated costs without improving outcomes. The Special Education Dilemma: Addressing the ballooning cost of special education and the perverse incentives created by a system that requires a "diagnosis" for students to receive basic resources. The Future of the "College for All" Model: Why the assumption that every student must pursue higher education is breaking down in an economy that no longer offers a reliable industrial path for those who don't. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E95
    August 31 · 1 hr 38 min

    Policing American Slavery: How the Slave Power Weaponized Society and the State with Gautham Rao

    How did the legal machinery of early America enforce human bondage? Dr. Gautham Rao joins the channel to discuss his book Policing American Slavery and the state's role in hunting fugitives. In this episode, we challenge the popular narrative that early American governance was weak, decentralized, or defined by "minimal state" intervention. Sitting down with legal historian and Law and History Review editor-in-chief Dr. Gautham Rao, we trace how the necessity of protecting property in human beings forced the federal government to build a highly robust, coercive, and thoroughly modern police apparatus. We break down the immense administrative strain of enforcing the Fugitive Slave Clauses of 1793 and 1850. Far from an ideological commitment to "states' rights," Southern politicians consistently demanded massive expansions of centralized federal power to override local Northern personal liberty laws. From the complicity of commercial northern ports to the brutal reality of custom houses and federal marshals, discover how the legal structures of the antebellum era laid the foundational blueprints for the development of modern American policing, surveillance, and state overreach. Read Dr. Gautham Rao's book: Policing American Slavery: The Machinery of Expulsion in the Atlantic World. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E94
    August 24 · 1 hr 21 min

    Rewriting Columbus From The Taino View with Andrew Rowen

    Why does mainstream history completely erase the stories of the Indigenous leaders who actively fought back against European conquest? How did the fluid, complex politics of the Caribbean reshape global history long before the fall of the Aztecs and Incas ? In this episode of Varn Vlog, we sit down with historical researcher and novelist Andrew Rowen to explore the unsparing, bicultural reality of ground zero in the Americas. Andrew Rowen has spent over a decade parsing through dense anthropological records and reading between the lines of heavily biased Spanish primary sources to reconstruct the authentic perspective of the Taino people. In this deep-dive conversation, Andrew illuminates the life of Anacaona—a shrewd, competent ruler, poetess, and the first female Native American chieftain to resist the Spanish conquest. We explore her brilliant and tragic political strategies of separate coexistence, tracking how her chiefdom leveraged food logistics and made uneasy alliances with Spanish mutineers to stave off total annihilation. We also turn the lens toward the European side of the equation, dissecting the conflicting motivations of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella. Rowen traces Isabella’s internal journey of conscience regarding the enslavement of her Indigenous "vassals," , contrast to the craven extraction methods of the commoner conquistadors who disobeyed her orders to establish the roots of centuries-long forced labor networks like repartimiento and encomienda. Finally, we confront the raw data behind the catastrophic Indigenous population collapse—sorting through the realities of forced gold mining slavery and the merciless spread of European diseases like smallpox and typhus . If you want an objective, unromanticized framework for how the transatlantic world was truly forged, this bicultural breakdown is an absolute must-watch. Explore Andrew Rowen's acclaimed historical novel series (Encounters Unforeseen, Columbus and the Caonabó, and Isabel Anacaona and Columbus's Demise) on AndrewRowen.com! Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E93
    August 17 · 2 hr 11 min

    Geopolitics of the Data Economy: Tech Monopoly, Neoliberalism, Resource Wars with ProleKult

    Why are tech monopolies quietly building massive, "war-eating" data centers in global deserts? How does the infrastructure of artificial intelligence directly intersect with resource imperialism, greenwashing, and active combat zones? In this episode of Varn Vlog, James of Prole Kult fame joins us to unpack the terrifying realities of the modern geopolitical and tech economy. We kick off the conversation with a critical look at the stark environmental and spatial trade-offs of the digital age. From the accursed, floating isles of the UK to the arid deserts of the American West, tech oligarchs are accelerating a resource-extraction blueprint that threatens local ecosystems. James breaks down the material underpinnings of the AI bubble, explaining how immense computational demands require unprecedented amounts of water, electricity, and land, driving a new wave of localized climate strains and energy centralization. Moving beyond infrastructure, we dive into the dark alignment between big tech logistics, state power, and global conflicts. We trace how military occupations and modern surveillance networks are increasingly trial-tested on marginalized populations before being automated and scaled globally. James also highlights powerful counter-narratives of resistance, detailing the profound human cost of ongoing blockades, historical violence, and the generational struggle for liberation. Whether you are trying to understand the macroeconomic traps of corporate tech monopolies or seeking an unsparing analysis of how digital architecture enforces modern imperial hegemony, this raw and wide-ranging discussion is an essential guide. ✨ Check out the Prole Kult channel for deep-dive video essays exploring history, technology, and global political economy! Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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  • S2 · E92
    August 13 · 1 hr 28 min

