Varn Vlog

EXPLORE

Society & Culture

Health & Fitness

© 2024 PodJoint

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/da/92/53/da925314-98be-0991-2a2a-ae21bdee700e/mza_17148620067025346672.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Varn Vlog

C. Derick Varn

359 episodes

18 hours ago

What does it mean to build a socialist party in America today? The Marxist Unity Group, a left caucus within the Democratic Socialists of America, offers their perspective on this critical question while unpacking the complexities of DSA's internal dynamics, electoral strategy, and revolutionary vision. Fresh from DSA's national convention, MUG members celebrate significant victories including the passage of their "Principles of Party Building" resolution and the election of three caucus mem...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

All content for Varn Vlog is the property of C. Derick Varn and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

What does it mean to build a socialist party in America today? The Marxist Unity Group, a left caucus within the Democratic Socialists of America, offers their perspective on this critical question while unpacking the complexities of DSA's internal dynamics, electoral strategy, and revolutionary vision. Fresh from DSA's national convention, MUG members celebrate significant victories including the passage of their "Principles of Party Building" resolution and the election of three caucus mem...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/359)

Varn Vlog

The Marxist Unity Group: Navigating DSA's Political Landscape

What does it mean to build a socialist party in America today? The Marxist Unity Group, a left caucus within the Democratic Socialists of America, offers their perspective on this critical question while unpacking the complexities of DSA's internal dynamics, electoral strategy, and revolutionary vision. Fresh from DSA's national convention, MUG members celebrate significant victories including the passage of their "Principles of Party Building" resolution and the election of three caucus mem...

18 hours ago

2 hours 17 minutes

Varn Vlog

The Spectacle Society: When Nothing Means Anything with Dave Stockdale

In this riveting conversation with Dave Stockdale of Nightmare Masterclass, we dive deep into the crumbling foundations of media trust and how dark money shapes our information landscape. The discussion begins with a critical examination of the recent "Chorus" controversy, where progressive influencers took billionaire funding while decrying criticism as "misinformation" – adopting the very tactics they once condemned from the right. What makes this conversation particularly compelling is ho...

1 week ago

3 hours 46 minutes

Varn Vlog

The People's Era: How France Unbowed Reimagines Leftist Politics

What makes a radical left movement actually succeed in the 21st century? In this deeply illuminating conversation, Henry Wallis of New International Magazine breaks down how France Unbowed has become one of Europe's most significant left formations while avoiding the collapse that befell similar movements. Unlike traditional leftist organizations fixated on ideological purity or social democratic parties comfortable with existing institutions, France Unbowed has pioneered a "radical left" ap...

2 weeks ago

2 hours 48 minutes

Varn Vlog

(From the Patreon Archives) From Operaismo to Autonomy: Italian Radical Thought with P.H. Higgins

This episode was released patreon's only in 2021. Mario Tronti and Antonio Negri stand as towering figures in the forgotten history of Italian radical Marxism. Their theoretical frameworks - operaismo and autonomia - emerged from the unique contradictions of post-war Italy: a strong Communist Party trapped in parliamentary politics while workers sought more direct forms of resistance. What made these movements revolutionary wasn't just their militancy but their methodological breakthro...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 44 minutes

Varn Vlog

How Technology Could Transform Our Failed Economic Models with Victor Vernissage rom Humanode

What if blockchain technology could emancipate us rather than just enrich speculators? In this wide-ranging conversation with Victor Vernissage, researcher, economist, and founder of Humanode.io, we explore how emerging technologies might transform our economic systems if deployed with democratic values rather than purely capitalist structures. "Crypto is mostly about speculation. It's the main use case right now," Victor explains, cutting through the hype to address fundamental issues with ...

4 weeks ago

1 hour 28 minutes

Varn Vlog

Impossible Things: A Poet's Journey Through Loss and Translation with Miller Wolf Oberman

What happens when grief becomes inheritance? When poet Miller Oberman became a father himself, he suddenly understood something that had shaped his entire life: he had been parented by someone traumatized by the loss of a child. This revelation sparked an extraordinary poetic journey, driving him toward his father's unfinished memoir about the drowning death of his two-year-old son Joshua in 1972. "Impossible Things," Oberman's second collection, emerges from this intersection of personal an...

1 month ago

1 hour 29 minutes

Varn Vlog

Flowers for Marx Symposium, Part 2: Daniel Tutt and Matt McManus

From theoretical battles to publishing controversies, this episode dives deep into the fault lines dividing today's left through the lens of "Flowers for Marx," a new collection exploring Marxist humanism and scientism. Contributors Daniel Tutt and Matt McManus share the book's tumultuous journey—rejected by its original publisher because contributors appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast and wrote for Compact Magazine, revealing how cancel culture operates even within leftist publishing. At the h...

1 month ago

2 hours 1 minute

Varn Vlog

Flowers for Marx Symposium, Part 1: Ben Burgis, Conrad Hamilton, and Ernesto Vargas

What makes a book of Marxist theory so controversial that publishers back out after initially accepting it? The answer takes us deep into the heart of leftist intellectual debates that have shaped revolutionary movements for generations. "Flowers for Marx" brings together contrasting perspectives on fundamental questions that have divided Marxists since the 19th century. The conversation opens by exploring how platform appearances on shows like Joe Rogan became grounds for publisher rejectio...

1 month ago

1 hour 35 minutes

Varn Vlog

Why Your Stories Matter More Than Technology Ever Will with William "Bill" Welser

What if our personal stories are more valuable than we realize? In this thought-provoking conversation, William Welser, founder of LOTIC and innovative technologist, explores how our narratives shape not just our understanding of ourselves but also the artificial intelligence systems we create. Welser challenges conventional thinking about data, arguing that our stories provide the richest, most authentic information about who we are. "Storytelling is maybe the purest source of data about on...

1 month ago

1 hour 22 minutes

Varn Vlog

Gothic Capitalism and the Fate of Radical Art with Adam Turl

What happens when artistic rebellion becomes just another commodity? In this thought-provoking conversation, Adam Turl unpacks his book "Gothic Capitalism: Art Evicted from Heaven and Earth," taking us on a journey through the ruins of revolutionary movements and avant-garde dreams. The discussion begins with an unexpected Soviet connection—Alexandra Kollontai's gothic novella that serves as a metaphor for revolutionary ideals crumbling under bureaucratization. This sets the stage for explor...

2 months ago

1 hour 32 minutes

Varn Vlog

Financial Literacy: The Missing Piece in Social Justice with Courtney Teasley

Money isn't just about personal comfort—it's the foundation of sustainable social change. In this compelling conversation, attorney and business coach Courtney Teasley challenges conventional thinking about the relationship between financial power and justice work. Teasley introduces her concept of the "DAM community" (Disproportionately Affected Marginalized Minority), explaining how these communities face three critical knowledge gaps: criminal justice literacy, civics, and financial liter...

2 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

Varn Vlog

Buddha Didn't Want You to Quit Thinking with W. Tom Pepper

Journey into the often-overlooked intersection of Buddhism and critical theory with Tom Pepper, author of "The Faithful Buddhist" and "Indispensable Goods." Tom challenges conventional Western Buddhist practices by exposing how deeply they're entangled with romantic ideology and capitalist structures. Pepper argues that Western Buddhism has largely become a way for the alienated modern subject to find emotional compensation without confronting systemic issues. The romantic elements we've imp...

2 months ago

1 hour 28 minutes

Varn Vlog

Rereading Lenin: Context, Chronology, and Revolutionary Change with Alexander Herbert

What happens when you read Lenin completely, chronologically, and in context? You discover a thinker far more complex and pragmatic than most portrayals suggest. In this illuminating conversation, Professor Alex Herbert shares insights from his ambitious "Lenin in 45 Volumes" project, where he's systematically reading Lenin's complete works in their original Russian. Herbert reveals how Lenin's ideas evolved significantly over time in response to specific historical conditions—a reality ofte...