    Brandon Lightly on the Mass LIne and New Democracy, Part 2

    In part two of our deep dive into China (and part four of our socialist organization series), we break down how Mao attempted to dialectically sublate a national front and a united front. We explore the structural inclusion of the "patriotic national bourgeoisie" into the block of four classes (symbolized by the stars on the Chinese flag) and contrast it with classical Soviet developmental theory and orthodox Marxism. We also dive into: - The historical debate between Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lenin, and Trotsky. - Why modern "Hoxhaists" and Left Communists consider New Democracy to be revisionist. - The evolution of class structures under Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin's "Three Represents" doctrine (allowing billionaires into the Party). - The reality of modern China's development: Is it a transitioning socialist project, or an hyper-competent form of state capitalism and developmental liberalism? Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for Episode 5, where we pivot to National Frontism and National Bolshevism. Journal Articles Dirlik, A. (1970). The ideological foundations of the Chinese Revolution. Journal of Contemporary History, 5(3), 39–54. Dittmer, L. (1977). Line struggle: Notes on its organizational context and theoretical development. Modern China, 3(3), 303–312. Fogel, J. A. (1980). Ai Siqi, establishment intellectual by Joshua A. Fogel. Modern China, 6(1), 23–47. Hammond, E. R. (1978). Marxism and the mass line [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Korolev, A. (2017). De-ideologized mass line, regime responsiveness, and state-society relations. China Review, 17(2), 7–36. Lyman, S. V. (1970). The Chinese Communist Party in the United Front, 1937–1945 [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Mazur, M. G. (1995). The United Front of the 1940s: A social and cultural perspective. Modern China, 21(4), 431–456. Selden, M. (1971). The Yenan Way in revolutionary China. The China Quarterly, (45), 263–294. Steiner, H. A. (1951). Current mass line tactics in Communist China. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 277(1), 422–436. Teiwes, F. C. (1978). The origins of rectification: Inner-party purgation in the 1930s. The China Quarterly, (74), 181–201. Tokuda, N. (1971). The mass line during the Yenan period. The China Quarterly, (47), 1–18. Townsend, J. R. (1967). Political participation in Communist China. University of California Press. Womack, B. (1980). The phase of de-Maoization in China. China Report, 16(1), 7–21. Womack, B. (1991). Mao Zedong and the sinification of Marxism. The China Quarterly, (126), 1–15. Young, G. (1980). On New Democracy and the transition to socialism. Modern China, 6(1), 3–22. Books & Primary Sources Coble, P. M. (2023). The collapse of Nationalist China: How Chiang Kai-shek lost China’s civil war. Cambridge University Press. Elbaum, M. (2018). Revolution in the air: Sixties radicals turn to Lenin, Mao and Che. Verso Books. Hirata, K. (2024). Making Mao’s steelworks: Industrial Manchuria and the transnational origins of Chinese socialism. Cambridge University Press. Karl, R. E. (2010). Mao Zedong and China in the twentieth-century world: A concise history. Duke University Press. Li, H. (2024). Fighting on the cultural front: U.S.-China relations in the Cold War. Columbia University Press. Lin, C. (2019). Mass line. In C. Sorace, I. Franceschini, & N. Loubere (Eds.), Afterlives of Chinese Communism: Political concepts from Mao to Xi (p. 122). ANU Press. Lovell, J. (2019). Maoism: A global history. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Lowe, D. M. (1966). The function of "China" in Marx, Lenin, and Mao. University of California Press. Mao, Z. (1940). On New Democracy. Marxists Internet Archive. Mao, Z. (1977). A critique of Soviet economics. Monthly Review Press. Moufawad-Paul, J. (2016). Continuity and rupture: Philosophy in the Maoist terrain. Zero Books. Schram, S. R. (Ed.). (2005). Mao’s road to power: Revolutionary writings 1912–1949: Vol. VII. New Democracy, 1939–1941. M.E. Sharpe. Zheng, Q. (Ed.). (2020). An ideological history of the Communist Party of China (Vol. 2) (L. Sun & S. Bryant, Trans.). Royal Collins Publishing Group. Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify 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

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