2 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

Varn Vlog

Signs, Symbols, and Silicon: How AI Changes Our Understanding of Thought with Nicolas D. Villarreal

What makes human thought distinctive, and can machines ever truly think like us? In this profound conversation with Nicholas Villarreal, author of "A Soul of a New Type: Writings on Artificial Intelligence and Materialist Semiotics," we journey into the heart of what makes intelligence possible—through the often overlooked lens of semiotics. The discussion begins with a critical examination of how we conceptualize both human and artificial intelligence. Villarreal challenges the dominant fra...

3 months ago

2 hours 39 minutes

Varn Vlog

Evolution's Grip on American Politics with Dr. Melvyn Lurie

What if our bitter political divisions aren't just about policy differences but reflect ancient biological drives hardwired into our DNA? Dr. Melvyn Lurie, Harvard-trained psychiatrist with expertise in genetics, presents a groundbreaking framework for understanding America's current crisis through evolutionary biology. Drawing from his observation of nesting species and historical civilizations, Dr. Lurie identifies two fundamental drives shaping human societies: survival drives (focused on...

3 months ago

59 minutes

Varn Vlog

The Rise of Caudillo Politics in America with Calixto Lopez

We explore how American politics has increasingly embraced Bonapartist and Caudillo elements, transforming the executive branch from its original constitutional role into an imperial presidency with vast unchecked powers. • Caesarism and Bonapartism as models for understanding the imperial presidency that has evolved since FDR and Eisenhower • Congress's gradual abdication of its constitutional powers to the executive branch and administrative agencies • The Southern cultural influence on Am...

3 months ago

2 hours 14 minutes

Varn Vlog

Dollar Dominance in a Fragile World with Emmanuel Daniel

What happens when the world's reserve currency faces a crisis of confidence, yet alternatives remain elusive? Emmanuel Daniel, author of "The Great Transition: The Personalization of Finance," offers a fascinating perspective on this paradox that defines our current global economic moment. The dollar's remarkable resilience stems from an unexpected source – American indifference. "The US doesn't care. And that's how the dollar became global," Daniel explains. With approximately 70% of dollar...

3 months ago

1 hour 28 minutes

Varn Vlog

The Revolution in Democracy: Marxist Unity Group's Vision for DSA

What does a truly democratic American future require? The Marxist Unity Group believes nothing short of revolution will deliver it. In this compelling conversation, MUG members Cliff Connolly, Amy Wilhelm, Jean Allen, and Aliyah Van Pelt outline their vision for transforming both the Democratic Socialists of America and American politics through programmatic unity and revolutionary change. At the core of MUG's approach is their draft program - a minimum-maximum framework that clearly articul...

3 months ago

2 hours 19 minutes

Varn Vlog

Taming the Wild: The Complex Story of Animal Domestication with Joy

The domestication of plants and animals represents one of the most profound transformations in our species' history—yet few of us understand how dramatically it has reshaped not just the organisms involved, but our entire planet's ecology. In this fascinating conversation with Joy of Zoognosis and Mimbres School, we unpack the complex biological and social dimensions of domestication that have created the world we inhabit today. Did you know that domesticated livestock and humans together co...

4 months ago

1 hour 48 minutes

Varn Vlog

Liberal Socialism and the Challenge of Right-Wing Politics with Matt McManus

Professor Matthew McManus joins us to explore liberal socialism, the right's evolution, and the shifting global political landscape. • Carlo Rossellini's work articulates a socialism that confronts both Marxist determinism and fascism • Rossellini criticized Italian leftists for failing to understand fascism's emotional appeal • Liberal socialism aims to make the promise of freedom true for everyone, especially the working poor • Mouffe and Laclau's influential work acknowledges the importan...

4 months ago

1 hour 20 minutes